journey

my mom told me about emma thompson's recent interviews in the US media to promote her affiliation with a british human rights organization, the helen bamber foundation. specifically, the group treats trafficking victims through different therapies, tries to prevent trafficking and advocates on behalf of women. the foundation is currently sponsoring an art exhibit in NYC to promote awareness and raise funds. the exhibit is 7 shipping containers designed to walk viewers through 7 stages a trafficking victim experiences- hope, journey, uniform, bedroom, customer, stigma and resurrection. sounds like great art for a great cause; if you're in the new york area, you should stop by.

disneyworld, thai style

we had a day after the cut-a-thon with our bangkok neophytes and where did they want to go? disneyworld. well, the thai equivalent of disneyworld -- siam park. i had prepared myself for a day of standing in line for rides, but i didn't know that we would be amoung the only few people there and that the girls had only one thing in mind- the waterpark. they rented swimsuits (i'm not sure they have even been swimming before) and tubes and floated all day long. no slides or anything, just floating. i don't have much else to say except it's so easy to make someone's whole day or week or life by taking them somewhere like a waterpark. and i have to say it's like the funnest excuse in the world to act like a kid. go here for more information to become a mentor in your area.

top 10: BANGKOK

being back in thailand, starting with bangkok, is exhilarating. i am now an expert on all things thai and have mastered the culture and language.

false. BUT i do know some pretty cool places to hang out by now. this is by no means exhaustive, just a list of some of my favorite places i've come across in bangkok so far. these aren't necessarily tourist places, but just good places to go and hang out or eat. we don't travel fancy, and i don't frequent the super trendy places or the $30 expat hotel buffets, but i love finding new places to go and be in the city. (in consolidating these i realized i tend to be inactive and like art)

1. 7th floor at emporium/TCDC/kiosk-hipster culture art coffee. great space includes great views of the city, a design library and coffee shop. a great place to work or get lost.

2. kathmandu art gallery- just a little photography gallery off silom where the light streams in perfectly in the afternoons. the hindu temple down the street is where we went for our anniversary to get some india flavor. the whole street is a winner -- there's a coffee shop down the street with a KILLER banana fritter waffle sundae. i die.

3. lumphini park- in the early mornings, there is every form of un-athletic exercise imagineable: badminton, stretching, tai chi, aerobics, sword choreography (not sure what to even call it), yoga, walkers and ping pong. this is asia, after all. never before have i seen so many people doing so much and yet still expending such a small amount of calories. there are the few runners and basketballers, but mainly just people being leisurely, drinking tea and playing mah jong before the city awakes.
4. any and all movie theatres- can your movie theatre do this? you can get a ticket for $4, popcorn and a diet coke for another $2 and you're SET. plus, they have AC, which is a really nice way to spend a day. or night. or any waking sweaty moment in bangkok. plus they have this nifty song honoring the king that you have to stand for. (i don't know why but i spell british now)
5. river boat on chao phraya- i grew up close to water and it's always good to know you're close to a waterway if you need to escape quickly. or just ride the boats up and down and get some distance from the city.
6. suan lum night bazaar- i freaking love markets. you can peruse art, clothes, tuk tuk replicas made out of beer cans and all the while you can eat and barter. my three favorite things: food, buying stuff and arguing with people. i also got a fish pedicure there once. there are really cool designers with great modern and traditional jewelry and tiny thai-sized fashions. best of all, it's cheap if you know how to bargain. much more chill than the jatujak weekend market (also cooler), it's a great way to spend an evening. or, if you prefer, the beer garden:
7. sukhumvit sois 1 and 3- an odd choice, perhaps, but let me explain. too close to the sex district of nana for my liking, the muslim district is nonetheless a fascinating mix of peoples and cultures and wtfs. there are africans and women in hijabs and transsexual thai prostitutes and shwarma vendors and cambodian street children and indian tailors trying to sell you "versace" suits. the comparisons are stark and shocking if you spend even a moment to dwell on it -- the sexual contradictions and hypocrisies of various societies all on display. this is the best, worst and weirdest of major international cities like bangkok. best observed at night with falafel and a hookah.
8. neilson hays library- off silom, this english language library is also an art gallery and cafe.
9. bangkok art and culture center- a calm, cavernous white space filled with art and photography exhibits. the museum's inception was pretty controversial and the best exhibit i've seen was public art lambasting public figures who originally wanted to use the land tract as a parking lot.


10. ann's sweet- close to the chao phraya and directly across from the phra sumen fort, this little bakery is tiny but has the best chocolate mousse ever and giant stacks of fashion magazines. the nearby views of the river and the rama VIII bridge at sunset are great, too.

fundraisers and escalators

had another paul mitchell-sponsored cut-a-thon fundraiser this week (my brother said cut-a-thon sounds violent but we really just cut hair for donations). the best part was that 3 of our girls from phayao came to dance and made their first ever trip to bangkok. this being their first time in the city, in any city, we spent several hours just riding the escalators at the mall. i took them to their first toys'r'us, their first elevator ride, their first ride on the sky train and their first mcdonald's ice cream cone. i think from now on i'm just going to find people who haven't done stuff and take them with me so that every taxi ride and trip to the mall is adventurous and thrilling. and more ice cream cones.

happy loy krathong

i hope all of you out there didn't forget to light a basket of flowers and throw them in the water today because otherwise... well, i'm not sure what would happen. but it doesn't hurt to light a krathong anyway. loy krathong is pretty baller; we participated last year, too. people light stuff on fire and then put it on the water. even though i don't necessarily trust thais with fire (see here and here), it's really beautiful to watch all the flowers and lights float and flicker over the water.


this is the boy who stole my krathong after i'd released it to re-sell it. one word, kid: KARMA.

happy halloween.

global gender gap report

in my never ending quest to make my blog hostile to men and make my husband roll his eyes because i turn everything into a feminist issue, 2 girl-centered posts in a row! the other day, for example, we were walking around my gram's house and i ended up chasing a male deer who was intimidating a female deer with his stupid antlers. so what? males have antlers and are bullies. well, women can multitask and wear pretty dresses. really this is just an excuse to use this super cute photo.

but seriously, i keep finding all these interesting things about the status of women in the world SUCH AS did you know two african countries cracked the top 10 in this year's global gender gap report? and that the US fell 4 spots to number 31? as best i can tell, the US is so far behind due to the disproportionate lack of female leaders and politicians. i'm not even convinced that their results means anything about the quality of life for women, only that it's an interesting measurement of equality. you can access the full report here.

1. Iceland
2. Finland
   
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. New Zealand
6. South Africa
7. Denmark
   
8. Ireland
   
9. Philippines
10. Lesotho
    

now let's break this down. iceland is melting both economically and due to global warming, so i'm not anxious to move there. plus, they lost all their mcdonalds and are now vulnerable to attacks. perhaps finland, norway and sweden made the list because their women are all hot snowboarding instructors sent to colorado to make us all feel less capable and less blonde. not moving there. new zealand, i've heard, has more sheep than people so maybe they factored in the sheep to that equation. i hate sheep. south africa is supposed to be beautiful, but a girl has a better chance of getting raped than getting an education in that country, so i'm not sure how they made the list. denmark does have some nice furniture, but too cold for my tastes. ireland is too rainy and the philippines have had all those earthquakes. i know nothing about lesotho, but it sounds good. i'm moving to lesotho to run for public office.

photo from here.

I-VAWA

"According to the United Nations at least one in three women and girls around the world is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime and some four million women and girls are trafficked annually into forced marriage, prostitution, or slavery. At least 60 million girls who would otherwise be alive are missing, mostly in Asia, as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide, or neglect. According to the World Health Organization, between 10-52% of women report having been assaulted by an intimate partner. The UNFPA estimates that 130 million girls and women around the world have undergone female genital cutting (FGC) and at least 2 million girls every year - nearly 6,000 per day - are at risk of undergoing FGC. Despite increased public awareness and two recent UN Security Council Resolutions (1820 and 1888), rape is increasingly used as a weapon of war in armed conflicts. The UN reports that during the Rwanda genocide between 200,000 and 500,000 women were raped, and in Bosnia during the conflict there between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped." -Patricia T. Morris, Ph.D.

congress' house committee on foreign relations is hearing a very important and long-overdue bill, the international violence against women act, that would make women's issues a diplomatic priority overseas. the US already passed its own violence against women act in 1994 and the I-VAWA is a way for the US to extend its democratic and human rights overseas to those most vulnerable. i hope it passes and that they hire me.

"I-VAWA directs the U.S. government to create a comprehensive, 5-year strategy to reduce violence in 10-20 diverse countries that have severe levels of violence against women and girls. To achieve this goal, the Act allocates more than $1 billion in U.S. assistance over 5 years and makes ending violence against women and girls a U.S. diplomatic priority. Importantly, the bill also expands U.S. support and capacity for overseas nongovernmental organizations - particularly women's nongovernmental organizations - working to end violence against women and girls in their own countries." -amnesty international has more information on how you can become involved or learn more about i-vawa.

photo from here.

you don't want to know.

a few people have expressed their disappointment in my blog since i've been america. well, people, i can only live one exciting life at a time and that's the one i live overseas. in america i am a compulsive, overeating, martha stewart-crafting homebody. there. secret's out. here's some stuff that was nonetheless kind of exciting:

we made the great american road trip through the west from san francisco to texas.

we went to vail to watch the leaves changes colors and watch holly get married.

my mom planned hella halloween activities to prepare for my favorite holiday.



we met new family members (that's phillip's sister's baby, rex, and phillip's african brother, abraham).

and phillip threw me a surprise party for my bombiversary!

we visited 6 states, attended 4 weddings and birthday parties and i tried to tire of family time and pumpkins and fall and cupcakes so that i wouldn't miss any of it when i get to thailand. good news - the sight of candy corn and some of my family members makes me ill. i've at least partially accomplished my goal and am sick of america and ready for overseas adventures and world changing! we finally got our visas and we arrive in bangkok on halloween to celebrate the holiday that totally confuses the hell out of thais. can't wait.

precious

i cannot wait to see this film:



this is the type of story that movies should capture -- so much more enriching and fulfilling than any romantic comedy could ever be.