"Love would never leave us alone”
"Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”
"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain”
"Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live!”
couldn't just pick one quote!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Koh Samed
4 days on a tropical island...breathtaking.
I went with 3 of Matt's classmates (all girls) which made for a very dramatic trip. When we first arrived they needed to "get ready" for the beach...so I put on a swimsuit...waited and waited...finally making it down to the beach I counted to 3 and ran into the water. It was very shallow for a very long time and in typical Michaud fashion I hit a hole and tweaked my ankle. So for the rest of Friday I walked with a limp. The water was a warm blue green that you could see right through to the white sand. The waves were breaking fairly late and it was too shallow to play so we all just stayed out into the water until dark. I was able to see the sunset sink below the green hills while bobbing in the ocean. Again, in true Michaud fashion, the nights get a little hazy and memories a little fuzzy. I do know that after watching the sunset I wanted to watch the sunrise so I didn't go to sleep until Saturday morning at about 6:00 then the girls woke up and wanted to go to breakfast at 7:00...I was okay with that. But I'm getting ahead of myself, Friday night we went to a couple of different bars and I met a few beautiful girls from New York that are teaching in Bangkok. I believe it was one of there birthday's but in any case we exchanged information and I plan on shadowing them sometime this week or next. At another one of the bars I saw one of the guys that work at our bungalow and we sat and talked for a long time, always the opportunist I tried to see if I could get a price cut for the bungalow if I came once a month. Saturday I spent the day walking up and down the beach as well as sleeping out on the beach as well. A few beers in the afternoon and I was feeling pretty good for that night. We met up with the New York girls again and one of them attempted to show me how to Salsa dance. It looked more like a seizure plagued crab trying to spin some stranger around...it did not go so well but was still a lot of fun. We hung out with them for the rest of the night and decided to go for a night swim which didn't end so well for two reasons one of the girls got her purse stolen and I got locked out of the room, don't worry I eventually got in and I won the girl a Winnie the Pooh bear to replace her purse. Sunday two of the girls left and the remaining one decided we should have an early night so we won't feel like shit the next day as we travel back. I didn't think that was such a bad idea so as she went and got a massage I sat on the beach with a bottle of rum and a coke. I was listening to Buffett and Marley and couldn't be happier. It was simply paradise, and sitting alone on the beach was the 3rd best time I had at Koh Samed. We headed out that night and decided to sit down and have a Hookah (basically a bong with flavored tobacco) the girl I was with decided to go to bed early and I made friends with a group of British people sitting next to us. The night got very interesting with them and their German friend but knowing I had to go and travel back the next day I decided to hit the sack before anything got to bad. I made it up to our room at about 3:00 and she woke me up at 8:00 to leave. Needless to say it was a very interesting trip. For some reason the New York girls, the British girls, and the girls I were with have come accustomed to calling me Nebraska. Apparently it's funny that that is where I'm fun and the name has started to stick...odd but not the worst thing I've been called. I will admit that I might have had a little more fun if I'd gone by myself but, hey there is always next weekend! :)
New news...I'm going to go on a visa run sometime this week, it is expensive and the stamp only lasts for 30 days so I'd have to do it monthly. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do this. If I get a job with the New York girls I think I can get a visa but it is a year commitment and an 8-5 job leaving less time to do the other volunteer work. Speaking of which I have heard back from Habitat for Humanity that has projects in the Bangkok area I cold work in (or they had mentioned office work, but I'm definitely not interested in that). Also, I finally got a few contacts at PC(USA) which I have e-mailed and will hopefully hear back from them soon. I received an article from ActionAid Thailand that desperately needed revising. Helping out their lone media relations person is still an option but in this very indirect culture helping is a lot harder then I thought. I'm still waiting to hear back from Mercy Centre, if I haven't heard from them soon I think I will just stop by.
Besides all that things are going really well, I'm burnt to a crisp and anxiously awaiting to see about my Visa, shadowing, and making it back to the beach as soon as possible. I miss all of you guys and hope all is well. Again, I appreciate the e-mail's and posts, my Internet connection is shaky at best but I will always try and respond the best I can.
Here's to you,
Nebraska
I went with 3 of Matt's classmates (all girls) which made for a very dramatic trip. When we first arrived they needed to "get ready" for the beach...so I put on a swimsuit...waited and waited...finally making it down to the beach I counted to 3 and ran into the water. It was very shallow for a very long time and in typical Michaud fashion I hit a hole and tweaked my ankle. So for the rest of Friday I walked with a limp. The water was a warm blue green that you could see right through to the white sand. The waves were breaking fairly late and it was too shallow to play so we all just stayed out into the water until dark. I was able to see the sunset sink below the green hills while bobbing in the ocean. Again, in true Michaud fashion, the nights get a little hazy and memories a little fuzzy. I do know that after watching the sunset I wanted to watch the sunrise so I didn't go to sleep until Saturday morning at about 6:00 then the girls woke up and wanted to go to breakfast at 7:00...I was okay with that. But I'm getting ahead of myself, Friday night we went to a couple of different bars and I met a few beautiful girls from New York that are teaching in Bangkok. I believe it was one of there birthday's but in any case we exchanged information and I plan on shadowing them sometime this week or next. At another one of the bars I saw one of the guys that work at our bungalow and we sat and talked for a long time, always the opportunist I tried to see if I could get a price cut for the bungalow if I came once a month. Saturday I spent the day walking up and down the beach as well as sleeping out on the beach as well. A few beers in the afternoon and I was feeling pretty good for that night. We met up with the New York girls again and one of them attempted to show me how to Salsa dance. It looked more like a seizure plagued crab trying to spin some stranger around...it did not go so well but was still a lot of fun. We hung out with them for the rest of the night and decided to go for a night swim which didn't end so well for two reasons one of the girls got her purse stolen and I got locked out of the room, don't worry I eventually got in and I won the girl a Winnie the Pooh bear to replace her purse. Sunday two of the girls left and the remaining one decided we should have an early night so we won't feel like shit the next day as we travel back. I didn't think that was such a bad idea so as she went and got a massage I sat on the beach with a bottle of rum and a coke. I was listening to Buffett and Marley and couldn't be happier. It was simply paradise, and sitting alone on the beach was the 3rd best time I had at Koh Samed. We headed out that night and decided to sit down and have a Hookah (basically a bong with flavored tobacco) the girl I was with decided to go to bed early and I made friends with a group of British people sitting next to us. The night got very interesting with them and their German friend but knowing I had to go and travel back the next day I decided to hit the sack before anything got to bad. I made it up to our room at about 3:00 and she woke me up at 8:00 to leave. Needless to say it was a very interesting trip. For some reason the New York girls, the British girls, and the girls I were with have come accustomed to calling me Nebraska. Apparently it's funny that that is where I'm fun and the name has started to stick...odd but not the worst thing I've been called. I will admit that I might have had a little more fun if I'd gone by myself but, hey there is always next weekend! :)
New news...I'm going to go on a visa run sometime this week, it is expensive and the stamp only lasts for 30 days so I'd have to do it monthly. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do this. If I get a job with the New York girls I think I can get a visa but it is a year commitment and an 8-5 job leaving less time to do the other volunteer work. Speaking of which I have heard back from Habitat for Humanity that has projects in the Bangkok area I cold work in (or they had mentioned office work, but I'm definitely not interested in that). Also, I finally got a few contacts at PC(USA) which I have e-mailed and will hopefully hear back from them soon. I received an article from ActionAid Thailand that desperately needed revising. Helping out their lone media relations person is still an option but in this very indirect culture helping is a lot harder then I thought. I'm still waiting to hear back from Mercy Centre, if I haven't heard from them soon I think I will just stop by.
Besides all that things are going really well, I'm burnt to a crisp and anxiously awaiting to see about my Visa, shadowing, and making it back to the beach as soon as possible. I miss all of you guys and hope all is well. Again, I appreciate the e-mail's and posts, my Internet connection is shaky at best but I will always try and respond the best I can.
Here's to you,
Nebraska
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
John Allen
Here, troubles are still Prevalent
But no longer Relevant
Fate does not Forget
Fate Redeems
...think about it! :)
But no longer Relevant
Fate does not Forget
Fate Redeems
...think about it! :)
1 Month Update
After a delay and a missed flight we were able to spend a day like movie stars in Hollywood with Jessica Schmidt. The flight over wasn't bad at all except for the fact Matt and I didn't sleep at all. There were enough movies and excitment to get you through the flight. We landed and miraculously recieved our luggage, I obtained a visa, and we then had a taxi driver take us to Mahidol University where we spent the equivalant of a fortune at the hotel on campus. The next day we spent looking for apartments which we found a beautiful, new, and safe place. We proceeded to look for jobs and volunteer organizations while Matt was busy getting ready for school. We started working for ActionAid Thailand with their Global Action School program and Hunger Free campaign. We also have gotten involved with Goodwill here in Thailand (no not like our Goodwill). It is a women's rights organization where Matt and I aren't neccessarily allowed to participate but we are helping with the curriculum. Now I know some of you are wondering what the hell I"m doing helping a women's rights organization but with the sex trade and the forced labor they have here I thought that they may be some people that need the most help. Not to mention that it might be a good line down the road when I'm trying to pick up women "You know I used to work for a women's rights organization". :) I had an interesting night where I was locked out of my hallway and had to climb a ladder from the 5th floor down to the third floor...sounds easy but when you're a Michaud the simplest task is a prime opportunity for you to hurt yourself..."It aint easy being a Michaud" --The entire Michaud Family. I am still in contact with a couple of orphanages and am working to be able to help them out. I suppose I'm happy that it is so hard to do, there are a ton of sicko's here and I'd rather it be hard to get in to help then easy. But that is something I still really really want to do as well as get to the beach. Besides a very awkward night at PatPong I haven't had a lot to write about because I haven't visited a lot of places I wanted to get to (THE BEACH) and haven't yet made it to an orphanage. Though I did make it to a 1st-12 grade school and we talked about Peace which was probably the most fun I've had here.
I spent about $60 and 5 hours at the Immigration office today to get a 7 day extension on my visa. To put that in perspecitve I was expecting to get a 60-105 day extension, which they apparently don't do anymore. It's been hard since it seems everyone's advice or experience is outdated and when I think I have the inside track on what to do I get hit with somethign else. Never fear though, Thailand can't get rid of me that easily. I'll figure something out, be it a visa run, work permit, or I'll sack up and marry a Thai girl.
I hope things are going well for all of you out there. Please keep the e-mails and posts coming. If anyone gets Skype let me know we can talk for free if you have a speaker. I also have an interesting opportunity for some of you women out there that you may be recieving via e-mail from me our a family member.
Keep the Heads Ringing!
Here's to you,
Michaud
P.S. I am sitting on my balcony in my skivvies drinking a beer watching the palm trees sway and listening to (who else) Buffett. Thought you all should know that.
I spent about $60 and 5 hours at the Immigration office today to get a 7 day extension on my visa. To put that in perspecitve I was expecting to get a 60-105 day extension, which they apparently don't do anymore. It's been hard since it seems everyone's advice or experience is outdated and when I think I have the inside track on what to do I get hit with somethign else. Never fear though, Thailand can't get rid of me that easily. I'll figure something out, be it a visa run, work permit, or I'll sack up and marry a Thai girl.
I hope things are going well for all of you out there. Please keep the e-mails and posts coming. If anyone gets Skype let me know we can talk for free if you have a speaker. I also have an interesting opportunity for some of you women out there that you may be recieving via e-mail from me our a family member.
Keep the Heads Ringing!
Here's to you,
Michaud
P.S. I am sitting on my balcony in my skivvies drinking a beer watching the palm trees sway and listening to (who else) Buffett. Thought you all should know that.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Change...Garth Brooks
I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate the e-mails, facebook and blog posts. It makes it a lot easier to keep the blog updated when I know people are actually reading it. I am just not able to post pictures on this blog, however I was able to do it on facebook and I'm sure the majority of you know somebody on facebook so check them out. Otherwise e-mail me and I'll see if I can't get them to you.
It was interesting to me, today, I had somebody ask why I came over here and gave everything up. I went through the typical speech I've told all of you so many times. I was on the internet today and happened across this song that I believe sums everything up pretty well. I think the majority of you out there know my intentions for coming out here was not to necessarily "find myself" I've always known I'm my Mother's son, My father's admirer, My friend's loyal friend, A leader, a follower, a big brother, a wise-cracking cousin, an ornery grandson, an average student, a unproductive co-worker, etc.
With that said...I believe the song sums it up the best
One hand reaches out, And pulls a lost soul from harm.
While a thousand more go unspoken for.
They say, "What good have you done, By saving just this one?"
It's like whispering a prayer, In the fury of a storm.
And I hear them sayin',
You'll never change things.
And no matter what you do,
It's still the same thing.
But it's not the world,
That I am changing.
I do this so this world will know,
That it will not change me.
This heart still believes,
That love and mercy still exist.
While all the hatreds rage and so many say,
That love is all but pointless,
In madness such as this.
It's like tryin' to stop a fire,
With the moisture from a kiss.
And I hear them sayin',
You'll never change things.
And no matter what you do,
It's still the same thing.
But it's not the world,
That I am changing.
I do this so this world will know,
That it will not change me.
As long as one heart still holds on,
Then hope is never really gone.
An' I hear them sayin',
You'll never change things.
And no matter what you do,
It's still the same thing.
But it's not the world,
That I am changing.
I do this so this world will know,
That it will not change me.
What I do is so,
This world will know,
That it will not change me.
What I do is so,
This world will know,
That it will not change me
Pretty good stuff huh, maybe something to keep in the back of your head!
Here's to you,
~Ryan
It was interesting to me, today, I had somebody ask why I came over here and gave everything up. I went through the typical speech I've told all of you so many times. I was on the internet today and happened across this song that I believe sums everything up pretty well. I think the majority of you out there know my intentions for coming out here was not to necessarily "find myself" I've always known I'm my Mother's son, My father's admirer, My friend's loyal friend, A leader, a follower, a big brother, a wise-cracking cousin, an ornery grandson, an average student, a unproductive co-worker, etc.
With that said...I believe the song sums it up the best
One hand reaches out, And pulls a lost soul from harm.
While a thousand more go unspoken for.
They say, "What good have you done, By saving just this one?"
It's like whispering a prayer, In the fury of a storm.
And I hear them sayin',
You'll never change things.
And no matter what you do,
It's still the same thing.
But it's not the world,
That I am changing.
I do this so this world will know,
That it will not change me.
This heart still believes,
That love and mercy still exist.
While all the hatreds rage and so many say,
That love is all but pointless,
In madness such as this.
It's like tryin' to stop a fire,
With the moisture from a kiss.
And I hear them sayin',
You'll never change things.
And no matter what you do,
It's still the same thing.
But it's not the world,
That I am changing.
I do this so this world will know,
That it will not change me.
As long as one heart still holds on,
Then hope is never really gone.
An' I hear them sayin',
You'll never change things.
And no matter what you do,
It's still the same thing.
But it's not the world,
That I am changing.
I do this so this world will know,
That it will not change me.
What I do is so,
This world will know,
That it will not change me.
What I do is so,
This world will know,
That it will not change me
Pretty good stuff huh, maybe something to keep in the back of your head!
Here's to you,
~Ryan
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
PatPong, G.A.S., and Misc
Well a lot has been going on recently hence me not posting in awhile. Brooke and I have been getting really involved with ActionAid Thailand. But I'll get to that later...
My mom randomly met a lady at Jazzercise who now lives in Thailand. So we met up with her husband who was absolutely a Godsend. He explained a lot about Bangkok, some do's and dont's, and a lot about politics. They also have an amazing place and some really good contacts. In fact we randomly met two of his friends at a store and they are going out with Brooke to talk about women right's organizations tomorrow. Brooke, had told Matt and I that we needed to go to Patpong at least once so we know what it is like. Daniel offered to take us since he knew the ropes and wanted to make sure we didn't get into trouble. And trust me you don't find trouble over there you have to actively avoid it. I was thinking it would be more like a strip-club on steroids...I was way wrong. It was INSANE and I'm completely thankful Daniel and Brooke were there, we'll leave it at that.
ActionAid desperately needs our help but the more I try the more I see that it may not be possible. This culture is so indirect that it is hard for them to accomplish anything or come to any type of conclusions. They call it a "save the face" culture. They don't want anyone to look bad or feel bad. Basically a hell of a lot different then the way business is done in the States. However, I did get involved with their program Global Action School's which is teaching teachers and kids about global issues. Yesterday I went to a 1st-12th grade school and we talked about peace, took pictures, and wrote about peace. The atmosphere was very unique...some writings had the f-word in them, there were incredibly graphic pictures of inhumane acts and one thing that made me incredibly awkward was there were a lot of "girly-boys" there as well. These kids are only in high-school but they have accepted there sexuality and so have there peers. One peace booth had two "girly-boys" dressed up in dresses giving massages behind a sheet for a fundraiser. Ying who is the head of GAS told me she wanted to showme something took me the booth and closed the sheet where I found myself in a high-school's auditorium, enclosed in a sheet with two guys dressed up as girls giving massages to their classmates. All of whom wanted to give me one...and the answer to your question is no, I didn't get one and was completely freaked out from the incident. I think it's great that people are so accepting here but I was less then ready for that culture shock.
But besides that incident watching all the kids running around eager to share with me what they learned about peace (in english) not to mention seeing what they thought of America and certain issues across the world was a very rewarding experience. It gave me a renewed mission.
I have upped my search efforts to find an orphanage around Bangkok that I can help at. I have found many in the Chang Mai area as well as down south which will be great to go visit for a week or so, but hopefully I can find something more permanant soon.
We also went and saw the JW Thompson house which is what I would imagine Jimmy Buffett's house would look like if he had lived and worked in Bangkok. Check out the story behing JW Thompson it is pretty interesting but by far the coolest part was his house!
Things are still going well for me, as I told some work buddies the trucks here have pretty intense paintings and are all Isuzu and Hino. It seems that traffic lines and rules are more of a suggestion then laws here and the non-existant sidewalks always make for an exciting walk to campus (for our 85 cent dinner).
I don't know who all is reading this but for those of you in Nebraksa hope you guys are staying fairly dry and safe. Hope everything is going well with all of you and please keep the e-mails and posts coming!!
Here's to you,
Michaud
My mom randomly met a lady at Jazzercise who now lives in Thailand. So we met up with her husband who was absolutely a Godsend. He explained a lot about Bangkok, some do's and dont's, and a lot about politics. They also have an amazing place and some really good contacts. In fact we randomly met two of his friends at a store and they are going out with Brooke to talk about women right's organizations tomorrow. Brooke, had told Matt and I that we needed to go to Patpong at least once so we know what it is like. Daniel offered to take us since he knew the ropes and wanted to make sure we didn't get into trouble. And trust me you don't find trouble over there you have to actively avoid it. I was thinking it would be more like a strip-club on steroids...I was way wrong. It was INSANE and I'm completely thankful Daniel and Brooke were there, we'll leave it at that.
ActionAid desperately needs our help but the more I try the more I see that it may not be possible. This culture is so indirect that it is hard for them to accomplish anything or come to any type of conclusions. They call it a "save the face" culture. They don't want anyone to look bad or feel bad. Basically a hell of a lot different then the way business is done in the States. However, I did get involved with their program Global Action School's which is teaching teachers and kids about global issues. Yesterday I went to a 1st-12th grade school and we talked about peace, took pictures, and wrote about peace. The atmosphere was very unique...some writings had the f-word in them, there were incredibly graphic pictures of inhumane acts and one thing that made me incredibly awkward was there were a lot of "girly-boys" there as well. These kids are only in high-school but they have accepted there sexuality and so have there peers. One peace booth had two "girly-boys" dressed up in dresses giving massages behind a sheet for a fundraiser. Ying who is the head of GAS told me she wanted to showme something took me the booth and closed the sheet where I found myself in a high-school's auditorium, enclosed in a sheet with two guys dressed up as girls giving massages to their classmates. All of whom wanted to give me one...and the answer to your question is no, I didn't get one and was completely freaked out from the incident. I think it's great that people are so accepting here but I was less then ready for that culture shock.
But besides that incident watching all the kids running around eager to share with me what they learned about peace (in english) not to mention seeing what they thought of America and certain issues across the world was a very rewarding experience. It gave me a renewed mission.
I have upped my search efforts to find an orphanage around Bangkok that I can help at. I have found many in the Chang Mai area as well as down south which will be great to go visit for a week or so, but hopefully I can find something more permanant soon.
We also went and saw the JW Thompson house which is what I would imagine Jimmy Buffett's house would look like if he had lived and worked in Bangkok. Check out the story behing JW Thompson it is pretty interesting but by far the coolest part was his house!
Things are still going well for me, as I told some work buddies the trucks here have pretty intense paintings and are all Isuzu and Hino. It seems that traffic lines and rules are more of a suggestion then laws here and the non-existant sidewalks always make for an exciting walk to campus (for our 85 cent dinner).
I don't know who all is reading this but for those of you in Nebraksa hope you guys are staying fairly dry and safe. Hope everything is going well with all of you and please keep the e-mails and posts coming!!
Here's to you,
Michaud
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Update
A lot has happened in the last few days but I've had really bad internet connection so I haven't been able to write...sorry about that.
First off another one of Matt's classmates arrived she is Dutch and a lot of fun. While we were eating at "our spot" a lady came up with a sack of some type of vegetable which I thought was really weird to do while we were sitting in a restaurant. Then I looked over and there was a friggin baby elephant!!!! So Matt and I both got to feed the baby elephant for what I think was about 50 cents each. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night. It was awesome!! We went to move the Dutch girl's things into her room and when we got there the "manager" was drunk off his ass and could barely walk...then before we knew it there were about 4 drunk thai guys in this little apartment and Matt and I decided that she would stay with the Irish girl until she got a better lock on her door. So that night was pretty interesting.
Yesterday we spend the day in Bangkok with one of Brooke's random contacts her name was Nila and her friend was Juan. They could quite possibly be the nicest people in the whole world. They not only took us around the Grand Palace, markets, and a few other temples but they also told us all about the Buddahism religion and how it pertains to the temples. It was great not to only appreciate the beauty of everything but learn about the tradition as well. We also took a ride on the long boat along the river and got a unique view of Bangkok and the Palace as well. Then instead of getting on a bus for the hour ride back to our place they were nice enough to drive us back, which took 15 minutes.
Brooke and I are going to go to ActionAID tomorrow and work a full day also just to see what they are all about, and little Matty starts school tomorrow. My mom has actually gotten me in contact with two people that live in Bangkok who seem like they could have a lot of opportunities for us as well. I am really excited to see what they may have to offer.
I know this may seem odd to a lot of you but we have yet to go crazy or do any real partying. We have seen a lot of the sights: china town, the biggest Pagoda in the world, the largest Buddah in the world, the Grand Palace, temples, and a breath taking oasis of lush green forestry that will no doubt serve as a terrific writing spot. We have yet to enjoy any clubs or bars in Bangkok or any of the beaches. The plan was to go to one of the most popular islands this weekend but Brooke and I will be working on Sunday for ActionAID so we may just go to a beach that is an hour away on Friday and come back Saturday. I'm sure I will have even better stories after the beach.
Everything is going great over here and we are still having a blast. I'm not feeling so good today so we are taking it easy and just getting ready for a big week. Hope all is well on your side of the world wherever that may be!
Here's to you,
Ryan
First off another one of Matt's classmates arrived she is Dutch and a lot of fun. While we were eating at "our spot" a lady came up with a sack of some type of vegetable which I thought was really weird to do while we were sitting in a restaurant. Then I looked over and there was a friggin baby elephant!!!! So Matt and I both got to feed the baby elephant for what I think was about 50 cents each. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night. It was awesome!! We went to move the Dutch girl's things into her room and when we got there the "manager" was drunk off his ass and could barely walk...then before we knew it there were about 4 drunk thai guys in this little apartment and Matt and I decided that she would stay with the Irish girl until she got a better lock on her door. So that night was pretty interesting.
Yesterday we spend the day in Bangkok with one of Brooke's random contacts her name was Nila and her friend was Juan. They could quite possibly be the nicest people in the whole world. They not only took us around the Grand Palace, markets, and a few other temples but they also told us all about the Buddahism religion and how it pertains to the temples. It was great not to only appreciate the beauty of everything but learn about the tradition as well. We also took a ride on the long boat along the river and got a unique view of Bangkok and the Palace as well. Then instead of getting on a bus for the hour ride back to our place they were nice enough to drive us back, which took 15 minutes.
Brooke and I are going to go to ActionAID tomorrow and work a full day also just to see what they are all about, and little Matty starts school tomorrow. My mom has actually gotten me in contact with two people that live in Bangkok who seem like they could have a lot of opportunities for us as well. I am really excited to see what they may have to offer.
I know this may seem odd to a lot of you but we have yet to go crazy or do any real partying. We have seen a lot of the sights: china town, the biggest Pagoda in the world, the largest Buddah in the world, the Grand Palace, temples, and a breath taking oasis of lush green forestry that will no doubt serve as a terrific writing spot. We have yet to enjoy any clubs or bars in Bangkok or any of the beaches. The plan was to go to one of the most popular islands this weekend but Brooke and I will be working on Sunday for ActionAID so we may just go to a beach that is an hour away on Friday and come back Saturday. I'm sure I will have even better stories after the beach.
Everything is going great over here and we are still having a blast. I'm not feeling so good today so we are taking it easy and just getting ready for a big week. Hope all is well on your side of the world wherever that may be!
Here's to you,
Ryan
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Longchenpa(14th century Tibet)
Since everything is but an apparition, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.
Culture
I am incredibly tired today because that damn rooster wouldn't shut up and woke me up extremely early so I apologize if this post doesn't make a whole lot of sense:
Well we went to the embassy yesterday and they basically told me to do some border hopping in order to renew my visa but I will keep you informed. We spent the rest of the day in Bangkok and had a blast. We visited some emaculate temples which I do have pictures for and will attempt to get those posted. We also went to Chinatown and that was pretty interesting...very dirty and very crowded but it really looked like a scene right out of a movie. Everyone is very friendly but we noticed that they all have the same line "I go to USA next week" then comes the helpful directions to a store that they get commission for if they bring customers. We took a taxi from the embassy to china town for about 50 baht (little less then 2 dollars). Then we basically took a 2 hour tour on a tuk-tuk to 3 different temples and ending at Kosahn road total price was 30 baht. But we had to go fake interest in two shops that he gets commission for...we thought it was an even trade.
Kosahn road is a HUGE toursit street and basically you have a bunch of bars, hostels, and street venders. We got off of the tuk-tuk and within 4 seconds we had someone asking us if we wanted to see the ping-pong show...use your imagination. Throughout the few hours we were there we probably got asked about the ping-pong show 10 times. Brooke decided to go get a massage so inevitably Matt and I sat at a bar and people watched. With everything from Europeans to Indians, dirtballs to children it was pretty interesting. Then Matt overheard the guy at the table next to us bartering for the price of one of our waitresses it was very disturbing.
The pollution is pretty horrific in Bangkok and I don't think I could ever live there. We all felt pretty light headed at the end of it, I think we will be investing in hankerchiefs or something by the end of the day today. Another thing we noticed is that everybody drinks out of straws around here. We sometime wonder if we are being rude taking giant swigs of our water but nobody pays much attention to the farangs from Nebraska.
Matt was the first one to fall...he couldn'g get off the pot two days ago due to an interesting meal the supervisor of his program gave him while he was at the hospital doing his check-up (for insurance). So that was kind of a lost day for him, the nice thing was that we got to have pizza because of it. The pizza was delicious and we decided that if anyone gets sick that's when we can have pizza, a little taste of home.
There are packs of wild dogs around everywhere and they also have a lot of dogs as pets so their dynamic is pretty interesting. I will do my best to convince them to have a "talk" with my rooster so I can finally get some sleep but we will see how that goes.
Besides that we are just adjusting to life as it pertains to the dream, I will keep you guys updated and try and get some pictures posted soon.
Here's to you,
Ryan Michaud
Well we went to the embassy yesterday and they basically told me to do some border hopping in order to renew my visa but I will keep you informed. We spent the rest of the day in Bangkok and had a blast. We visited some emaculate temples which I do have pictures for and will attempt to get those posted. We also went to Chinatown and that was pretty interesting...very dirty and very crowded but it really looked like a scene right out of a movie. Everyone is very friendly but we noticed that they all have the same line "I go to USA next week" then comes the helpful directions to a store that they get commission for if they bring customers. We took a taxi from the embassy to china town for about 50 baht (little less then 2 dollars). Then we basically took a 2 hour tour on a tuk-tuk to 3 different temples and ending at Kosahn road total price was 30 baht. But we had to go fake interest in two shops that he gets commission for...we thought it was an even trade.
Kosahn road is a HUGE toursit street and basically you have a bunch of bars, hostels, and street venders. We got off of the tuk-tuk and within 4 seconds we had someone asking us if we wanted to see the ping-pong show...use your imagination. Throughout the few hours we were there we probably got asked about the ping-pong show 10 times. Brooke decided to go get a massage so inevitably Matt and I sat at a bar and people watched. With everything from Europeans to Indians, dirtballs to children it was pretty interesting. Then Matt overheard the guy at the table next to us bartering for the price of one of our waitresses it was very disturbing.
The pollution is pretty horrific in Bangkok and I don't think I could ever live there. We all felt pretty light headed at the end of it, I think we will be investing in hankerchiefs or something by the end of the day today. Another thing we noticed is that everybody drinks out of straws around here. We sometime wonder if we are being rude taking giant swigs of our water but nobody pays much attention to the farangs from Nebraska.
Matt was the first one to fall...he couldn'g get off the pot two days ago due to an interesting meal the supervisor of his program gave him while he was at the hospital doing his check-up (for insurance). So that was kind of a lost day for him, the nice thing was that we got to have pizza because of it. The pizza was delicious and we decided that if anyone gets sick that's when we can have pizza, a little taste of home.
There are packs of wild dogs around everywhere and they also have a lot of dogs as pets so their dynamic is pretty interesting. I will do my best to convince them to have a "talk" with my rooster so I can finally get some sleep but we will see how that goes.
Besides that we are just adjusting to life as it pertains to the dream, I will keep you guys updated and try and get some pictures posted soon.
Here's to you,
Ryan Michaud
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
...Proudly Stand Up Next To You
I believe I have found something to stand for, now it's just a matter of stabalizing my footing.
A call to action
I find myself in a foreign land sitting next to a Pakistani, Burmese, Irish, and two other Americans drinking Singha (tastes like Busch Heavy). These people have made the deliberate choice to travel to Thailand and dedicate their lives to bettering the lives of others...Human Rights. They will be writing their thesises on anything from Honor Killings to Starvation, Military Intervention to Women Rights. However it seems that is where the perverbial buck stops. They talk about awarness, books, and the good they can do about spreading knowledge about their respective causes. Now, these people are incredibly smart and had to go through a lot in order to even be accepted into this school. We all know that I am just some ex-salesman from Nebraska who has never claimed to be bright let alone have the warewithall to hold a conversation with these guys. Awareness is key to any cause which is a given (remember marketing major). But being aware of something does not change it, knowledge may be power but it is not change, this world is full of knowledgable authors what its missing is passionate actors. A thesis, a book, a marketing campaign is all great but in the end somebody has to act on your words...why can't you act on them?
The word hipocrite has a bad connotation to it but I believe that we are all hipocrites we are just to selfish to see it. I think of how many times I held the torch for the Omaha Children's Hospital: meetings, pamphlets, presentations, etc. all in the name of awareness of our cause at Dance Marathon. I remember being incredibly upset at family and friends for not giving or not giving enough to a cause that I was so passionate about. But how many visits did I make to the hospital itself (1), how many children did I bring a simple little present for, what good is words and money without a call to action. Letters in a book that accumulate into sentences and a supposed cause are about as good as me trying to order food from a Thai restaurant: I will eventually get my order in but who knows what they will bring me or what the outcome will be.
I will keep you updated on my travels, we are headed into Bangkok tomorrow to visit the embassy and to see what I can do about a Visa.
Here's to you,
Ryan, Junior, Husband, Brother, Michaud, Billy the Kid
The word hipocrite has a bad connotation to it but I believe that we are all hipocrites we are just to selfish to see it. I think of how many times I held the torch for the Omaha Children's Hospital: meetings, pamphlets, presentations, etc. all in the name of awareness of our cause at Dance Marathon. I remember being incredibly upset at family and friends for not giving or not giving enough to a cause that I was so passionate about. But how many visits did I make to the hospital itself (1), how many children did I bring a simple little present for, what good is words and money without a call to action. Letters in a book that accumulate into sentences and a supposed cause are about as good as me trying to order food from a Thai restaurant: I will eventually get my order in but who knows what they will bring me or what the outcome will be.
I will keep you updated on my travels, we are headed into Bangkok tomorrow to visit the embassy and to see what I can do about a Visa.
Here's to you,
Ryan, Junior, Husband, Brother, Michaud, Billy the Kid
Sunday, June 1, 2008
First Thai Post
All right, all right, I know I haven't gotten to post anything yet and all of you have probably given up on me...however I now have internet access in my room and will be able to blog all the time. And with the fact that there is so much to say because I haven't been on you can bet that I will blog much more frequent. I'll try and give you a quick recap...
We were delayed on our trip to Cali so we missed our connecting flight to Bangkok we had a good friend Jessica Schmidt come pick us up and we stayed with her for the night and hung out until our flight came the next night. She has turned me on to PinkBerry if you are ever in Cali go get one it is delicious. As far as the 17 hour flight is concerned Matt and I didn't sleep a whole lot (Brooke didn't have that problem) but we had a mean game of Pong going and watched quite a few movies. I was surprised how easy the flight was, Thai airways is the way to go!! After landing we took about an hour taxi ride to Mahidol university and decided instead of lugging all of our bags around we would just stay at the hotel on campus for the night until we found something else. Cost for one night in hotel: let's just say it was as much as it would be for 1 month's rent. We really got screwed there. After miles upon miles of walking the next day we found a place with 2 beds that was pretty clean for 4,000 Baht. As much as neither one of us wanted to do it it was looking like Matt Brooke and I were about to become really really close. However, we ended up finding an absolutely beautiful place with good security, internet, bathroom, hot water (which you don't need), t.v., etc. Those two are on the 5th floor with a great view and I am on the 3rd floor which doesn't have as good as a view but I can see the tip of the Pagoda which is kind of cool. And we can walk to campus which is a HUGE PLUS!
As far as the culture is concerned it is absoluely incredible: they are really big on cleanliness so everything is really clean and it truely is the land of smiles everyone is incredibly nice. It has been great learning just the little intracacies of this great place. The little things are what you have to be careful about as far as the traffic coming at you from the other side of the road, escalators going the other way, and they say you need to be careful with taxis but we haven't had a need for them yet. One thing I have really enjoyed so far is getting to know Matt's classmates he has someone from Pakistan, Ireland, and Burma which we have all gotten to be good friends (the rest haven't arrived yet). Just learning about their cultures and their incredible experiences has been such a joy. Even all of them have been eager to help me find a job or volunteer organization so I can get a visa.
It is insanely hot and humid here and the breeze is anything but cool. I have found that it is either the fact that I was a pirate in my last life or because I am a Parrot Head in this life that the heat and humidity hasn't bothered me at all, you just have to accept the fact that you are going to sweat all day and have a bottle of water in your hand all the time.
I know this is pretty broad but I will get into some stories and more detail now that I will be able to get on frequently. And of course I will be posting deep insights, quotes, and the like that will most likely be fodder for making fun of me when I get back...but to hell with you guys :)
It is by no means a vacation here but the experience is greater then anything I can imagine and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. I promise to have more frequent posts please keep responding. Thank you all once again
Here's to you,
Ryan
We were delayed on our trip to Cali so we missed our connecting flight to Bangkok we had a good friend Jessica Schmidt come pick us up and we stayed with her for the night and hung out until our flight came the next night. She has turned me on to PinkBerry if you are ever in Cali go get one it is delicious. As far as the 17 hour flight is concerned Matt and I didn't sleep a whole lot (Brooke didn't have that problem) but we had a mean game of Pong going and watched quite a few movies. I was surprised how easy the flight was, Thai airways is the way to go!! After landing we took about an hour taxi ride to Mahidol university and decided instead of lugging all of our bags around we would just stay at the hotel on campus for the night until we found something else. Cost for one night in hotel: let's just say it was as much as it would be for 1 month's rent. We really got screwed there. After miles upon miles of walking the next day we found a place with 2 beds that was pretty clean for 4,000 Baht. As much as neither one of us wanted to do it it was looking like Matt Brooke and I were about to become really really close. However, we ended up finding an absolutely beautiful place with good security, internet, bathroom, hot water (which you don't need), t.v., etc. Those two are on the 5th floor with a great view and I am on the 3rd floor which doesn't have as good as a view but I can see the tip of the Pagoda which is kind of cool. And we can walk to campus which is a HUGE PLUS!
As far as the culture is concerned it is absoluely incredible: they are really big on cleanliness so everything is really clean and it truely is the land of smiles everyone is incredibly nice. It has been great learning just the little intracacies of this great place. The little things are what you have to be careful about as far as the traffic coming at you from the other side of the road, escalators going the other way, and they say you need to be careful with taxis but we haven't had a need for them yet. One thing I have really enjoyed so far is getting to know Matt's classmates he has someone from Pakistan, Ireland, and Burma which we have all gotten to be good friends (the rest haven't arrived yet). Just learning about their cultures and their incredible experiences has been such a joy. Even all of them have been eager to help me find a job or volunteer organization so I can get a visa.
It is insanely hot and humid here and the breeze is anything but cool. I have found that it is either the fact that I was a pirate in my last life or because I am a Parrot Head in this life that the heat and humidity hasn't bothered me at all, you just have to accept the fact that you are going to sweat all day and have a bottle of water in your hand all the time.
I know this is pretty broad but I will get into some stories and more detail now that I will be able to get on frequently. And of course I will be posting deep insights, quotes, and the like that will most likely be fodder for making fun of me when I get back...but to hell with you guys :)
It is by no means a vacation here but the experience is greater then anything I can imagine and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. I promise to have more frequent posts please keep responding. Thank you all once again
Here's to you,
Ryan
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