moving toward home

Back in the big city, Jami, Beth and I celebrated our time with a pedicure!! Can you identify MY toes?


Back in Chiang Mai...........tomorrow morning I fly to Bangkok, in time for Chinese New Years and then the next day begin my journey toward home, with a six hour layover in Taiwan. What a month it has been. And even though I have tried to write as things were happening............so much more went on. My eyes and my heart are filled. There are no simple concise words to tell you all that happens when one visits another culture. Because of Jami's connections in Thailand, I have been privy to a bit deeper understanding, a tad more of an 'insider' view............and yet...........we are still just visitors. Jami and I came up with the title for the book.........."When Do You Move Beyond Kha?" A woman uses kha at the end of words to be polite to guests, strangers, unrelated elders, etc...........so when does one move to the status of an inimate friend that no longer needs the kha at the end. And even once you get there, Thai people, as a generalization are very private and very polite....so can a farang (foreigner) ever really know what is going on? Can an outsider ever really be a part of the culture?





Yesterday we went to a hot springs and sat in the pools with 3 generations. I played with the water with baby and grandma........we laughed..........it felt good but I had no understanding of what they were saying and why sometimes they were laughing........but we found a common space with playing. So yes, one can tough the common space. One can even find good friendships but how in this huge globe and we truly be as one people when we have so little understanding.





Yet each trip, each interaction that reaches beyond the distances, each attempt at honoring the uniqueness of a person..........makes it a little closer, a little kinder. I am thrilled to be an explorer. I am thrilled to be an ambassador. I am humbled by it all. And on this trip, I added the thrill of inter-species connections as well.