School midterm break started the first week of October and what better time to get away and explore my neighborhood. Of course I consider all the countries surrounding Thailand to be part of that area. The history of Thailand cannot be understood unless one goes back centuries and learns a little about the power and influence of the Khmers. We started our journey into southern Laos by bus from Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. The city of Pakse, Laos, borders the Mekong delta on its west and the Boloven Plateau to the east. The river is not at its best here but the mountains enjoy a lushness and beauty that compensates for the rivers drabness. There are hundreds of waterfalls of all heights and widths. Just when you thought you’ve seen the best, another flows out of the ... read more

It's been an uneventful couple of weeks. As a matter of fact I've been in a slump as I've finally completed the World Map Project and seem to feel 'that's it, where do I go from here?'. It's perfectly normal which means it's abnormal for me, to be in a valley at 7months of service. The medical unit has a graph of when we should be in our high, low and middle emotional states. Interesting how it's right on. I have such a good rapport with the staff (11) of Ban Nong ya Rang ka school that they've asked me to paint a large wall map of Thailand. They have specifically asked to have it large so it takes me 18 months to complete...that will also be close to the end of my PC service! They ... read more

Sitting sipping my second glass of wine, I began to reflect on some of the things I most missed about America. Aside from family and friends, music is certainly high on my list. I don’t mean to sound snobbish or pretentious, it’s just that Thai music is loud, distorted, monotonous, repetitious, tedious, oh well, you get the idea I just don’t like it. Next, is Microsoft Word in English. Now I do have to admit that I have a pirated version of Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007, in Thai. Think about this for just a moment, all of a sudden you can’t understand anything on the tool bar, the pop ups nor which icon is for cut, paste, or copy and oh yes, spell check! I mean, like you’d be just a wee bit frustrated, too. A ... read more

I know that everyone is wondering if I’ve been doing anything constructive since arriving in Thailand. First let me repeat my mantra…“I’m a volunteer, I’m a volunteer, I’m a volunteer!” So that being said, I feel comfortable telling you that I often get pedicures and manicures. You'd know that's pretty constructive if you've ever seen my feet! Those who know me, understand that I have no academic background. As I was attempting to explain this to my Nyoke (something like a mayor) in my best Thai, he was telling me to visit the three daycare centers in the Tambon, and based on my observations, write up a report on how I felt they could be improved to enhance the children's learning experience. I have to mention that the teaching methods and the schools are about 30-40 ... read more

Not much! So, I've rec'd word that there was another glitch in uploading my photos. I'm going to try again and won't bore you with too much text. ...Except to mention that I am starting an exercise program in my village. It is very surprising to see that there are many Thais who overweight and the incident of stroke is so high it is considered the number 3 (1999 statistics) cause of death after HIV/Aids and traffic accidents. I think that HIV/Aids deaths have actually decreased somewhat since that date. I don't have my daughter's talent for Jazzercise so I'm doing the next best thing....speed walking. Speed ...that's kind of a funny word to use in Thailand...they don't seem to have any concept of it unless they're in a car or on a motorcycle! I started ... read more