thailand 101. sawadee ka is how you say hi for ladies, sawadee kup if for guys.
anyways... bangkok is amazing. i could go on and on talking about it and how great it is but i'll just get right to it!
95% of tourism in thailand is based on prostitution. you see it everywhere on the streets of bangkok. every kind of guy w/ a thai lady (or transvestite). honestly, old, every race, crippled, businessmen... you name it, you got it.
unfortunately this is not alarming in thailand. supposedly around 85% of people in thailand are dealing with some sort of depression. they have to "save face" (which is really hiding all the problems to look like everything's okay because you have to keep your status (or rank) in the culture). so, for example, someone older, or males (especially first borns), or someone higher in society (occupational wise), or foreigners would all be in higher rank when comparing themselves to another person.
unfortunately this "saving face" concept does not allow many people to express how they are actually doing or feel about a subject. this can go as far as not telling someone that you have been abused so that you will not bring shame on that person. it cuts deep into every area of society. (there are good sides to it though, like respecting others and valuing what they say, which can be thrown out the window in some of our societies).
prostitutes "save face" for the family by allowing them to have an income. usually a prostitute will be supplying money for her family, which do not have jobs. if she would have a brother, he would not have to work as he has so much honour in the family for being a male (some also become monks, which also doesn't supply any $). one lady that i know about has 11 family members that she has to support with work... so it's really intense.
all of this adds for the ladies to not want to get off the street. they think that they have an obligation for their family and most have been told that they are worthless from birth, so to get some attention from men that came overseas because they are beautiful is a nice thought for them.
what we do here in "beginnings" meet those ladies @ work. so, i've been to the bars/go-go bars on outreach with 2 co-workers here. we meet them and talk with them (one lady, Ann speaks thai, so she translates/does PR with the ladies). and we tell them about the english class which we have going at the center. if they are interested they can come down (and it's down-town, so it's handy for them to come to) and learn english in the beginners or the intermediate stages. it's a good time for them to meet with the other ladies and also to build amazing relationships with them. in the bars they are usually quite busy as they have 15 minute "sets" where they dance on stage for 15 minutes and then switch, so most of the conversations are not that long. but, in the english class we have time afterwards to talk with them and to meet their needs (oh, and teach english... haha!).
i've been teaching english for a while now. i am loving the ladies. it's so amazing just be here. i just moved into the center today! and so far so good! i'm getting along with the 3 other ladies whom joined (Kwan, Sai and Pu) as well as the co-worker (Ann) and her daughter (Bebe) and bebe's nanny (Nis). Bonita and Roy, the founders of the place live in their own appartment (which i was looking after while they were gone for the last 2 weeks). Bonita has her masters and Roy has his Ph. D. in cross-cultural affairs (if i'm not mistaken), so it's been amazing to hear some of their knowledge and dig deep into a lot of good literature.
what else has happened? there was a "understanding our children" seminar for one week here in bangkok. i was privileged to go along with everyone else who lives @ the center. it was very insightful and God-lead as it seems like a call on my future. (i will hopefully be taking anthropology classes this coming september... i'll tell you more when i get more details). it was great because it was in thai and english, and it opened my eyes to how childhood development affects people, and how abusive situations have affected the ladies whom i work with tremendously. there was also a session on HIV and AIDS. and we were able to visit a center which works with children who "are victims of commercial sexual exploitation". their work was so great and it was encouraging to see another center with a positive outlook.
that week-end we also went on a missions trip. the ladies currently at the center have been here for 1 year and have a personal relationship with Christ. we all went to a village 1 and 1/2 hours away. we played with the children, taught a little english, played some songs, handed out balloons, played multiple games and gave some food to them. we actually made ice-cream with them. you put flavoured milk (which is all the rage in thailand... kinda funny) in a smaller ziplock bag which you put into a larger ziplock bag that is filled with ice and salt. then you shake until your hearts desire... and voila ice-cream (which quickly turns to liquid in the heat, but it was fun!).
so, those are the main things that have been happening. i have been loving it here and am excited for the life at the center (although i loved spending time with Roy and Bonita...).
some prayer requests. Ann has gull stones right now and is going to have surgery within the next month. they are really bothering her at night and she has to try to sleep sitting up because otherwise she feels as if she is choking (not every night, but most). she is really busy at the center and needs rest to recover from this. so, prayer for a fast recovery and taking enough time off and also just peace. we are also planning a Christmas party for the ladies here in bangkok. prayer that their eyes would be open to the love of Christ through this as well as a successful event. we still need funding for this (i'll give info when i figure all the kinks out... hopefully within a week) but are just really hoping that the ladies will feel Christ's love throughout this whole time. and also for myself. i am going through some visa issues right now (as updated on the blog, danaek.blogspot.com) and would love your prayer. your prayers are felt tremendously here. i thank-you for all the support that you have shown throughout this time and truly appreciate all of the love that i have felt since being here. it is truly amazing.
oh, and i would love to hear from all of you as well! updates are more then amazing. thanks for keeping me posted thus far!
p.s. as of now i am planning on staying here until April 1st and then making my way up to Canada hopefully in mid-April range. (with a couple of stops in between).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment