Thank you for your insight -Just so you know, that first section about July 4th was sarcasm. I tend to plug that in and I regret you thought I was serious at all.
Also, I am sorry that I didn't really think about the potential readers for my most recent blog, as that section I'd written to a friend was in confidence and during a time when I felt a lot of racist pressure on me. I agree it's ironic that a privileged white American could even utter much less blog the words racism about anyone except his own people.
But you must understand that from my perspective, this world is wrought full of irrational, illogical, racist folk and so as to cover all my political correct bases, as I now know I must do, I agree that not everyone in Thailand are all of those things I wrote and I'm sure most are none of them at all. I personally have met many intellegent Thais. Also many apathetic ones, but it's the same in America.
I also must regret that I said lazy.
I have many Thai friends who work incredibly hard, struggling through days, even smiling, with hours that no American I know could ever grasp.
I still think that there is a sort of apathy to fixing the signs that I have heard the Thais themselves speak about.
Everything I have written was not simply subjective opinion that burst from what I think you may believe to be another "American running his mouth", but inferences based on many foreigner's and Thai's opinions.
I must confess that many foreigners who've lived in Thailand for decades each, who I spoke with before writing this piece, were incredibly negative about the environment they have voluntarily decided to spend their life amid.
I think we got off on the wrong foot and I ended up with my fist in my mouth.
Just one thing, each person's personality is based on conclusions they must make about the society in which they are embedded so as to find their place and comprehend such a society.
Possibly to you, I am just another young foreigner living here, writing, teaching, learning Thai, but for me, being here has helped me to realize the negative perception of Americans, what we do well in US, what needs to be fixed, what I love here in Thailand, and what my separate rearing and nationality is compared to a Thai. I am not obsessed with the United States, but being a quiet American in a south-east Asian country, I feel compelled to hold onto my values while trying to glean as much as possible from everyone I meet.
But, I've never tried to be unbiased, eye-opening or intellectual in these blogs. I've just tried to say what I've heard, seen or learned in a country most of my readers will never visit. Of course that doesn't in the least make up for the libelous words I used.
In my other writings, I have only the agenda of the topic at hand, but in these personal journal entries, I scrap the political correctness and speak blatantly, evidently typing with much less sense of readership than I should have.
I sincerely appreciate your comments and criticisms, especially it's sharp, sarcastic and artistic presentation.
props to the Miner man wow, it sounds like you got a shit ton of shit done. I thought you said that you weren't working until next month.. Nice job being proactive and motivated homeboy!
In regards to Brian, I think you should do the total American mom thing and bring him some chicken noodle soup and then attempt to wipe his burning brow with a damp towel. This should help, as it did when we were kids and our moms helped bring us back to health.. And from that point Brian will forever be grateful that you brought him back from death.
Do one thing for me during your teaching adventures and teach the kiddies a good American hi five as props for doing good. Then tell them that the coolest girl from Portland, Or gives them mad props for being bad asses and this gesture is courtesy of her bad ass-ness. Like one bad ass to another giving mad gangsta props.
If I know kids at all they'll love this and will think you and this unknown girl Tera are the coolest of the cool. Making these kids putty in your hand.. mwahahahaa..
"even more of a reason to stay...." let me guess.... a woman, right? only a gorgeous asian lady will make me want to stay in a mosquito and fly infested place.
mmm... bagels..
but no really that Tesco place is where I wanted to go before we left Chiang Mai. Elliot had told me about that place but I could never remember what it was called. I'm glad at least you made it there..
Elliot had said it was more like Walmart and not so much Costco.. did you have to buy a membership to go there?
alright I think I got it mmm.... So I found the fotos and I just wanted to add that I didn't know you went to a Thai cooking skool with a Tera and a Teri.. I'll kill you, you mother...
Besides that, you're photos of Cambodia were incredible. I wish I could have gone..
And seeing some of the photos from our travels together made me laugh a lot and then made me sad cause you're still experiencing new adventures while I'm here experiencing the same same.. no much different.
Just expanding my opportunities by throwing myself into a completely different country across the globe in hopes of making some money and gaining experience.... full info
Miner
Andrew Miner
Thank you for your insight
-Just so you know, that first section about July 4th was sarcasm. I tend to plug that in and I regret you thought I was serious at all. Also, I am sorry that I didn't really think about the potential readers for my most recent blog, as that section I'd written to a friend was in confidence and during a time when I felt a lot of racist pressure on me. I agree it's ironic that a privileged white American could even utter much less blog the words racism about anyone except his own people. But you must understand that from my perspective, this world is wrought full of irrational, illogical, racist folk and so as to cover all my political correct bases, as I now know I must do, I agree that not everyone in Thailand are all of those things I wrote and I'm sure most are none of them at all. I personally have met many intellegent Thais. Also many apathetic ones, but it's the same in America. I also must regret that I said lazy. I have many Thai friends who work incredibly hard, struggling through days, even smiling, with hours that no American I know could ever grasp. I still think that there is a sort of apathy to fixing the signs that I have heard the Thais themselves speak about. Everything I have written was not simply subjective opinion that burst from what I think you may believe to be another "American running his mouth", but inferences based on many foreigner's and Thai's opinions. I must confess that many foreigners who've lived in Thailand for decades each, who I spoke with before writing this piece, were incredibly negative about the environment they have voluntarily decided to spend their life amid. I think we got off on the wrong foot and I ended up with my fist in my mouth. Just one thing, each person's personality is based on conclusions they must make about the society in which they are embedded so as to find their place and comprehend such a society. Possibly to you, I am just another young foreigner living here, writing, teaching, learning Thai, but for me, being here has helped me to realize the negative perception of Americans, what we do well in US, what needs to be fixed, what I love here in Thailand, and what my separate rearing and nationality is compared to a Thai. I am not obsessed with the United States, but being a quiet American in a south-east Asian country, I feel compelled to hold onto my values while trying to glean as much as possible from everyone I meet. But, I've never tried to be unbiased, eye-opening or intellectual in these blogs. I've just tried to say what I've heard, seen or learned in a country most of my readers will never visit. Of course that doesn't in the least make up for the libelous words I used. In my other writings, I have only the agenda of the topic at hand, but in these personal journal entries, I scrap the political correctness and speak blatantly, evidently typing with much less sense of readership than I should have. I sincerely appreciate your comments and criticisms, especially it's sharp, sarcastic and artistic presentation.