Part of my application process for applying to the program here in Thailand was to write a two page essay. I was given five questions to answer, some asking why I was applying to Thailand or what was my experience with studying abroad. One question though that stuck out the most asked, "In countries like Thailand, you will have a "super-star" status, how will you accept this?" When I first answered this question I merely responded with the typical response, not thinking about the true essence of the question and answer. After two months of being in Thailand I understand what this questions means. My life thus far has consisted of merely going to class, taking a nap and then going out. I was acting as if I was on a vacation, using my new found "super-star" status in a negative way. I was not a student studying abroad, but a 22 year old in Thailand for four months. I was blinded, completely naive. Not until a week ago did I realize that I had been absorbed by Thailand, I had been absorbed by the so called "super-star" status. I do not regret my time so far, it has been unbelievable, but I do regret my initial reasons for being in Thailand. Starting a couple weeks ago, I decided to give me time back that I had taken so immaturely away. By volunteering in Thailand I feel that I will not only be bettering my life but others as well.
There are two organizations that I have been working for: Free Burma Rangers and Payap University English Department
FBR: What they do
The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a, "multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need (freeburmarangers.org)." In short, FBR's vision is to, "free the oppressed and to stand for human dignity, justice and reconciliation in Burma.
Situation in Burma
"Over sixty years of civil war has left Burma one of the poorest Countries in the world. In an attempt to suppress the democratic opposition, the military dictatorship attacks its own people, killing thousands, and leaving millions displaced. Many opposition are either imprisoned or killed. In most of the country there is a false peace due to the dictator's ability to control dissent. In many ethnic areas, the regime's army continues an all-out assault on its people. There are offensives, ongoing laying of landmines, attacks on civilians, forced labor, and destruction of civilian property (freeburmarangers.org)."
What FBR Does
"The Free Burma Rangers was formed in 1997. FBR is comprised of people from different ethnic groups within Burma providing direct relief to communities affected by the regime's oppression. These teams are trained to provide medical care and counseling, while documenting and reporting human rights violations. Since its formation, more than 400 missions have been conducted to assist over one million people. Together with other organizations working towards a free and peaceful Burma, over 50 Free Burma Ranger relief teams bring help to people under attack (freeburmarangers.org)."
What is my role?
I work at the main office in Chiang Mai, Thailand; there are also offices and other affiliations of FBR throughout northern Thailand and in Burma. I work with a splendid fellow by the name of Larry. I do not know Larry too well yet, but with his southern accent and gregarious demeanor, I know we will get along. Larry and I file reports that FBR teams create after missions to Burma. I personal go over these reports (which could be 5 pages or 50 pages) and check whether they are coherent, translated and/or able to be stored into the online FBR database; after checking these reports I scan them into the electronic database. Not only do I look over the reports, I do video editing and photo collecting from missions as well. FBR's mission is to let the world know, and through the video footage and documented photos, they can achieve their mission; FBR gives the videos and photos to other non governmental organizations (NGO'S), governments or journalists. Although my work is somewhat tedious, I honestly feel that I am adding something to this organization. I have done volunteer work before ranging from Church trips to Maine, helping with local parks and collecting recyclables. And yes, I learned a lot from my time there, however they were somewhat generic. Working at FBR, I feel that the work I am doing is unique, and intriguing; not only am I working but I am learning. I am excited to continue my work here, and will keep everyone updated as much as possible.
Payap University English Department: Tutoring, helping and mentoring
When not working for FBR, I am volunteering for a English class that is taught at Payap University. This class consists of an American teacher and thai students. Although I have not officially started, I will be mentoring and tutoring. I hope that they will learn from me and I will learn from them. I am also excited about this unique opportunity because I have never taught before and I am eager to see what will happen. This experience will not only add to my cultural understanding and also to the students as well.
Moreover, I am in the workings of volunteering at a local farm as well. The details of this project are limited but I will obviously keep everyone posted.
Concluding
Taking a step back and looking over my life so far has changed me and given me insight. When contemplating life in a holistic view, I am able to see my pros and cons; how I was leading my life. From my mistakes and realizations I ask for you to step back, take a look at your life and see if its what you want. Are you doing good? Are you leading a positive life? Are you satisfied with your time spent? Humans are creatures of habit, they get stuck in this trance, this daily routine that blinds them (this happened to me). Work, eat and sleep are very common words that eat away at peoples lives. Why not change those words, add a little excitement, risk, and zest to your life. Look at life's opportunities, they are right around the corner.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
mistake
Hey,
So on my last post for some reason the explanations for the pictures do not connect with the pictures they are next to. It isn't that hard to connect which photo they belong to but I just wanted to explain, my apologies.
Tyler
So on my last post for some reason the explanations for the pictures do not connect with the pictures they are next to. It isn't that hard to connect which photo they belong to but I just wanted to explain, my apologies.
Tyler
Ancient Thai Kingdoms: Sukhothai and Ayutthaya
Hello All,
Just got back from my trip down south to the Thai historical kingdoms Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. The tour of both sites was informative and interesting giving me a better understanding of ancient Thailand. The whole Thai studies program came with, making up a big group of 26 students and teachers. Fortunately Payap was nice enough to supply us with a bus. Our group left early Wednesday morning to Sukhothai. We stayed on day and night there, leaving in the morning to Ayutthaya, which is only 75kms from Bangkok. After staying in Ayutthaya for three days we packed all our goods and headed on a nine-hour trip back to Chiang Mai. So what did we do during our time at both ancient ruins? Below is a detailed schedule:
Wednesday 29 Sep
• 8:30am – leave from Payap University to Sukhothai
• Noon – Lunch
• 1pm – check into resort and rest
• 2:45pm – visit Ramkamhaeng Museum - This museum had artifacts salvaged from the ruins - Swords, crowns, Buddha images, statues, relics, pottery
• 4pm – bike around historical park - A road way weaved in and out of the ruins making the bike ride enjoyable
• 6:30pm – group dinner at local restaurant - As you go more south in Thailand the food changes - The food becomes spicier and coconut milk/ curry is more consistent
Thursday 30 Sep
• 7am – breakfast
• 8:45am Leave to Sukhothai historical Park
• Noon - Lunch - We stopped at a local food center and we able to explore the new style of food. I got spicy chicken noodle soup (not Campbells) with a side of sticky rice
• 1pm - Leave for Ayutthaya
• 5pm – Arrive in Ayutthaya and check into guest house
• 7pm – dinner
Friday 1 Oct
• 8:30am – visit Ayutthaya historical park
• Noon – lunch
• 1pm – Visit Chao Sampraya museum - Once again, we saw artifacts of ancient Ayutthaya - At the museum, in one of the showing cases, Buddha’s bone (the size was measured as smaller than a individual rice) was displayed in an amulet
• 6pm – dinner
Sat 2 Oct
• 8am – Visit Bang Pa In Palace
• Noon – Visit Ayutthaya floating market
• 6pm – group dinner - This dinner consisted of fried fish, curry soup, rice (as always), chicken with nuts and fruit
Sunday 3 Oct
• 9am – back to Chiang Mai
To give you a brief history and understanding of these ancient cities, below I will explain.
The Sukhothai kingdom (ราชอาณาจักรสุโขทัย) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand; Sukhothai is located about 450 kilometers from Bangkok, about halfway between Bangkok and Chiangmai. Generally, it was the first truly independent Thai Kingdom, which enjoyed a golden age under King Ramkhamhaeng known and credited with creating the Thai alphabet (though some critics put it up to debate). To add on, the Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438. It was recognized as the first Thai kingdom. Through its prominence, Sukhothai gained its independence in 1238. Eventually the city was annexed in 1376 by the rulers of Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya, it is estimated that by the year 1600 CE had a population of about 300,000, with the population reaching 1,000,000 around 1700 CE, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time. It was the capital city before Bangkok. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The city is sometimes called "Venice of the East".
Here are pictures of both ancient cities:
-These temples can be found all over Sukhothai and Ayutthaya
-One of the huge Buddhas that are found everywhere
-Most of the ruins looked like this. Also bricks and sandstone are the two main stones used
-The walking Buddha pose. Buddha figurines and statues can be found in a large variety of different poses. While the most common is the sitting Buddha statue, there are many others. All the poses have deep meanings; for the most common Buddha pose that we see is the one with him raising his right hand and palm facing out, with the left hand down toward the hips and also facing out. This symbolizes peaceful intentions and peacemaking.
-One of the ruin sites
After visiting ton of sites like I depicted in my pictures, we also visited Bang Pa In Palace; a palace complex formally used by Thai kings to house visitors from foreign countries.
-The style and architect was heavily influenced by western styles
-Also, since Rama the V was a huge proponent for western cultures and cultures in general. There was a Chinese influence as well
-The light house for the palace complex
I could go on and on, but for the sake of your time I will end this post short. Please check out my facebook for the full albums, and also if you have any questions PLEASE email me I would love to hear from you!
Thanks a lot, talk to you all very soon.
Just got back from my trip down south to the Thai historical kingdoms Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. The tour of both sites was informative and interesting giving me a better understanding of ancient Thailand. The whole Thai studies program came with, making up a big group of 26 students and teachers. Fortunately Payap was nice enough to supply us with a bus. Our group left early Wednesday morning to Sukhothai. We stayed on day and night there, leaving in the morning to Ayutthaya, which is only 75kms from Bangkok. After staying in Ayutthaya for three days we packed all our goods and headed on a nine-hour trip back to Chiang Mai. So what did we do during our time at both ancient ruins? Below is a detailed schedule:
Wednesday 29 Sep
• 8:30am – leave from Payap University to Sukhothai
• Noon – Lunch
• 1pm – check into resort and rest
• 2:45pm – visit Ramkamhaeng Museum - This museum had artifacts salvaged from the ruins - Swords, crowns, Buddha images, statues, relics, pottery
• 4pm – bike around historical park - A road way weaved in and out of the ruins making the bike ride enjoyable
• 6:30pm – group dinner at local restaurant - As you go more south in Thailand the food changes - The food becomes spicier and coconut milk/ curry is more consistent
Thursday 30 Sep
• 7am – breakfast
• 8:45am Leave to Sukhothai historical Park
• Noon - Lunch - We stopped at a local food center and we able to explore the new style of food. I got spicy chicken noodle soup (not Campbells) with a side of sticky rice
• 1pm - Leave for Ayutthaya
• 5pm – Arrive in Ayutthaya and check into guest house
• 7pm – dinner
Friday 1 Oct
• 8:30am – visit Ayutthaya historical park
• Noon – lunch
• 1pm – Visit Chao Sampraya museum - Once again, we saw artifacts of ancient Ayutthaya - At the museum, in one of the showing cases, Buddha’s bone (the size was measured as smaller than a individual rice) was displayed in an amulet
• 6pm – dinner
Sat 2 Oct
• 8am – Visit Bang Pa In Palace
• Noon – Visit Ayutthaya floating market
• 6pm – group dinner - This dinner consisted of fried fish, curry soup, rice (as always), chicken with nuts and fruit
Sunday 3 Oct
• 9am – back to Chiang Mai
To give you a brief history and understanding of these ancient cities, below I will explain.
The Sukhothai kingdom (ราชอาณาจักรสุโขทัย) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand; Sukhothai is located about 450 kilometers from Bangkok, about halfway between Bangkok and Chiangmai. Generally, it was the first truly independent Thai Kingdom, which enjoyed a golden age under King Ramkhamhaeng known and credited with creating the Thai alphabet (though some critics put it up to debate). To add on, the Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438. It was recognized as the first Thai kingdom. Through its prominence, Sukhothai gained its independence in 1238. Eventually the city was annexed in 1376 by the rulers of Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya, it is estimated that by the year 1600 CE had a population of about 300,000, with the population reaching 1,000,000 around 1700 CE, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time. It was the capital city before Bangkok. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The city is sometimes called "Venice of the East".
Here are pictures of both ancient cities:
-These temples can be found all over Sukhothai and Ayutthaya
-One of the huge Buddhas that are found everywhere
-Most of the ruins looked like this. Also bricks and sandstone are the two main stones used
-The walking Buddha pose. Buddha figurines and statues can be found in a large variety of different poses. While the most common is the sitting Buddha statue, there are many others. All the poses have deep meanings; for the most common Buddha pose that we see is the one with him raising his right hand and palm facing out, with the left hand down toward the hips and also facing out. This symbolizes peaceful intentions and peacemaking.
-One of the ruin sites
After visiting ton of sites like I depicted in my pictures, we also visited Bang Pa In Palace; a palace complex formally used by Thai kings to house visitors from foreign countries.
-The style and architect was heavily influenced by western styles
-Also, since Rama the V was a huge proponent for western cultures and cultures in general. There was a Chinese influence as well
-The light house for the palace complex
I could go on and on, but for the sake of your time I will end this post short. Please check out my facebook for the full albums, and also if you have any questions PLEASE email me I would love to hear from you!
Thanks a lot, talk to you all very soon.
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