Was the silence deafening?

Gentle Reader,

I just realized that there has been nothing new posted here since the 2nd of March.  That is more than a half a year.  Where has the time gone?  Where in the universe has my head been?  Those of you who follow my other blog, Asian Elephant Stories have an idea, but that’s not the whole story.    I’ve also become involved in some rather interesting aspects of living as an ex-patriot in Northern Thailand and plan to post a series of two, three or four articles on that subject in the next few days.   Let me give you a tiny preview.

What if one were to move to Thailand and then find an urge for the familiar?    Well here in Chiang Mai we have something called the Chiang Mai Ex-Pats club which meets monthly, provides presentations of interest and networking opportunities. The club has an SOS element, an excellent concept.  Members who subscribe receive emergency assistance.  There is an extra charge and while it’s only ฿2,000. I would prefer to see it available to all members, but that’s just my opinion.  Personally I think the club is an excellent resource for people who are newly arrived.  There are outside group activities sponsored by the club and several vendors who are affiliated with the club. I’ve used the services of two or three of their favored vendors and have no complaints.   My favorite vendor has to be Fashion King.  I found it necessary to have a suit made.  You will know why when I post my next article “The International Symposium on Local Wisdom and Quality of Life”.   O.K. back to the present.

There is a unique organization called Lanna Care Net.  Their mission is to care for aging foreigners in the Chiang Mai area.  The Thai government is unable to help foreigners and quite often these people are denied help from their country of origin.  An American consulate officer explained that while they would like to help it’s often not politically or fiscally possible. The mission of the consulate is not to care for individual citizens.  I didn’t realize that!   Lanna Care Net (LCN) tries to fill the void, providing volunteers that visit with aging and infirmed foreigners.  They liaise and cooperate with other groups such as the ex-pats club, the various hospitals and even Alcoholics Anonymous.   LCN will have their Christmas Shopping Fair on November 24th.  It will be co-sponsored by the Royal British Legion, another excellent organization.  I would love to have a table and sell photographic art.  However I have a previous engagement which will actually turn into a wedding the day before in Issan. (Oh my goodness, could that be another personal blog article)?

Americans will be familiar with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I have belonged to VFW posts in the past but was never really involved beyond the bar and the kitchen. I just joined the Chiang Mai VFW post.  If you are an American Veteran I highly recommend you join the VFW where ever you may be, but especially if you are living overseas.  This is an excellent source of information and support.  At my first meeting I found out I made a horrible mistake with my Medicare.  The post service officer is researching solutions. He knows who to ask and perhaps more importantly what to ask.  Another American that I met a couple of years ago was recently in a horrific motor cycle accident, leaving him with a broken neck and a broken back.  The VFW post is all over this.  They have been with him providing both moral and physical report.  A ramp is being donated to allow him access to his home and they are raising money to buy him a motor cycle with a sidecar, custom made to suit his requirements.  These guys are simply the best!  One gentleman I met turned out to be a fellow member of the 46th Special Forces Company (Airborne) Association.

English speaking ex-pats can find many familiar things here.  The backpacker set seem to be delighted with McDonalds and other chain food.  It must be an age thing. Personally I prefer real food. People can  also suffer from “Culture Shock”  My British friends don’t mind that the Thais drive on the left side of the road and I’m more than happy to stand up and respect the King when the national anthem plays at 08:00 and 18:00.  Sometimes the smog is almost unbearable and yet the food usually has flavor. The Thai respect their elders and at 68 I rather enjoy that.  A young man I know was finishing his master’s degree and had no plans for the future.  A Thai friend offered to introduce him to a local university where teaching positions were available.  His response was “No thank you.  I have no intention of uprooting my family, moving half way around the world to a totally different culture”.  Other people seem to be clamoring for an opportunity to live abroad, especially here.  You may soon be able to read my take on this cultural difference. In the meantime there are excellent books on the subject.  The big ones seem to be “Culture Shock” and “Working with the Thais”.