I left my hotel at 4:30 a.m. this morning. I just boarded my flight here in Bangkok at 6:30 a.m. We leave at 7:10 a.m. which means that by the time you read this (if you do so in the early Chicago morning) 20 minutes will have passed and I'll be home in Chicago....:).
At least that's what I'm thinking!
See you at 7:30 a.m. Windy City!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Last Day In Bangkok
It's my last day in Bangkok and I'm trying to remember everything that I need to get and do.
Yesterday we went to Myanmar and just toured around with a Karen (a people group in Myanmar) lady who showed us all the sites from the Judsons history (Adoniram and Ann). It's funny because I read one of the famous Judson biographies before I left and I don't thing Yangon has changed much since the early 1800s when the Judsons first got there. I'll post pictures later.
We also got to meet a worker there who's with my denomination. It was so neat how God connected us before I even left home. I didn't even know she was with our denomination until yesterday!:)
Today, I just finished going to Rahab Ministry in Patpong to pick up all the jewelry we ordered. The woman, Sarah, who runs the ministry was there so she showed me the presentation about the ministry which was so cool and sad at the same time. Prostitution is actually illegal in Bangkok, believe it or not, but is so prevalent. These clubs "hire" women as "dancers" and that's how they get around the prostitution thing. And sadly, most of the girls who come and start doing it are sent by their families because they want them to earn a lot of money and send it to them. A lot if the women come as well because of debt and they can earn more money doing this than anything else. They're paid more than minimum wage as prostitutes. Here's the really sad thing, the average woman who dances can have a man come in and pay 500 baht for her for the evening. 500 baht is about 16 US dollars. Can you imagine being worth 16 dollars?! A lot of the men who buy them are westerners (I hate that about Bangkok where you see these disgusting old men walking around with a young girl). But it's quite typical for Japanese companies to reward good work with their men employees by sending them on a 6 day holiday to Bangkok and buy them women. Also, a lot of Thai men will bring their sons to the clubs and buy them a prostitute as a "rite of passage".
Sarah also said that it's very common for Thai men to frequent the brothels and it's something that's just expected or done in a marriage.
Rahab does this awesome outreach with these "dance clubs" where they actually go in and just befriend the women to tell them about Jesus and that He has a plan and a value for their lives. The ones who come to Christ have an opportunity to work at Rahab making jewelry or other things, they're paid just above minimum wage and many of them are also living in a home owned by Rahab M.
It was so great to meet some of these women and learn their stories.
I'm actually getting a pedicure now:). Ah! And then I go back to the hotel to meet back up with my friends who are bringing my three bags back to me so I can pack for tomorrow's flight home.
Pray that I can sleep in that long, almost 13 hour flight back. I get back at 7:30 a.m. On Tuesday and I plan on working from home so I'll need some shut eye as I'll go through the day without sleeping. Back to Chicago time!
Yesterday we went to Myanmar and just toured around with a Karen (a people group in Myanmar) lady who showed us all the sites from the Judsons history (Adoniram and Ann). It's funny because I read one of the famous Judson biographies before I left and I don't thing Yangon has changed much since the early 1800s when the Judsons first got there. I'll post pictures later.
We also got to meet a worker there who's with my denomination. It was so neat how God connected us before I even left home. I didn't even know she was with our denomination until yesterday!:)
Today, I just finished going to Rahab Ministry in Patpong to pick up all the jewelry we ordered. The woman, Sarah, who runs the ministry was there so she showed me the presentation about the ministry which was so cool and sad at the same time. Prostitution is actually illegal in Bangkok, believe it or not, but is so prevalent. These clubs "hire" women as "dancers" and that's how they get around the prostitution thing. And sadly, most of the girls who come and start doing it are sent by their families because they want them to earn a lot of money and send it to them. A lot if the women come as well because of debt and they can earn more money doing this than anything else. They're paid more than minimum wage as prostitutes. Here's the really sad thing, the average woman who dances can have a man come in and pay 500 baht for her for the evening. 500 baht is about 16 US dollars. Can you imagine being worth 16 dollars?! A lot of the men who buy them are westerners (I hate that about Bangkok where you see these disgusting old men walking around with a young girl). But it's quite typical for Japanese companies to reward good work with their men employees by sending them on a 6 day holiday to Bangkok and buy them women. Also, a lot of Thai men will bring their sons to the clubs and buy them a prostitute as a "rite of passage".
Sarah also said that it's very common for Thai men to frequent the brothels and it's something that's just expected or done in a marriage.
Rahab does this awesome outreach with these "dance clubs" where they actually go in and just befriend the women to tell them about Jesus and that He has a plan and a value for their lives. The ones who come to Christ have an opportunity to work at Rahab making jewelry or other things, they're paid just above minimum wage and many of them are also living in a home owned by Rahab M.
It was so great to meet some of these women and learn their stories.
I'm actually getting a pedicure now:). Ah! And then I go back to the hotel to meet back up with my friends who are bringing my three bags back to me so I can pack for tomorrow's flight home.
Pray that I can sleep in that long, almost 13 hour flight back. I get back at 7:30 a.m. On Tuesday and I plan on working from home so I'll need some shut eye as I'll go through the day without sleeping. Back to Chicago time!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Friday Here - Thursday There...
So I got to the hotel last night around 2am and checked in quickly and with ease:). No crowds or lines. Got to the room, changed, brushed fuzzy teeth and then started turning out lights, but got stuck on the ceiling lights by the door. I flipped every visible switch and then switched them some more and then just stood in the middle of the room saying "I wanna go to bed - think like I light!". I ended up having to have someone come up and then led me to a little panel of switches on the wall on the far side if the bed as far away from the lights as you could possibly get. It was nice to assure myself that I wasn't so tired that I'd lost my mind!
The alarm was set for 7am and I only hit snooze once as I'd planned. Showered quick and didn't do much as I'm familiar with the humidity in Thailand. Went down to the freeby breakfast with bad coffee and weird things like Chinese dumplings and miso soup. Found the fruit and toast and felt filled enough to face the day. My friend met me at the hotel and we then trooped over to the Myanmar embassy with her little girl in tow. The embassy opened at 9 and we got there 8:30ish and faced a long line already. This tiny room area and people shoving to get in and get visas. I told Rach that I felt like we were trying to get the last flight out of Nam... Ahhh. Finally got up to the window, we had already prepared our applications and copies and pictures and all so they took our forms and then gave us a number. We sat and waited another 15 minutes and then our number was called and we went up and turned everything in and paid and were told to come back at 3:30 to pick our visas up.
We roamed around for the afternoon hitting the Starbucks for some decent coffee and then going to Rahab Bazaar to pick up jewelry. We were able to meet a lot of the women, but well be going back on Monday to finish things up and the English speaking lady will be there then so I'm hoping well get a little bit of a tour and talk about the outreach there.
We went back to the embassy at 3:30. The lines were even worse now, but when we finally got to the window I was impressed because our passports and visas were ready, no wait. I know in the states we would have taken a number and waited longer. I am horrified that they put my passport picture on the visa... The one I took looked like I had killed someone and was being sent away- ugh!
Tomorrow it's a rest day - yay!
The alarm was set for 7am and I only hit snooze once as I'd planned. Showered quick and didn't do much as I'm familiar with the humidity in Thailand. Went down to the freeby breakfast with bad coffee and weird things like Chinese dumplings and miso soup. Found the fruit and toast and felt filled enough to face the day. My friend met me at the hotel and we then trooped over to the Myanmar embassy with her little girl in tow. The embassy opened at 9 and we got there 8:30ish and faced a long line already. This tiny room area and people shoving to get in and get visas. I told Rach that I felt like we were trying to get the last flight out of Nam... Ahhh. Finally got up to the window, we had already prepared our applications and copies and pictures and all so they took our forms and then gave us a number. We sat and waited another 15 minutes and then our number was called and we went up and turned everything in and paid and were told to come back at 3:30 to pick our visas up.
We roamed around for the afternoon hitting the Starbucks for some decent coffee and then going to Rahab Bazaar to pick up jewelry. We were able to meet a lot of the women, but well be going back on Monday to finish things up and the English speaking lady will be there then so I'm hoping well get a little bit of a tour and talk about the outreach there.
We went back to the embassy at 3:30. The lines were even worse now, but when we finally got to the window I was impressed because our passports and visas were ready, no wait. I know in the states we would have taken a number and waited longer. I am horrified that they put my passport picture on the visa... The one I took looked like I had killed someone and was being sent away- ugh!
Tomorrow it's a rest day - yay!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Phew!
After 12 hours and 30 minutes to Tokyo, a 2 hour wait at Narita (and some delicious prawn udon as after my last international flight food poisoining incident I've sworn never to eat on a flight again) an hour wait on the runway, a 7 hour 1 minute flight (of which I surprisingly slept about 6 hours of -I NEVER fall asleep on long flights..) I've finally landed at 12:30 a.m. In the 90 degree evening heat of Bangkok! Made it through passport control pretty quickly and my bags came right out. I'm now sitting in a taxi listening to my Thai driver prattle on about something. I think he's mocking my bags because I told him I'd only be here 4 days yet he just threw his back out trying to lift Big Blue. Poor guy - I tried to help but he wouldn't let me.
Tomorrow is an 8am morning to get over to the Myanmar Embassy. Ah - what I'll do for an adventure:)
Tomorrow is an 8am morning to get over to the Myanmar Embassy. Ah - what I'll do for an adventure:)
Saturday, November 10, 2012
On With The Weekend!
A lot of hospitals that I work with have automated delivery systems. Sometimes its the good old bank air chute tube thing, sometimes its these automatic delivery carts that run the hall ways on tracks - today, in Silicone Valley I saw something that I've seen one other time, but I've never seen it before and laughed so hard.
The hospital I was at today was in El Camino and on the business cards that I got, the title under the hospital was "THE hospital of Silicone Valley".... thats a lot to live up to, huh?
So, in the basement they have these transport robots that run without tracks but based on motion and sensors. They might have a garbage bin or a case cart or something else on wheels that would typically be pushed by an employee, but since its Silicone Valley, they decide to forgo that paycheck and give it to a robot that takes about 3 times as long to deliver the cart. Literally, the thing moved SOOOOO slow -- I think a turtle would have moved faster. These little robots were called "Tug". They all had labels on their rears that said "Tug 1" "Tug 2", etc. In the front they had their sensors so, we were goofing off and stood in front of one to see if it would stop. It did stop about a foot from us and then the little "eyes" in front shifted back and forth and back and forth and after about 3 or 4 minutes, it finally turned a little to go around the "obstacle" in its way.
Needless to say, by that time we had moved and it could have gone on with the route it was originally taking. We laughed about that one. But the one we absolutely died over was that, as we were standing in the hallway waiting for our appointment, "Tug 2" moves farther down the hallway to the supply department and slowly moves about 3 feet past the door, stops, eyes shift, turn left facing wall and with its robot voice starts saying "PLEASE OPEN DOOR FOR TUG" "PLEASE OPEN DOOR FOR TUG" and on and on it keeps on talking to the wall. Someone in the department finally opens the door but now Tug 2 is behind the door so she's standing there looking at us like "where is the thing" and we're like "its behind the door". And by the time, I swear Tug 2 was saying "PLEASE OPEN DOOR FOR TUG" but it was like with this pleading voice, like it was a whiny nerdy tug. The woman from the department comes out and my rep is trying to help move the thing over and they finally get it shifted but its still not pointed enough in front of the door and its still whining. They finally got it in, but we were laughing that Tug 2 was the "blonde tug" :)
So much for the up and coming technology of the Silicone Valley! So - the week in San Francisco was pretty good. I worked with 2 new reps and we met some good new accounts. I had some good time as well to get some work done and actually do some stuff downtown.
I did bikram at two different studios. The first one I didn't really like, the second one was pretty enjoyable - very hot and very clean and a great instructor. I love going to cities where you can do public transportation and walk places. The first studio I went to for Bikram was about 4 blocks from the Bart station, but it was in the Mission district which is not always the best so the neighborhood I was walking through was a little uncomfortable. The second studio I went to was actually about 30+ blocks from the Bart and took me about 15 minutes to walk, but I loved the area and I loved the walk. Part of it took me through some of Chinatown and through downtown-downtown area and Embarcedero. Loved it! I stopped for some sushi and I even found a cupcake place that actually had pretty fantastic cupcakes!
I'm actually getting back late tonight and then tomorrow morning I have to go downtown for a 4 hour in-service. And I may be going to fundraiser in the evening downtown as well. We'll see if it happens or not. Either way, its going to be a long weekend....
So, in the basement they have these transport robots that run without tracks but based on motion and sensors. They might have a garbage bin or a case cart or something else on wheels that would typically be pushed by an employee, but since its Silicone Valley, they decide to forgo that paycheck and give it to a robot that takes about 3 times as long to deliver the cart. Literally, the thing moved SOOOOO slow -- I think a turtle would have moved faster. These little robots were called "Tug". They all had labels on their rears that said "Tug 1" "Tug 2", etc. In the front they had their sensors so, we were goofing off and stood in front of one to see if it would stop. It did stop about a foot from us and then the little "eyes" in front shifted back and forth and back and forth and after about 3 or 4 minutes, it finally turned a little to go around the "obstacle" in its way.
Needless to say, by that time we had moved and it could have gone on with the route it was originally taking. We laughed about that one. But the one we absolutely died over was that, as we were standing in the hallway waiting for our appointment, "Tug 2" moves farther down the hallway to the supply department and slowly moves about 3 feet past the door, stops, eyes shift, turn left facing wall and with its robot voice starts saying "PLEASE OPEN DOOR FOR TUG" "PLEASE OPEN DOOR FOR TUG" and on and on it keeps on talking to the wall. Someone in the department finally opens the door but now Tug 2 is behind the door so she's standing there looking at us like "where is the thing" and we're like "its behind the door". And by the time, I swear Tug 2 was saying "PLEASE OPEN DOOR FOR TUG" but it was like with this pleading voice, like it was a whiny nerdy tug. The woman from the department comes out and my rep is trying to help move the thing over and they finally get it shifted but its still not pointed enough in front of the door and its still whining. They finally got it in, but we were laughing that Tug 2 was the "blonde tug" :)
So much for the up and coming technology of the Silicone Valley! So - the week in San Francisco was pretty good. I worked with 2 new reps and we met some good new accounts. I had some good time as well to get some work done and actually do some stuff downtown.
I did bikram at two different studios. The first one I didn't really like, the second one was pretty enjoyable - very hot and very clean and a great instructor. I love going to cities where you can do public transportation and walk places. The first studio I went to for Bikram was about 4 blocks from the Bart station, but it was in the Mission district which is not always the best so the neighborhood I was walking through was a little uncomfortable. The second studio I went to was actually about 30+ blocks from the Bart and took me about 15 minutes to walk, but I loved the area and I loved the walk. Part of it took me through some of Chinatown and through downtown-downtown area and Embarcedero. Loved it! I stopped for some sushi and I even found a cupcake place that actually had pretty fantastic cupcakes!
I'm actually getting back late tonight and then tomorrow morning I have to go downtown for a 4 hour in-service. And I may be going to fundraiser in the evening downtown as well. We'll see if it happens or not. Either way, its going to be a long weekend....
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
My Week Starts
It was a pretty busy weekend and its headed into a pretty busy week.
Friday, I met up with a group for my friend Kate's birthday (Kate's the one in the middle with the short reddish hair). We ate Mexican and Laurie, the one at the end by me, even made little sangria jello shots. They were actually pretty good.
After the party, Kate threw out to me that maybe we could go see a movie on Saturday. So - after doing some baking, cleaning the shed out, putting away all the lawn furniture, doing some raking and some laundry, I met Kate for an 7:20 pm movie (which we'll call 6:20 pm because it was daylight savings time :)). We saw Argo and I think I may have peed my pants - I was so tense! I was grabbing Kate's hand and we were both almost yelling. Maybe its just Kate, but I don't think I've ever been so emotional during a movie! Thanks Kate!....
Sunday was - well Sunday.
Monday I went into the office and worked on a bunch of stuff, snuck in a run and romp at the dog park before I had to head to church for a meeting.
Then Tuesday came. I intentionally booked a flight a little later so I could take the dogs to the dog park and get over and "get the vote out" of me. Its always crazy how the whole drive lined up to the voting place is crammed with signs until you get to the one sign that says "no ballot petitioning beyond this point" and then you're safe. I don't do well with competitions of sorts so I'm choosing to just tune in later when they're actually making the call of who's winning. I guess we'll see, won't we....
So as mentioned in my previous email, I'm now in San Francisco. Well, technically, Millbrae. I love it here! Its like my home away from home :) I almost always get put in the same room, I know all the restaurants and shops around here. I landed around 4:30 and got over to the hotel quick enough to jump into my running shorts and shoes and taking a loop around my old running path. I run up from the hotel and through this great little neighborhood and then loop back around and go down by a grocery store where I usually stop and grab something for dinner. Its just the perfect weather, not too hot, not too cold. I love the smells in the park, its fresh and theres a fresh woodchip scent on the path. When you run through the neighborhoods there are all these little bungalow houses and there's this smell that reminds me of my Aunt June and Uncle Don's garage in the house in Zion. Its not a bad smell, but its like an older, lived in smell. I don't even know what it is, but it makes me happy :)
Tonight, I actually ran over by the BART station before I hit the grocery store, ran up the 50 stairs to the top platform and bought a ticket for the week. I love that I can take the train and just meet up with my reps. Tomorrow I'm headed over by UCSF which is about a 30 minute train ride from Millbrae. I usually take a swing by my beloved Cafe Roma first where I get my delicious Nutella Latte.
It sounds like the 3 reps I'm working with for the next three days have packed my schedule out. I'm hoping that we stay downtown tomorrow as there's a bikram studio that has like a 4:30 class that I'd like to catch before coming back out to Millbrae. Hopefully either Wednesday or Thursday I'll get over to try the studio here.
Well - by tomorrow we'll know who won the election tonight..... Until then..... May the best man win :)
I'm In Love!!!!
Two weeks ago I had a little extra time to roam around the Internet and figured I check on the whole TSA precheck thing. You basically have to have a membership with an airline and then you go on with your airline and go to their TSA precheck section and register and then just wait. You don't get anything but they run your info and then one wonderful day you go to security with your boarding pass, they scan it and then wave you to the deserted aisle of dreams where only special people like me get to go:)
Today was my wonderful day and I've fallen in love!!!!! Literally 1 minute was what it took for me to get through security. I got to leave my shoes and coat on, leave my laptops in their bags, liquids in my purse.... I just put everything on the belt and walked through to a chorus of angels! It was wonderful! I've never gone through so quickly!
Unfortunately not every airport does the TSA precheck but I'm hoping it will be so easy at all the ones that do!
And now I'm standing in line to board my 4 hour 50 minute flight to San Fran (and no upgrade so I'm back with all the cattle...:(....). At least I stopped at Frontera Grill and have a Cubana to go - I'm going to be the one smelling up the flight with roasted pork! Ha! Po-o-ork-k (drooling:)
Today was my wonderful day and I've fallen in love!!!!! Literally 1 minute was what it took for me to get through security. I got to leave my shoes and coat on, leave my laptops in their bags, liquids in my purse.... I just put everything on the belt and walked through to a chorus of angels! It was wonderful! I've never gone through so quickly!
Unfortunately not every airport does the TSA precheck but I'm hoping it will be so easy at all the ones that do!
And now I'm standing in line to board my 4 hour 50 minute flight to San Fran (and no upgrade so I'm back with all the cattle...:(....). At least I stopped at Frontera Grill and have a Cubana to go - I'm going to be the one smelling up the flight with roasted pork! Ha! Po-o-ork-k (drooling:)
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