Why Thailand?

I came home for a little bit to defrost my toes that have been cramped in my wet boots for the past couple of hours. It's a frigid 15 degrees here in Boone according to Ray's Weather . I briefly saw the sun for the first time in a few days earlier this morning, and I am constantly reminding myself that this absence of sunshine is not ubiquitous. However here this collection of some 15 inches of snow is not atypical weather and everyday I think about orographic lifting, low pressure systems, polar westerlies, and the Bergeron Process. I think the sun is suppose to shine again by tomorrow.

In weather like this I like to daydream about Thailand. I was hoping that by this time next year I would have my plane ticket, my shots taken, and gathering supplies to leave in March. Instead I find myself delayed a couple months more because of school. Whenever Thailand is mentioned as my hopeful destination post-graduation and pre-graduate school, a lot of people ask, "Why Thailand?" Sometimes it is simply out of curiousity. Then other times their complete bewilderment causes their eyebrows to furrow and I receive this tone in their voices that expresses that they may as well have said,"Seriously? Thailand? Of all the places that people usually go to like Mexico you couldn't find one of those places and instead chose that tiny country? Thailand...Is that close to China?" And most of the time the only thing they know about Thailand is that they've been to a Thai restaurant before or at least know about one and they serve lots of noodles and rice. It's okay to be ignorant but when it comes to my dream, don't be crude.

So...then why Thailand?

For the longest time it was central, western Africa that I daydreamed about conservation and humanitarian work. And hopefully someday, it still will be. And if it wasn't Africa then it was Brazil or Ecuador. Really Thailand was 3rd on my list of destinations, having heard Wes talk about it since I was 8 years old while I hung out at the plant nursery during all of my summer free time as a kid. A couple of years ago Thailand was bumped up to 2nd, then tied with 1st, and now in the lead. Like, I mentioned a lot of my passion for the place is through Wes' stories from when he served in the Peace Corp and his 3-month (Dec-March) returns every year during the winter. If you remember, I said that by this time next year I had hoped to be anxiously awaiting to leave in March. Our plan was that after I graduated, I could look after the nursery for Wes, maybe meet him in Thailand for a couple of weeks, then he would head back to the nursery while I stayed there to volunteer with an organization that is currently undetermined.

I've seen his pictures, heard stories, learned some Thai, worked with a man from Thailand, listen to cd's and tapes Wes has recorded for me, wear Thai fisherman pants (tourists' version though), learned to make curry. It already seems like a piece of me and much of their culture/ideaologies coincide with several of my personal beliefs. Like several places, there is a lot of corruption in Thailand; primarily in Bangkok. But in more rural regions their religious foundations teach them not to harm a single thing, and to understand the interconnectedness and complexities of the earth surrounding them. And I hear climbing in Thailand is phenomenal!

Really, I just want to do a piece of this world some good. R.W. Emerson wrote, "to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!" I know this can be accomplished here but I hope that I take the opportunities I have already to make life easier or better even for one person. And trust me, I could do so much more for the people in my life and those who are not. But I choose Thailand. To let another place embed itself into my life and service. To go somewhere else and not say, "Let me help the way I know how," but to ask,"What can I do to make this world a better place for you?" Even if it means learning a whole new set of skills.

Here is some info about Thailand:

Government: for several years, lead by military but most recent years is democratic and civilian lead; Thailand is a constitutional monarchy
King Bhumibol: assumed the throne in 1946 and is the world's longest-reigning monarch
Main Religion: Buddhism
Capital: Bangkok
Monetary unit: 1 baht= 100 satangs

All of this is off of the BBC website in the country profile section. Holy blogging, Batman, this is a super long post! Sorry for that, if you are reading this far down I want to give a sincere thanks for puttin up with my ranting.