Home in Rosedale

Well the last few days have been a time of getting back to the routine of things and enjoying family. It is hard to believe that we have completed our trip and that Thailand is a memory. What a memory though!
I would like to thank everyone on the team for being the most amazing group to travel with. I truly count each one of you a close friend and I know that these relationships will carry on through life. We had lots of laughs, tears, and best of all experiences that have changed us all. I knew that Thailand would be a life changing experience but I never guessed on how it would impact us all so deeply. The things that I am taking with me are the importance of family in Thai culture, the fact even without all the things we think are important in life, people are still happy, and that life does go on after loss because of the spirit of people. I say these lessons with my own eyes and even though I felt these were important ideas, they now mean so much more.
For me personally the day we visited the Tsunami was by far the hardest. It certainly opened my eyes about when we give money here in Canada and what that means for the actual people at the heart of the disaster. People need money it is true, but they also need people to go to them, assist them it whatever way needed and continue to provide support long after the disaster has hit.
I would recommend GSE to anyone as it changes you in ways that you cannot imagine. My advice to the GSE team going to Italy and Turkey is to leave all your expectations at home and keep an open mind. Your trip is what you make it and if you are there to learn and experience whatever comes, you will have the trip of a lifetime.
I would like to thank Rotary for this opportunity and my team and family for being so wonderful. Joe, John, Maria, Laura and Marco, I will never forget our time together and will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.
Lots of love,
Deena

Home Sweet Home

As I sit at my computer I feel a real mix of emotions...sadness, elation, wonder and warmth.
Nakonpathon (I know I probably spelt that wrong...sorry) was such an incredible place to finish our trip. I was sad to leave the new friends that I had made there and it reminded me of all the others who made our experience so wonderful.

Words really can't describe how valuable this experience was for all of us.
Although home feels so sweet.....part of me will remain in Thailand. And that was a real shock to tell you all honestly. Never have I felt such a bond with any place i've visited before. We didn't visit any beaches, nor did we scuba dive or snorkel ....but instead...we met people and made friendships in a place where we knew no one. It was remarkable.
I will be back soon to Thailand.....there is so much still left to see....and I can't wait to visit my new friends again.

Speaking of new friends....
I'd like to thank Marco, Deena, Maria, Joe and Laura for being such kind, loving and generous friends throughout our travels. To spend 30 days together with very little "alone time" is a very trying task mentally and we all pulled together and supported one another.
Those who chose this team really deserve a pat on the back for such good foresight. Thank you.

I'd like to repeat what Joe mentioned...there are still thousands of more photos which will be uploaded soon...so please continue to visit.
We missed you all and are happy to be home.
To those we left behind in Thailand....we'll miss you and look forward to a return trip.
Many thanks,
John

leavin'...

"
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go...
"


...counting down now...1 hour and 50 minutes before departure, Bangkok International Airport...
A surreal wash of emotion takes hold as we wander through the gates. A month has passed, and we are and forever changed.

"Kup kuhn maak maak krup", to all the beautiful spirits, places, and faces in Thailand.
Thank you. We hate to go. We'll be back.
But for now...

Baby, we're comin' home.

hello all,
The past week has been very busy and access to the internet has been next to impossible. It is now one hour before departure time and I want all to know that it is with mixed feelings that we leave the land of smiles. The Rotarians here have without exception stolen our hearts with their incredible hospitality. We can learn much from them. To open their homes and hearts to us , total strangers , is more than one can expect , even if one is a Rotarian. Nothing has been too much for them to make the GSE a success. In return al our team could do is to be the best possible guests we could be. I am proud and happy to have been part of this team. Not once have they let the sometimes tiring schedule interfere with the ideals and mission of Rotary and the GSE underlying philosophy.
Last night we attended a farewell party and it was with a mixture of sadness and joy. On the one side to leave our new friends and the other the joy to come home to tell you all more about the trip and what we have learned and how our lives and views on life have been altered and enriched.
If any Rotarian or young professional may have any doubts about the value of the GSE program, then think again. My team were outstanding people to begin with, but from this point in time will be able to contribute much more to world peace and understanding than before. Any preconceived biases there may have been , have been erased. Our minds are open for other and often better ways to walk down the path of life and we hope to have many fellow human beings will join us.
More upon our return and please do look at the pictures Joe sent. They tell you a story that would take a lot of writing.
Until soon. Marco

Beautiful places, faces, and spirit...

It is with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart that I prepare to leave this place. While I have not had an internet connection to myself these past couple weeks, I still have a lot to say. Alas, it will have to wait until I am home. My thoughts and feelings are crystal clear still, and I am easily reminded by the nearly 13,000 photographs I have taken.
To see some of what we've taken in, experienced, felt, absorbed...please, take a look through the second slideshow, here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/findingbalance/sets/72057594088946858/show/
Upon my return, I will be creating a photo documentary of sorts, and will have more slideshows. Words will accompany the photos where words can do justice, but in most cases, I truly believe the photos speak for themselves. Yes, with some of the group shots, I suppose we have some explaining to do...or at least some well-thought-out excuses. ;)
Much more soon...we may be coming home tomorrow, but we still have a lot yet to write and share.
Keep looking back for continued updates on where we are at - in spirit, emotion, and mind - even though we will be home, our heartstrings wlil always be tied to the land of smiles.
More photos to come...in a few days time.
Love to all, and thankfulness to the universe for this life-transforming opportunity. We will be back...
-Joe

We did it!

Presented our District Conference review of our visit to Thailand. Rather than bore our audience with long speeches and pictures they will see anyway when their GSE team returns to Thailand, we opted to give a presentation which was largely visual; it went over very well I am proud to say. The team is just great and all of our various audiences comment on how well we interact and what a joy it is to them having us around as their homestay guests.
District 5050 really owes the Thai GSE a fabulous time and I am sure we can provide that. We met the incoming team today and they are great people. I have had the pleasure of being the homestay guest of their teamleader , a fellow physician and a person who is a real doctor. Very tuned in to his patients and their care.
The District Conference is much fun , especially now we have the big job of being good US/Canadian ambassadors largely behind us and we can interact with all the people we have met before in the various places and have become friends with.
This is written in haste to let you know that all is well and I hope that the rest of the team will fill you in on a lot of detail.
Marco

A different view of Phuket Island

This is the last day on the Island of Phuket. After the initial culture shock of finding ourselves in a tourist destination we have discovered that this island has a lot more to offer of the real Thailand . We had gotten used to a Thailand with all its beauty, culture, hospitality, universal friendliness and all of us had fallen in love with the people and the land. Our Phuket hosts only reinforced that impression. Everywhere we went our hosts showed us all their country has to offer and were not afraid to also show the warts and joke about their time management, but in comparison to the many, many positives I can honestly say that our own respective countries can learn a lot from the Thai and that our countries have warts that may be a lot uglier than what we got to see here.
We saw and learned a lot this day. Started off with a Rotary sponsored tsunami recovery project. The locals here were not familiar with mussel farming and Rotary provided the boats, material and expertise to help a sizeable number of people to earn a decent living with the prospect of a lot more.
The project is located in an estuary of a maze of channels with "street" signs so that people can find their way back. Every channel looks like the next one with a thick mangrove forest along the banks. The "farms " are a series of nets suspended from flotation barrels connected with teak two by fours about a foot or two apart. Navigating on these was a bit tricky and the water did not look too inviting to fall in. However the fish and mussels were thriving. We caught our lunch and after getting close to a sunstroke we headed to an abalone farm, the only one in Thailand and the brainchild of a Thai veterinary Rotarian. It is very succesful and even more promising for the future since there is a tremendous market for this product. It is said to enhance one's sexlife and the Japanese and Koreans and Hongkong residents are strong believers in the efficacy of this product and eager to buy this delicacy for any price. My team encouraged me to eat more than one and are watching carefully what effect it may have on me. So far the scientific part of this experiment has not proven anything other than that I enjoyed the taste and texture a lot more than any other food coming from a shell. The meal was complemented with the fish and mussels that had been caught before our eyes a few hours earlier. The whole of the occasion was not only instructive , but also delicious and what else could one wish for on a GSE tour!
The last part of the day was a visit to a local credit union , run by a true Rotarian who literally lives the motto " Service above self" This Credit union is based in a poor community and has helped hundreds to start a business or trade where people became independent and less poor. They not only can borrow money, but learn to keep the books and administer the business as well . The Rotarian goes out and visits every 2 weeks or so to see how people are doing and sets them straight where they have trouble managing. He is revered in the community for his humanitarian approach. Our financial institutions could take a lesson from this man on how to run a profitable credit union that pays dividends to its members and also gives a hand up to people who need it.
Time is flying and we will be home before we know it. Next stop is the District Conference where we hope to share with our hosts what our District 5050 has to offer and what we have learned from them.
Marco

Interesting Discoveries!!

Well Im sure you're all wondering what I've been up to after hearing about the arm/butterfly incident and the spa treatment.

I've found this trip to be a true guide to experiencing a country such as Thailand. We've been fortunate enough to see how locals live, conduct business, celebrate good company and even how they are similar to us in certain ways. I feel as though I have many friends in Thailand that I look forward to visiting in the coming years.

As Deena stated, Phang gha and Kao Lak took our collective breath away and made us all turn inwards for reflection. It was no surprise that we all missed our love ones when we thought about the tsunami tragedy and how it changed this country and its people.

We were unsure what to expect when arriving in Phuket. We were very surprised to see a bustling tourist area which resembled any other hot tourist destination. The holiday inn was certainly a treat for me as i previously worked for Holiday Inn. This hotel was not like the Holiday Inns' back home......it was very posh! Which none of us seemed to mind.
After the reception and Rotary meeting my fellow teammates and I met with with some other Rotarians and headed to Bangla Road (probably not the right spelling) for a cocktail.

(pardon the pun),

To describe this place.....hmmmm.....
I would say it resembled a trans-gendered Mardi-gras! Thats right folks....the Ladyboys were out in full style!! We all visited a friendly place named Dingo's and celebrated Joe's belated birthday. It was an experience not to be missed as it was truly impressive with all the dancing in the street and the mix of foreigners.

The next day Marco and I visited the Shell Museum which was tastefully designed and was a very relaxing and interesting experience. The next stop was even more relaxing though....
The Spa that we visited was something out of 'Life Styles of the Rich and Famous'....
The beauty of the surroundings made this spa a must for all honeymooners planning to visit Phuket. Be sure to ask Marco for the video.

As for me, I've seen so many touching places and people and I am very excited to help ensure that their GSE team receives similar treatment from our District as we truly have been treated fabulously!
Stay tuned,
John

Phuket

The travel from Panghna to Phuket was a snap with a careful driver and leaving right on time as well. The Thai jokingly refer to two kinds of time: real time and Thai time. The latter is quite flexible and wil stretch sometimes to an hour after the agred upon time. We are quite used to Thai time and some of us have actually come to like it.
However in Phuket things appear to be more on real time. We all experienced somewhat of a culture shock entering Phatong beach. A big sign annoucing "Oktober Fest" , Seven /Eleven stores in many locations, resort hotels, Starbucks etc. This place could be anywhere in the world where there is a resort on the shore of a warm climate and warm water.
We were met by a delegation of local Rotarians in the lobby of the Holiday Inn. The van in which we were travelling was checked by security guards who used mirors to look underneath. It is sad that any enterprise with a US connection, remote or not, is a potential target for terrorists and that one has to be on guard all the time. We did not have any of that earlier on the trip.
On the contrary , Thailand feels and is very safe .
The Holiday Inn did not look one bit like the conterparts in North America. Far more luxurious and it strikes one as a four star hotel.
We had a meeting with six Rotary clubs together and it was a jolly occasion , thanks to the two people running the show. to make up for the lack of projectors for our powerpoint presentations they had two at this meeting so that every could see.
There are a lot of expatriats here in Phuket and many of them are Rotarians. It was the first time that we could do our show in English and did not have to impose on Laura to translate what we were trying to convey.
It was a fun evening and we all had a lot of time talking with the Rotarians after the meeting.
Today we spent the day with out homestay hosts. John and I lucked out to be with the teamleader who will be visiting with his team after our return. Lucked out, because after visiting a fascinating shell museum , he took us to a spa. Neither one of us,nor our host had experienced a spa .
It was meant as a cultural experience where the Thai show their approach to healing and strengthening. Beautifully attired personnel, and lots of ceremonial preparation made it all the more interesting. All three of us simultaneously were treated to an incredibly relaxing massage starting at the feet and slowly working up to the head and face. These girls there appear to have hands that would make a blacksmith green with envy. All three of us felt incredibly good and relaxed after two hours of hard work for the Thai massage therapists. This was a bit of Thai culture we had not expected and which opened our eyes for a long tradition in this country. Instead of us having to work hard to experience the culture , the roles were reversed and we could enjoy their artful way of making one feel revived.
My host is a plastic surgeon and he took me along for an "inside" visit of a private hospital. Anybody who has any doubts about the quality of care there can dispose of those negative thoughts. All appears to be competent, clean and very friendly. the foreign patients there say there is no comparison with the British system or the US one.
Phuket was very much in the news when the tsunami struck, but in this area there is little of no evidence any more of the tsunami effects, other than of course the memories.
Tonight we experienced the first rain since our arrival. And it came down in buckets. That also means that tomorrow wil not be as hot. Today even the Thai complained about the heat.but all in all we have nothing much to complain about and a lot to be very grateful for.
Marco