FULBRIGHT REPORT: Most recently I finished and submitted my mid-grant report for Fulbright. It was sort of intense for me to summarize and sufficiently explain how I feel after several months of living and teaching here in Thailand. I hope that my words adequately express my gratitude and appreciation felt, maturity and cultural awareness gained, teaching challenges overcome, and teaching rewards enjoyed. For those who are interested, I will be posting part of my report soon.
FLIGHT TO KL: It became evident on our first trip to Mae Sai (the Thailand-Myanmar border) that in order for Kali and I to travel during the last few weeks of my grant, we would need to arrange for her to get a longer visa extension. We had little choice but to purchase a roundtrip flight out of Thailand in order to re-enter the country with a new 30 day visa. Therefore, we have officially booked a flight and four-day vaca to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. Can’t wait!
DERBY FESTIVAL, HERE WE COME: Kali and I signed up for it last week. For the Kentucky Derby Festival every year in Louisville, thousands of runners gather for a half and full marathon. This year, Kali and I will be two of the thousands running the full marathon –26.2 miles, can you believe it? We’re already training, but most importantly we are coming up with ideas for matching t-shirts for the race!
BANKER TO THE POOR: Reading Muhammad Yunus's book about micro-lending through Grameen bank and similar programs, poverty in Bangladesh and poverty worldwide, has really got me thinking. The thesis of his book is about the use of financial credit to uplift people from poverty and break the cycle that has trapped them into poverty for so long. Social consciousness is the underlying theme of his book. It’s about fitting a consciousness of social issues into the context of a free market –about transforming capitalism to reward human-potential-maximization over profit-maximization. It’s got me thinking, thinking about my future as a wage earner, perhaps as an entrepreneur, but ultimately as a socially conscious human being ready to take action.
Much love to everyone.
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