One Year Anniversary

I just got back from a nice run and am about to jump in the shower. I'm eating my yogurt and checking email before I start the rest of my day. I am headed to Bangkok in a few hours to meet friends. Lots of people will be there and the occation is the next group of volunteers is arriving. I am group 117- the 117th group to volunteer in Thailand. Today 118 is arriving. And in about 1 year 119 will arrive. A little birdy told me that 119 is the last group to be in Thailand. After that it will no longer be a Peace Corps country. I don't know the exact reasoning, but I think it's bc it's too developed a country. Apparently PC tried to bow out about 10 years ago and Thailand begged and begged for them to stay. The govn't of Thailand does a lot more for PC Volunteers than in other countries, like paying for our housing.

I had a long conversation w a friend Vanessa who finished her service on Halloween and is now working for PC as a trainer for the next group. Vanessa came to thailand w her husband and as a wife she had a really different experience that I am having. She was a nothing here. Invisible to people when her husband was around and they could speak to him. For her first year at site she was only called by her husbands name, and throughout her time here any project she did was credited to her husband. Vanessa is a strong, caring woman with a positive attitude. She is a great role model for a gal like me, so it surprised me so much to hear what a miserable time she had in PC thailand. While we don't have the physical hardships of PCV in places like Africa, she feels the cultural ajustments that need tobe made here are some of the hardest. As a woman she felt invisible, and put down all the time for not doing every domestic task for her husband or producing children. She spent 2 years listening to people try to give her husband another wife or get him to go to the prostitutes.

Hearing a role model talk about how difficult PC was for her and how close she was to going back to the states on many occations made me feel better about difficulties I'm having. I am having a little difficulty planning my English Camp w my teacher. I can't stand when people say things then don't do them. It is VERY Thai to agree w you, but just turn around and not do it. So, on a couple occations I had trouble keeping my relaxed, easy-going Thai personality in check and reverted back to my american stronger ways. My co-teacher didn't like it, but of course didn't say anything. I would really chill out and not worry to much about the camp except that I have invited 40 volunteers to come help. 5 friends and all 35 of the new teaching volunteers who are training in my town.

In other news the LifeSkills workshop is going well. I have previously refered to it as an HIV/AIDS workshop, and it very much is, but I think the best part of it is the empowering part. But there is a lot of HIV information. We got a grant from Bush's PEPFAR fund and all. Above is a picture of one participant learning how to apply a condom....