Puppies getting smart, Jit's dad training dogs, Stuart, and preparing for Lampang

1/10/06
In Cha Am in 2001 I saw a wonderful Thailand street dog. We were eating at the beach and the dog sat calmly within the our family perimeter. He had a great expression. It was like he made himself a member of the family. We, naturally, fed him some of our food, he did not like the crab parts and buried them with his nose. We have some puppies in the village, probably 4 or 5 months old, what is cool, is that I see a couple of the puppies doing the same thing. I will walk around the park, see a family picnicking, and there will be one of the puppies, sitting calmly, like he is a member of the family.

Jit's dad has placed a series of clear pop bottles, filled with water, along the perimeter of the path in front of our house. I asked why and the answer is to discourage dogs from using our path to poop! The idea is that the dogs will see their reflection when the sniff around and will go somewhere else. I also found out why there is a sling shot on the front porch, it is to help encourage the dogs to move on. I guess two different methods, the bottles and the sling shot work together! Actually the soda pop idea is pretty neat, seeing the world from a dog's perspective. I have no idea if it will work, but it is an excellent way to look at things.

I got some news from Alaska. It looks like I will be working to coordinate the Associate of Arts degree program offered through Tanana Valley Campus. There are both distance and face to face versions of the degree. I will be able to apply some of my Thailand experiences with e-learning is a practical and immediate way. I also will be doing some advising as well as teaching. It looks like Chris, my replacement during my Sabbatical, will be able to remain as a permanent faculty member which is great. My interests have been changing and having Chris join the program will make our ITS program deeper and more valuable for our students. The Alaska news is very good.

We went to STOU today, I taught and introductory Excel lesson using my Excel book. The lesson went well, the students are knowledgeable and motivated. The questions are good and it is fun to teach them.

I saw an overweight middle age man at the coffee shop at STOU. He had six rings on, large rings with green stones. I had to look a few times, the rings were just too much. The man had a nice smile, it was just odd to see so many rings.

Coming back to Klong Toey pier we stopped at 7-11 to pay the UBC bill, Jit, for some reason tried to give the women in black some money, the women yelled and slapped it away. Jit said the women made her feel guilty. The Women in Black's condition is getting worse, she is really filthy and she is in need of help.

Stuart's, of Stuart's Life in Thailand fame was going to visit us this Thursday, we have been emailing. Subscribing to his blog at http://www.sgtowns.com/ , through bloglines is highly recommended, also reading his archive, anyway when we were going into a street restaurant to eat we ran into Stuart. He was checking out where to catch the boat and to park his motorcycle. So instead of Thursday we met on Tuesday. It was great talking with Stuart. We explored the area with Oy on her motobike. We saw a ferry for motorcycles to cross the river, I think the crossing is near Bang Na. Jit prepared a good meal, and we talked about many things, from philosophy to food and even the United States. I asked questions about how it feels to return to the United States after spending a long time in Thailand. Stuart helped me gain some perspective on the feeling of returning to the United States. I know Thailand has changed me, I am worried about how I will feel when I get home, I do not even know if it will feel like home again. I am afraid I will be bored and restless. The visit was excellent and Stuart will go with us to Lampang next week.

The trip to Lampang is to see the Wi-Max village. We will stay in the community over night. We will leave on the train Tuesday night, spend Wednesday in Lampang, go to the community and stay overnight on Thursday, and return by plane Friday night. I hope to see how people really use the Internet when they have access and support. I will also be interested in training and support needs in the community. Stuart might find something of value if he pursues an advanced degree. Essentially I will be able to see and experience people using the Internet in a rural community. I am expecting to have a lot to think about because of this trip.

1/11/06

Today at STOU I taught formatting and printing using my book. Coming home we went to Immigration to file my 90 day residency paper work and then to Hua Lamphong station to get the train tickets to Lampang. We found a good taxi driver and will use him to drive us to Supanburi this Saturday for the wedding. We will leave at 4:30 in the morning.

The taxi driver helped us find a place for a roast pig. We were going to get it for Jit's dad. There is some ceremony that involves a roast pig. Jit and her brothers wanted to get the pig for her dad. Last night Jit's dad said he did not want to do the ceremony now, he would do it later. Jit's dad wants to go to Nakhon Sawan soon, he want to visit a temple there. We will try to arrange the trip soon.

1/12/06
Today we stayed at home, the first time in a long time. Tomorrow we will also be home, it will be Jit's dad's birthday. He will be 76 years old.