So many experience.....

So many experience.....
The women's name who went with us on the river trip is Keenom. Hearing and spelling are a real problem for me. I just do not hear the distinctions between names well. I also find that I need to see something writing down to really remember it. Oh Well, on with the show.

I realized that the little girl who shoots fishes with slingshot is around the community when the other kids are in school. has a slight case of cerabal palsy, I think. It is like one of her hands and legs are not working well. I asked Jit and she mentioned that she had a hard time writing in school. I guess one of the things that I take for granted is educational access for people with disabilities. On the other hand the girl is loved, surrounded by friends and family every day and is not isolated. Ideally having education and a real place in the community would happen, but given the choices being a loved member of a community is a better choice.

I spell things differently all the time, for now we live in the Bangkrachow tambon of the Phrapredang aumper or district. I am sure there are a hundred different ways to spell. The floating market is Bangnamphung Floating Market The park that is next to Jit's house is the Sri Nakhon Khuankun Park. You can search on Google and get some information or search within the Thai Blogs web site.

We motorbiked to the Bangnamphung market again this morning, what a wonderful place, it is completely non-tourist, there are many unique and excellent products. Jit mentioned that it was like the Farmer's Market in Fairbanks in that only local or Thai products could be sold. We had some excellent food again, and I had some Thai waffle like things that were great. I know they would be an excellent product in Fairbanks for breakfast or at the Farmer's Market/

When we got back we were invited to a meal with some of Jit's relatives, it was in a traditional Thai house, the owners were teachers at a school, the man taught Thai dance and the women lab science. The food of course was excellent but the feeling of community was what was unique, at least from my Fairbanks life. I feel like an idiot sometimes because I do not know how to eat somethings. How do you eat a large sprig of parsley like vegetables? You sort of roll it into a ball and the eat it, leaving the stem base. I am watching everything to try to learn not to be an idiot. I can tell people are disappointed that I do not speak Thai.....

If facing many experiences in Thailand I need to accept that my normal caution must be relaxed. I need to say Yes or No to experiences like riding on a motorbike with no helmet, crossing a large river with no life jacket, and riding stuffed into a car with a driver that is a little stressed. So I accept the risk for the experience, so far it has been worth it. I think I would need to live in a hotel and only go on packaged tours if I did not say Yes to risk.

I saw Ah again, I had met her last year, she is an Architectural draftsmen and also has majored in English. I told her that I had a million questions. She said she would answer them.

We went to the Queen Sirikit Convention Center for a home show, took the small boat across the river to Klong Toey and then took a taxi to the center. There was a Japan Education show and an Australian education show there. Both shows were recruiting Thai students. It was interesting. The Japanese show was manic, there was even a hyper women in angel wings trying to encourage people to do something. In the United States we are suspicious of foreign students while other countries compete for them. We are going to be really hurt as a country by limiting the inflow of talent. In a sense we are trying to create a protected environment. The result of a closed environment is poor quality and a lack of competition. We need to open the door to talent. A closed environment leads to absurdities like that East German two cycle car, or the Hindustan in India. Viewed from outside our country our government is embarrassing. Enough of that...

On way back, by the Klong Toey 7-11 I saw this devastated young women, dressed in black completely disheveled. Sometimes images are haunting. Also sometimes I do not have the courage to take a picture. I do not know if she was mentally ill or severely addicted. It was just haunting though to see somebody so lost.

At the home show there were many small refrigerators and washers and driers. I wonder if there would be a market for some these things in the United States. There were also compact, and really neat, modular units for kitchens.

In the evening one of Jit's relatives, she is related to just about eveybody, invited us over to sit with us. After answering some probing questions about my life and motivation we just visited. She has seven fish tanks, with tropical fish set up outside, under a roof, so you can sit on a bench and just watch them, pretty interesting.

A couple came by to visit in the evening. He spoke some English, they took me into the park to look for fireflies. It was dark and the clouds were beautiful. We did not see any fire flies, but it was a great experience. I also got to see a Lumpoo tree. Unforgettable, and the sense of community again.....

When I got back Jit was visiting with two younger people, they know some English. I asked a lot of questions about computer and Internet use. She said the adults used there kids for computer use, primarily to type documents. People use the Internet for school work. In the villages, and even though we are in Bangkok, this is a village, there does not seem to be much Internet or computer use. One perspective is that people are busy all the time with work and home. I asked some questions of how they perceived the Internet. Did they see the Internet as a source of information to search for answers. The answer was a little ambiguous, but I do not think so. Bangkok proper is probably different. To be continued......