Living the Dream

Freeing cats and rats

2008-11-17T08:24:00.002-06:00

This night had to be the most interesting one of all my nights at the Mirror Foundation. It started just after dinner when Annelies, the girl from Holland, comes and says that someone has set a rat trap in our house and it's caught a rat. It's stuck to a tray of glue. "What can we do?" I have no idea. So we go and find someone "in charge". He takes the tray away professionally and we think, how sad. But that's life. The rat -which is really a mouse - will die.

So later, we're all hanging out in the office. The cuddly calico cat that frequents the office at night wanders in about 30 minutes later. Sadly, she has gone after the rat and is now attached by glue to the tray and a there's a dead mouse hanging off of this tray as well. All the girls in the office are screaming and standing on chairs. They chase the cat out. I'm freaking out because I can't stand the idea of this cat walking around with a tray of glue and a dead rat attached to it.

So, we catch the cat and slowly peel it off of the the tray, all the while trying very hard not to go near the dead rat. We finally got it free, but the cat was covered in glue. Luckily one of the new girls had vet training and was able to give it a bath and cut most of the glue out of the fur.

I'll tell you what. Freeing that cat was one of the most disgusting things I've ever done.

Waking up to pigs screaming

2008-11-17T07:19:00.002-06:00

The first weekend after coming to our volunteer program, we went on what's called a "Home Stay". During this weekend, the organization arranges us to stay with two villages, one Lahu and one Akha. We also do a bit of sight-seeing.

First, we went out to breakfast in town. Then we went to the local market. There we were able to see all kinds of colorful foods - fish on a stick, cockroaches, and sticky rice. After that, we visited the temple in Chiang Rai.

Early afternoon took us to the Karen village to do some elephant riding. Then we headed for a banana-leaf-wrapped lunch at a nearby waterfall. After lunch, we visited the waterfall to cool off. Then we went to the hill tribe museum in Ban Jalae village.

Finally, we started off for the steep hike to the Lahu village. It was one hour, uphill, in the sun, and in the heat. But the views from up there were unbeatable.

The Lahu people are quite shy and it's hard to feel welcome in a town where everyone is shy and no one speaks your language. We felt even more uncomfortable with their living conditions. We slept in their above-ground home, on the bamboo-slatted floor. So, we could see the pigs that live underneath the home through the floorboards. And, boy, could we hear them when we woke up. They were screaming for their breakfast. It was quite unnerving to wake up to that sound.

The next day we spent at the viewpoint while our guide prepared us lunch using bamboo as the cooking instruments. It was delicious. Sleeping in the sun at that viewpoint was delicious too.

At the end of the day, we trekked to the second village. The Akha village had a completely different atmosphere. The minute we came to town, the kids shouted hello at us. They dragged us off to play tag. The families let us help cook and they taught us the tribal language - as much as we could handle. That night, they invited us to the bonfire to dance with them.

As interesting as the experience was, we were all very glad to come home and get showers, of all things.

Getting started

2008-11-12T01:30:00.003-06:00

So, after we got settled in to our new "home", we dove right into some of our teaching assignments - sometimes without being told what we could expect. I volunteered to teach a group of students that come on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays to the organization to get extra English work. It turned out to be a fantastic group of kids that I look forward to seeing every Monday-Wednesday. They are really sweet.

The other things that we do include day care, teaching at local schools, teaching the Thai staff at the organization, and teaching other adults that come for lessons.

The other volunteers here with me actually don't have any experience teaching, which makes things a bit interesting at times. I think I would like to get more involved than I am, but am not sure what more I can do.

On the bright side, we have a lot of down time to get on the internet and make our next travel plans.

Arriving at Mirror

2008-11-10T08:40:00.002-06:00

I arrived at my volunteer organization on Monday Nov 3rd. I was pretty shocked at the living conditions. I mean, I knew it would be basic. But I didn't really think about how basic.

Here, four women live in a room about the size of a 6 man tent. We sleep on mattresses on the floor. The slats are open. As I'm typing this, the girl that stays upstairs has just ran downstairs because she saw a rat. The bathroom has a toilet - but it doesn't flush with a lever. You have to pour water into the toilet to make it flush. We are not allowed to use toilet paper. You shower out of a bucket and the water is cold. We wash our clothes in a bucket outside. No TV, no refrigerator, no conveniences. On the other hand, the food is AMAZING. I couldn't imagine better cooking. And so simple.

But even with the cooking, I wasn't entirely sure at the beginning if this is what I wanted. I mean, I know that I'm volunteering. But does it have to be so basic?

I'm learning that I have luxury accommodations compared to the ones I'm helping, as you'll see throughout the blog.

First weekend in Thailand

2008-11-05T07:33:00.004-06:00

It's been a long time since I published a blog. I think the last time was one day when I went to Ireland. I really thought that I would be able to keep that up - but um....no. Well, I think I'll start again so that everyone knows what is happening with me in Thailand.

I arrived on October 30th. I spent one night near the Bangkok airport. Then next day I flew to Chiang Rai, up in the northern province, the largest Thai city before the Burma/Laos border. That Friday and Saturday, I didn't do much, other than try to get used to life in Thailand and figure out what there is to do.

Chiang Rai has a Night Market where locals sell their goods, where you can get dinner for cents, and free night entertainment. I didn't buy much, but it was nice to be out of the hotel room. The first couple of days were pretty lonely. But everything picked up on Sunday.

Sunday, I was able to get on a tour. We left at nine a.m. We drove to Mae Salong village. This is a Chinese settlement in Thailand. A part of the Chinese army came and settled here years ago. They are no longer considered Chinese, but they speak Chinese and have a Chinese school. In this village we did some Tea taste testing. They served worms as a snack on the side!

After the village, we walked to a hill tribe village. I am working with people from hill tribes in this region of Thailand. They have not integrated into Thai society and are sometimes not considered citizens of Thailand. The organization that I am working for tries to help their problems.

It was terribly interesting to see how these people live. But I will get to that more later because we will be spending the entire weekend there this coming weekend.

On the way out of town, we stopped at the Tea plantation. Then we moved on to a Jade factory.

Then we drove to the Golden Triangle. This is the part of Thailand that touches Burma and Laos. It's called the Golden Triangle because of the drug trade that used to be prominent in that area. Opium used to be called Black Gold. So, here they have an Opium museum, which was really interesting, but unfortunately they didn't hand out free samples. : )

After the museum, we stopped at a very old temple in a very old city. And then, finally we went home.

It was such a long day. I decided that I had to have a Thai massage. That was great. Then, I met some of the other volunteers from my program and we got a bite to eat. They seem really nice with some very interesting stories. I was excited to start working.

I was so in over my head...

Ireland - June 18th

2008-06-25T08:17:00.004-05:00

I had some time off from work and some of my friends had a trip planned to Ireland. I decided to go with them on their journey. We had a great time. Here's the recount.

So we arrived in Dublin in the evening of the 17th. So the 18th was our first adventure in Ireland. We drove to Northern Ireland to a small town called Seskinore, near Omagh. This is where my friends, the McClintocks, had traced some of their ancestry. We drove into the town of about 100 people and started looking around. Sure enough, the McClintock roots were here. The primary school was named after a Col. McClintock. We started asking around and some of the locals invited us in for tea and to chat. Then, we explored the graveyard where some McClintocks were buried and the place where there was formally an estate.

On this day, I had my first impressions of Ireland. I was surprised by how much more like the US it appeared than other European countries. Of course, it's as green as they all say. But I was also really impressed by how friendly the people were that we met. The were so willing to be hospitable. And I loved all the stonework in the buildings, and the exteriors of the houses. The houses were gorgeous with perfectly manicured lawns.

At the end of the day, we made our way back across the border to stay in a town near Cavin.

paris in april

2007-06-19T17:54:00.000-05:00

april is long gone. but my pics - and my memories - are still with me. i'm finally taking a moment to let you see paris in the springtime. paris is THE BEST in april. the weather was warm, but not unbearable. the trees were in bloom. the feeling was romantic. i just wanted to sit in the parks and read books. paris is certainly my "happy place". even while visiting the Catacombs - where all the skeletons are - I can't help but be blissful!

Spain and Semana Santa

2007-04-09T02:34:00.000-05:00

Late nights, crowds of people, beautiful parks, incense, orange blossoms, and mullets! Oh yes, people, mullets are alive and well in Spain. Look out! I think that they might be all the rage in the US in a few years! Here's a creative recount of our trip to Spain.

6 - number of people Ben and I hit in the back of the legs when our suitcases fell over

4 - average number of hours that we spent walking every day

18 - number of Motrin we had to take for the pain in our feet

175 - pictures taken

1 - number of times we ate the pork there before vowing never to eat pork again

3 - number of Spaniards that actually speak English

1- number of Americans that refused to speak English with us

45 - minutes rowing on a lake in the park

7 - number of people in the Flamenco show in Madrid, the most amazing show we've ever seen

8,600 - number of paintings in the incredible Prado museum

2 - hours we waited at the train station to buy tickets from Madrid to Seville

100,000 - number of crazy Catholics that go to see the "floats" for Semana Santa in Seville

Millions - of iPods in Spain

5 - hours that it took us to find our hotel in Seville trying to get through the thousands

2 - average number of hours that it took us to find a restaurant where we wanted to eat

2 - also the average bedtime!

over 30 - times we went to Starbucks

hundreds - number of Catholic churches in Seville

9 - hours in the airport waiting for our, finally, cancelled flight

8 - days total in Spain

2 - happy travelers who had an adventure!

Christmastime in Nurmburg

2006-12-03T15:43:00.000-06:00

We spent this weekend visiting some old German towns and their Christmas Markets. Nurnburg is lovely, as is Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We had a great time with friends and seeing the sights. Of course, we drank the famous "Gluhwein" - spiced, hot wine! Delicious.

SKIING!!

2006-11-13T08:19:00.000-06:00

Ben and I have been dying to go skiing as soon as we could! This weekend was our first chance.

We had a long weekend because it was Veteran's Day and we drove 6 hours to Austria. There is a glacier in Austria where you can do some early season skiing. We had to take 3 Gondolas to the top and enough snow. It was quite cold and icy! But we stayed warm and had fun. The views were amazing. Even though we left the ski slopes barely walking every day, our hotel had a superb spa and we were healed of our wounds after an hour there. It was definitely the way to do the trip.

Hopefully next time, we won't have to go so far to find snow.

Fun in Italy

2006-11-13T07:58:00.000-06:00

So...I went to Rome in September and am just now getting around to putting some pics on the blog! Oh, the life over here is just too full. I went with my God-mother Sandy and we had a fantastic time. Here are some pics...

Schwetzingen Palace

2006-10-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures from one of the king's palaces 10 minutes away. There is a huge garden with fountains, pools, lakes, rivers, statues . . .

It's a beautiful place to walk and relax. Enjoy!

2006-09-28T17:19:00.000-05:00

Ah, Oktoberfest in Germany. It doesn't get more authentic than this folks.

Alright, here's some more pics. . .

Last week Ben, Beka, and their kids stayed with us. Of course we had a total blast, hanging out and playing Settlers of Katan. But the weekend they took off, we went down to Munich to experience Oktoberfest. I thought it would be a total Beerfest, but it actually was more like a big fair with lots of rides, rollercoasters, and family stuff. However, it didn't take long to find the beer. Eran seemed to like it just as much as the rest of us.

Eran, feeling a little tipsy from his first, or was it his second, Beer.

Our buds Ben and Beka. We miss you guys already.

Deanna looks right at home, doesn't she?

Wow, It's Been A While!

2006-09-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

Sorry Dee and I have been offline for so long. We are finally getting settled in in Germany. It took us about two months to get settled, find a home, and another month to get internet access. We found a darling apartment on the top floor of a building 5 minutes walking distance to the hospital where I work.

We've been very busy with travel as well. Deanna has been to Budapest and Rome without me already. I went back to Chicago to take my Internal Medicine boards, and on the weekends we've managed to go to Bavaria to visit with Ben and Beka, see Deanna's French host family in Strasbourg, France, and to Oktoberfest in Munich.

I've been working a few weeks now. Only clinic so far. Deanna is taking German immersion classes 4 hours a day and we both are taking night classes to become Ski Patrolers in Garmisch twice a week.

Here are some pictures of our apartment, Heidelberg, and a palace garden nearby. More posts from Deanna and her travels to follow. But now that we have internet and are starting to get settled, we'll be posting more regularly.

We love you all, and hope you are all doing well.

Ben and Deanna

Our Dining Room

Our Living Room

Our Kitchen

Ok, so the blogger isn't working tonight, so I was only able to upload these pics of our apartment. I'll try to upload more stuff later.

Love you guys!

Rochester Look Out!

2006-07-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

Last week I went up to the Mayo Clinic for a board review. Had a great time with a few of my colleagues from BAMC during the week as well as attending 50+ hours of class! While I was gone, Deanna went to Denver to visit her childhood friends before we leave the country. This week, I'm completing my outprocessing and we're tying up loose ends. We'll be leaving for Heidelberg on Monday the 24th.

Dee and her friends from Colorado

Looking for things to do as soon as we hit the airport!

Me and Acel after I doused him with my drink. I still don't know why I don't have a black eye in this picture.

Raul, with the next round of drinks!

Ok, so maybe we weren't paying attention all the time during lectures :)

Back In SA-Town

2006-07-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well,

Deanna and I are back in Texas for the last few weeks before we head to Germany for good.

We actually sold our house today. It went well. We have mixed feelings about it. We're glad to be rid of the debt and responsibility, but we loved that house, it really felt like home.

Deanna had a great time in Wisconsin visiting the family and friends. Thanks to everybody for taking care of her and to JB for the tickets. I was so jealous of her being able to see everyone. I miss you all.

Here's a couple of pics of our darling nieces. . .

and Dee with her friends at her Lawrence Reunion. Can you believe it's been 10 years?!

I had a good time in Germany, but it was really busy. I only had 3 days off the whole month. It was a blast being there for the World Cup. Hey Italy (my first choice) has made it to the final match. And, what a coincidence, they're going to be facing France (Deanna's favorite). We can't wait!

Dee is going to Colorado for a week on Friday to see some friends and I'm headed up to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota for a week to do a board review course. Then we'll be back in SA for a week to outprocess before we head over to Heidelberg on the 24th of July.

We love y'all (as they say in Texas), and we'll talk to you soon.

Italy vs. USA

2006-06-20T15:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a game.

Me and a surgeon who I'm working with went to watch the game at an Irish pub in K-town (Kaiserslautern). The streets and bars were packed because the game was actually being held in K-town. Unfortunately we weren't able to get tickets because they were about $1000 on ebay. If I had known I would have been here a few years ago, I probably could have got tickets for $60. Oh, well.

We enjoyed watching a very close and exciting game that the US actually tied. I thought they would have been crushed considering the way they played against the Czechs. But they played very well. There were people from all over the world there watching with us, even in that tiny pub. Germans, Italians, Irish, Scottish, Americans, English. . .

At the game, we ran into some people from Landstuhl's ICU and after the game we went down to a place called Chuck's Cafe. A clearly American run local where American ideals covered the windows in such form as "YOU CLEAN IT, WE'LL COOK IT" and "IF YOU DON'T LIKE OUR COOKING, CALL 1-800-EAT-S**T" and played pool (not billiards, that's what those crazy blokes from Britain play) and foosball.

By the time we thought we should head home, it was one or two in the morning. Since there were a few of us, we decided we should try and catch a cab. Unfortunately, everyone else in the city had the same idea. Despite throwing ourselves into the street in front of every cab we saw, we couldn't find a ride. We finally gave up and decided to take the train home. However, the last train out was at 0120 which we had missed by 15 minutes. So, needless to say, we had no way to get home until 0600 later that morning.

With no other options, and the cold setting in, we all huddled in the bottom of the train station and tried to get some sleep with the hundred others that were in our situation as well. There were the 20 or 30 that didn't care about sleep and had a lot more alcohol than we had. They made it their goal to keep us awake with their incessant singing and other vocalizations. So we finally got a train home at 0600 and I made it back to my bed in time for an hour of sleep before having to go to work.

Someone just asked me tonight if it was worth it.

Without a doubt!

I hope you're all jealous. :)

Busy, Busy. . .

2006-06-16T15:11:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a busy week for me. I haven't had much time for anything other than work, and the occasional run. It's kind of funny. I've been trying to figure out a way to run/walk to this castle on the other side of Landstuhl called Nanstein (I didn't know it's name until today). Anyway, I almost made it today, but I didn't know the name of it, so after an hour of running through the forest, I gave up and turned around just after I saw a sign for Burg Nanstein. But since I know very little German yet, I didn't know that "burg" is the word for castle. So after a few more minutes on the trail, I turned around. Bummer. Anyway, I'll get there before I leave and get some pictures to post. Here's an aerial shot of the castle.

Deanna got to Wisconsin yesterday thanks to JB and Midwest Express! She's there for her 10 yr Lawrence Reunion. I'm jealous. She got to go out to dinner with Mom, Dad, Eddie, Jamie, Sean, and Julie. I wish I could be there with her. I guess I'll have to wait until September. Hopefully she'll be posting some stuff too when she gets computer access.

Landstuhl-The first taste

2006-06-14T03:11:00.000-05:00

I started my European living experience on 04Jun2006.

I'm doing a rotation at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for the next month. Located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, a green, hilly, region ideal for hiking and biking especially at this time of the year.

The town of Landstuhl from the trail I run in the morning.

Although the rotation is keeping me busy, I've had a chance to get to Heidelberg where Deanna and I will be moving in July. The FIFA World Cup is being held in Germany this month as well, so I have spent a few nights in Kaiserslautern watching the initial round of games. Unfortunately, I'm rather embarrassed to be from the US, given their performance. Oh well, I was rooting for Italy anyway.

I'll keep updating this as I find time. Feel free to post your own comments. And you all better come visit when we get settled.

Ben and Deanna