On behalf of the expat community resident in Thailand we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Thai people for the sad loss of their revered King.
We feel and share your pain.
Expat Life in Thailand is enthusiastically written by a group of volunteer, editorial contributors that feel privileged to be living in Thailand as part of the resident expat community. We are not professional journalists, just well meaning individuals - many of us members of the 85 international women’s and or community groups across Thailand. Or members of the diplomatic community posted to the country to represent their communities resident in Thailand. Our views are formed, through our experiences of living in Thailand. Whether that be our children attending an international school. Our travels in and around the region and across the country or our experiences living side by side with the Thai people. We are lucky that we are able to stay in the luxury hotels at the resorts around the country. We eat out at the five star restaurants and hotels in Bangkok and we shop at the country’s premier shopping malls. We have a privileged life in The Land of Smiles and this is our way of making others aware of our experiences and to make sure that they too are exposed to the best that Thailand has to offer. We do not need to research the subject online as normal journalists would as we are living the life everyday. The general theme for this issue is Wellness but we have tried to compile an editorial product that our readers find of interest and we cover travel, nutrition, health and fitness, education, finance and IT and every other aspect that an expat - Asian or Western, encounters whilst living in Thailand. The magazine is proudly distributed through the groups and the last readership study proved that we received in excess of 8.7 readers per copy making our average issue readership in excess of 43,000 readers per issue of the print issue alone. It is also available online at www.expatlifeinthailand.com and on the social media forums such as Facebook - www.facebook.com/expatlifeinthailand We hope that you find the magazine of interest and that you will pass it on to a friend or colleague after you have read it for them to enjoy too. If you would like to write and or share something on any issue - a passion, hobby or just an experience about living in Thailand with other expats in the community please send it to nick@elbkk.com
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EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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contents
A nation in mourning
10
A country in mourning
12
Claire Chiang - Queen of her village
20
Getaway to the ancient Kingdom
24
The road to Mandalay
28
The art of wellbeing
34
Travelling is good for our wellbeing
36
Wellness in your life
38
Mindful eating
42
The essential elements of a healthy home
46
Memories of Christmas
48
What Christmas means to me
50
Meet the principal
96
Dear Carolyn and Kasia
55
Special education for children
98
Getting a rub down in BKK
58
A year in the life
100
Tesagan Gin Je festival
63
ISAT unifies international schools
103
Your baby is ugly!
66
Traditions are mutable
104
Plumaria flowers and Buddhism
68
Digesting during the holidays
106
In the eye of the tiger
70
True friends are forever
107
Sustainable tourism
72
River Kwai respite
108
Meet the artists: Jenny and the Scallywags
74
Watinee Paleebut
112
From corporate life to country life
76
Rama 9 park
114
3 days in Kushing
78
Restorative yoga
116
Superwoman
80
Boost your energy
120
Indian home remedies
82
Run for Dek
122
Internet safety
84
Mae Tao Clinic
124
Social diary
88
Meet up
126
Social diary
90
Taxation in Thailand
128
Our editorial contributors
92
Adjusting to the Land of Smiles
130
Resolving resolutions
Accounts Panumas Kayan (Daow) daow.elbkk@gmail.com
Administration Jutamart Ninlaor (Waan) waan.elbkk@gmail.com
Art Dew Piyaman dew@elbkk.com
Kantima Kawinchan (Gun) gun.elbkk@gmail.com
Account director Tassapon Sutthidetkul (Tass) tass.elbkk@gmail.com 093 584 6748
Publisher and managing editor Nick Argles nick@elbkk.com 089 721 3384 / 083 734 2333
For all advertising, editorial, marketing, social media or sponsorship enquiries please write to or call the publisher - nick@elbkk.com or tass.elbkk@gmail.com
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Visit www.expatlifeinthailand.com or www.facebook.com/expatlifeinthailand The information contained in this magazine or website, while believed to be correct, is not guaranteed. Expat Life in Thailand magazine or website and its directors, employees and consultants do not accept any liability for any error, omission or misrepresentation in relation to the information. Nor does it accept any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred by any person whatsoever arising out of or referable to the information displayed within Expat Life in Thailand magazine or website. Any view expressed by a journalist is not necessarily the view of Expat Life in Thailand magazine or website. No part of Expat Life in Thailand magazine or website can be reproduced or copied without the express consent of the publisher.
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EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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ArtS and Culture
A nation in mourning by Alex Bannard
The nation was devastated. The esteemed and beloved King of Thailand passed away on October 13th 2016. The longest reigning monarch in the world, beloved by all his subjects. The majority of Thais have not experienced this in their lifetime. King Bhumibol Adulyadej came to the throne when he was just 18 years old and was much revered by his people as he was the father of the nation and a champion, spearheading projects to support the poor and bring the nation into the 21st century, aiding Thailand in becoming one of the most successful Asian nations whilst still maintaining its cultural heritage and spirit and navigating political and social crisis with grace and diplomacy. He once said, 'My place in this world is being amongst my people, the Thai people.'
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The Thais were praying for the King’s recovery before his passing. Eventually, the official announcement went out, it was met with despair and unprecedented grief. Almost immediately TV stations closed or began back to back Royal documentaries on the life of their leader. Websites turned black, grey and white whilst government buildings, businesses, schools, hospitals and hotels erected great edifices and floral tributes to the King. The whole nation was in grief, all
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
forms of entertainment were postponed without further notice. As expats with respect to this great country we feel lucky enough to live in, we support our local friends, we were keen to understand the circumstances. We learnt to all dress in black for at least for a month, whilst the Thais would officially mourn for a year. Our deepest and most sincere condolences to the Thai nation during this very sad and uncertain time. We share and feel your pain.
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FEATURES
The country in mourning by Meghan McKenna
Typically, in Thailand. The streets are flooded with people, street carts, smoking with chicken and pork on a stick. Fresh juices being made. Motorbikes weaving in and out of heavy traffic. People, all shapes and sizes dressed in vibrant colours. In a country where it’s technically summertime year round the wardrobe of most is bright, and vibrant with pinks, blues, reds, yellows. Many Thai people love cartoons, Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Mickey and Minnie Mouse spread on tee shirts amongst the flowered dresses, bright coloured shorts and pants. Colour is everywhere, and like their personalities its most fitting. Happy and cheerful. Thailand turned black on October 13th. The colour, the cheerful smiles, put away. Sadness and heartache filled their eyes. For their beloved King, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch passed away at the age of 88. Most of you reading this know all there is to know about this wonderful man that has held the throne in Thailand since the 18th century. This US born, Swiss educated man was looked at as a revered figured. His impact on the life and success of Thailand is deeper than we can grasp, deeper than we can ever understand. He has touched the vast majority of Thai society, to the farms up north and every farmer and animal he could. His reign is a legacy. His reign will live on in the Thai’s hearts and souls forever. As it absolutely should be. When and where I was when I heard the news of the King’s passing will stay in my memory forever. It will be similar to “I know where I was when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened in New York.” You might not believe that, but living in this country for almost 2.5 years, falling into respect and admiration for the King has been easy to do. Between knowing what
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he’s achieved for this country and spending time with Thai families who look at him in such a way, it’s easy to see how much of many things he was. A foreigner wrote this past week, “It’s like watching your best friend lose his
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
father.” After reading that, it’s exactly how my loss for words heart feels. It is exactly that. During the first few days there were many changes made, bars shut down, television only airing
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documentaries on the King’s life. Celebrations cancelled, schools closed for a day. And, suddenly, the colour stricken country went black. The period of mourning began and with that it is recommend to wear black or white, from head to toe. Store fronts went black. All black and white clothing brought to the front of the shops, racks and racks
filled with all sizes available. Shoe shops, children stores, all selling more black and white than the eye could see. Retail sales picked up and soon if there was any question on what was appropriate there were emails, and articles on Facebook, Bangkok Coconuts, the TAT website posting summaries all giving suggestions for foreigners living here, how to show respect, recognition and show their consideration. Richard Barrow posted an article after meeting with Khun Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul the Minister of Tourism, “there is a 30 day mourning period and most people are wearing black. After that, some will choose to wear normal clothes again. The funeral rites last for 100 days and so we will probably find some people wearing black for those 100 days. Then there are people like the government workers who will wear black for one year. The
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same goes for owners of hotels and nightclubs.” We keep in mind that not all can afford to buy new clothing. Some organisations are putting together donations for any coloured clothing and it will be dyed black. Another option is to wear a pinned bow on your shoulder or a black armband. There is understanding from the Thai government that chastising anyone who is not able to wear the dark clothing or white, should not be shamed. Also, there have been reports of opportunists rising the prices on any black garments, government officials have when made aware shut them down immediately. TAT gives some suggestions to tourists entering the country at this time in regards to appropriate behaviour and acceptable and unacceptable wardrobe. Dark attire is suggested while in the city, but black does not have to be worn on the beach. They remind tourists to behave in a respectful manner and avoid ‘flamboyant clothes’ in public areas. While the country remains in this state of mourning and the sea of black grows larger as each passing day goes on, the meaning, and honour and tribute to their King is as strongly stated as some may see the colour black can be. It is with this unity and dedication to change their every day wear that the Thai people and those living here are showing their honour and dignity as vibrant as ever before to a man who is seen as the fabric of their great nation.
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Claire Chiang - Queen of her village by Rianka Mohan
Claire Chiang is the embodiment of a true feminist but it is a term she probably doesn’t hold much store by. Although a long time champion of women’s rights, she is not an ardent fan of movements, preferring as she terms it, to work from within, using her sphere of influence to advocate for change. And her sphere of influence as co founder of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, the international multi-brand hospitality brand with over 43 hotels and resorts, 64 spas, 77 retail galleries, and three golf courses around the world, is impressive. Hailing from Singapore, she served as their nominated Member of Parliament for two terms from 1997 to 2001 and was Woman of the Year in 1999. Among her many other notable achievements, she is one of the first two women to hold a position in the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI) and is a pioneering member of the Diversity Action Committee to expand female representation on company boards. Deeply committed to environmental sustainability, she also served as Chairman of Wildlife Reserves Singapore from 2008 to 2015. She founded the Banyan Tree Gallery, and chairs the Banyan Tree Global Foundation and their China Business Development. She is also co-author of an award winning book, Stepping Out: The Making of Chinese Entrepreneurs. Married to Ho Kwon Ping, the Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, she has three children - Ren Hua, Ren Yung, and Ren Chun. I had the pleasure of sitting down with this passionate and remarkable woman for a candid discussion of her story, her vision, and her values. And she has some inspiring tips for
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succeeding as a woman in today’s world and tapping into your own queendom!
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
What is the origin of the Banyan Tree brand? How did you switch to the hospitality industry from your background in academia? I had vowed never to marry a businessman! My husband, KP, was a journalist at the time. I was in academia teaching behavioural sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at Hong Kong University. But life is unpredictable. At 25 years old, we spent four years at Lamma Island in Hong Kong and like any couple starting life together, we were sorting out our conflicting ideas. Given our careers, these arguments were about development and progress, capital and labour, profits and justice. It was at this farming community on Banyan Cove that the idea of a sanctuary first captivated us and on hindsight, was perhaps the genesis of Banyan Tree. What started out as a desire to own a vacation home prompted a search for land in Phuket. We found what seemed like a dream spot casuarinas forests and endless beach at Bang Tao Bay - and bought it with the dream of building a simple lodge. As I said, we were not trained in business so we didn’t do much
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research; we did not know that it was an abandoned tin mine; and had certainly not read the UN report that declared the property a toxic wasteland! There we were with beachfront property that had no beach! But KP never gave up. We embarked on an intensive regeneration programme, planted 7000 trees, brought in experts of environmental protection to transform the soil and finally, built our first hotel under the management of the Dusit Thani Hotel Group. The unexpected success of our first hotel in 1987 led to a second and a third, and finally we had the confidence to develop our own brand in 1994 - the Banyan Tree. We never imagined that our passion would result in a company operating across 28 countries but today, that is us. My passion for sociology and community work coupled with my prior experience in academia and activism fuelled my interest in shaping Banyan Tree’s values. I formed the company’s gallery, developed local human resources and sourced indigenous wares, created our Green Imperative Fund, and established the Banyan Tree Global Foundation. By aligning our competencies with local needs and developing a process of engagement around an ethos of shared responsibility, we try to ensure that our impact is sustainable and enhances the quality of life for all.
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LIFE in Thailand EXPATEXPAT LIFE in Thailand 13
FEATURES
cherishing what I have and reviewing what I can do without, I’m able to lead a thoughtful and purposeful life.
Thailand continues to be a large part of your portfolio. What drew you here and what do you enjoy most about it? In 1983, we discovered Bangtao Bay against the backdrop of a mesmerising sunset and instantly fell in love. The difficulties we faced in opening our first hotel taught me the importance of entrepreneurial resilience - the ability to keep at something you passionately believe in, despite odds. As a frontline business, we’ve weathered many storms and been able to not just stay the course but thrive. I’m often reminded of the saying that when the tide is full, sink deeper into the soil and stand firm. If you attempt to run, you will be washed away. For me, Thailand in many ways embodies this quality of human resilience. It is a remarkable place and people, and their indomitable spirit and capacity to respond to challenges is inspiring. What is your typical day like? (Smiles) It is better to ask me what my typical year looks like! I already have my 2017 calendar outlined. I lay out my goals and map out what I’d like to do and when. First, I start with my family and figure out the dates for our trips together. Then, I pencil in the our board meetings and around them, I work out my business development trips to various parts of the world. Finally, I circulate my tentative December 2016/January 2017
schedule to my teams so they too can plan accordingly. There’s a Chinese proverb, “A year’s plan starts with spring; a day’s plan starts with early morning.” As a young girl in a two room house shared by ten family members, I learnt to plan my time and my little corner, and now it’s second nature to me. And every half year, I appraise my life and ask: What could I be doing better? I apply a mathematical matrix of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to my daily life to assess the value I bring to it. Should I add good friends, add sports; work smarter; reduce unnecessary social obligations? I try to improve myself and create a multiplier effect with the things I do. Time management and planning are important traits, especially for women. I’ll use the analogy of an octopus. One of the smartest creatures in the sea and skilled at taking on any shape or hue, they remind me of women and our ability to be flexible, to take on multiple roles and activities, and to be many things to many people. Yet we could be better at managing our lives. Today, we needlessly clutter our day. By learning to say no, by seeking to reduce the negative things that diminish our self-esteem, we can bring more meaning to our lives and actually have more time and feel more balanced within it. By not only focusing on what I want but continually
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
As a child, you went to two primary schools. Can you share with us what that was like? Seems like you were multitasking even at a very young age! My mother was adamant that I learn Chinese but there was a concern at the time that Chinese graduates might not find good jobs. When an opportunity arose for me to join an English school, my mother was keen that I attend. So I went to Nanhua Chinese school in the morning, and to the Raffles Girls School in the afternoon. My mother was my first teacher in negotiation. She would ask my teachers at the different schools to let me leave 15 minutes early and come 15 minutes late to class. She then asked our neighbour if I could use their bathroom between the two school periods. I remember being seven, walking home from school to get water from the well to bathe, changing at my neighbour’s house and going to my next school, with homework in the evening to finish for both. Because of the accommodations that my teachers and the people around made for me, I always felt
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a sense of obligation to them and I worked extra hard. If the class needed cleaning, if books needed distributing, an errand needed running, my hand was first up. That sense of discipline and gratitude has never left me. And thanks to my mother’s insistence, I can speak, read, and write Chinese, which has been invaluable in my work today. What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in life and how did you overcome them? As I look at the ledger of my life, I believe that the failures and the successes are fairly even. I’ve had many failures but I try not to let them define me. We must keep at ourselves, keep at life, and that becomes the challenge and the opportunity. A telling moment I still recall was when I failed to be the top student in Year 5. I walked around the school field, too ashamed to go home. The sun was almost setting when I finally gathered up the courage to go and sheepishly tell my mother that I’d stood fifth, not first. Her response of “It’s alright” stunned me. And I realised that it was my own expectations I had disappointed! I felt liberated, learnt to ease the pressure on myself, and focus on the love of learning. I remember wanting to pursue many professions - nursing, architecture - and hearing no. Either my family didn’t want me to do so or the school rejected me. I finally took up sociology, which led to me being selected to attend the Sorbonne University. My time in France was also a turning point for me. While I learnt a lot, it was a hard experience - I was cold; I was poor; and I was often singled out in check out lines where people would search me and my bags. For me, it took away much of the romance of overseas studies but it taught me resourcefulness and left me with a strong sense of my self-identity. Losing my third baby when I was five and a half months pregnant was a very tragic time but my doctor advised that I try for another one to overcome December 2016/January 2017
the grief. I became a mother at 42 and everyone told me it was too dangerous and that I shouldn't have it. It felt like a big risk but I felt that if my third child was meant to leave and this child has come in its place, then I must trust in fate. So I ceased to be anxious and truly enjoyed every moment. I am a proud mother and my youngest son is now studying in Cambridge. As a society, we need to talk about our failures more. They’re as important as the successes. When I spoke publicly about my miscarriage, I had women tell me they felt relieved. Even Claire Chiang could have a miscarriage so we’re not alone and we’re not failures for having gone through that experience! It strengthens their hope. When one door closes, another opens. As long as you stay the course, defend and cherish your goals, you’re a success. It’s when you give up that you become defined by your failure. You've referred to the barriers for career women as being a "steel not a glass ceiling." Can you elaborate? How should women navigate it? Who have been your role models? I think of the steel ceiling as figurative; a glass ceiling can be shattered. The steel refers to the notion of male superiority, an innate mindset that is harder to change. A way I’ve found effective to fight gender
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
stereotypes is to be extremely good at what you’re doing. Simultaneously, we need to collectively work to change the structures and laws to provide equal opportunities for women, especially in rural areas where there still remains so much to do. We should also seek to influence from within, through our relationships and not be in a silo mindset, so steadfast in our gender separateness. That is why I’m ambivalent about certain feminist movements because they prematurely halt progress and lose men before they even begin. I have gone the route of passing pamphlets, holding banners, facing the police but as I learned more and through my community work with victims of violence, I began to appreciate how complex society can be. I have zero threshold for domestic abuse but in other matters, I began to see how I need to understand men, bring them into the dialogue, address their fears and misconceptions, and work together to seek a better outcome. When the discourse is balanced, we start to see change. As my own role model, Mrs Shirin Fozdar said, “Slowly and steadily, like a dove’s two wings, the male and female must beat in unison to find the balance to soar higher.” She was an inspiring leader, a peacemaker and a relentless humanist who transcended
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FEATURES
time, place and cultures. With two triangular cushions made by girls in Yasathon, she opened my eyes to village craft and sustainable business development. I realised that I could furnish our hotels with these products and support an entire village. I believe like her that education and employment are the best tools to safeguard against prostitution and poverty. Her insight has guided me in shaping my own vision and passion for community building. What advice would you give women of today? Having it all is about identifying what we value at difference phases in our life, about achieving incremental wins at different times, adopting an attitude of give-and-take, and accepting trade offs in our life and work goals by knowing when to step back or step forward as we make our way up the corporate ladder. Respect that every life has a right to be and by the same measure, you too have a right to be and to effect change. I used to wonder if women should strive continually to be a part of a man’s world or whether we should build our own universe and sky with no limit. To this end, I say to women, build your own village. Map out 50 people who matter to you - can be from your own family; can be inspiring leaders from across the world; people who seem to speak your language or people you wish to be associated with. And imagine yourself Queen or head of this village. How might you run it? What would its ethos and its values be? How would you protect and take strength from it? This is an exercise in personal agency, which further solidifies who you are, who matters to you, and what defines your universe. It also dares to make you the centre of the conversation. Too often, we relegate ourselves to the role of subject in our own lives. It’s very important to give meaning to the collective you. That is
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the quintessence of feminism - finding that goddess within you. And yes, it takes a village. What is the secret to your successful marriage? I’ve been married for 38 years now. I use the symbol of infinity - two circles, fluid and everlasting but still separate. The common thread that pulls the two circles along has to move with them. It is for each couple to discover what their common thread is. For KP and me, we share
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
the basic foundational values as a couple - our strong family values and our community ethos. We’re also both deeply interested in development sociology and bring that to bear in our business. That said, we find space for each other’s individuality. Our differences are as appealing to us as our commonalities. What are you working on currently? What's next for the brand? I’d like to spend more time shaping the content of travel so that we aren’t just creating products, but defining destinations. With our locations across the world, I would like to ultimately create a Banyan community, to have rich cultural exchanges, and to build upon the idea of traveller’s tales. We’re now a company with four brands - Banyan Tree, Angsana, Cassia, and Dhawa - and we’re on track for expansion with a growth pipeline that I liken to drawing a necklace around the globe for our guests. We’re responding to the needs of an emerging market of millennials who want innovative design, and something off the traditional path but may not always have deep pockets so we’ve different price points and are being creative with our locations. By 2020, we will have at least ten more hotel openings. I would also like to expand the notion of Asian hospitality. To me, success will be if hotels in the West start serving porridge and noodles for breakfast. We serve a continental breakfast in Asia. I’d love to have a bowl of noodles in the morning in Amsterdam! The advent of travellers from the East will maybe mean that the West will find themselves needing to provide menus in different languages and opening their culinary offerings to different flavours and the world will be more balanced. Tourism and travel will no longer be the prerogative of the West as it was in the last century. This is the century of what I call ‘Rainbow Tourism.’
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Travel
Getaway to the ancient Kingdom of Anna and The King by Neil Brook
From Ayutthaya, founded in 1530, the Siamese ruled their kingdom for 417 years. 76kms north of Bangkok the old capital of Siam is bordered by the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lopburi rivers and is a worthy recipient of the UNESCO heritage listing it achieved in December 1991. It's the kingdom of Anna and the King (Rama IV) who was instrumental in bringing multilingual tutors to Siam so that the Siamese could conduct business with emerging markets. A visionary whose passion and forethought was passed onto his son Rama V, who having studied in Europe, returned with ideas to modernise and transform Thailand. In various stages of ruin or discovery, temples (Wats) and chedis with Buddha's images littering the earth, provide glimpses of this 17th century capital. Buildings once used for ordinations (ubosot) and sermons (vihara) adorn the 2,500 square km or so that make up the greater Ayutthaya area. Each harbour a story and a snapshot of a royal Kingdom interwoven with intrigue, romance and betrayal. We have chosen a private guide for our 2 day trip from Bangkok however many chose to hire bikes and with maps navigate the terrain. It's 37 degrees today and the luxury of air conditioning provides welcome relief as does a continual supply of ice cold water and cold towels. Our first stop is Bang Pa-In Summer Palace a royal retreat used in the 17th century. Destroyed during the fall of Ayutthaya, it was restored in the mid 19th century by
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Rama V and is a mish mash of European architecture, Italian style banquet halls, baroque bridges, perfectly clipped and shaped hedges ‌ and a Chinese pagoda. Meanwhile we zoom around the grounds in our golf carts. We visit The National Museum, which, if visited during the week, is like entering a sauna as the humidity and heat are trapped longing to escape, air conditioning a luxury reserved for the weekends. We gain a rapid appreciation of Thai expertise, creativity and history and leave. Lunch at a local riverside restaurant surprises and delights. Weaving down dusty roads, startling chickens and stray dogs we come to a halt before the bank grabs us and plunges us into the greenish fast flowing water. We are the only Gaijin (westerners) as aromas drift out to greet us. Supported on stilts jutting out over the water, grabbing the breeze, this is a family affair, daughters offering icy cold cokes, mum and and dad cooking with woks, gas burners blazing. Our guide orders some food as we order the rest, pictures guiding choices offered by the Thai calligraphy. From him whole spicy river prawns. Eat the whole thing keeping your mouth closed as warm juices spurt out of the crunchy head and the soft flesh of the body adds sweetness. We enjoy wok tossed pork, succulent and ever so slightly spicy, lips tingling just enough to encourage another mouthful. Whole sea bass perfectly steamed. White flesh soaking up the Tom Yum flavour broth served as an accompaniment. The gently blowing breeze is assisted by the slowly moving blades of the fans hitched to the ceilings and standing on the floor.
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We head into Ayutthaya to explore and allow ourselves the luxury of checking into our hotel to freshen up before returning to enjoy the city in the cooler, late afternoon and evening. Many architectural jewels were destroyed during the fall of Ayutthaya, burned to the ground by the Burmese. While few relics remained unscathed, some have been restored and some left to bear witness to history. Preservation rather than restoration perhaps the best way to allow future generations a glimpse of a glorious past. Wat Yai Chaimongkon greets with a reclining Buddha 25 metres long resting on one arm, draped in saffron robes. With donations worshippers can drape more cloth onto the huge body and stick gold leaf onto statues. In the humidity, it’s a challenge to unstick the thin gold paper from your fingers, coaxing it onto the image of your choice. Incense offered in sticks of three complete the offerings. This is a working wat where donations are put are to good use, as they are in all monasteries and temples, contributing to food, education, upkeep … 108 Buddhas draped in golden cloth are scattered throughout the grounds. In Thailand, as our guide points out, it is
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always 108. When there seem too many to count, beads around the neck, pieces of candy in a bag, Buddhas in the grounds … 108. There is a different Buddha image for people born on different days of the week. The reclining Buddha is my image, born on a Tuesday. Wat Ratchaburana constructed in 1424 houses the ashes of the two elder brothers of Borommarachathirat ll. On his father's death, he ascended the throne when his brothers were killed fighting for the crown. Beautifully ornate and decorated with Garuda, the Thai National emblem and the symbol of royalty for centuries, it's intricately carved wings spread clinging to the sides, which at night, illuminated by spotlights, glows like an ivory tower.
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Wat Nivat is unique as a place for Buddhist worship in the form of an English Gothic church, constructed under the reign of Rama V. Royal carriages are hauled on rope across the moat although these days motors take the strain once heaped onto calloused hands and aching backs. Stained glass windows allow the interior to transform as the sun moves across the sky, projecting light at different angles creating a colourful collage that drifts through the interior. A patchwork glass Buddha is etched into the archway above the entrance where Christ would usually reside. The jewel of Ayutthaya is Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Majestic, awe inspiring and delicious with historical escapades. Three Ceylonese style pagodas straddle the grounds, built to enshrine the ashes of three Ayutthayan Kings. To really experience the magic, visit late in the afternoon and allow the sunset to transform your surroundings . We arrive at 4.30pm and are welcomed by grounds nude of people - quiet and simply stunning. Everyone has moved on in their punishing schedules attempting to fit everything into their day in Ayutthaya. As the sun slips lower towards the horizon, the sunset illuminates the sky as the chedis, casting shadows and changing colours, put spirits to bed and awaken others as the moon casts a glow over the evening sky. As darkness falls lights ignite and allow temples to radiate and permeate the darkness, demanding the attention worthy of the royal ashes housed beneath.
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Later the next day we head south to join our boat for the 20km journey back to Bangkok. Three decks, smaller but like those you see cruising the Danube. We arrived early thanks to our considerate and insightful guide, beating the 200 or so that would join us for the voyage downstream. We enjoy delicious Tom Kha Gai chicken soup and Pad Thai washed down with icy cold Singha beers before the masses smother the decks and engulf the food like a swarm of locust leaving bare plates and bain maries in their wake. Photo opportunities greet us at every turn as our captain navigates the river and the plethora of passing traffic. Barges towed upstream empty, seemingly sitting above the water, returning almost submerged bound for markets locally and the world over. Ferries, water taxis, fishermen ‌ the river is truly the lifeblood providing the heartbeat of the city. As the city approaches, we skim past shining golden Buddhas, temples and shanties. We are witness to numerous palaces jutting up behind trees and gardens on the banks, built for the children of Rama V who by all accounts sired 77 children. Artwork emblazoned on city buildings, temporary masterpieces by Europe’s most famous street artists and part of the urban street art festival, jump out to greet us as we glide past before pulling into the pier. When visiting Ayutthaya take the time to wander the archeological discoveries with a local guide and you will be enlightened, which, as the Thais believe, is the reason we are all here in the first place.
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SIMULATED GRAPHIC
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Travel
The road to Mandalay We arrived in Mandalay courtesy of Myanmar Airways International flying direct from Suvarnabhumi the flight taking around 1 hour and 50 minutes. We arrived at the small airport and cleared customs quickly and were put in a taxi outside that charged 15USD to get us to Mandalay city and hour away and our hotel The Mandalay Hill Resort. The hotel cannot come more highly recommended by the author. The staff greeted us at the door with a smile and they just kept coming. You can tell that this country benefited from colonisation as the staff are just so eager to please. They were all so happy to serve and whilst I am sure that some of that comes with good training you could see that they took pleasure in delivering excellent service.
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"In 1926/27 Katha was home to British colonial police officer Eric Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell. Much of his novel Burmese Days is based on his time there." The restaurant staff in particular (we came into more contact with them than any other) were attentive at all times. No sooner had you finished a course than they were at your side clearing the plate anxious that you enjoyed it. And enjoy it we did from breakfast to the nightly buffet, the food was sumptuous, well cooked, presented and far too many choices. My eyes as ever were bigger than my stomach and I put on weight not wanting to miss out on the wonderful cuisine. The property was spacious and so therefore never busy and was well appointed, furnished and our suite on the 8th floor had a beautiful view of Mandalay Hill and the many temples that adorn it. We had 2 days at the resort toured Mandalay city and the hill, visited the Royal Palace, the fish market and walked along the riverbank enjoying looking at the river. We were collected by the Strand staff in a minivan, taken for breakfast overlooking the Royal Lake and then delivered to the boat, our home for the next 3 days. Imagine a five star hotel with a continuous moving vista watching the world drift by and you have the beauty that Strand Cruises operated by GCP Hospitality offers you on the Ayeyarwady River. They are well qualified to supply this level of hospitality as they operate the Strand Hotel in Yangon which was opened in 1901. Built by the British entrepreneur John Darwood, later acquired by the Sarkies brothers, who owned a number of luxury hotels in the Far East, including
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Raffles Hotel in Singapore and the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang. There are many boats that offer river cruises in Myanmar but none to the opulence and high standards of Strand Cruises. The boat has 28 guest suites and a capacity for 55 on four levels and is finished to compete with any five star hotel. You embark to a reception and are respectfully asked to remove your shoes which will be thoroughly cleaned and returned to you. The slippers that we were offered I declined and walked without shoes on the boat as it was spotless. I noticed that most of the other guests discarded their shoes too whilst onboard after a couple of days. We were on the main deck at the very front of the boat underneath the wheelhouse and our room was simply beautiful. A large king sized four poster bed with crisp white linen with four large quality pillows. To the left was the
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Travel
‘piece de resistance’ a large, floor to ceiling, double patio window open to the views which were simply engaging. This is sightseeing how I like it - laid on a large comfortable bed with unspoilt scenery and fresh air flowing through the the double patio doors and the front door to our private balcony. The Strand restaurant has a sumptuous menu and the food was lovingly prepared and served by a Thai chef, a director of food and beverages and their staff. I told them that they could market the cruise as a gastronomic tour - the food was of such a high quality and it just kept coming ..… You enter the salon ‘Sarkies’ to be met with a centred square bar that is always attended where they offer the cocktail of the day, the daily choice of red, white and rose white or your selection of choice. The lounge is similar to a gentleman's club or a comfortable hotel. There are games on many of the tables - chess, checkers, Connect four, dominos, and various other boardgames. We were also entertained by the magic and card tricks of the resident guide and entertainer Bilou. The rear sundeck of the boat was comfortably furnished with oversized white rattan furniture and highly polished teak flooring. Leaving the salon you have the top of the stairs a small corridor with the spa and massage rooms off it leading to another sundeck with swimming pool surrounded by day beds. We set sail early afternoon upriver and pulled up on the riverbank at Mingun, one of the country’s former capitals, at the foot of the unfinished pagoda. One of the largest pagodas ever constructed in the history of Myanmar. When we returned to the boat it set sail downriver towards Bagan and again pulled up at sunset on the riverbank again - no piers required here. After dark we dressed for dinner, had aperitifs in the bar and had a delightful dinner. An early night followed and we slept soundly with the sound of the water outside. The following morning we visited Ava the ancient imperial capital of successive Burmese kingdoms from the 14th to 19th centuries. A once prominent city, throughout
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history Ava has been ravaged by war and natural disasters and rebuilt numerous times. Today, all that is left are the ruins and remains of an abandoned kingdom forever imprinted in history. Journeying back in time through banana plantations, we visited various ancient ruins and the brick monastery. The third day we were on the Bagan Heritage Trail and visited some of the 2,200 chedis in Bagan. Everywhere you looked there were the familiar brick chedis. Remarkable for the magnificent architecture of its buildings and the contribution they have made to Burmese temple designs. The Ananda Temple, one of the most exquisite temples in the country and the Shwezigon Pagoda, renowned for its gold leaf decor. We left the boat reluctantly spent overnight in one of the 40 plus hotels in Bagan and flew back to Mandalay to the Mandalay Hill Resort again - it felt like coming home, for the overnight stay before returning to Bangkok. A wonderful way to see the emerging country on everyones wish list. Myanmar Airlines Int’l (MAI) currently fly between Yangon and Bangkok twice daily and Bangkok to Mandalay three times a week. bkk.resn@maiair.com 02 261 5060 www.maiair.com
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FAMILY and RELATIONSHIPS
The art of wellbeing by Alex Bannard
Yoga teacher, seasoned expat and sometime depressionista, Alex reflects on what wellness means to her. I was diagnosed with severe agitated depression when my daughter was almost 18 months old. I believe it was untreated post natal depression that went badly wrong. Agitated depression is vicious and takes no prisoners. I shouted and screamed, ranted and raved like a banshee all day long. It was a truly horrible and extremely dark time, that was emotionally and verbally extremely abusive to those I cared the most for and ironically wanted to
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protect more than anyone or anything in the world. They were what spurred me on to get treatment and well again. We were living in Germany at the time. I lost count of the times I was told: ‘You don’t speak enough German, we can’t help you.’ At one point my Haus Doctor, the equivalent to a General Practitioner, agreed with me that the only way to get help would be if I actually jumped off a roof. I was horrified that someone so vulnerable could be advised to do that by a medical professional. I did not resort to such desperate measures and was very lucky that 3 days later I was admitted to a hospital in Bamberg for treatment. Entering into any kind psychiatric facility is daunting enough; to be admitted into a German ‘loony bin’ was a whole different level of daunting. But I was that desperate to get well. I was there for 5 weeks and left a couple
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of steps along a very long road to recovery. These are some of the things that are part of my regular routine, my art of wellbeing. Exercise is crucial for me. I have always ‘worked out’. Back in the day it was aerobics and step classes, body pump and whatever else the new craze was. Nowadays I am more mindful of what works for me. As a yoga teacher of course I believe wholeheartedly in the virtues and benefits of yoga, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I love sharing the yoga journey with my clients but I absolutely love practising it myself and make sure, even if it is just 15 minutes of sun salutations in a busy day, to practise at least 4 times a week. I also run and swim a couple of times a week. I get quite grumpy without that daily serotonin hit. However, stillness is another absolute cornerstone of me keeping
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on track. I try daily to spend at least 5 minutes meditating. Longer is possible, ideally 15-20 minutes. The benefits of mindfulness are continually being scientifically proven and many report its success at keeping depression and anxiety at bay, which exceeds that of medication. I do believe it is the single most effective thing I do daily to stay present, coming back to the breath when thoughts and feelings overflow. I believe so much in its value that simple mindful techniques such as a 3 breath hug or sphere breathing are almost daily rituals with the kids, especially when big emotions take over. In conjunction with these is a general commitment to eating well and cleanly. 5 fruit and veg daily and we have recently converted almost completely to organic food, with the likes of Paleo Robbie, Butterfly Farms and Adams Organics who not only deliver but offer a wide selection of produce at a reasonable price. Our food bill has not changed dramatically and we are all eating more cleanly. We are also appreciating the benefits wafting from my son’s armpits as our consumption of hormone infused meat has declined. But everything in moderation, wine and chocolate are musts in my life. After living in Germany where good wine was cheap, coming to Bangkok has been a shock - the land of nasty wine at shocking prices. You
would think the 3 wine-free-weekdays would be a synch. Not so much. A sneaky Singha with the Pad Thai or a crafty G&T at G&T o’clock during a playdate are all too tempting. The expat life is a boozy one and there always seems to be an excuse. However, in an ideal week there are 3 booze free days as part of this wellbeing thing. Friends are a crucial part of my self-care and self-nurturing and especially in the expat environment. In the darkest days in Germany it was friends whose support and love got me through. Here in Bangkok, I
feel immensely blessed to be part of a wonderful community, a veritable village of wellbeing as we look out for each other and pull together when times are hard or need celebrating. Wellbeing and wellness don’t just happen; it is a mindset, an approach that takes some cultivating, learning and accepting what does and doesn’t serve you, sometimes who does and doesn’t. I try not to over commit either myself or over schedule the kids. The problem is whilst I absolutely expound the virtues of just being, I am at heart a ‘doer’. I love a to do list and I do confess to putting things on that list I have already done just so I can cross it off and wallow for a moment in that sense of (false) achievement. Becoming a mother, I really struggled with loosing control of my life, not being able to get more than one thing done a day, and quite often that one thing had to just be getting dressed. I think many new mum’s experience the same struggle.
FAMILY and RELATIONSHIPS
Especially if they have had successful careers responsible for high budgets and big teams. The chaos, confusion and relentlessness of motherhood can be overwhelming but that old adage: put your oxygen mask on first is key to keeping it real. I find if I can do 1 or 2 things a day that keep me happy then happiness within translates to happiness outside. In the West, putting yourself first is synonymous with being selfish, but I believe it is the opposite, it is nourishing and nurturing. How can you care for anyone else if you cannot care for yourself first? Allowing my kids to just be is crucial for us too. They love nothing better than a ‘jimmy jams’ day or a ‘nuffink’ day where we have no plans and we can all just be, weaving in and out with each other, hanging out together. I am a great believer in the power of free play for kids in their development physically and mentally. I have also recently adopted the 10 mins 1-2-1 approach. As the kids grow up and want obviously to spend more time with their friends, I enjoy at least 10 minutes each night with them before they go to sleep, reading with them, chatting about their day, snuggling them and it has done
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wonders for creating a sense of calm and connection that we were in danger of loosing as they were beginning to spread their wings. I cherish this time above all else in the day. Getting lost in the flow is something kids do all the time. As adults it seems a luxury few of us can afford. Whilst I was at Bamberg I was introduced to the benefits of doing something creative. Anything where we are totally focused on what we are doing so that times flies by without another thought is extremely beneficial to our minds and wellbeing. For me writing, painting and singing along to my favourite tunes in the car all create this sense. Thank goodness we no longer have a driver, I am not sure my vocal skills created a great sense of calm in his day. Much is said days these days about the benefits of gratitude and I cannot help but agree – apparently, in complete layman’s terms it helps forge more positive neurone roots in our brains which encourage a more optimistic outlook. Almost every night during dinner we have a chat about the 3 things we are grateful for that day. It is not always insightful: my son once announced rather smugly ‘breakfast,
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
lunch and tea’, folded his arms and sat back with a look of ‘job’s done’ on his little face which made us all laugh. Filling in my own gratitude journal every night really helps focus on the good things in life. Random acts of kindness are another brilliant way to generating a wonderful one off glow of wellbeing not just for the recipient but the instigator. So for me, a recovering depressionista, the art of wellbeing is all about balance - physical, emotional and spiritual nurturing; no longer striving for perfection - it is too big a responsibility; keeping expectations reasonable; channelling acceptance and practising creativity, gratitude alongside random acts of kindness and being happy just being.
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Travel
Travelling is good for our wellbeing by Orla Corrigan
When you think of travelling, what springs to mind? Is it cocktails in hand sitting poolside, or hiking into unknown lands with a backpack on or maybe it’s immersing yourself into an unfamiliar culture of a new country? Travelling for everyone is a different journey and there are many reasons we decide to embark on the journey and reasons some of us can never ever stop. For me when I think of travelling, of a new destination or meeting people from across the globe I automatically envisage happiness. It’s the exact reason you often hear people say “I wish I could spend a week in the sun” or “I have always dreamt of a week in the Maldives”. Travelling makes us feel good, it is an excellent stress reliever and boosts our overall wellbeing. Realistically we never see people looking upset or gloomy in their holiday snaps, now do we? Lots of studies have been carried out to back this point also. A study carried out in the UK at the University of Surrey in 2002 revealed that people are
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deemed happiest when they have a trip coming up. We all know the feeling too well, counting down the days till we are off to an exotic land. It’s an incredible uncontrollable feeling bursting with excitement and anticipation of what is to come. So if you’re feeling like your wellbeing could do with some improvement or if you’re pondering over whether you should take that trip, the following points should be all the affirmation you may need. Travelling helps your confidence grow. Before I travelled I would say
my confidence levels were average, I always seemed to lack the ability to put myself out there though. Travelling removes you from your daily comfort zone and often places you in situations you have to fix yourself, in turn boosting your confidence. It may just be simple things like approaching strangers to ask them for directions or navigating a map in a new city. It’s that sense of accomplishment after that makes us feel wonderful. Travelling builds better relationships. When you are travelling the people you meet are always on the same page of the book as you. It is with these
"Travelling removes you from your daily comfort zone and often places you in situations you have to fix yourself, in turn boosting your confidence."
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people you create lifelong memories and friendships for life even if they may be long distance or not. The more connections and supportive network we have the better we feel about ourselves. Travelling reduces stress levels. It is necessary to dedicate time away from our hectic work schedules. Sometimes it can be baffling to realise some people only take one week in a whole year to do that. Regular travel whether it’s just a few nights for a city break helps you relax and rejuvenate your body and mind. Travelling is the perfect detox filtering out the pressures of everyday life. Travelling keeps you active. While most people on holidays just want to chill by the pool often these are the times you can get in extra exercise without even realising it. If you do a city tour by foot you will be burning calories and releasing feel good endorphins as you go. It also gives you the opportunity to take in the sights at your ease in comparison to flying by on a tour bus and missing the majority of it. There are also certain activities that are perfect to do while travelling that we
don’t usually get to do in our daily lives. Hiking, skiing, and various water sports are a fun way to experience new things while staying fit on your travelling. Travelling erases negative emotions. Sometimes in life it can be hard to keep upbeat and constantly emitting positive vibes. When things don’t go the way we had planned we often get hit with bounds of negative emotions that we find difficult to control. Travelling energises you as you come in contact with new faces, sights, smells, sounds and experiences. Travelling is often an instant negative eraser. Travelling expands your mind and horizon. Travelling is the best education you can invest your money into. Every day is a constant learning experience and during this learning curve you not only discover the world but you discover yourself. Your skill set will explode with everything from communication, negotiation and comprehension abilities you never knew you had. Travelling makes you more adaptable and open minded. You will display the urge to try new things and take every opportunity that
comes your direction. Travelling aids in expanding your world where you gradually accept more happiness into your life. So if life is leaving you feeling bogged down why not search for the fast fix remedy that is the beauty of travel. If the six pointers I have given you aren’t inspiration enough to plan a trip then it’s time to do some reflecting my dear friends. Think back to your last trip? Whether it was a solo trip, with a loved one or family members? How did you feel in the buildup, during and after the trip ended? It’s safe to presume you were a much happier person. You felt happier, more content and relaxed throughout and post experience. Not only does travelling provide short term benefits, it also benefits your mind and body long term too. Travelling is one immediate positive impact to improving your overall wellbeing. It’s time to get on board and reap the benefits.
Orla Corrigan is a passionate traveller and has been living overseas for five years and has recently returned home to Ireland. Orla writes about her travel experiences on her travel blog www.travelorlabout.com. Contact corriganorla@gmail.com
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Health and fitness
Wellness in your life by Karla Winter
I find the word wellness to be a word that suits everyone. It can be interpreted in so many different ways. Finding your way into wellness becomes your personal journey. The beauty of wellness is that you have the option of starting anywhere that works for you and no two people are the same. Everyone requires something different, and you can still get to a similar goal of wellbeing. First we ask ourselves “What is wellbeing and what does it mean to me”. Once you have an idea of what it is then you can plan how to bring it into your life? The word wellness has been around for centuries and from the 1950s it came more into our language from Dr Halbert L. Dunn. “Though the Oxford English Dictionary traces wellness (meaning the opposite of illness) to the 1650s, the story of the wellness movement really begins in the 1950s. New approaches to healthful living were emerging then, inspired in part by the preamble to the World Health Organisation’s 1948 constitution: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Dr Halbert L. Dunn, chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics, was looking for new terminology to convey the positive aspects of health that people could achieve, beyond simply avoiding sickness. In a series of papers and lectures in the late 50s, Dunn sketched out his concept of “high level wellness,” defined as “an integrated method of functioning, which is oriented toward maximising the potential which the individual is capable of.” Quote from “The New York Times”
Drinking more water and less tea, coffee, fizzy drinks or alcohol. Our body requires water to transport minerals, protein and vitamins around the body, as well as removing waste from the cells and then further removal of waste from our body. Start with six glasses as a minimum due to the hot weather in Thailand and see how you feel. You may require more. No need to compare yourself with any one else, see how you feel and make the changes. Chewing your food and not rushing it down. How many people eat their food so quickly they don’t even remember what was on the plate. Chewing your food is so simple and has a major positive affect on your health. Your digestive system becomes calmer and more relaxed. The body will secrete less acid when food is chewed before swallowing. For those who rush their food, start with this simple step for
The last line of this quote is the one that I believe is the most important. Wellness or wellbeing, is about your day, your life and what is happening right here and right now for you. Perhaps another phrase that you may want to use is self-care. If you ask five people what wellness is to them, you will get five different answers. That is why there is something for everyone. Your own pace in your own time frame. There are so many wonderful things that we can bring into our lives to start our journey towards a more healthy lifestyle. Everything we do with our family, friends and for ourselves can be included in some part of our wellbeing or self care. Here is a list of a few places to start:
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two weeks. After each mouth full of food either put your fork, spoon, chopsticks or knife and fork down. Don’t pick them up again until you have finished the first mouthful. This may take some getting used to, however you may be surprised how good you feel and it has cost you nothing.
“An integrated method of functioning, which is oriented toward maximising the potential which the individual is capable of.” - The New York Times
Do you have cravings for sweet or salty foods? Are you drawn to just one flavour, hot spicy? One of the highlights of eating in Thailand is the combination of flavours in the local food. Take a moment to get to know what some of the accompaniments are to your meal. When you eat within a range of the five flavours your cravings simply slide away.
Jasminoides helped to quiet the mind. In Thai it is called “dok puk” and resembles roses with velvety petals. A little scent on your pillow at night. Exercise. If you like going to the gym, walking, swimming, yoga, Tai chi, pilates what ever it is for you getting the body moving is important. The body is designed to move and finding your way to move is key to self-care. Sleep: We sleep to repair our body. We do not repair our body completely when we are awake. The intricate mechanism of repair and healing happens during our deep REM sleep. The debate of course is how much sleep? I think we know how much we need as individuals. For many 6 -7 hours allows the body to rest, repair and rejuvenate for the excitement of the day ahead. Some people may need more, I don’t recommend less than 6. A recent study in Germany found that scent from a flower called Cape Jasmine or in Thailand it is called Gardenia
The above suggestions are only a few in the myriad of items that keep us on our journey of wellbeing, wellness or self-care. It’s not a race to see who can list all the things they do to be healthy. Take time to see what are the priorities are for you and your family. As long as we remember that we are all different and allow everyone to work at their own pace. That in itself is wellbeing.
Karla Winter Nutritionist and Health Coach www.living557.com Karla has completed extensive studies in Homeopathy, Nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Macrobiotics, Shiatsu Massage, Vegetarian cooking, Human Bio Science. She has been changing lives through private counselling, public lecturing and teaching around the world. She understands the complex relationship between the nutritional value of food and reactions on the body both physically and emotionally. She is a powerhouse of knowledge and enthusiasm.
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Nutrition
Mindful eating by Alessandra Rodel Marazzi
“Mindful eating is allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food selection and preparation by respecting your own inner wisdom.” - The Center for Mindful Eating
you. Mindful eating is simply about bringing awareness to your choices and to the values, thoughts and attitudes that lie behind them. It is also about allowing you to reconnect with the experience of eating. Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the pioneers of mindfulness as a secular movement, has defined mindfulness as being aware of the unfolding of experience, and points to some specific aspects of it: • Paying attention on purpose • Living In the present moment • Being non-judgmental.
What is your relationship with food? PCI Certified Parent Coach® and mindfulness educator Alessandra RodelMarazzi talks about applying mindfulness to our everyday eating experience. Carl Jung said: “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; Who looks inside, awakens.” Our relationship to food is central to who we are, in the way it reflects our attitudes towards ourselves and our world and exploring that relationship can help us develop a better relationship with our body, our self and our environment. So, let me ask you: what is your attitude towards the food you eat and the act of eating? Do you take it for granted and barely set time aside to enjoy a meal without multi-tasking? Do you think of your meals as a sacred time to enjoy with no distractions? Do you crave food as an opportunity to ease discomfort? Do you judge yourself and others for the food they eat? Do you go to extreme extents to source the best or healthiest food? Do you accept what is available to you and feel grateful for it? Unlike most other approaches to food, mindful eating is not about telling you that you are right or wrong in your choices. Nor is it about convincing you of what is good for
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So eating mindfully is about being aware of the experience as it unfolds. And that experience comes to us through all our senses, not just through taste. The experience is in the colours, in the way light reflects through, in the smell and in the texture as we touch food and bring it to our lips and into our mouth. Then we start appreciating the flavours as they change while we chew slowly and consciously. There is so much richness into every bite we take! That attention has the quality of intentionality. Our relationship with food would change quite dramatically if we were to be intentional about what we put into our mouths. So often we reach out for food without even realising it, and so often we just gobble it down without taking notice.
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Being aware of the present moment requires shifting our mindset away from frantically scanning the past and the future for justifications and reasons to be afraid and worried, and instead to just being there in that beautiful and rich dimension that is the present. Without judgment. I wonder what it may feel like not to judge the food we eat, ourselves for eating it, or others for not making better choices. Wouldn’t that feel liberating? One thing is clear to me, our body has infinite wisdom, and if we trusted it, acknowledged our reactions to food without judgment, and listened to the physical sensations from eating, our relationship with food may go back to simply being natural and naturally healthy. Mindful eating practice: At least once a week, pick a food (I suggest berries or chocolate or an apple or raisin to start) and look at it, look at the colours, the light, the details, as if you have never seen it before. Then take it into your hands and re-familiarise yourself with its smell. There is no need to judge, just observe it. Label that smell. Focus on the touch, the texture of the food in your hands. Is it smooth or rough? Velvety maybe or possibly silky? When you are satisfied with your tactile experience, place it on your lips and feel the texture there, is it the same? Does it feel different? Now you are ready to put into your
mouth, but don’t chew just yet! Move the food around your mouth and connect to the flavours. Also connect to what happens inside your mouth as you keep the food there. Now put the food between your teeth and slowly chew once, then a second time. The more you chew, does the flavour change? And if you feel you don’t have the time to contemplate raisins, don’t give up just yet: be mindful of the first bite you take at every meal, that’s all it takes. Have fun, you are discovering food all over again! References: www.mindful.org http://thecenterformindfuleating.org
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Tel: 02 957 5777 ext 202 Email: admissions-bkk@regents.ac.th www.regents.ac.th
Health and fitness
A lifestyle shopping mall, a blue glass fronted building occupying 4 floors on the corner of Rama IV and Sathorn Rd., which offers a whole new experience in shopping for health, beauty and wellness. For everyone who love their health, this is the place which caters for every health related aspect.
Life Center is a place for body, mind and spirit. An unparalleled array of world class services and products which cater to every goal set for women who want to achieve a healthy lifestyle, body and beauty. More than 50 individual stores, clinics, restaurants and specialised institutions for beauty, fitness, spa and yoga. ADDLIFE Anti Aging Center
Start taking care of your health from the inside to outer beauty for a fit and healthy long lasting body at the Life Center. Why the Life Center? •A lifestyle shopping mall which allows you to treat yourself with all round health packages and products. •A place for you to indulge in the total body and mind rejuvenation from head to toe. •F or you to look after your health and body with cutting edge medical advancement and beauty expertise taking care of all your problems: nutrition and eating, sleeping habits, skin issues, orthodontics, detox and cosmetic treatments, to name but a few. • Delectable and fine selection of food. •E asily accessible by Lumphini MRT, Exit 2. •M odern technologies and innovations ready to take care everyone who love their health as well as beauty. Ariya Organic Place
Seefah
There are dental, eye, spine and hearing clinics. Weight loss and anti ageing, IVF, cosmetic surgery and nail spas and even a supervised kids edutainment centre. Total body solutions for the female community in Bangkok. Visit the Life Center, Q House, Lumphini building on the corner of South Sathorn Road. Other amenities provided for guests include: Wi-Fi internet.
Skeyndor
Contact for the registration of membership to get free access of unlimited Wi-Fi at the Information Counter, G floor.
You only need ID or a passport.
You can bring your laptop and connect
to Wi-Fi anywhere in the building.
Parking: There are more than 1,000 parking spaces. Address: 1 South Sathorn Rd., Tungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120. MRT: Lumphini station, Exit 2. 02 677 7177 Email: contact@lifecenterthailand.com Lullaby Yoga
Lullaby Spa Munique by Murad
lifecenterthailand
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lifecenterthailand
lifecenterth
Design
The essential elements of a healthy home by Marjan Yavari
“A healthy home is one that is marked not only by the absence of health and safety threats (…) in the built environment, but also one that nourishes physical, mental, social and environmental wellbeing.” - Coalition Report to The Annie E. Casey Foundation December 2007
despite all the badgering you even made the switch to natural cleaning products and only whip out the harsh cleaning solutions a handful of times a year for deep cleaning. Well done, supermom!
So you’ve taken every necessary step to make sure your home is safe to inhabit … You had smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed and made sure they function properly by setting your meal on fire just to be sure. Guilty as charged … Though it was more like a flambé … wink, wink! You even brought in a specialist to inspect your home for mould and lead even though your partner rolled his eyes when you mentioned it was the only condition under which you would move to Thailand. Wait, not done yet! You just had to ask your husband’s buddy, who happens to be a civil engineer, to check your home to make sure it’s structurally sound for which you are still mercilessly teased by friends! And
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tips that fit your family’s specific needs. And don’t forget to consider the needs and safety of senior family members as well.
After all that, you are still painfully aware that for a home to be considered healthy enough to house your most precious possessions, your children, there’s so much more involved. I assure you, there’s no need to stay up all night agonising over it. I’ve put together a simple checklist followed by simple tips that I always pass on to my design clients on how to create a safe and nourishing home environment for your children as well as all the adults inhabiting it. Is your home really safe? From burns to bug bites to mould contamination to falls, there are all sorts of exhaustive lists of everyday hazards that parents could worry about. And, of course, it makes sense to take measures to avoid some of the most common hazards, however, for the sake of everyone’s mental health, there’s no need to get obsessive about it. Accidents happen and it’s all part of the growth process. There are a variety of official and reliable sources that offer practical advice on the internet. A quick research will provide you with all the
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from the TV or social media. So be sure to set house rules that all family members have to follow and it will make things a little simpler. And rule #1 you ask? From (insert time) this home is a media free zone at which time all members must participate in an energetic family activity.
Is your home eco-healthy? If you have no idea where to begin or why you should even be concerned, start with EWG’s website. The Environment Working Group is a nonprofit organisation whose mission is “to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment.” They have succinct guides on subjects as varied as sunscreens and water filters to bug repellents and children’s cereals. In the case of healthy homes, they have a series called EWG’s healthy home tips and, specifically, Tip 14: Your healthy home checklist is a great start. Are you a physically active family? Whether you answered yes or no to this question, there are measures you can take to make your home more inviting to activity and that includes condominiums. For the youngest family members, designating an open space that allows kids to move around freely while jumping from one activity to the next is best. As children get older, they need a really good reason to get away
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Is your home a happy home? “Ahhh… home sweet home!” If those are not the words you utter every time you enter your home, whether out loud or under your breath, it’s time to take a good look at why. Whether the issue is as trivial as the design or as critical as the constant bickering of family members, there’s a solution to be found. Awareness, however, is key. Check in with all family members to make sure that the environment is working for everyone. If not, take the necessary measures to create the sort of inviting environment where every member of your household can feel nourished and treasured in.
First, if your home is not a mental refuge from harsh external elements, it needs to became one - and ASAP! There is plenty of help in Bangkok and all you need to do to find it is a quick Google search. Sometimes, all it takes is a few sessions of family therapy to get everyone on the same page and collaborating on creating a nurturing home environment for all. Second, the reason why your home does not feel like a home is a matter of poor decoration. So many of us end up here because of our own or our partners’ short term contracts and are offered furnished yet soulless accommodation and feel it’s a waste to spend any significant amount (money or time) on accessorising it. With options as varied in style and price as IKEA to Zara Home to JJ Market Plaza and much more, we have no excuse. Pro Tip: My only advice here is to start with a mood board. Get online and print out images of accessories that grab your attention and put them together on a board. If they don’t work well side by side on the board then there’s a high likelihood they won’t work well in the same room. Once you’re happy with the results, take a picture of it with your smartphone and head to the malls. And, remember, a mood board is meant to be an inspiration; a jumping off point. Yes, it’s that simple! Now harness the dormant creative within and have some fun! Remember, the ultimate goal is to create that home sweet home feel for you and your loved ones.
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little refuge for adults is a great idea that helps keep the mental wellbeing of the entire family in check.
Is your home “gathering friendly”? We are social creatures by nature! Community building is in our DNA. Hosting friends in our homes, even if it means a simple gathering over tea or pizza, is the ultimate path to creating deeper connections. So what does it take for your home to become gathering friendly? Get together with your family members and brainstorm on ideas on how to make your home gathering central. Sometimes all you need is to purchase a few good boardgames that will get everyone
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involved or perhaps a small popcorn machine, plenty of floor cushions and an Iflix or Netflix subscription to get everyone excited about spending more time together in one room! Do you have a time out room? Yes, I’m being facetious! What I mean to say is that the adults need a room they can retreat to when they need a minute to gather themselves. Whether you are a meditating guru or a nervous wreck, a beautifully designed
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
Is your home sleep friendly? A good night’s sleep is crucial to the wellbeing of all family members. Make sure all bedrooms are free from noise, harsh light, electronic devices and TV’s. Also, do your best to provide comfortable yet firm mattresses for everyone. And, lastly, purchase a beautiful diffuser for each bedroom and add in a few drops of therapeutic grade Lavender essential oil to assure a great night’s sleep for all. So there you have it … A few of the essential elements on keeping a healthy home for all members to enjoy in good health and cheer!
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Expat Stories
Memories of Christmas by Gina Christie Chairwoman British Women’s Group
Christmas for me has always been a special time of year. I remember waiting for when my mum would announce that it was time to bring the boxes out of the storage cupboard to decorate the house. This was generally around 12 days before Christmas. We always had an artificial tree when I was young and the Christmas baubles were in special boxes that my mum had collected over the years. There was always huge anticipation for my sister and I, waiting to see if the lights would work. This was always my Dad’s job; even though they worked when they were put away, it was never a guarantee they would work when they came out. We also had streamers that were put across the living room ceiling. Once the lights were turned on the whole feeling of Christmas began. After school had finished for the holidays, the countdown began and you knew it wasn’t going to belong before Father Christmas would arrive. One of our family traditions was that my sister and I always had new pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers on Christmas Eve. The excitement would grow as the day went on and eventually it would be time for bed. We were always told not to get up too early or Father Christmas might not have been. My sister and I shared a room, it always took us a while to get off to sleep and when one of us woke the next morning we would check with our parents before going downstairs, this would normally be around 5 or 6am. Christmas morning would then begin. Our presents were never put under the tree when we were children they were always placed on an armchair, one for my sister and one for me. We were allowed to open our presents as soon as we Even at school the classrooms were decorated, we made Christmas crackers from cardboard toilet roll holders, crepe paper and tissues, Christmas cards with as much glitter as we could use and decorations for the tree, which you hoped your mum would give pride of place at the front of the tree. The Christmas nativity and carols would be practiced several weeks before the concert at school. One of the big talking points would be who was going to play Mary and Joseph and who was going to be an Angel. The tea towels were brought in from home for the shepherds to wear and the King's crowns would be made by one of the teachers at school. I remember the teachers asking if anyone had a toy lamb for the stable and someone bringing in their doll for the manger.
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EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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got up and I can only imagine the look on our faces as we opened each present. I can’t remember writing lists when I was young, but Mum and Dad always seemed to know what we wanted. As we played with our toys in the morning, Christmas TV played in the background. Then we waited for Christmas lunch, which was always served around 2pm, just in time for the Queens speech at 3pm. Looking back, I’m not sure how we managed to eat a big Christmas lunch after usually eating far too many chocolates from our selection boxes earlier in the morning. We were always told by Mum not to eat too many before lunch, but we never listened! Crackers were pulled, party hats were worn and everyone enjoyed our traditional roast turkey lunch. Now I have a family of my own there are still traditions that I try to keep, the pyjamas and slippers for example (slippers not so much in Thailand). I love to attend a Christmas concert and nativity if I get the chance. Decorating the tree 12 days before Christmas and taking it down 12 days after is something I still continue to do. When I became an expat and moved abroad, I remember thinking, what will Christmas be like?
No matter where I have been in the world during that time of year, people still seem to enjoy the festivities of Christmas and it's always a joyful time of year. I’ve had many happy memories from Christmas both back in the UK and abroad and I am looking forward to many, many more.
Expat Stories
What Christmas means to me by Phyllis Ansusinha President American Women’s Club
As I think about my childhood one of my first memories is Christmas. Christmas for me was always the highlight of the year, one of seven siblings, you can only imagine the commotion of all of us opening our holiday gifts at the same time. As I grew up I soon learned we were actually a fairly poor family, but we never knew that as children because my parents always made sure that we celebrated the holiday season with much robust and giving. I didn’t know that there were years my parents actually took out a loan to provide us with what they felt was a magical Christmas, I didn’t know that because of course it was Santa Claus who planted all those gifts under the tree after we were fast asleep the eve of Christmas. I remember awakening and wandering downstairs to see the tree gloriously lit and piles of gifts that mesmerised me with their beautiful ribbons and bows. I would sit and stare at the tree in the darkness feeling the blessings at even a very young age. Tinsel and large coloured bulbs, ornate decorations captured my breath; and there lying in the sea of pretty paper, would stand several dolls, as there were four daughters Santa needed to provide for. I would journey into my parents’ bedroom and shake my mother awake, “Mommy, Santa Claus has come!!! Can I waken everyone to open the
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gifts?” She would open one eye and peer at the clock, then my father would answer, “It’s three in the morning Philly girl, go to bed and sleep some, then wake us later.” I would lay awake until I couldn’t take it anymore, and at 6am I would wake everyone to come see the Christmas tree. I didn’t know my parents had likely just gone to bed at 3am as they had been up all night wrapping gifts. Miniature tea sets, books, puzzles, dolls, race car sets, ice skates, clothing (boring when you’re a child in the single digits) winter parkas, scarves and mittens, sleds and waggons; it was like being let loose in a department store in a free for all. But the holiday surely didn’t start on Christmas Day. It started with me skimming my milk money or finding chores for the neighbours so I could buy gifts for my siblings and parents. Baking cookies, decorating them, colourful popcorn balls, homemade candies, it was a partnership between my mom, sisters and myself as we began the Christmas baking. Dad would come home with the biggest tree he could find and often it was taller than the ceiling. Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer and Burl Ives, Miracle on 34th Street, Bing Crosby all
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Christmas will always hold so much excitement for me. As an expat I miss carolling, snow, seeing your breath in the air, Nativity scenes, I even miss losing my car every year in the parking lot of the mall. But I still play Christmas music and decorate my tree whether I am in Bangkok or back home in the states. Every year I carry on the meal preparations my parents did; roasted turkey, baked ham, sweet potato pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing and cranberries and if I don’t do it at Thanksgiving I do it at Christmas …16 pies to honour my parents in the later years when we would all return home for the holidays. A pie for every one of their children to take home and share as well as enough pies to consume whilst together. Memories and joy, the opportunity to show your appreciation for loved ones and strangers will always continue to be a part of my Christmas season.
led up to the excitement. Christmas Eve included a visit from the grandparents who would bring puzzles, books, Lifesavers Story Book candy boxes and the most beautiful homemade cookies I had ever seen, but it wasn’t complete without Grandma’s pyjamas she had made for every single grandchild (she had over thirty grandchildren she would sew for). Our meal the eve of Christmas consisted of a tradition of Oyster Stew, then a short while later cheese and meat trays, candies and cookies. It was our opportunity to exchange gifts amongst my brothers and sisters and a special gift for our parents that we had all bought together. Mass was an occasional event as my parents were of different churches. In that day and age my father as a Lutheran was not accepted into the Catholic church my mother had been raised in, so that particular essence of Christmas came later in my life.
SPECIALIST EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANCY & BESPOKE TUTORING GK Consultants guarantees the finest possible academic support for all of the students in its care. Each student will be assigned a highly experienced professional educator who will design a set of customised learning strategies unique to that student’s needs. Each detailed Personalised Learning Plan will provide the student with a manageable set of objectives to guide him or her towards academic success. IGCSE, A Level, Advance Placement International Baccalaureate (IB)
Dynamic English Courses for Children, Teenagers and Adults
University & College entrance and guidance
Dynamic Mathematics Courses for young learners
SAT, ACT, SSAT, SHSAT
Corporate English and Executive Coaching
Common Entrance and 11+
Special programmes for Gifted and Talented
TOEFL & IELTS
Fun with Phonics – English for Young Learners
Interview Techniques and Training
Homeschooling
Contact Gary King, Executive Director, GK Consultants The Premier Building Suite 808, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Klong Tan, Klong Toei, Bangkok, 10110 Phone: (66)98 585 7426 Email: info@gkconsultants.org Web: www.gkconsultants.org
Education
Meet the principal Neil Walton recently took over as the principal at the American School of Bangkok (ASB) on its Sukhumvit campus. Originally from Wales, Mr Walton graduated from the University of Surrey with a degree in civil engineering and later went on to obtain a teaching degree and principal's license from The College of New Jersey. Within several months of Mr Walton’s arrival at ASB, the school’s enrolment surged, and for the first time, ASB has found itself placing prospective students on a waiting list for admission. Expat Life had the privilege of catching up with the man behind ASB’s recent success to discover the unique personality that drives his passion for academic excellence.
First, thank you for taking time to speak with us today. Could you begin by telling us a bit about your upbringing and what drove you to pursue a career in education? Well, I grew up in the south of Wales, in a coal mining community. I was fortunate enough to receive a good education and to become the first member of my immediate family to attend university. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and began
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working in London as an engineer. After a few years I had an accident that led me to reflect on how tenuous life can be and how we are granted only a limited time on this earth, so I made a decision to travel around the world. My transition into education was initially a pragmatic one because I fell in love with an international school teacher during my travels. I wanted to be able to live and work in the same place as my wife, so I began teaching
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
math and ESL. I eventually found that I had a passion for teaching, particularly mathematics, and enjoyed working with children. The natural problem solver in me that led me to become an engineer, also enjoyed solving the puzzle of how to help students to learn. Could tell us what brought you to Thailand and the American School of Bangkok? My late wife and I met and fell
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in love in Thailand and my first international school job was in Thailand. I always enjoyed living here, love the Thai people and the way of life. My son and daughter were both adopted here and so it has always been a spiritual home. However, I had moved to a few other countries in the meantime and was not expecting to return to Thailand when I was looking for a new position. I was drawn to the American School of Bangkok for many reasons and the fact that it was in Thailand was just a bonus. I felt that it would be a good fit because I was encouraged that the school was ambitious to build on the solid base that it had established over the years. I felt that I brought the skill set that could help take it to the next level; that I could make a difference. In my discussions with the Assistant
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Director, Ms Nisanart Tavedikul and her mother, the Director and founder of the school, Ms Lakhana Tavedikul, I felt reassured that we had a shared vision of where we could take the school. I thought that the school was the perfect size, had wonderful students and a dedicated staff of teachers. Furthermore, I wanted to be at a school that I felt would offer my own son the education he deserves and I knew that the American School of Bangkok would provide that. You obviously have keen insight into both the British and American education. In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between an US education and a British one? Actually, the longer I have been in education, I more have found that the differences between national
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curricula are not as significant as the schools and teachers that implement them. There are excellent British schools and poor British schools, excellent American Schools and poor American schools. What makes the difference are teachers who use best practice to impact students’ learning and schools that provide the conditions and support for them to do it. It is how we teach, not what we teach that makes the difference. Where I have noticed the greatest difference is in the structure of universities and degrees in the US and UK. In general, the US system offers a broader foundation to their bachelor’s degrees whereas the UK tends to specialise a little earlier. This can be a benefit for students who have a clear idea of what they want to do and who they want to be. However, in general, the US system gives students a little more flexibility to explore options and find out where their passion may lie. This is supported by research that shows a substantial percentage of students do not end up working in the field of study of their bachelor’s degree. What is the biggest challenge you face at ASB this year? My biggest challenge is try to create a common vision and expectations for our school. Proposing
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and implementing change while honouring the progress and work that has brought the school this far. What do you consider has been your greatest success this year? I think that my greatest success so far was recruiting an amazing group of new teachers to join me in this mission to provide an excellent education for our students. Their dedication, flexibility and compassion has thoroughly impressed me and I am proud of the work that they are doing. What do you think is the greatest challenge facing international education and how do you deal with that challenge at ASB? The greatest challenge is in preparing our students for a future when we don’t really know what that future will look like. What do they need to know? The world around us is changing so rapidly that it is a huge challenge to know what skills our children will need. We talk about flexible transferrable skills, but will a traditional curriculum provide those skills? How do we teach 21st century skills like ‘creativity’, for example? Schools have invested heavily in computer labs with desktop computers when students have more powerful processing power in their pockets. CD
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
Roms are already becoming obsolete. So, at ASB we will be focussing on implementing a skills based curriculum as opposed to a content or textbook based curriculum. We will continue to encourage and train our teachers in best practice such as focussed feedback and student reflection. Teaching 21st century skills like collaboration, critical thinking, communication, cultural awareness and creativity will prepare our students better than teaching them volumes of content; they can Google that. In closing, could you tell us what personal motto you embrace and why? It’s hard to boil the complexity of life down into a simple motto, but I guess I would say, “Smile: a positive attitude will lead to a positive outcome”. There are so many things that happen in our lives that we have little or no control over and so the only thing we can do is choose to be negative about things or be positive and move forward. I have found in life that a smile goes a long way and a positive attitude can make all the difference. The American School of Bangkok. ASB is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and offers a quality modern education based on an American curriculum with an international perspective for students aged 2-18. The school prepares graduates to be critical thinkers, independent learners, effective communicators, and global citizens. ASB graduates are consistently accepted into leading universities around the world. The school offers a constantly updated and challenging curriculum that ensures students’ intellectual and emotional development. ASB encourages students to not only excel in academics but also in the areas of creativity, sports and performing arts. The school’s multicultural environment allows students to understand and appreciate differences in cultures, lifestyles, and beliefs.
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BRIGHTON COLLEGE BANGKOK
Britain’s leading school is now in Bangkok. Our personalised approach to learning and wellbeing ensures our pupils achieve more than they ever thought possible. Enrolment is now open for pupils aged 9 years & above to join our Prep and Senior Schools in September 2017.
To visit us, please contact our Admissions Team: +66 (0)2 136 7898 admissions@brightoncollegebangkok.com BrightonCollegeBangkok.com Krungthep Kreetha 15/1, Srinakarin-Rama 9 Huamak, Bangkok, 10240
Education
Special education for children by Cynthia Marlow Gould
As educators our common goal is to enable all pupils to thrive, to find and develop their passions, and for them to grow into the best possible versions of themselves. We hope to develop character, to instil a lifelong love of learning and for all pupils to perform to their very best levels, year-on-year, and then, ultimately, at examination. These are lofty goals, ones which many schools purport to deliver, but the reality is often quite different. When potential is not fully realised at school it is often, very broadly speaking, for one of two reasons: either because pupils struggle to access the curriculum, or, conversely, because they are not sufficiently challenged by it. This is where the SEN (Specific Educational Needs) teacher comes into play. In short, through tailor made support and extension programmes, we help to ensure that every pupil in the school is equipped with the skills to learn, is stimulated and challenged, and is able to excel. However, the perception of SEN teaching is not always as positive as it should be. In fact, the acronym ‘SEN’ can sometimes have parents running away in fear. At times, I’ve walked through a school only to see a look on a parent’s face saying: ‘please don’t come over to me to talk about my child.’ It’s almost like I’m the Grim Reaper with parents fleeing in fear. This should not be the case. Families and communities need to be re-educated by schools on the positive aspects of this specialist and highly personalised type of teaching and learning. Many famous celebrities, innovators, leading academics and preeminent businessmen have had special educational needs such as Keira Knightley, Leonardo Di Vinci, Steve Jobs, John F. Kennedy, Sir Richard Branson and the list goes on. Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Asperger’s … are all too often misunderstood, stigmatised and, even worse, ignored by parents who perhaps feel embarrassed. The fact is that everyone’s brain works differently. We need to do away with the stigma. This is about education. Personalised learning is not synonymous with a lack of ability. Quite the opposite - it is about differentiation and about tailoring our curriculum to ensure that our aforementioned “lofty goals” are within the reach of every child. Indeed, SEN teachers work with a spectrum of pupils from children with a specific medical diagnosis, to the
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dyslexic pupil who has an above average IQ, to the ´Able, Gifted and Talented´ pupil. Sometimes, it seems, families are frightened that their child might be considered ‘different’ and sometimes succumb to the stigma that personalised learning means ‘stupid’, ‘geeky’ or ‘odd’. Sadly, if a parent feels this way, it will not take long for the child to pick up on this and low self-esteem will prevail. An excellent school will track pupils in all aspects of their school life. The pastoral system is intrinsically linked to the academic and therefore systems that are sophisticated enough to monitor and map behaviour, attitude and performance are needed to identify patterns. As such, relative dips should never go unnoticed for long. Those that need a boost in their learning or a challenge are not left floundering. When a pupil is struggling with behaviour at school, is it because they are finding something difficult or because they need to be challenged more to keep them interested? There is a plethora of research articles written on behaviour issues, ones that are linked to both pupils with learning needs and also to ‘Able, Gifted and Talented’ pupils. The salient question is whether the school provides individualised learning by working with the pupil, teachers and family as a team. Does it really know its pupils well enough to do this? And, furthermore, as a parent how do you know the answer to this? When pupils see their peers completing tasks with enviable ease, a sense of doubt can perpetuate and snowball. The remedy when this occurs, is talking through their learning styles based upon evidence and helping them
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initiate a cycle of achievement. A great SEN teacher will find the learning style that works, and, in partnership with parents and other teachers, will find what makes the pupil tick. Working with a small group of pupils who need a challenge, such as designing a computer game or analysing a well chosen piece of literature can excite and inspire; more importantly, it invigorates self-belief. Many pupils struggle to find their inner talents when they are so focused on reading, writing and arithmetic. Specialist teaching helps address any academic weaknesses and also identifies learning strengths. Through assessments from Educational Psychologists, SEN teachers have an intricate view of a pupil’s learning profile. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or provision maps guide teachers and families not only on academic goals but other strengths such as foreign language learning, art, music, dance or drama just to name a few. An article in the Guardian 1 recently discussed the link between learning a musical instrument and an increase in verbal memory, spatial reasoning and literacy skills that can last a lifetime. Learning support is not just about academics, it’s about the whole pupil. We want our children to be respectful, successful, lifelong learners who embrace the rigour of education but also our community and world. An IEP is a gift to learners providing realistic targets for the next steps in their learning. They are a set of goals that is written for the pupil to show small step, sequential success in a short amount of time based on their current levels. The process is a team effort. An IEP should be written with full involvement from teachers, parents and the pupil once they reach a certain age. For the pupil that is struggling, these small steps put them on a path where they begin to see immediate success. Many pupils want to come to our sessions because they know they are in a safe environment where no one is judging them on what they can or can’t do or the speed at which they can do it. They know that they will achieve success, whether it’s big or small, during each session. IEPs are also a vital tool for stretching the most able children. For our AG&T pupils (Able, Gifted and Talented), they receive the enrichment their brains are craving. Critical thinking skills such as conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and evaluating information help these pupils think in new and exciting ways. Many highly able pupils are hungry for that next level of knowledge and feast upon group and independent projects, or relish working with a mentor to challenge and enhance their way of thinking. If you feel that your child is finding school challenging or is in need of more enriching material, the first step is to speak with their classroom teacher. Your child’s teacher should
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know the intricacies of their learning styles. If they don’t, well there are questions that need answering. Remember that a great school doesn’t just promise ‘lofty goals’ - it delivers on its promises. Some final advice: always attend parent consultation meetings and arrive with a set of prepared questions. Get interested in your child’s learning and know that every pupil has strengths and weaknesses; it is what we do with those strengths and weaknesses that counts!
www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/24/want-to-trainyour-brain-forget-apps-learn-a-musical-instrument As a trained speech pathologist and dyslexia specialist originally from Dallas, Texas, Cynthia has worked in the field of learning support for 15 years. As head of learning support at the International School of Monaco and Harrow Hong Kong, she decided to make the move to Bangkok where she is currently the specialist education coordinator for Brighton International College Bangkok.
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CAMBRIDGE OUTSTANDING LEARNER AWARDS 2016:
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IGCSES AWARD
Shrewsbury’s Cambridge Outstanding Learner Award Winners 2016: Top in the World: Poonnika (Nina) Molloy. Best across 8 IGCSE subjects: Kochakorn (Mint) Buasri. Top in Thailand (A Level): Ragittaran (Ragi) Jayakumar, Voranaree (Pim) Kijkool, Pitcha (Nuey) Suphantarida, Soe Htet (Robert) Khaing, Puriwat (France) Sophonariyanan.
Klesa Megaputri Wilson, Charisa (Kimi) Sophonpanich Toh, Vichayut (Firm) Leelayana, Akkaraphonphan (Eugene) Tai, Hosana Tagomori, Yasmin Linh Nguyen, Kochakorn (Mint) Buasri, Pornchanit (Sand) Sunyabhisithkul. High Achievement (A Level): Nikako (Nika) Kanamoto, Patraporn (Pat) Ounhirunskul, Pitcha (Nuey) Suphantarida, Panchalay (Chalay) Chalermkraivuth.
Top in Thailand (AS Level): Patcharapol (Copter) Lee-Issaranukul, Chayut (Roy) Morakotkarn, Pira (Pip) Srivikorn.
High Achievement (AS Level): Krittawat (Teddy) Kanokvaleewong, Nashada (Nat) Earsakul, Kimie Minobe, Kristal (Kitty) Rogers, Gunjan Jain, Yosita (Gale) Sriprapattanawong, Tisha Aramkul.
Top in Thailand (IGCSE): Ramida (Dada) Nateethong, Natapong (Toon) Thaneerat,
High Achievement (IGCSE): Varat (Ton) Ratanakorn.
We are now accepting applications for Sixth Form entry into August 2017 Please contact Ms.Ilka Hodapp for a school tour by calling on 02 675 1888 ext. 1110 or email to admissions@shrewsbury.ac.th or visit our website www.shrewsbury.ac.th
Exceptional People • Outstanding Opportunities • Academic Excellence
Education
A life in a year by Lynn Ocharoenchai
Seventeen years of my life, I had lived in my own hometown like a foreigner. On my eighteenth, I left to go live in a foreign city, and found myself at home. Standing in a packed airport terminal, with nothing but an overweight luggage, carrying things I probably would never use, I bid farewell to my beloved mother, father and brother. After 17 years, I was leaving the land I grew up in, Thailand, for some place I knew nothing of. Like a goldfish taken out of its bowl and dropped into the sea; suddenly, I was moving to Italy, a timezone of six hours apart and a distance of 9,000 kilometres away. Before my exchange year, I had never left Asia. All was good though; I had everything: fun friends to go to school to and a loving family to come home to. Then all of a sudden, I was leaving everything and everyone I had ever known. After twenty two long hours of falling asleep, changing flights, being bored, feeling nervous, eating airplane food, getting excited, watching movies and just simply waiting, I arrived in Rome along with 563 other exchange students, each from different parts of the world and all clueless of what to do. They say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Unfortunately, we didn’t know what the Romans did! For three days, phrases like “Hello, my name is…”, “I’m from…”, and “I’m going to…” were exchanged between people from 64 countries, some of which I’ve never even heard of. All brought together in an open yard of a church like hotel, we each learned about one another, breaking through language barriers with plenty of hand gestures and countless sincere smiles. On the last night of the orientation, with my new American, Danish and Japanese pals, I climbed up to take a spot on the roof of our hotel, waiting for daylight to shine over the capital of the ancient Roman empire. With mattresses and pillows we stole from the attic bedroom beneath us, we lay warm under thick blankets in the silence of the night, wondering what was awaiting each of us. We all had a part of our lives to share, from childhood stories to our hopes and fears, each tale told with an ending unknown. As the moon slowly began to fade away from the sky and the sun began to rise up to reveal the town, each person set off to their destinations. We had merely made acquaintance hours ago, yet a bond was formed and it was a known fact that we were all in this journey together. We have laughed through the beginning of our adventures together, and there will be more to come, along with the crying through tough
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times of homesickness. Goodbyes weren’t said; instead, we exchanged “good luck” and “see you soon”. Just shortly after their intersection, our paths split ways, but they were sure to cross again. At 8am sharp, the time came for me to depart. Waiting for me by the exit of the hotel were my hosts: a family of three Italians, each with different surnames of their own. As an Asian, it never occurred to me to shake hands or hug a stranger, but I was prepared. I said my ciao to each of them, ready to give the Italian cheek kisses like the ones I’ve seen in movies. First was Giovanna, a mother with a streak of grey hair, wearing a tank top that showed off her flower tattoo. Nailed it. Then came her daughter of my age, Sofia, standing out from the crowd with long locks of vibrant, dyed red hair and sharp, bold lined eyes. Not too shabby, either. Lastly, was her stepdad, Carlo, a tall and skinny gentleman, whom I had nearly kissed on the lips. Awkward.
Everyone says that on an exchange year, time flies by quick. It definitely did not seem so to me on the ride back to my new house. Overwhelmed by the mix of emotions flushing into me, no words left my mouth; I was sitting in a car, on the way to unpack my luggage in the house of three people I had just met. As I stared blankly out the window, Italian road signs rolled by, along with the unfamiliar European landscape and the breeze of crisp autumn air. For once in my life, I was the foreigner.
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Despite being born and raised in The Land of Smiles, I attended an international school, surrounded by English speakers, from the kids whose parents came for work, to those whose parents just decided to stay. That left me out of place, unclear of my cultural identity. The only thing that separated me from my expat classmates was the fact that I spoke Thai. I was no native, though. Bangkok was merely the metropolitan that I referred to as my birthplace, although it was never really where I belonged. Como was different. A month before the departure for my exchange year, I Googled the city that I’d be hosted in. I ended up just learning that George Clooney owns a house by the lake in the town. A year after my arrival, that city has become the place I call home. So how did one year of staying in a foreign city come to feel more like home to me than seventeen years in my own hometown? It wasn’t the quantity of time that was essential; the key was the quality. From age zero to seventeen, I had spent my years in Thailand. But from age seventeen to eighteen, I had lived a year in Italy. The so called slow life isn’t about taking twenty minutes to chew through your slice of pizza, but more about pausing every once in a while to appreciate, to feel and to taste the bite of the gooey cheese and the flavours of oregano and tomato sauce on the freshly baked dough. More time doesn’t give you a better time, just like bigger batch of doughnuts doesn’t equate to a tastier batch. Given a map of Como, I explored each corner of every street, determined to make every day of my stay worthwhile. After all, flights were expensive, and so was time. I needed to make the most out of what I had: airplane tickets for one round trip and roughly three hundred days of being away from my worried parents. There was simply too little time to complain and regret about the things you didn’t do, so there really wasn’t any option but to do everything you can. As days and weeks gone by, I learned that the more I travelled, the richer I became. Even though it often left me empty pocketed, the things I took away from the journey were priceless: nostalgic memories me and my friend being surrounded in a magical dance of fireflies, after sneaking out to hike up a mountain at midnight; my very first snowflake landing on the tip of my tongue, melting away to form a smile on my face; or that time I spent hours doing nothing but looking out to this breathtaking view of the lake from a mountaintop I reached after a long hike. Things like that don’t usually come with your 5 star hotel suite or your first class flight. The advice of any nomad would be: live like the locals do. And that takes a while, like sipping a cappuccino at the same cafe every morning, and watching that very same cherry tree by the front, from a lively green to vivid orange, that vivid orange to a lifeless brown, and all over again. With time, you learn to appreciate the most
ordinary bits and littlest fragments of change, just enough to completely grasp the whole that all the parts make up. The Italians have two words for ‘live’: abitare and vivere. Whereas the first one roughly translates to ‘to reside in’ or ‘to inhabit’, I would describe the second one as ‘to have life’ and ‘to be alive’. Vivere doesn’t happen in just a day, but rather day by day, with a carpe diem in every moment of every second. A few days of visiting tourist attractions won’t do the job, and neither will an entire lifetime of being a local, following the same old routines. One does not merely spend time in a city and call it vivere; they become part of what the culture is, and the culture becomes part of who they are. When people ask you “Where are you from?”, what do you answer? Are you entitled to the origin of your ancestors? Does the nationality on your passport define who you truly are? Or is your character based upon the culture you have been most associated with? In each instance of your life, answers may come differently. Time offers us an opportunity for self-revelation. It pushes us out of our comfortable environments and away from our usual routines, allowing us to uncover our true selves. I believe that none of us were born with our identities settled, and travel is our lifelong teacher.
“The more I travelled, the richer I became.”
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Education
One fine Saturday morning, I decided to hop on a train for a three hour ride to Turin. The night before, I had met on Facebook this American girl who lived in the city. For five nights, I stayed with her and her host family, who wanted nothing in return but only to give. Each evening, I learned more about Turin from them than the online city guides I had read, while they learned more about Bangkok than just stereotypical concepts of eating spicy insect snacks and ladyboys, plainly by sitting down together for their home cooked Italian meal and some of my traditional Thai dishes. With just a speck of time and a dash of curiosity, we can dive deep in a culture, way below the tip of the iceberg. Without that, stereotypes form and ignorance spreads. Do the Italians really eat spaghetti and meatballs everyday? It takes more than just two minutes of reading an article on the internet to truly understand one entire culture and its people. Back in Italy, I roamed around a lot, from North to South, from house to house. Often, I stayed overnight, dozing off in welcoming homes, mostly on couches. I’ve learned that a day may get you a friend, but a year can get you as far as a family. You may learn about a city’s metro system in a couple of hours by studying a map on the internet, but discovering your favourite bakery in town will take several weeks of asking around the locals and trying out new alternatives. Invest a little bit of time to travel, put them beside each other, and you get "time travel". You might walk through the history of mankind by strolling by the ancient ruins of Athens, or through the milestones of your own life by revisiting the spot of your first kiss. Travelling takes time, but it gives back more. On my way to Naples, I was expecting to be greeted by the sight of its splendid coasts and magnificent palaces. Only later, did I find myself in a rural Chinatown like part of the city, about to enter someone’s home and spend my winter there. For several nights, I slept with a coat and scarf, on a sofa next to a broken heater. Christmas Eve eventually arrived, but this year, I wasn’t expecting any special present. There wasn’t a
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big chunk of ham on the table, or a bunch of boxes under the tree. To my surprise, with just a few small gifts, like a wooden doll and a soap bar wrapped in recycled paper, the family had become one of the most spirited I had ever seen. It taught me a lot about the world that I’m not part of, about the lives I’m not living. Behind the door of each and every house on the street, live stories besides your own, ones you don’t and will never be able to experience. It makes you realise how big the world is and how much of it you’re missing. As I write this, a boy in Baghdad might be waiting for his first meal in four days. And as this boy starves, a woman might be spending thousands of dollars on a night out in Las Vegas. There is so much going on, things we would never hear of and feelings we would never know of from dining in fancy restaurants and sleeping on hotel beds. Travel can only be what you get out of it, and every single moment of it counts. Of course, like a good book, every long journey has to draw to a close. At the end of the day, we each find ourselves yearning for the place we’d like to call home. It makes us grateful for the things that have gone missing from our lives, may it be something as small as your grandma’s homemade cookies, or something bigger like your regular coffee shop. We realise the significance of the objects and people we take for granted. With the each aspect of the world that we see with travel, we become aware of how lucky we are. I went on an exchange programme in Italy, hoping to visit the Colosseum and get stuffed with gelato, but I returned to Thailand, with a new family of a lifetime and another place to call home. I left to go live abroad for a year, with barely any knowledge about this big world. I have come back, still clueless about the big world, but more than aware that there is so much more out there for me to discover.
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St. Andrews
EXCELLENCE IN RESULTS With students consistently achieving above world average results in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, St. Andrews International School offers your child a path to leading universities worldwide.
IB POINT AVERAGE
38.6 ST. ANDREWS*
IB PASS RATE
30.1
WORLD AVERAGE**
100% ST. ANDREWS*
PERFECT SCORE
81%
WORLD AVERAGE**
STUDENT OUT OF 146 WORLDWIDE
*Achieved by Green Valley students 2016
**Published worldwide IB results 2016
4 Convenient Locations Dusit Campus
Sukhumvit 107
Sathorn
Green Valley
Ages 2 - 11 253/1 Sawankhaloke Road, Dusit, Bangkok 10300
Ages 2 - 18 7 Sukhumvit 107 Road, Bangna, Bangkok 10260
Ages 2 - 11 9 Sathorn Soi 4, North Sathorn, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Ages 2 - 18 Moo 7, Banchang-Makham Koo Road, Banchang, Rayong 21130
Tel: +66 (0) 2668 6231 E: dusit@standrews-schools.com W: www.standrewsdusit.com
Tel: +66 (0) 2393 3883 E: sukhumvit@standrews-schools.com W: www.standrewssukhumvit.com
Tel: +66 (0) 2632 1995 E: sathorn@standrews-schools.com W: www.standrewssathorn.com
Tel: +66 (0) 3803 0701 E: greenvalley@standrews-schools.com W: www.standrewsgreenvalley.com
St. Andrews International School Dusit• Sukhumvit 107 • Sathorn • Green Valley
Book your personal tour www.standrews-schools.com
Education
ISAT unifies international schools by Nisanart Tavedikul
Although every international school seeks to develop its own unique identity, there is an organisation that brings all these schools together to collaborate toward common educational goals. The International Schools Association of Thailand (ISAT) brings representatives from all the schools together so they can establish common standards and work towards common objectives. Established in 1994, ISAT is an association of 128 member schools who work in conjunction with the government ministries and ASEAN to improve the standards of international education in Thailand. In addition, ISAT also serves as a beacon for promoting a high quality of education throughout the entire Kingdom of Thailand and is a leader in establishing effective guidelines for all Thai schools. ISAT’s school representatives work on various ISAT committees to share their ideas and passion toward maintaining and building new standards for our member schools. These committees place a strong emphasis on providing the best quality of international education to produce global citizens who understand the pressing issues facing our ever changing world. The International Schools Association of Thailand breaks down its goals into five main tasks. The first is promoting all members to follow ISAT protocol by encouraging all schools to embrace standards of education through implementing best practices, ethical behaviour and professional development.
ISAT organised a study trip for our member schools’ teachers to explore in depth culture and history of Vietnam on July 5-7, 2016. From charming Hanoi with its fading colonial architecture and national monuments to spellbinding scenery of Halong Bay, memorable impression has been left on all 62 participants and knowledge from the workshop, "Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): improving teaching practices through continuous inquiry" by Dr. Kaanwarin Polanunt, is greatly beneficial to them.
The second goal is to establish communication channels and collaboration between member schools. This allows ISAT members to embrace a common platform when dealing with public and private organisations such as local and overseas exhibitions, fairs and road shows. The third task of ISAT is to
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promote social awareness of member schools through ISAT exhibitions, multimedia materials, public events, and listings in the biannual ISAT Directory. The fourth task of ISAT is to support professional development and school development for member schools. This involves identifying common educational standards for teacher growth as well as shared
ISAT Member Meeting 1/2016 was held on Friday, 13 May 2016 at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok. Guest Speaker, H.E. Dr. Teerakiat Jaroensettasin, Deputy Minister of Education, addressed on “The direction of education in Thailand” and Mr. Adinan Pakbara, Secretary General, Office of Private Education Commission, spoke on “OPEC and its support to education in international schools”. Over 100 Administrators from member schools attended the meeting.
school development goals for member schools so the calibre of international education remains high. The final task of ISAT is to work with the government to implement ISAT resolutions and support government policy at the same time. This requires ISAT to work closely with the Thai Ministry of Education to guarantee the programmes and philosophy of ISAT members schools adhere to government policy. With Thailand’s unique culture, ISAT plays a pivotal role in developing Thai culture, language, and professional ethic courses for all expatriate teachers. This means expatriate teachers are trained with the same course at their respective schools that is based on criteria ISAT representatives have worked to develop together. To accomplish this, ISAT works in liaison with the Teachers’ Council of Thailand to develop these course requirements, and it also provides training to Thai trainers of this course. This effort guarantees that new expatriate teachers are trained in the unique professional ethics and cultural sensitivities that surround the Kingdom. EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Education
As the school dormitory fire in Chiang Rai that killed 17 children and injured five others, ISAT and the Council of Private Education Association of Thailand raised funds to support the unfortunate students and their families affected by the tragedy. The funds amount 220,000B were offered to Mrs Phanit Meesunthorn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Education on 25 May 2016 at the Office of Private Education Commission, Ministry of Education.
ISAT’s member schools strive for excellence in education and some of them have have received the prestigious Prime Minister’s award. All members have accreditation from various institutions such as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the Council of International Schools (CIS) or CfBT Education Trust, and Office for National Education Standard and Quality Assessment (ONESQA). ISAT schools offer a range of curriculums from American, British, International Baccalaureate and other national curriculums such as French, German, Singaporean, Japanese and Australian. Each school is equipped with a unique campus and enrollment size but all of them offer some form of sports, fine arts and cocurricular offerings that meet the needs and abilities of their students who come from diverse backgrounds. The students from ISAT schools graduate and attend universities and colleges around the world.
Although ISAT works to promote quality international school education, it also stretches its arms beyond their own member schools to foster quality education in all schools throughout Thailand. ISAT is a leading advocate for high education standards in Thai public schools. ISAT has worked with the Ministry of Education, the Department of International Trade Promotion, the Teachers Council of Thailand (Khurusapha), and the Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC), as well as other departments to improve education throughout the Thailand. With such a unified organisation for international schools and education as a whole in Thailand, it is no surprise that there are many commonalities between the 120 member ISAT schools that span across the country. After ISAT conclude their meetings, school leaders head back to their respective campuses and begin working on developing the best possible programme based on ISAT protocol and principles. It’s comforting to know that ISAT brings together all the top international schools to make education better for all of our children in the Kingdom of Thailand.
ISAT Members Mrs Usa Somboon, ISAT President, Mr Poramit Srikureja, ISAT Vice President and C&D Co-Chair, Ms Nisanart Tavedikul, C&D Co-Chair and Miss Wanqipa Manyawoot, ISAT Manager
Ms Nisanart Tavedikul earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Television from New York University (1998) and her Masters Degree in Education Administration in Public Education from Teachers College, Columbia University (2013). Currently, she serves The American School of Bangkok as the Assistant Director. Trained at Columbia, Yale, France and the United Kingdom on various mindfulness disciplines, she introduced and implemented the Mindfulness in Education programme which was well received by all stakeholders at The American School of Bangkok. Among her trainees in mindfulness techniques are multi-billion dollar enterprise, Amata Nakorn, executives, and doctorate students from Thammasat University.
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www.expatlifeinthailand.com
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FEATURES
Traditions are mutable or is this an oxymoron by Barbara Lewis
I am an expat in Bangkok with grown adult children with lives, careers and partners in Canada. My children spent their formative years growing up overseas as we have been expats continuously away from Canada now for 20 years. We left when my son was nine and my daughter was 11. One thinks that one of the things that is going to help you to make your new country your home is to keep or bring with you some traditions especially around the holiday season, specifically Christmas, as this is one of my favourite times of the year filled with as many holiday traditions as I can muster.
As a child we celebrated and opened our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, a German tradition. We always had Christmas stockings that ‘Santa’ filled with wonderful small goodies. For me this was one of my favourite things. My husband’s family opened their presents on Christmas morning so for many years this worked very well as we were the only ones of our siblings married with children so we would celebrate with my family on Christmas Eve and then go to his home on Christmas Day until my children got old
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enough when we decided we needed to be in our own home and we would just go for Christmas Day dinner to his parents home. Our first country was Kuwait and all our worldly possessions for four of us and a dog were packed into eight bags so needless to say bringing Christmas decorations from Canada was out of the question. Trying to find anything remotely Christmas like in a Muslim country was also out of the question. We did what we could to bring a feel of
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Christmas to our home or wherever we were. We often travelled to areas that had snow skiing a favourite sport of ours over Christmas and New Year’s and the cold usually being in a predominantly Christian country gave us the traditional feeling of Christmas. Wherever we were the one tradition we knew was both transportable and loved by my whole family was Christmas stockings. Many years earlier my mom had made beautiful felt Christmas stockings from kits for all four of us and they were the one thing that we could take with us, fill up with items from the area we were in and open on Christmas Eve. From Kuwait we moved to Saudi Arabia but this time we could take all our belongings with us, which meant I had all my Christmas belongings, which were smuggled in under a guise. Every year by Dec 1st I was ready to decorate my house. I never had to worry about whether we would be there or not because the school was on a trimester system so the students really didn’t get much time off during that time just three weeks or so. My daughter was going to boarding school so she would come back to Saudi for her Christmas break because she was on a regular school schedule. My husband only got time off if he took the time off as holiday days. It made for interesting negotiations around holidays. We could drive for two hours across the causeway to Bahrain (another Muslim country) and in many places Christmas came alive in colour and spectacle. Our stockings were again an integral part of our Christmas traditions we went back to celebrating and opening gifts on Christmas Eve and eating a turkey dinner on Christmas Day however one thing hadn’t changed from Kuwait we still didn’t get it off as a holiday. So with each country little things changed but the one tradition we tried to keep was the Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve. We also made a pact that we would always be together for Christmas – both my children went to boarding school and to various countries for their post secondary education. I believe we have always been together for Christmas. When my son was about 22 or 23 he said to me “Mom I will always be with you and Dad at Christmas” and I said “we’ll see now that you are with Kristy you are going to have to compromise and participate in some of the things she needs to do during the holidays.” He told me that I didn’t understand how important it was for him to spend time with us since we live so far away. I held my tongue. Well things have changed a lot. We often don’t spend
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Christmas Eve with Warren our son because he and his girlfriend go and spend it with her father. We try to spend Christmas Eve with our daughter but we aren’t sure how that will work this year. We open gifts on Christmas morning just before my son and his girlfriend travel to see her mom and stepdad. We will likely have Christmas dinner at my daughter’s with all of her boyfriend’s family. The one tradition that we have managed to keep through all the years is the Christmas stockings and in fact my mom made a Christmas stocking for both Kristy and Nik. They truly are part of the family. We open our stockings Christmas morning when we are all together and really it isn’t the stocking but rather that they mean we are all together again that is the tradition we are celebrating even if it is only for a short time. Two other new Christmas traditions that we have built since my children have brought these beautiful people into their lives and made their homes in Vancouver, Canada is we go to VanDusen Botanical Gardens to see the Christmas light display and the week before Christmas if we are in Vancouver we go to Whistler to snow ski. Maybe a tradition is more based on the significance of practice verses how often you repeat or practice it.
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Nutrition
Digesting during the holidays by Nicole Sheldon
As the holidays land upon us this season with event after event, meal after meal, sometimes indigestion after indigestion, there is a little sweet treat that combines both Western and Eastern sensibilities to have on hand at all times when your stomach needs some assistance. That treat is an orangette.
I have always loved orangettes (with or without a dip of chocolate), they're bitter, sweet, slightly toothy, and just plain lovely. The peel of an orange is a very important medicinal in the Chinese Materia Medica. It is used to soothe digestion, increase energy, improve circulation, treat phlegm (ex sinus congestion), and last but not least to help with blockages caused by stress (ex tight muscles, tension headaches). Chen Pi is its’ TCM name in pin yin (phonetic Chinese writing), for those so inclined to know. There is also another variant of this, Qing Pi, which is the unripened green or blue tangerine peel (or even green/blue), and is even more moving in terms of circulation than Chen Pi. Now where does the lovely orangette come in to play in all this? Well, I like to make medicine taste good and an orangette is an excellent way to use the benefits mentioned above in dessert form. Side note: if you are aiming to treat a more chronic or a specific condition, you would use the orange peel in a very different way than as an orangette. However, if you just want your dessert to not be phlegm producing and sticky and heavy, then this is a lovely way to get a little punch after a meal whilst simultaneously aiding
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digestion, increasing energy, and tingling the taste buds. Below are two recipes, one would be for the orangettes and another for those that want to take this to a more serious medicinal level and make a tea out of orange peels. If you want to make orangettes, it's quite simple. There are many different recipes for this, some use more sugar, some use less, some use dehydrators, some air dry for two days, you will have to see what works for best for you. I used the method of 1 cup sugar to 3 cups water, with a sprinkle of sea salt. Most recipes recommend removing the pith due to it's bitterness (which is the most medicinally beneficial, so I do not do this). I boil the peel for anywhere from 1 to 1.5 hours, you want to look for the translucency and you also want the sugar water to boil down to a liquidly syrup that is barely covering the peel as they are being transformed into little orangettes. I have also made these with a few dried chilli flakes in the concoction, which gives them a kick and increases their circulatory benefits. After they have boiled down, you will gently remove them and place them on a drying tray (a cookie sheet works), you can then either dehydrate them if you have a dehydrator, or you can lay them out in a dry cool (sunny if possible) place for 1-2 days, or you can slowly dehydrate them at 200 degrees F in the oven though this sometimes dries them out and they lose a little of that toothiness. That's it. I kept the remainder of the boiled down syrup in a jar to use in coffee or for dessert making or whatever would call for orange tinged syrup! If you want to make
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an orange peel tea which is going to be more medicinally specific, then you would take the peel of one orange, air dry it for approximately a week, then boil it for 20 minutes to make 2 cups of tea. This could be used to fight phlegm if you are chronically congested or if you are in the midst of a cold with cold signs (white mucus versus yellow). Or can use TCC_NPD_AD_ExpatLife_210x150mm_AW_261016.pdf 1 you 10/26/2559 BE it to 2:25
treat a tension headache, which is usually an acute onset that lands right on the vertex or in between the eyes. Whichever way you choose to use the orange peel, orangette or otherwise, it is the perfect antidote for holiday overindulgence! PM
Expat Stories
True friends are forever by Carole Ann Eastgate
In the mid 1970s I studied for two years for a Master’s Degree at the University of Madison, Wisconsin in the USA. I had a wonderful time, travelled a lot (thank you Greyhound Bus's and my boyfriend !!) and made some excellent friends. I also found time to study, too! I only returned to the UK when I did because I could get a reduced fare on the QE2! If I hadn’t done this, I could well still be there now!! Over the years I’ve kept in touch with six friends in particular. Often this has just been through Christmas letters and birthday greetings but, although I have only had recent regular visits with my friends in Wisconsin I have never visited those who live in other states. They, however, have dropped by to see me on their travels but mostly in the distant past; one couple 23 years ago!! I decided this year, however, that I really wanted to see them all and so planned a month’s trip to the US in September. One advantage was that they all lived on the Eastern side of the US. However, it meant visiting four different states – Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina and none of their locations were linked by direct flights! I’m amazed that my luggage and I (some of the changeover times were very brief) reached the destinations! The travel was exhausting but it was worth every second of it to meet up with everyone, sample four different lifestyles and to see some amazing places and to eat some amazing but huge meals!. I can’t
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thank them enough for their generous hospitality and warmth. When we met it was as if we’d seen each other the day before and had been in constant contact! Conversation flowed, memories were revisited and we caught up on all that happened since our last meetings! My first port of call was to visit Kirsten and Gary in Wausau, Wisconsin. I was put in touch with them, initially, by a fellow teacher of mine in the UK who had had Kirsten as an au pair. Kirsten and Gary were the first friends I made in Madison. On this trip we walked around Lake Wausau and took a hike up Rib Mountain and Kirsten and I took a trip down memory lane by visiting Madison. We visited Witte Hall where I’d lived and Lathrop Hall where I’d studied. The Student Memorial Union had been developed and we spent some happy hours there by Lake Mendota watching the boating life on the lake (a dog took great delight in swimming and then shaking himself to splash all the passers by!) and all the people. State Street had also developed and there were so many restaurants there! Two language misunderstandings occurred. My café latte became café au lait and when I ordered a tuna wrap with chips I was surprised to see it came with crisps!! Silly me, I should have remembered our chips are called French fries in the US!! We also visited Olbrich Botanical Gardens which boasts the only Thai pagoda in the US! My next stop was Boynton Beach near West Palm Beach, Florida to visit Olivia and her husband Barry. Olivia and I had been students together and although studying different courses lived in the same dorm. The last time I had seen them was 23 years ago in Central London! We recognised each
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other instantly. They lived on a lovely estate and were members of Indian Spring Country Club which provided every facility imaginable. We played tennis, swam and enjoyed the fitness centre as well as meeting up with friends for a range of evening meals. I was driven around the coast and up Ocean Road to Palm Beach, and took a cruise on the Intra-coastal Waterway which was bordered by magnificent homes mostly vacant as they were really holiday homes! Olivia and I walked the one mile and half mile routes round Green Cay Nature Reserve and Wetlands in Boynton Beach where the wild life was amazing. At Delray Beach we visited the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens and Wakodahatchee Wetlands where the wildlife and flora were just as amazing. One evening we went to see the film Sully about the pilot who crash landed his plane on the Hudson River with no loss of life of anyone on board! Olivia and Barry were also interested in politics and we did listen to at a lot of debate surrounding Hillary and Donald! My penultimate stop was to meet up with Joanne and Mike in Dublin, Ohio. Joanne had also been a student, living in the same dorm and both she and Mike had many years ago visited me in the UK. Every morning at 6.15 we went on a 3 mile walk on a country path around a beautiful estate with trees and lakes. I was certainly keeping fit! We also took a beautiful walk to the Overlook Trail in Highbanks Metro Park and visited Columbus Zoo. Again, as well as eating at home, we went to some great restaurants. We also spent a lot of time just chatting over a really wide range of topics and, of course, putting the world to right! One of the most interesting experiences was when we visited the “Parade of Homes”. I’d never known anything like it before. There were 21 homes all open to the public who, over a 3 day period, could visit them even though most of them had been bought and furnished. The purpose was to display the variety of house designs, the room designs, furniture, furnishings etc to give the public ideas and companies to contacts to design/build/re-design their own homes. My most worrying flight was to my last port of call! I had only 30 minutes to change flights and I had no idea how large Douglas International Airport was or how close the arrival and subsequent departure gates were. I was delighted when we arrived 20 minutes early but delight turned to dismay when we had to wait 15 minutes to get into our bay because a departing plane was still there! To make matters worse, we had to wait another 10 minutes before we could disembark because the walkway from the plane to the terminal was in the wrong place and we had to reverse and jiggle to get there! Anyway, I made it and so did my luggage!
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My final port of call was to visit my Madison University professor, Jo and her friend, Cathy who lived in a wonderful retirement complex, Well Spring in Greensboro, North Carolina. Both had been ill and decided to plan for the future. Everything for retirement was there for if or when you needed the support physically or mentally. Included in the contract was meal provision but this was served in the most wonderful five star restaurant! Again there were so many interesting things to do and see. We visited the Chihuly Venetians Art Exhibition which displayed the most amazing and unique blown glass exhibits, the International Civil Rights Centre and Museum which still houses the original Woolworth’s bar, the site of a non-violent protest in the US civil rights movement, toured the University of North Carolina Greeensboro Campus (Yum Yum’s ice cream was out of this world and the portions were generous!!) and went to a lecture at its Weatherspoon Art Museum and saw an exhibition called “Unbranded: A century of white women 1915-2015 by Hank WillisThomas which removed the texts from historic advertisments. We also went to see an excellent production of George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man. Guildford Courthouse which explained the 1781 battle between Nathanial Green and Cornwallis during the American Revolutionary War was very interesting as was its National Military Park. Our last port of call was to visit the Grant Wood Exhibition at the Reynolda House Museum of Art and to visit the house itself. The whole trip was a most wonderful experience. Everywhere and everyone I visited provided different experiences and different perspectives. I never stopped but loved every minute of it and can’t thank my friends enough for putting up with me, allowing me to share quality time with them and for showing me the interesting sights in their neighbourhoods. Now back in Bangkok, the trip seems like a wonderful dream! Did it really happen?! The jet lag is disappearing and I can’t wait for my friends to visit me. They will, however, find the experiences and life style they will experience in busy Bangkok very different to the lifestyles they’re familiar with but I’m sure they’ll love it just as much as I loved the calm and more rural areas in which they lived. Best friends they truly are and always will be. EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Travel
River Kwai respite by Stephen H Croll
I was keen for a quick weekend "getaway" from the "City of Angels” and there is no better place to relax than on The River Kwai, 3 hours by car from central Bangkok. This trip places you near the lake that feeds the headwaters of the beautiful River Kwai. I spent two days exploring the river, rafting through muddy brown waters and towering bamboo groves that frame the river on either side. The River Kwai flows like a serpent through shaded canyons, doubling back on itself every 2-3 kilometres. We were informed that the river is pollution free but dangerous in high water with fast flows and strong currents that run the entire length of the stream. During low water the currents slacken and kayaks, canoes and swimmers can be seen in the waters surrounding the river resorts. The river is alive with twenty plus varieties of large and small fish. I noted scores of kingfishers darting along the river surface looking for a meal and white egret stalking small fish along the riverbank. I saw no monkeys but could hear them calling in the distance at night.
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If you book during the low season, October/November, you may be the only one on the river. I travelled upstream by long tail boat and spent the day drifting downriver by raft. The stream had seen rain the day before we arrived and was running, cafe au lait, at 5-6 knots. The Kwai Noi runs shallow and sandbars appear often. Long tail boats are ideal for navigating the swift currents and navigational obstructions. The river rafts guided by a single boatman are considerably more difficult to control in fast currents. Long tails are a comfortable, albeit a noisy means of travel on the waters of Thailand. Limestone karsts tower above on both sides of the river reaching 3-400 metres above the banks. I was sharing a raft on a portion of my trip with a lady opera soprano who, as we navigated a deep gorge burst into song ... "The hills
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
are alive with the sound of music" … which echoed off the canyon walls and startled our boatman. I felt that the hills were mostly alive with monkeys and bats. I passed through villages with fisherman casting their nets for the night's meal. I was alone on the river drifting silently with the occasional bird call cutting through the quiet. Given the beauty of the surroundings it was surprising to find so few fellow travellers and so much silence. It rained lightly during the afternoon cooling and scenting the air. I had a midday experience that proved interesting. On a bend in the river I noted a small clearing and two boys who motioned my boat boy to come ashore. I was pleased to be stretching my legs after two hours in a narrow long tail. I followed my young guides up along a steep path that traversed the hillside and led to a clearing where older men and women were engaged in an animated discussion. I nodded hello and the group returned my smile.I asked our boat boy to interpret the conversation
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open during the evening and enjoyed the cool light breeze. There were comfortable soft chairs on the deck and candles to provide atmosphere. Full breakfasts and dinners are included in the cost for an overnight stay. The total cost to include transportation from Bangkok, accommodation, food, wine and two river expeditions was 8,750B … great value for money spent. Note that there are no restaurants in the area so one is dependent on the fare provided by the hotel.
and watched as he listened for a few minutes and then stepped away to explain that a village elder had seen what appeared to be a Japanese soldier chasing a white foreigner down a path near the river earlier in the day. He said that two other villagers in the area had seen a foreign soldier wandering through the bush but were afraid to approach him as he carried a rifle fixed with a bayonet. I was curious but decided that I had best retreat to the boat and continue downriver. I was relieved to see the dock below our camp and looked forward to a warm shower. Are there soldier ghosts wandering the Kwai Noi? ….. I doubt it. Am I interested in finding out? … Hardly! During our rafting adventure I noted two floating resorts … Jungle Rafts and the more upscale Flo House. These are floating raft hotels with 20 30 rooms. Both offer kayaking, rafting and treks to the local Mon villages. I preferred a camp on terra firma with easy access to the river. I stayed at Hintok River Camp a 4 star camping experience in luxury tents. I called it 4 star camping ... Junglewise. From Hintok we adventured out on the river for two days of sunny drifting. This was my first adult camping experience … and not my last. Hintok has a homey feeling with sheep, goats and house
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dogs wandering the property. Prior to entering the camp gate one finds a canvas pup tent equipped with WW11 relics and a broken down 3 ton truck that has seen better days. I interpreted this as the owner's attempt at humour but later learned that the site was originally a kitchen area for the infamous POW camp where British, Australian and Americans lived and died building bridges and a railway for the Japanese occupiers during the Second World War. Hintok Camp proved to be perfectly relaxing and welcoming. The tents were equipped with full baths and air conditioning. I left the tent
When you go: - Bring along a lightweight rain jacket for the afternoon showers. - I was warned about the mosquitoes but encountered only one or two during my stay. - Bring along your own hamper of cheeses, breads, fruits and wine to compliment the local fare. - All resorts provided small flashlights which should be carried at night to avoid stumbles. - Ascents to and from the river are steep … go slowly and carefully. - Be prepared to turn in early as there is little to do during the evenings and no cultural shows or television … my compliments to the management in their providing a sanctuary away from the hustle of Bangkok. - For adventurous souls there is a 40 station Tree Tops camp with numerous zip lines across deep gorges. - Locate the rooster that crows at 3am every morning and find him a girlfriend! No worries concerning snakes, dogs or tattooed bikers - there are none but watch out for the Japanese soldoer! Happy trails
Stephen H Croll was born in Boston MA, and graduated from the University of Ohio in1969. Served 4 years during the Vietnam war as an air artillery officer. Lived 40 years in China before moving to Bangkok. Manages Asia for his family business. Two children. Homes in Boston, Bali and Bangkok. EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Fashion and Beauty
Watinee Paleebut (Meow),
founder of Me and a Cup of Hot Chocolate by Meghan Lynch
Can you tell me about yourself? My name is Watinee Paleebut, I’m a fashion illustrator. People usually call me ‘Meow’ as it’s my Thai nickname. I’m a founder of ‘Me and a Cup of Hot Chocolate’ - an illustrative concept brand for scarves and accessories. I first graduated from Silpakorn University in Faculty of Decorative Art, majored in Visual Communication Design and became an art director at SC Matchbox Advertising Agency. I then pursued a Diploma in Fashion Design at Chanapatana International Design Institute and worked as a fashion designer of women apparel at F Fashion. I love to draw, as far as I can remember the first person who taught me to draw was my dad. My very first canvas was the wall in a house I used to live in when I was a kid. I grew up with cats and so I’m a cat person. My all time favourite drink is hot chocolate. Where does your inspiration come from with your designs? I would say anything that inspires me in. It can be
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anything. I love animals, nature, fashion and the figure of the female body so I combine them and create my own illustration. How long have you been designing for? Since my university degree, my drawing was general then - anything that came to mind. I wasn’t particularly focusing on anything specific at the time but after I had worked for 10 years, I began to develop an interest from there. I kept all of my drawings and started designing as a collection and then put it out into the market. What do you love the most about what you do? I think it's the possibility to do things that don't make me feel like I’m working. I can wake up as early in the morning to start my day working on my designs and to stay up as late to finish them. It's that freedom to get to do what I want in the way I wish to do it. My reward is the feedback that I received from people whether they love my designs or dislike them. This encourages me to keep on doing it.
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What kind of materials do you use to create your design and how do you choose them? Usually pencil and black ink. I use them a lot with my work, it’s my personal style. But creating the designs as a collection is more than just pencil. It depends on how I want them to be - if it’s more like a line work, I use a felt tip pen and if I want my drawing to be soft or intense, I use watercolour or ink and liquid watercolour, respectively. I also use marker to make it sharp and accurate. What is the most challenging part about what you do? The most challenging part is to keep improving the designs of my collection and to make a better collection than the one before.
Quote from a supporter and purchaser of her products:
“Her drawings are always beautiful and detailed. There is a slight quirkiness in her design, yet it’s sophisticated at the same time. Her use of combination of colours is amazing. I specially like the scarves, they can be a fashion piece or used as home decoration.” - Piyada Vachanaratana Imagining hot cocoa in hand and one of her scarves ...
Where can people buy your products? Are you going to expand the business? You can get them at Siam Paragon (level M), The Emporium (level 1), Central Embassy (Kiosk, level 2) and also ZEN (level 3) and Central Chidlom. I’m expanding the business but one step at a time as I don’t want anything to go wrong. We’re gaining more foreign customers for the past few years where they select my designs to be sold at their chosen stores. I think it’s great to have customers from different countries and I wish that they love the products. In what way are your designs a reflect of you? Tough question … I think it's all about the sense of feeling. I believe that if you are into what you do, you naturally put your soul into it and that itself is a reflection of you.
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75
Life
Rama 9 park - the playground of the fit and fabulous by Alex Bannard
On a trip to explore the market at Rama 9 park, Alex gets sidetracked by the energy in the park itself. Rama 9 park is directly behind Paradise Park on the Srinakarin Road. Taking the road between Haha Mall (who comes up with these names) and Paradise you drive along an avenue lined with ornate and luxurious houses. About half way down the occasional random market stall starts to appear. Well before the entrance of the park, a full blown Sunday market is in a full trading frenzy and it is barely 7.45am. With a car load of scooters and 5 kids under 9, the priority first was to park up and let the monkey’s run off some steam and feed the ducks before the mama’s hit the bargains. And this is where it all derailed in a wonderfully unexpected way. First we detoured via the maze, with the scooters, obviously. Recent heavy rainfall left some parts of the maze in deep puddles. All bar one
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of the kids sailed through, gleefully shrieking at getting drenched in muddy puddles. One of our crew insisted on being carried and as the flipflop wearing, not pregnant mama of the group it fell on me to volunteer. Which was absolutely fine until we reached a particularly deep puddle, full of tadpoles. Urgh! But through we went. They reached the other side and turned around to retrace their steps. That was enough tadpole toes for one day for me. As we headed to the lake we passed the Sunday morning Zumba class. The instructor was high on scaffolding, tinny Thai music blaring through what can only be very loosely be described as ‘the sound system’ demonstrating and shouting through a microphone. The Thai’s love a microphone almost as much as they love a whistle I find. What was
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
staggering was on every approach leading up to the scaffolding, people were lined doing their version of the routine, hundreds of them. Some catching the ubiquitous selfie less concerned about their form, others totally nailing it, seasoned pro’s. After purchasing huge bags of bread to feed the fish, we made our way to the lake. The pigeons soon spotted the bread and made a beeline for the crumbs. The squealing intensified as the kids tried to scare the pigeons away by screaming alone. Eventually it worked but not without the accompanying pained expressions on our faces and burst eardrums. Have you ever noticed how boys can actually squeal better, louder and more shrilly than girls?
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Then we hit the open air fitness gym. Almost every machine was in use. Again the seasoned pro, who clearly worked out there daily was as obvious as the once a week Sunday morning specialist. The energy was brilliant, intoxicating and very infectious. The kids had a go on almost everything much to the amusement of the locals, the pure glee, reflected in their rosy
cheeks – kids and Thai’s alike. By this point it was almost 10am, everyone was flagging as the heat of the day began to rise and coffee and waffles were on everyone’s mind. We made an executive decision to return to the market another time and headed to a rather fancy looking coffeeshop nearer the mall end of the road. And reflected: the market has been growing
over the last couple of years from a few random stalls to the buzzing collection it is today; there are more and more fancier coffeeshops and restaurants popping up. It seems, the energy in the park on a Sunday morning is extending beyond the park into the wider area of Suan Luang, dare I even hope to dream we are the new up and coming suburb in Bangkok?
Alex and her family have lived outside the UK for more than 10 years. Alex teaches yoga to private clients and group classes and can be contacted at masteryoga@elboliving.com.
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77
Health and fitness
Restorative yoga by Alex Bannard
Alex explores the benefits of practising restorative poses and takes you through three of the best. There is no doubt that life is becoming more stressful: technology, instead of appeasing the stress, is adding to it; in the expat world our other halves are often working long hours or travelling; the help doesn’t always, help that is; living in a place where the language, the script, the culture is different can be immensely stressful. With many of the most serious illnesses being caused by stress the ability to relax, unwind and restore our bodies and mind is ever more prudent. In yoga one of the best ways to counter and manage stress is to elicit the relaxation response, which has profound and healing effects. During conscious relaxation the entire system calms and balances itself, which can in turn help to balance hormones. Heart rate and blood pressure falls and muscles relax. The mind begins to calm and become quieter, which helps forge more positive mental patterns. More energy can circulate around the vital organs. Pain lessens and we consume less oxygen. After 4-5 hours of sleep, 8% less oxygen is consumed, however after just 3 minutes of conscious relaxation 10-17% less oxygen is used compared to waking hours. This is one of the reasons why monks who meditate for long periods of time can actually exist of much less sleep because their bodies and minds are restored more effectively during meditation than sleep. Restorative poses are any reclining pose that is held for longer than the standard 5 breaths and include child’s pose and savasana, which I have covered in previous articles. In this issue I will focus on supported shoemakers pose, legs
up the wall pose and supported bridge pose. You will need a folded blanket and possibly a couple of yoga blocks or pillows. Using a folded blanket to support the head, shoulders and torso, lie with the head and shoulders supported and the lower back and hips melting off the blankets. Bring the souls of the feet together, close to the hips and allow the knees to relax to the side. Support the knees with a blankets or pillows if necessary. Allow the torso to relax, the shoulders to relax and the arms to gently roll open with the hands relaxed. Close the eyes and breathe smoothly and hold for around 2 minutes. This pose regulates blood pressure, relieves indigestion and sciatica and is beneficial to all women at whatever stage reducing menstrual discomfort, improving ovarian circulation and helping pregnancy and menopause. Using a folded blanket to support the lower back and hips, allowing the shoulders and head to rest on the floor, thereby opening up the chest slightly, extend the legs up the wall and the arms outstretched to the side, palms facing upwards. Close the eyes and breathe smoothly for as long as possible. If you have low blood pressure you may notice your feet going a little numb. It is time to roll gently to the right side and come slowly to a seated position.
Supta Baddha Konasana - supported reclining shoemakers pose.
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Viparita Karani – legs up the wall This pose is a wonderful passive inversion which helps reverse the effects of gravity on the body, which is particularly beneficial to the heart and lungs but also helps to balance the endocrine and nervous system. It is a great pose to do instead of shoulder stand if you are on ‘ladies holiday’. This pose can be done with either blankets or a block. With a blanket support the body from the waist down to the feet, shoulders and back resting on the floor. Arms rest at shoulder eight, bent to the side cactus style. Close the eyes and breathe smoothly for as long as is comfortable. Alternatively, using a block to support your lower back by bringing the feet hip distance apart, knees parallel and raising the thighs and hips. Slide the block to rest under the sacrum and rest gently on the block, arms either side of the body, hands facing upwards. To come out of the pose, raise the hips slightly and slide the block out and hug the knees to the chest to stretch the lower back in the opposite direction. This pose opens up the chest and lung and helps relieve headaches and migraines whilst calming the mind and the nervous system.
Supta Setu Bandha – supported bridge pose
Alex and her family have lived outside the UK for more than 10 years. Alex teaches yoga to private clients and group classes and can be contacted at masteryoga@elboliving.com.
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Health and fitness
Boost your energy, boost your success by Ror Alexander
Have you ever sat back and asked yourself, “did I get much accomplished in the time I put into today’s tasks? Was that 8 hours I spent at work really as constructive as it could have been? Could I have done more? Or inversely could I have done the same in a lot less time?” The answer is most likely a huge yes. In fact there have been a number of studies on how much people actually “work” while at work, and the estimation? Just under 3 hours. That’s right, less than 3 hours; 2 hours and 53 minutes to be exact out of a standard 8 hour workday. This has lead many professionals interested in productivity and efficiency like myself to really look at the nature of work and how we can change the thinking behind “the work day”, and has lead to the realisation that it is not the amount of time that matters, but focus. Energy leads to focus, and focus leads to productivity. This means that if you just sat down with a clear mind and focused on the main tasks you really could finish your 8 hour day in just 3 hours. Yes, clock in at 10am and out by 1pm. Now that’s the dream workday! How do we get the fog out of our heads? How do we get the motivation to attack our tasks hard? Maximise our time and improve our chances at success? Increase your personal energy! 3 ways to increase energy to maximise focus and efficiency Sleep. This is the number 1 must do. Sleep is the creator of energy. Sleep is the king of energy. Sleeping controls dopamine which controls concentration. Sleep controls blood sugar, and skipping sleep regularly can give you the blood sugar levels of a diabetic. Sleep relaxes the muscles, resets the brain, and helps formulate long term memory and recall. Tips to an optimal sleep • Go to bed by 10pm at the latest.
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• Disconnect all electronics at least 1 hour before bed. The blue light stimulates the brain and prevents melatonin from forming. Melatonin helps you get tired. • Ensure your room is both cool (16 -18 degrees), and is dark, pitch black. • Look into some healthy sleep supplements like ZMA or even just straight magnesium. Even a warm glass of milk can help ensure a good sleep.
Maximise your morning. Having habits or what some call rituals are extremely important. Human minds like to be programmed and follow patterns. We have habits in everything we do. Most of us run on automatic pilot throughout the day, and most of our habits are not overly beneficial to maximising energy, and some are also in direct opposition to it. How many of you look at the phone first thing? Open an email, or just flip on the TV and watch nothing? Slowly make your way to the coffee maker, and plop yourself in a chair? Not really constructive is it? So how do we maximise our morning? Easy, create new, and positive (and simple) habits. Tips to maximise your mornings • Never hit snooze. The snooze button is truly a metaphor for life. You snooze through your morning, you snooze through your day. • Get up a little earlier. I like to tell people by 6 or 6:30am • Down your morning pick me up(s). I have 2, a glass of lemon water, and a cup of what I call “Mastermind coffee”. A ground coffee with 2 tablespoons of pure coconut milk, ½ - 1 tablespoon of pure powdered cocoa and a dash of cinnamon and super small dash of pure cayenne pepper. • Master your thoughts. Some people like to journal, others like to meditate. Personally I hate the word meditate, but what I do is sit for 3 minutes, just breathing and clearing my mind. Breathing deep through the nose, and out the mouth. Breathing
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through the nose actually creates a small amount of nitrogen which acts a boost to the brain. • Movement is key. This could have its own section, but I have chosen to add it into here. Get into the mode of being active in the morning. Working out is best in the morning, but many people have gyms that are far away, and they go either during lunch, only on certain days, or after work, but you need to move every morning to get blood pumping, and oxygenate the brain. I suggest some mobility or simple calisthenics. Bookmark a simple mobility, movement or yoga YouTube video and follow along. You can also go to my YouTube page (Ror Alexander) and follow along with my morning movement routine. FYI. The Mastermind coffee recipe video is there as well.
Eat really well Diet cannot be downplayed. Ensuring that you have a great diet, filled with clean, and nutrient dense foods with the vitamins, minerals macro and micronutrients your body needs. I won’t make any particular diet suggestion, and I’m not going to promote any particular way of eating, but there are some simple principles to follow. For those too busy to cook or don’t know how to cook, there are many local, affordable, and healthy food delivery companies around now, so no excuses. Tips to eating well • Make sure you get in enough protein, healthy fats and complex fibrous carbs to support your metabolic processes optimally. • Eat a lot of foods high in nutrients and low in calories. • Avoid fast foods and junk foods. • Eat a decent breakfast. Some people like high protein, some like oatmeal, whatever it is just make sure it’s nutrient rich. • Drink water, 2-4 litres per day. • Try to eat fish or healthy nuts 2-3 times a week, to ensure you get your Omega 3’s. • Try to eat local, and farmers market veggies and fruits. Support the local economy. • Avoid foods with added colours, preservatives or sugars, etc. By following these 3 steps I have laid out above, you are guaranteed to see your life become more energised and successful in many ways, whether through career, personal, social or family. There is no way having a clear mind, an optimistic attitude, and a full tank of energy can impede you in any way. Ror Alexander: Build yourself better Optimisation – Fitness – Nutrition www.roralexander.com thriveLIFE Studios: Bangkok Follow on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram
NGO
Run for Dek Thai by Phyllis Ansusinha President American Womens Group
September 25th 2016 was one of the few perfect days of the week where rain did not fall. Over four hundred monitor lizards were previously removed from Lumpini Park making it a perfect day for a race. On this day Bangkok hosted an historic event where hundreds of the Thai and expat community joined together to run for one important cause. Not only did people run in Bangkok but it was noted around the world that hundreds of people ran virtually to support the cause. This was for me, revolutionary, a grassroots project on a global level.
Raising awareness of the need to support rural, underprivileged Thai girls who do not have to means to cover their expenses through high school was the main goal. If we managed to raise money to assist the students we knew we would experience great success. Both goals were accomplished in the first annual AWC Run for Dek Thai for the AWC Scholarship Program which is in its twenty first year. There to support the cause and join in on great fun was US Ambassador Glyn Davies and his wife Jackie. Ambassador Davies greeted runners with an enthusiastic welcome speech and shared how the AWC had sponsored over seven thousand girls through high school over the past twenty one years. Joining the American Ambassador were five other Ambassador’s that included the Swedish Ambassador Staffan Herrstrom and wife Karin, New Zealand Ambassador Ben King, Ambassador from The Netherlands Karel Hartogh, Ireland’s Ambassador Brendan Rogers and
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from Denmark Ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel. Celebrities from Kids Iron Chef, winner Ainee Wittayathawornwong and AWC’s own actress/model Margaret Roche participated as VIP volunteers. Over twenty two hundred runners signed up for the event in Bangkok, over four hundred participants worldwide, and the run netted 950,000B for The Scholarship Program which will support well over one hundred students this upcoming year. The American Women’s Club thanks every runner who attended or offered support for a cause that will be cherished in over four hundred girls’ hearts this year. This was a day of amazement by our Thai run coordinating partners Julaluck Mioaw Siamwalla’s production team, as it was the first time they had experienced so many expats at one of their running events, and this is the day that AWC Scholarship Program Chair Claire Chau saw a vision come true.
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NGO
Agora architects and Mae Tao Clinic by David Richards
Making an impact: Studio a.gor.a architects models an inclusive architecture that helps people connect and share their knowledge. Founded in 2012 by Jan Glasmeier, Albert Olmo-Company, and Line Ramstad, a.gor.a architects is based in Mae Sot, Thailand along the Thai Burma Border. The studio has grow through an organic process of getting involved with NGOs, community based organisations, and Gyaw Gyaw, the name of a team of construction workers founded by Line Ramstad. In this interview, Jan Glasmeier shares a brief history of their practice along with some of the obstacles they have encountered and how they have solved them to deliver works of inspirational architecture. Why did you get involved in the community architecture practice? In my previous job I was working as a consultant for Arup Sport on the new national stadium in Singapore. My fiancée moved to Thailand half a year earlier because it was difficult for her to find a job over there. In Thailand, she started working for the community based organisation Mae Tao Clinic which provides free healthcare to Burmese migrants and refugees here on the Thai Burma border. I travelled to Thailand in January 2012 and started working as a volunteer on a few small projects. My girlfriend had a two year contract and she wanted to extend her stay for at least another year. I had no other option, than trying to find something to do in this little border town. I met Albert, who was already based in Mae Sot for a couple of years, and together we started working on a few smaller projects within the local communities. What does a.gor.a stand for? How was the studio founded? The “g o r” in a.gor.a stands for the family names of the three founders. Glasmeier, Olmo-Company, Ramstad. In 2013 we got invited to participate in an exhibition at the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt called Think Global, Build Social so we had to come up with a name. a.gor.a architect is not a registered organisation in Thailand and we are officially not allowed to call ourselves architects over here. By the way, Thai architects would have to face the same issues, if working in Europe.
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How was the team formed? How did local people become involved? In October 2012 Mae Tao Clinic was contacted by Casira, an organisation from Quebec in Canada, about the possibility to donate money but also to get involved in a four week hands on workshop in Mae Sot. At that time Kwel Ka Baung Migrant School, the only purely Karen migrant school, had an urgent need to move to a new location. We decided to build a new school campus with the support of Casira within one year’s time. Casira returned to Mae Sot the following year and we were able to open the new school campus right before the 2014 academic year started. For the 15 month construction process we hired local workers (some of them legal, some of them illegal migrants
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It’s about learning from each other and not taking things too seriously and trying to have as much fun as possible. We also pay salaries to our workers weekly (every Saturday) and have not yet missed it once. Last year we won an architecture award in South Africa, which included some prize money. This was a nice opportunity to pay an extra two weeks’ salary to the whole team. How did the practice start? Which was the first project completed? The first project was Mae Tao Clinic’s Training Centre which included five temporary dormitory buildings, two classrooms, and a library/office building. The two classrooms and the library were constructed with Gyaw Gyaw (a name which means “slowly slowly” in Karen), a team of construction workers founded by Line Ramstad from Norway.
from Burma) from the nearby community. Due to the fact that we were designing and building the school ourselves, we had full control over the money and were therefore able to provide a decent salary to our workers. The core team of 5 local workers stayed with us for the whole length of the project and after finishing Kwel Ka Baung school we were asked to work on other migrant school projects. The team of construction workers wanted to continue building with us and we wanted to continue working with them, so we kept going and expanded the team to twelve workers at times. How did you build trust between the community involved and your team? It’s all about trusting and respecting each other, as well as accepting the way things work in a different environment.
How were the first projects funded? The first project was founded through the embassy of Luxembourg in Bangkok and the organisation “Umverteilen’’ from Berlin, Germany. We never really had to do any fundraising for our projects because we have mainly been approached by NGO or private people if they were in need of a new school or other new facilities along the border.
NGO
How has the studio evolved from its inception to the present day? Albert and I started working in a bar and later in a coffeeshop where we met every morning and consumed way too much coffee during the day. Our team of construction workers has grown bigger over the past few years and we frequently hire architecture students from all over the world to join our team for a period of 6 months or so. The local Thai foundation Suvannimit offered to share their office with us for free and there is now space for five architects. Since working at Suvannimit, a Thai engineer has joined our team. He is our man on the ground when it comes to sorting out Thai contracts, construction drawings, and dealing with Thai contractors on site. What is the long term vision of the studio? Currently we are extending our stay year by year. Albert and I would love to keep this going as long as possible but maybe at some point we will work at different locations but still under the same name and with the same ideas. We will see, I guess!
What were the obstacles/ hurdles when forming the studio? How were they overcome? The expectation of funders can sometimes be a problem because people who do not live here on the border don’t seem to understand local and cultural differences. There is a big top down mentality by people from the outside, who are approaching migrant communities and think that their assistance or support is needed, but actually ignoring the reality that many issues can be resolved without the interference from the outside. It is just about asking the right questions first and being respectful while doing so. Which materials and techniques have been chosen in respect to the local social, economic and environmental aspects? We are mainly trying to build with local material such as bamboo (untreated), eucalyptus and secondhand timber from old demolished wooden houses. Our workers are very skilled at using these local resources and they know all sorts of connection details and techniques. But we have also reintroduced adobe as an alternative building material. Adobe is completely free and we would rather support local communities by producing these adobe bricks ourselves than buying concrete bricks from the next hardware shop. Adobe is a much friendlier material to work with and it is 100% environmental friendly.
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What recommendations would you give to other architects looking to start their firm in developing countries focusing on social architecture? We have been asked this question many times and there is not really a recipe of how start a firm that focuses on social architecture. It is all about self-motivation and making the first step. You don’t have to travel to a developing country to find social inequality and social unfairness. A lot of concerning things are happening in front of you to which you can react as an architect.
David Richards is currently based in Bangkok and works as freelance photographer. He specialises in architectural, landscape, travel, commercial and advertising photography. He is half British/Thai and floats between the UK and Thailand working on a number of different photography projects.
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Life
There are people in Bangkok, just waiting to have lunch with you! by Daniel Sencier
If the ‘MeetUp’ concept had not existed, I’d have had to invent it.
Over a year ago, having been in Bangkok for just two weeks, my wife had just started her new job, head of an international school, and she loved it. I’d finally unpacked, sorted out the house and done my best to make friends with anyone who passed the house, popping out as if on a spring every time I heard footsteps. One day, I was upstairs when unexpectedly, I heard voices, and yes, they were English! I ran down, very excited! Who could it be? Had someone come to see me especially? Who cares, I’d talk to anyone! Sadly, my internet radio had come on automatically, and was in the middle of a late night chat show. I was deflated, so disappointed and very down. I laughed at myself, but knew then that things had to change, and fast. Our ‘Moo Baan’ is near Bangwa, a very Thai area at the end of the Silom BTS line. People are friendly, but every communication is visual, be it the wave of a hand, nod of a head or just an approving smile, sound didn’t really matter in the early days. Now, I’ve about 100 Thai words to play with and I’m becoming more inventive by the day. A few years ago, I’d been a member of a ‘MeetUp’ group in Johannesburg, because you could only go out in the company of 20 others if you wanted to have a pleasant day, unaffected by the soaring crime rate. Maybe, just maybe
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there were dozens of people in Bangkok like me, at home during the day, going crazy talking to their radio? There was! Forming the group proved very easy and there are dozens of ‘MeetUp’s’ taking place every week in Bangkok, organised by 100s of groups, some more active than others. These include dance, art, meditation, chess, cinema, travel, dinner, cycling … the list seems endless and caters for almost every possible taste. These take place mainly in the evenings and on weekends, so I wasn’t sure how it would go down for the Bangkok English Speakers Lunch Group. It deliberately had ‘English Speakers’ in the title because I wanted a common language and that’s worked well. Many who attend are native English speakers but some from other countries speak very little and have come to practice their English in a safe environment. As a qualified English (CELTA) teacher, I’m only too happy to help and coach where needed; a very rewarding experience. So, who shows up for these midweek meetings when most people are at work? Firstly, women whose husbands are at work and they were at home going nuts like me, wanting to get out of the house, just to talk to someone. There were men like me, whose wives were at work, but overwhelmingly women, and to this day, only our ‘MeetUp’ for ten pin bowling
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attracted more men. Others who came were people arriving in the city for a short while and just wanting to meet and chat with someone because they couldn’t cope sitting in their hotel watching TV any longer. We’ve even been walking through the city as a group and come across lost individuals who we’ve rescued and they’ve tagged along with us for the day. It’s so funny when that’s happened, as the unsuspecting tourist can’t believe they’ve gone from being alone to having a dozen instant friends. Being familiar with ‘MeetUp’ as an international brand, travellers track us down online. Some join us once and we never see them again, others we see almost every week and we’ve become a circle of very good friends. With membership at nearly 800 and over 50 meetings behind us, we’ve covered much ground and been to some amazing, memorable places. Initially, I was new to the city, so how the hell was I going to take people to all these wonderful lunch venues? I didn’t know any! Luckily, Frans came to our first meeting, originally from Holland and having travelled widely, he’d been in Bangkok some 15 years, studying the Thai language and culture. Then very fortunately, Dusty found us. She’d been here 25 years, originally from Australia; she’d also travelled to many countries before settling in Thailand. We were then joined by Aska (Japan), Martin and John (England) and Arvind (India) who’ve all played an active part in making our group such a success. The venues are chosen by our members and researched by us before they go on the website. One of us will typically
go there the week before, take photos, check directions, book the table and look around for any other places of interest worth visiting. You have to be quick, because once announced, some of our lunches are full the same day. We’ve been to restaurants, Wats, markets, parks, museums, gardens, palaces, fishing ports, islands, a brewery and even a mystery tour, when nobody knew where they were going! Apart from flying I think we’ve covered every mode of transport known to man, though I’m trying to arrange an airboat trip in November. We limit group sizes to between about 10 and 15 depending on the size of the eatery. When we’ve tried to host very large groups of 20+, it never works as well as having a smaller group, where everyone gets to talk to everyone. At the last count we had over 80 different nationalities join us, and it’s an absolute delight to sit with so many interesting individuals, of all ages, from all walks of life. We do put some controls on membership, as I’m always aware of the sinister element out there. We ask for a head and shoulders photo, a phone number and name. It’s OK to send those details in private, but some refuse to give any information and they are always declined. It’s free to join us, you just pay for your lunch, and we do expect a certain standard of behaviour, ensuring everyone feels comfortable. Going forward we would like to attract a sponsor so that as demand rises, we can have perhaps 2 or 3 meetings a week. You can take a look at our MeetUp site to see where we’ve been, and we’ve got some great ideas going into our second year. I’ve seen so many friendships start from our gatherings and other groups being formed who go out at night and on the weekends; it’s so wonderful to think that it all started with us.
Daniel Sencier was born in London 1951, the son of Belgian/Irish parents who settled in England after the war. He spent his childhood being raised by his grandmother in the Republic of Ireland, before moving to go to school in England. He is married to Beverley, who is Head of an International School in Bangkok, and they have eight children between them. After service in the military, aircraft and hotel industries, he retired to further his education at the University of Cumbria. He successfully completed a Bachelors Degree in Wildlife & Media, and qualified as an English teacher. Now in Bangkok Daniel is organiser of the ‘Bangkok English speakers lunch group’, encouraging others to improve their English and explore this wonderful city.
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EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Finance
Taxation and expats in Thailand by Philip Sweeney
Foreigners come to live in Thailand for a variety of reasons. It may be that they have decided that Thailand is the idyllic place where they want to spend their retirement years. Chiang Mai for instance is often cited as one of the most desirable locations for retirement. Perhaps they have been relocated to Thailand as a part of their job by an employer based overseas but conducting business in Thailand. Another reason may be that the idea of living in Thailand is so attractive to them that moving there and finding employment becomes a reality.
How many foreigners give serious thought to their tax liabilities? For instance a retiree may have access to a pension received from overseas, or income from investments or property held overseas. Similarly a foreigner working for a Thai company or employer in Thailand, may have other income derived from his or her home country. What do they need to know? It is true that for a taxpaying individual, either a Thai national or a foreigner, the taxation system of the Kingdom can be very confusing. Added with the tax rates and the language, to understand one’s tax obligations and liabilities may seem even more confusing. The first thing to understand is that there are two classifications of taxpayers: Resident and Non Resident. Resident means a person who resides in Thailand for a period
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or periods aggregating 180 days or more in any tax (i.e. the calendar) year. The fact that the foreigner has a visa that specifically excludes any form of “residence status� within Thailand has no bearing on the definition for tax purposes. Any taxpayer, whether or not Thai tax resident, is liable to pay tax on income from sources in Thailand on a cash basis, regardless of where the money is actually paid. A Thai tax resident may also be subject to tax on income from sources overseas, if that income is brought into Thailand. In contrast, a tax non resident will not be subject to tax on income sourced from overseas. Everybody who has an income and is living in Thailand must have their own tax ID number. This can be issued by the tax office but you need to present ID such as your passport
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or ID card. You will also need to show why you need the number. The Revenue Office does have English speaking staff who can help with any queries. However it is certainly advisable to get assistance from a qualified accountant who will be able to greatly assist with what may be a confusing and time consuming exercise. All income that is considered to be assessable comes under the heading of Personal Income Tax. This includes non cash payments such as accommodation or the use of a car. There are several different categories of personal income including income from employment, income from a position held, income from royalties or dividends, income from rental agreements, income from construction work or income from any business. There are a series of deductions that can be made from assessable income and this needs to be done in a specific order. A person completing a tax return will start with the assessable income amount, then take away deductions such as expenses, then take away any personal allowances. The amount that is left is the amount that can be taxed. There are different percentages of deductions depending upon the type. These are reviewed regularly so the best course of action is to check the website of the revenue office for the latest information. An individual taxpayer has a personal allowance of 30,000B. If you are married and your spouse does not work then there is a similar allowance for them. You are also able to claim an allowance of 15,000B for each child under the age of 25 (a maximum of 3 children) if they are studying in full time education. If your parents are over the age of 60 and their income is less than 30,000B you can claim 30,000B each. If you are over the age of 65 then your own personal allowance becomes 190,000B. In addition to these there are allowances for education and life insurance as well as mortgage interest and contributions made to the social security system. As at 2015, those who earn less than 150,000B are exempt from income tax. Anything over this amount and less than 300,000B is taxed at 5%. Between this amount and 500,000B the tax rate is 10%. Over this amount and up to 750,000B the rate is 15%. Between 750,000 and 1,000,000B
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the rate is 20%. Between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000B the rate is 25%. Between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000B the rate is 30% and 4,000,000B and above is taxed at 35%. An individual is able to file their own tax return but all returns need to be in Thai, so non Thai speakers should seek the help of an accountant. The Thai tax year runs from 1st January to the 31st December and the tax return should be with the tax office by the 31st March, to cover the previous tax year. Payments should be made promptly at the same time as there are penalties for late filing and payment. Employers will withhold a certain amount of tax at source and this amount is then offset against the tax bill when you file a tax return. This reduces the possibility of getting a large bill. This can be as much as the top rate 35% but will depend on the type of work that you do and your earnings. There are a number of double taxation agreements in place with other countries which ensure that you are not taxed twice on any income earned in another country. Thailand currently has 51 such agreements. Disclaimer: This article is for information and guidance purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice.
Philip Sweeney is a lawyer from the UK and can be contacted at Opus Law International www.opus-law.com EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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FEATURES
Adjusting to the land of smiles
Sticky, hot, humid weather. Exhausting, loud, never ending traffic. Tuk tuks, temples and sky bars. When you move to Thailand, you are essentially starting your life over, and it can be challenging. Your expat life can be amazing and dream like when you find yourself standing in a 200 year old temple or drinking the most delicious cold milk tea as you fly through the city in the back of a tuk tuk. However, it can quickly turn into a nightmare when you realise how easy it is to be misunderstood, with no taxi drivers ready to take you home after, in the pouring rain … Expats come to Thailand from very different places and vastly different cultural backgrounds. The reasons for coming are also different, and it might feel very different from the newly promoted worker to the trailing spouse or a person looking to stay after a great two weeks vacation. What was right at home might be wrong here and the other way around. But mai pen rai – it doesn’t matter! The important thing is trying to adjust to get the most from your stay here, and Dr Donna Robinson from Medconsult Clinic will give her views on how to get a good start in Bangkok. From her own experience, she knows it can be a stressful and hard to settle into a new country. When she first arrived 20 years ago, she had a hard time settling in, and had to face depression. She tells us that she still remember her first year vividly, when the depression hit her hard. Before arriving here, she had been living in the UK, where she felt
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very comfortable and at home. She had been a practicing GP, which included practical care and a regular roster of new and returning patients. This changed when she and her husband relocated to Thailand. In Bangkok, Dr Donna had taken a job in an organisation that had never hired a foreigner before. Her colleagues did not know how to interact with her. Though they were wonderful people, she felt isolated. Instead of dealing directly with patients, she was writing health project proposals. She did not understand it very well and she did not even like it. At the time, she was also rushing from work to Thai classes every day, in an attempt to feel at home in her new country. She tells us that she had no real friends, or enough time, to take advantage of all that Bangkok had to offer. The solution for her, which she recommends to all new expats, is trying to make new friends or getting a hobby. She
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tells us that she began to feel better after joining a women’s group to socialise with. They were in the same boat as her and offered companionship and understanding. These days, Bangkok offers all kinds of opportunities for fun and socialising from volunteering opportunities, art classes, dance groups, networking events to Meet up groups and more. Find a hobby, get out of the house and meet new people with similar interest to you. It’s bound to improve your state of mind and help you cope with your new life. Another important aspect Dr Donna stresses the importance of, is changes in your lifestyle. The most important of these changes are exercise and eating a healthy diet. Adapting a regular exercise routine can help boost your endorphins. Endorphins are responsible for pleasurable feelings and these are released when we exercise. She is also a strong believer of people feeling good when they look good, and exercise is the most effective method to looking good! She has found that medication works best when combined with lifestyle changes, like increased exercise and a more balanced diet. Remind yourself why you are in Thailand: Did you come to advance your career? Meet a life goal? Have an expat experience? Congratulate yourself - you are accomplishing your goal! If you need reminders about what makes Thailand great, try to experience one new thing about the country each week. Get a massage, try a new dish or wander around a beautiful neighbourhood you’ve never been to before. If you are the trailing wife, try to find positive sides to moving to a new, exciting location. There are so many things to do and see, but sometimes it takes a bit of time to appreciate all Bangkok has to offer.
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Lowering your stress level can also help to ease the transmission of adjusting to a new place. Sign up for a yoga class, adopt a daily meditation practice or promise yourself a weekly session of Thailand’s famous massage. Whatever it is that calms you down and makes you feel great, make sure you do it for yourself! As you can see, Dr Donna tells us there is a lot we can do to adjust to our new country, but sometimes it feels much harder than it really is. Like she experienced herself, depression can sneak up on you. Following her advice to adjust to a new country might help, but sometimes you need a little extra help. The truth is one in six people will become depressed in the course of their lives. From what she has felt herself and seen in her practice, it’s her opinion that the added stress expatriates feel raises this statistic even more. She has seen many people in her clinic who have lived in Bangkok for months, or even years, before they are able to recognise their feelings of loneliness and distance from everything around them. You can also experience depression after coming back from a vacation back home! In spite of the typical thinking, depression might not necessarily mean that you feel sad. It is possible to be depressed and not even know it. For expats, some of the signs of depression, such as feeling disconnected, might be attributed to their move and not yet feeling at home in their new country. They might blame depression related fatigue on jet lag if they travel often or on the hot weather in Thailand. Signs of depression can include: • Feeling restless • Becoming easily irritated • Insomnia or oversleeping, having difficulty staying asleep • Feeling tired and low energy • Breaking plans often in favour of staying home • Change in eating patterns and weight • Difficulty remembering things and concentrating • Physical aches and pains with no physical cause • Feeling low spirited much of the time, crying •D ecreased interest and pleasure in things you usually enjoy • Losing interest in sex
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• Lacking self-confidence and self-esteem • Negative or despairing thoughts • Feeling disconnected from others • Increased use of drugs including tobacco, caffeine, alcohol and stronger substances • Self-harming (by cutting yourself, for example)
If you tick off five or more of these symptoms, you may be experiencing depression. If you are not able to combat your depression on your own: trying to make friends, taking up a hobby, changing your lifestyle or lowering your stress levels … There are still things you can try: Treat yourself kindly: Don’t place blame on yourself for the way you feel. Some days will be better than others and that’s normal and natural. Depression is not a form of failure, it is often a confluence of a number of things, including a move to a new country. If you need medical help, don’t hesitate to seek it. You deserve to feel better. Counselling: When Dr Donna has patients who are dealing with stress, anxiety or depression; she recommends counselling. When adjusting to expat life, being able to speak to someone is helpful. While counselling services used to be hard to find in Bangkok, there are now several places to find someone to talk to. At her clinic, they have Deepa Paaniselvam, Jeevna Bajaj and Eric Mason, three experienced and highly qualified psychotherapists. She advises
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that you should not use a counsellor as simply someone who listens, but as someone who can also teach you some practical exercises on how to change your habits and behaviour. Depression medication: SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are antidepression medications. They work by boosting the serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of wellbeing. SSRIs allow the brain to maintain a higher level of serotonin, thus lifting your mood. SSRIs aren’t a quick fix to make you feel better but they may help in the short term. They can assist you in looking at things in positive ways. Herbal help: Another type of supplement that helps is St John's Wort, a traditional herbal medicine that helps relieve anxiety and remedy low spirits. It also works by interacting with serotonin and is similar to SSRIs. It can be bought at most chemists that sell products by GMC or Blackmore’s. Because its effects are fairly mild, you don’t need a prescription. If you take St John's Wort, don’t take SSRIs (anti depressants) at the same time. Related medical conditions: Health issues such as an under active thyroid gland can also lead to feelings of fatigue and exhaustion that might be mistaken for depression. This issue is common in both women and men and is easily treatable with medication. A deficiency in Vitamin B12 or D3 can induce symptoms of depression as well. A blood test can tell your doctor if you need a supplement or not. A medical condition such as anaemia can also have symptoms that mimic depression such as fatigue, oversleeping and low energy.
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FAMILY and RELATIONSHIPS
Ask Carolyn and Kasia by Carolyn Ford and Kasia Szymanska
We have had a few letters regarding worry and anxiety so this month I am focussing on: How to stop worrying!
Sometimes worry can act as an catalyst for us to take action and solve a problem, but often we become preoccupied with “what if” and worst case scenarios. Constant worry or anxiety is exhausting and can stop us functioning well in daily life. The rule of thumb is: is the worry real? If so how can we take action to resolve the issue. But if we are for some reason unable to resolve a worry – it’s not in our power – or it’s a hypothetical concern - then there are strategies to train our brain to stay calm and take a more positive perspective on life. For most people, the anxious thoughts are fuelled by the beliefs - both negative and positive - they hold about worrying. But both the negative worrying about worrying: you can’t sleep, feel pessimistic - and the positive belief that worrying serves a purpose: maybe I’ll find a solution, I want to be prepared, have I missed anything - perpetuate our anxiety. Five strategies to reduce worrying: 1. J ust telling yourself to stop worrying is unlikely to work for any length of time. We can distract ourselves or suppress thoughts for a few moments – but then they pop back in our heads as strong as ever! In fact by “banishing” the worry and not thinking about it we are in a sense concentrating on it more! So instead of trying to stop worrying, try postponing it. This means we have permission to worry, but at certain times only.
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Choose a worry period – the same time every day for 15 minutes (not before bedtime!) and make the rest of the day worry free. If a worry pops into your head, write it down and postpone it to your “worry period”. As your ability to postpone the worry develops, you will realise you are controlling your anxiety. 2. W orrying about what bad things could happen won’t stop them happening! But it does prevent us from enjoying the now. Ask yourself the following questions and write down your responses. See if you can come to an understanding of the disadvantages and problems of being intolerant of uncertainty. • Is it possible to be certain about everything in life? • How is needing certainty in life helpful and unhelpful? • Is it possible to live with the small chance that something negative may happen, given its likelihood is very low? 3. If you suffer from chronic anxiety and worries, chances are you may overestimate the possibility that things will turn out badly, jump immediately to worst case scenarios, or treat every negative thought as if it were fact. These irrational, pessimistic attitudes are known as cognitive distortions and are part of an automatic pattern of thinking we have developed. When you have an anxious thought, examine and challenge the worry by asking the following questions: • What’s the evidence that the thought is true? That it’s not true? • Is there a more positive, realistic way of looking at the situation? • What’s the probability that what I’m scared of will actually happen? • If the probability is low, what are some more likely outcomes? • Is the thought helpful? How will worrying about it help me and how will it hurt me? • What would I say to a friend who had this worry? 4. P ractice mindfulness. This strategy in contrast to the previous techniques focusses on acknowledging the worrying thought – and then letting it go. Don’t try and ignore the worry. Observe without judging, as if from a
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distance, and imagine that like a cloud it will drift away as easily as it popped into your head. Pay attention to your present moment, what you see, hear and how your body feels. Stay in the present moment. Using mindfulness to stay focused on the present is a simple concept, but it takes practice. Initially you’ll probably find that your mind keeps wandering back to your worries. Try not to get frustrated. Each time you draw your focus back to the present, you’re reinforcing a new mental habit that will help you break free of the negative worry cycle. 5. Certain people or situations can exacerbate anxious thoughts: Keep a worry diary for a week. Every time you start to worry, write down who or what triggered it and look for patterns. Spend less time with people who are negative and feed your anxiety or set certain topics off limits if you know talking about them will increase anxiety. If you want to talk to choose someone who will help you gain perspective rather than feeding your worries and fears. We wish you a happy and healthy 2017 – with a lot less worry! Dear Kasia I need some help to deal with my relationship. I’ve been married for 10 years, living in Thailand for 5 years. About 2 years ago I found out that my husband was having an affair with a Thai girl he met in a bar, I found out by accident when I confronted him he was honest about what happened and said that he would stop and try and work on rebuilding out marriage. We then went back to Europe for 3 months and spent ages talking and trying to make our marriage work. I think our marriage is getting better now, but I keep thinking the affair will restart, I don’t trust him and I feel so jealous. I ring him a couple of times a day at work to check up on him, if he doesn’t answer my head starts to spin. When he goes out to play to golf with his mates I just want to follow him, instead I call him again and again. I check his phone and email every day. What can I do to stop him meeting this woman again?
try to do that you will continue to feel unhappy and the feelings of jealousy will get stronger. What is in your control is how you respond to this ongoing situation. Have you sat down and talked to your husband and explained that feel insecure and jealous? Have you asked him outright if he is meeting with her? If he says no you need to trust him. If you haven’t talked openly its worth doing, if your relationship has improved and is getting stronger I would hope that husband pays attention to your concerns. Also I wonder how ringing you husband repeatedly and checking his phone and email is helping you to trust him again? How does it make you feel when you check up on him? I suspect that it makes you feel even more jealous, you are effectively feeding your jealousy. Once you start checking it’s hard to stop it becomes compulsive, the longer you do this for the harder it will be to stop. How does your husband respond to you checking up on him? How would you respond if your husband kept checking up on you? Is it possible that your behaviour is causing a rift in your relationship? If you continue down this route you may push away your husband and ultimately loose the man you love. So instead of putting so much energy into checking, can you channel this energy into making your relationship better? The sooner you decide to break this cycle the sooner you can both work on making your relationship rewarding and longstanding.
Dear Monika Firstly I’m glad you are both working towards getting your relationship back on track. You ask if you can in some way stop your husband meeting this woman again? Well the honest answer is no you can’t control who your husband talks to or meets with, if you
Is there something causing you concern? Do you have something you would like to ask us? We’re here to respond to your questions about stress, adjustment, relocation, relationships, family, cross cultural communication, work or any other feature of expat life. All emails will be replied to, and may be used in the next edition of Expat Life in Thailand subject to your consent. Email Carolyn and Kasia at: carolyn.elbkk@gmail.com Carolyn Ford is a registered coaching and counselling psychologist (ISCP) and an Associate at Psychological Services International (PSI) in Bangkok. Kasia Szymanska is a registered psychologist (BPS), an accredited coaching psychologist (ISCP) and accredited psychotherapist (BABCP).
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Getting the rub down in Bangkok by Neil Brook
When searching for the perfect massage the choice is endless as along Bangkok’s streets and alleyways shopfronts are lit up and inviting, littered virtually on top of each other, as passers by are lured with promises to sooth tired feet and destress aching muscles. A few months ago, friends invited us to join them for a massage before lunch. Arriving in Silom hidden off the street we discover Ruen Nuad, which according to Google is a 20 minute drive but today takes 45 as traffic banks up along Rama IV road. Devoid of the usual hawkers, a tastefully decorated, older style building invites with aromas and wind chimes, rooms scattered up and down discreet corridors, providing ample space, curtains blowing gently in the breeze. In my quest for perfection, having previously experienced rows of mattresses, dormitory style, touching each other divided limply by thin curtains, allowing every moan and groan to permeate the communal space, this is both welcoming and reassuring. That time I remember arriving to snoring, filling the void, not sure if that was a good omen or an annoyance. An annoyance! I opt for a traditional Thai massage, although a selection of oils is available for those who choose, preferring the pressure through freshly cleaned shirt and shorts. Shorts which I inevitably put on the wrong way. Fumbling to tie the waistband at the side, in front, behind ... I settle on the side thus avoiding the knot when I am being coaxed into compromising positions, legs and arms being stretched into moves reminiscent of the Kama Sutra. At least that was a previous recollection.Â
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With feet washed, comfortably in my pyjamas, I lay down in anticipation. It begins. Gently kneading feet, legs, arms and hands. Flip over, shoulder and back. With expert guidance and precision my masseur takes me to heaven, leaves me there for nearly 90 minutes before allowing me to glide back to earth. Firm, to inflict just enough pain, pushed to my limits, but
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
not too far that it leaves me aching and begging for mercy or praying for it to end. This is a far cry from a previous encounter in Hong Kong when having been led up the stairway to heaven I later struggled down the steps from hell. I am not one for massage by feet, although some may disagree, and prefer instead hands and occasional elbows used with know how and technique. Despite my requests I found myself in an uncomfortable position with Lucy Liu hurling herself onto my spine Charlie's Angels style, ripping and tearing at my muscles, stupidly allowing myself to succumb to her charmless assurances. I have since gathered the courage to refuse any hint of a stampede. In some places however where language is a challenge, an ingrained choreography, perfectly timed, sometimes launches into action with little room for compromise or compassion. I have been a recipient of the annoying rub, torture and of every combination in between. Is there anything less satisfying than paying good money for what could have been achieved by rolling around on the carpet or hitting yourself with sticks? There have been occasional wandering hands. Bali comes to mind when a hand slipped a little too far and ended up attempting a coup, unsuccessfully, below the waist. Although, there are millimetres between
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relief and 'relief' when well placed hands are stretching the muscles on your inner thigh. Scouring Bangkok, I have popped into shopfronts and massage houses, with high hopes and promises, open minded and willing to allow hands to manipulate. I could be more flexible and sometimes attempts to manipulate my body result in cries of exasperation and an eventual realisation that no matter how hard you try, it ain't gonna happen. Massages are extremely personal and should be tailored to your individual needs and limitations whilst pushing the body towards new heights and rewards. A litany of failures lead to, I thought, success. On my first visit, feet less and with strong hands I enjoyed a wonderful massage. We exchanged numbers on 'Line', a messaging app similar to WhatsApp and adapt in propagating an image for virtually every word, so that sentences can be
constructed and viewed, rather than written and read. Having added my new friend I was eager to return, alas to more feet than hands, falling foul to the Bangkok hustle and to assurances she knew what I wanted. She was my 'friend’ after all.
Fit Food Always
@fitfoodalways
Revisiting Ruan Nuad recently was like visiting an old friend. The massages here are perfect for me and I happily re book. There are plenty of lunch options close by as we float off down the street.
ArtS and Culture
Tesagan Gin Je festival by Helke Vijsma
Also known as the Vegetarian Festival, which actually is more of a vegan festival, starts at the first evening of the ninth lunar month. This year it took place at various places throughout Thailand from 1-9th of October.
The Tesagan Gin Je festival is a celebration of the Nine Emperor (Taoist) Gods, and has been an annual tradition since a Chinese opera company in Phuket got seriously sick and then recovered miraculously after following certain rules. One of the rules was to follow a strict vegetarian diet, which provided the name of the event ever since. In Expat Life Oct/Nov 2015 issue you might have seen my article about this festival held in Phuket, describing more about the origin and rules. It was accompanied by some cheeky piercing pictures. Although quite different when it comes to the parade, the vegetarian festival is held in Bangkok too. So this year, my camera and I took the MRT and headed to Chinatown, hoping to witness some of the “Tesagan Gin Je” festival in my beloved City of Angels. I wasn’t disappointed. Walking South, away from Hua Lampong MRT station, I start following some participants dressed in white. We are entering the area Talat Noi. I am walking along piled up collections of iron. Car parts, screws, jars, all sorted out, in front of people’s living rooms. Not limited to a few houses or shops here, but a whole street full of metal. And then around the corner another street of the same piled up material.
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Going with the flow, I end up shuffling in crowded narrow streets packed with food stalls. The hectic scene is tuned down by light colours; people all dressed in white, and many yellow flags and signs indicating this food has been prepared according to festivals rules. Soon I reach a square with many people sitting on plastic chairs, waiting for the opera to start. Knowing the opera is performing every day during the festival, the next day I set off again to experience more. But as Chinatown always surprises me in a pleasant way, I bumped into a colourful crowd, preparing for a parade.
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Before starting the long walk, some rituals with a spectacular lit dragon are taking place. Young people standing all the way up against a 10 metre pole, leading the dragon circulating up while on a distance, a small boy is being tied (with nothing more than a colourful bandage) to another much larger pole which would be swung straight up so the boy and the dragon would have a ritual fight anytime soon. As the festival is very Chinese, there is this typically human tower. And of course lots and lots of noise when the parade is finally starting. Fiercely, the dragon walks in front, collecting money from the devotees along the route, and accompanied by some colourful, dressed up people who are banging some percussion, or holding a flag. Someone is sprinkling people along the route with holy water for good luck and prosperity. My camera and I are getting wet, but it feels good so I am not bothered. I am blessed, experiencing such a colourful glimpse of this fascinating culture yet again.
Helke Vijsma: Hi, my name is Helke and I am from The Netherlands. Before I moved to Bangkok with my family 8 years ago, I have lived in Singapore and Croatia. Until then I was an art teacher and picked up photography again in this fascinating country.
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Expat Stories
Your baby is ugly! by Jocelyn Pollak
You just found out via Facebook that your Thai friend is pregnant! And due in 8.5 months. Wait, is that math correct? She's telling everyone, and I mean everyone, so early, right? Nope, it's right on time. Now, I don't claim to be an expert on babies by any stretch of the imagination. However, I'm 32 and have lived in Thailand during prime baby making years for many of my Thai friends. Naturally, this has allowed me to learn firsthand about some of the cultural norms surrounding pregnancy and birth in the Kingdom. Thai culture is well known for being steeped in tradition and superstition and the time surrounding pregnancy is no exception. As an American, many of these Thai practices were shocking to me at first. While the following customs don't apply across the board to all Thai women and are certainly not meant to be an exhaustive list of everything you can expect with a pregnant Thai friend, they are common enough that they are worth taking note of. As I mentioned above, one of the first major differences between Western culture and Thai culture is when the pregnancy is announced. It's customary in the West to keep it quiet for 3 months before announcing a pregnancy. In Thai culture, you can expect for that announcement to come as soon as the double blue line pops up on the pregnancy test stick. Congratulations are in order for the happy mom, just maybe a couple months earlier than when they would come in the West. You may notice your Thai friend drinking more ginger tea and eating less papaya salad than normal. In Thai medicine, pregnancy is considered to be a “hot” condition and in order to keep the baby warm, mothers are advised to eat hot foods such as ginger, garlic, onions and tamarind. Some foods, known in Thai as khong salaeng (allergic foods) should be avoided so they don’t cause troubles during labour or to the unborn baby; these troublesome foods include papaya salad, hot spicy foods and pickled foods. In a culture as superstitious and traditional as Thailand, one can not underestimate the role of evil spirits. Even your most doubting Thai friend may partake in some of the practices to protect the baby. If you see a woman wearing a safety pin on her belly and it doesn’t seem to actually be pinning anything together, she’s likely pregnant and hoping to protect herself and her unborn child from a ghost. Chances are, you won’t catch a pregnant woman at a funeral (hello ghosts) and if she must attend, she’ll likely have her pin prominently displayed.
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Probably the most common cultural advice I have been given regarding ghosts is to refrain from calling a friend’s baby cute. I have told so many mothers that their baby is ugly, it almost feels normal to me now. Saying a baby is cute may alert ghosts to the adorableness of the newborn and result in the evil spirits taking the baby away. This point was probably the most challenging for me as a Westerner because it is so opposite from our culture. My Thai friends have all been very forgiving when my Americanness is just too strong and I coo at their babies, telling them they are just the cutest thing I have ever seen; “It’s safe because the ghosts can’t speak English”, the moms tell me. The last thing that might come as quite a surprise is the visitation of the new mom in the hospital. I was late to see my most recent Thai friend after she had her baby. He was born around 2pm and I couldn’t make it to the hospital until 8pm. I was the fifth or sixth friend to stop by. Yes you read that correctly, I arrived (late) just 6 hours after the birth. As a Western woman, we can hardly imagine more than a few very close family members attending the hospital after birth. In Thailand, it’s normal to show up within hours of the birth to greet the new parents. This one has taken some real getting used to for me. If you go outside of Bangkok to more rural areas, I’ve been told there are hundreds of really traditional beliefs and old wives tales about all sorts of things dealing with pregnancy. For now, I’m just going to work on trying to make it to the hospital on time! EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Plumaria flowers and Buddhism by Margaret Elizabeth Johnston ND
The Plumaria or Frangipani flower has many diverse meanings in many cultures. I first came across this beautiful flower when living in Hawaii and as I am now, 25 years later, moving to Laos and have spent much time in Thailand, it has once again resurfaced in my life. It must be a magical flower for I was only contemplating doing a painting of this flower when I learned that it is one of the main flowers that hold devotional value among Buddhists and I have also felt drawn to paint Buddhist temples with flowers weaving around deities and growing through the cracks! A lot of the plants I portray with my watercolours are of medicinal value and needless to say I was very surprised to find that the Plumaria holds this quality also so how could I resist painting this flower in combination with a Buddha! There are separate species of Plumaria and it is mostly the different shaped leaves that makes them definable, some with narrow and corrugates leaves and others with elongated glossy dark green leaves. Some retain leaves throughout the winter and others are evergreen. I won't go on about deciphering the different species for there are also over 300 different types of varieties! One of the more interesting facts is that the flowers are so fragrant they are pollinated at night by the sphinx moth strictly due to their overpowering scent, which is strongest after the sun goes down. The nectar that these moths are looking for doesn't exist but the pollen gets from one flower to another via the moth’s legs and body. The Plumaria is also related to the oleander, Nerium oleander, and both have an irritant, a sap that can be harmful to the eyes and skin so please use care when snipping off stems and flowers.
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In Thailand, there has been much misunderstanding about this flower that has lead it from being a flower people wanted to avoid to being one that is desired and thought of as protection. The old name is "dook-lan-tom" which sounds similar to "ra-tom" which means gloomy, sad and depressed. However, as linguists have studied the name it surfaces that "lan" means "finish" or "abandon" and "tom" is from "ra-tom" which I mentioned means "gloomy, sad and depressed" so in actuality, "lan-tom" means "to abandon the sadness". Nowadays, the Thai use the name "lii-laa-wadii” In other cultures the Plumaria represents charm, grace, new life, beginnings, beauty and spring. Particularly in the Buddhist religion the Plumaria symbolises immortality and is considered sacred. They are planted outside every Buddhist temple and with the constant blooms there is everlasting life being represented on this beautiful tree and scent of the flower. The Plumaria is the official symbol of Laos and is called “Dok Champa” or "Shampa". The flowers come in white, yellow, red, orange and combinations of these and represent sincerity and joy. This was another amazing coincidence for me with this flower for I have been keeping my eye on a particular botanical garden that is having its grand opening this coming November/December 2016. The garden's name is Pha-Tad-Ke and is located on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was originally colonised by the French so there are a lot of old French colonial buildings in combination with Buddhist temples so the architecture alone is a reason to visit. The
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been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. The essential oil is made from the flowers and has been also used medicinally. There are a number of compounds as an antibiotic, namely Triterprenoid Amirin, Lupeol and Fulvoplumierin. These substances are fever lowering, helps to overcome inflammation and pain relieving. As a massage ointment, using essential oil of Plumaria in a carrier oil like grapeseed or almond oil can be very calming and soothing to a client or spouse, and also can be of use as an arousal in combination with Ylang-Ylang and Gardenia! I began a 13 year massage therapist career in the Hawaiian Islands and this flower has been a major part of my life there and now with the beautiful meaning in Asia like Thailand and Laos I feel blessed to be going "home". Â As most of you expats know, sometimes when we move to new homes and learn new cultures, it is always interesting to see how sometimes our past life has led the way forward. I hope you enjoy my new style of painting with the Buddha in the background and will be working on more images like these along with continually enjoying the expat lifestyle in our beautiful world that is ours to savour! Hope to see you at the Pha-Tad-Ke and please don't hesitate to email me if you would like a personal tour along with some of the Laos staff! mej@mejcreations.com
Pha-Tad-Ke is forming a regional research centre that will provide opportunities with international botanical institutes and is being developed with educational programmes for all age groups. Plant reintroduction, horticulture, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, addressing critical problems from management of local resources to conserving biodiversity are just some of the topics the garden is focusing on. There will be publications, outreach, dedicated scientists and more than 30 Lao staff to offer a beautiful landscape for visitors so keep your touring ideas focused on this place for a next travel holiday! There is lots to see in Luang Prabang and it is just a short flight away! I plan to be there for the grand opening and staying on studying and portraying the medicinal plants of Asia for a year or more so there shall be some more articles from me in Expat Life in Thailand! I mentioned before my association with this flower in Hawaii, the island women indicate their relationship status over the right ear meaning "available" and over the left ear meaning "taken". The name in Hawaiian is "melia". Leis are also made with this flower as a way of welcoming people new to the islands, welcoming them home or for celebrations. I have also found the name Temple Tree which coincides with the Buddhist beliefs and offerings. One may look upon this flower as a new beginning or birth, everlasting life and growth. The essence of the Plumaria is intoxicating and has
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Margaret Elizabeth Johnston ND has found a way to intertwine her life’s passions and skills as a naturopath, botanical illustrator/artist and educator. Living in various countries studying medicinal plants and cultures, her paintings are a way for her to educate the public in an interesting way that adds fun and creativity to her life. Living in Thailand for the better part of 2015 she is happy to be living back in Asia after a stint in the USA to dedicate some time to the Pha-Tad-Ke and to continue with the study of Asian medicinal plants. Her journey can be followed on www.mejcreations.com
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In the eye of the tiger: Saving the last home range of Thailand’s tiger population by Martin Hart-Hansen
“Tigers are abundant when forests remain intact, forests are protected because there are tigers,” so a traditional Thai saying goes, reflecting the interdependency between tigers and their habitats. As Thailand’s forest cover was reduced from 70% of the total land areas in 1950 to 30% today from illegal logging and land conversion, the tiger population in the kingdom has also been dwindling down to approximately 200 tigers, half of these roam in the 3 wildlife sanctuaries in the West of Thailand, Huay Kha Khaeng, Thung Yai Naresuan East, and Thung Yai Naresuan West, which are designated World Heritage Sites. This is also the last home range of the particular Indochinese species of tigers in mainland Southeast Asia. The most significant threats to tiger survival in and around the Huay Kha Kaeng – Thung Yai World Heritage Site includes: 1) habitat degradation and fragmentation: 2) poaching of the prey that tigers depend on: and 3) poaching of the tigers themselves. Recognising the importance of this heritage, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working in support of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) to improve the protection of these wildlife sanctuaries as well as providing incentives for communities for their participation in the conservation of tigers and their habitats, through ‘Strengthening capacity and incentives for wildlife conservation in the Western forest complex” project. Launched on the Global Tiger Day on 29th July this year, this 5 year project receives 7.5 million USD in support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to work on the three components. First component seeks to reduce the direct threats to tigers and prey, improve effectiveness of wildlife sanctuary management, and enhance the use of data and information to support key management decisions.
Second component seeks to achieve linkages of enclaves and buffer zone communities with conservation by promoting incentives, including technical support and grant funding for sustainable livelihood initiatives and ecotourism development, for community based sustainable forest management, environmentally friendly agricultural practices, nature based tourism and education and improved wildlife and habitat protection. Third component is directed towards raising awareness in communities living in and around the World Heritage Site of the intrinsic value of the forest habitats and wildlife, and also strengthening the capacity (information, knowledge, skills) of community representatives to assure a constructive and meaningful contribution to the co-management of the wildlife sanctuaries. The project sees the tiger as the flagship species at the apex of the food chain. Tiger survival signifies the abundance of their prey and a healthy ecosystem. The fight to save tigers and the fight to improve the wellbeing of people are one and the same.
For more information of the project, please visit UNDP Thailand website: www.th.undp.org
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NGO
Sustainable development tourism in Bangkok and beyond
“They are disappearing … together we can make them APPEAR again” by Martin Hart-Hansen
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Tourism Division of the Bangkok Municipal Authority (BMA) and social enterprise HiveSters, have developed a unique Sustainable Development Tourism initiative known as the APPEAR project, the first ever public private partnership in Thailand to develop sustainable travel activities in Bangkok. AirAsia Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have later joined the partnership as well. The initiative aims to put focus on the forgotten historical urban communities who are struggling with disappearing culture and identities. Some communities are at risk of being dispersed due to fast development without the notion of conservation – Aunty Kanya in Nangleong one of only two people left who can perform the Chatri dance, while in the Banbu neighbourhood, we find the last six people in the world who still make Khan Long Hin or brass bowls.
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Since October 2015, Hivesters, a social enterprise with an online platform for booking sustainable tourism activities in Thailand, and BMA have worked with the communities to prepare them for engaging in the tourism industry. The project also works closely with the communities to identify social challenges to be addressed, create unique tourism experiences, and develop marketing materials. The project has further partnered with some of the leading hotels in Bangkok, and connected them to the disappearing communities to form the “Alliance of good neighbours” – friends who help each other grow sustainably while improving the livelihoods of the local communities, thereby enabling them to ‘appear’ again. The connections between individual communities and the hotels have been carefully vetted, to take into consideration the characteristics of each hotel and community. The Sukosol Hotel was matched with Nangloeng
community, a vibrant food market and performance hub, the Erawan Group was matched with the Banglumpoo community, when as the Thai Hollywood of the past, the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit, was matched with the Ban Bu community, home to some of Thailand’s most skilled craftsmen and women, the Banyan Tree Bangkok was matched with the Hua Takhe community, a hub of local living and contemporary arts, the Anantara Riverside Bangkok was matched with the Bang Kradi community, the hidden ethnic Mon neighbourhood, and The Sukhothai Bangkok was matched with Koh Sarn Chao community, a green neighbourhood in the heart of Bangkok. Hivesters is leading this project on behalf of the partners, to bring hotels to engage with their matched community and utilise their expertise to develop marketing ideas and to promote sustainable tourism experiences in Bangkok. The hotels will also be challenged to come up with creative and innovative solutions to address various social development challenges faced by the communities brainstorming sessions and design thinking processes. With the experiences gained from developing this project in Bangkok, UNDP with AirAsia Thailand, HiveSters, picnic.ly, a social media platform, and another sustainable tourism social enterprise called Local Alike, will develop a nationwide sustainable tourism initiative, creating unique local experiences, with sustainable development and local livelihoods at the centre. For more information, please see www.hivesters.com/appear EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Meet the Artists: Jenny and the Scallywags by Rianka Mohan
In 2015, a brand new band from Thailand won the second annual Project Aloft Star, amplified by MTV contest, with half a million online votes judging 350 original music entries from across Asia. Not bad for a group that performed together for the first time only the afternoon of the finals in Kuala Lumpur! To hear them tell it, it was a crazy taxi ride, with five of them crammed in, all shouting different directions and trying to get to a recording studio to rehearse, that tested their mettle as a cohort! But as band member Charlie McSkallywag would say, it was the start of something beautiful. They performed their original songs “Sounds like maybe” and “How to break up with somebody”, and early in 2016, released their first EP. The songs from that release are a blend of folk/pop with Lackgren’s voice forming the anchor to soulful lyrics and melodic instrumentation. “Sounds like maybe” shot to the top of Thailand’s indie music charts. The band is Will Corbin (vocals, ukulele), Jennifer (“Jenny”) Lackgren (vocals, guitarist), Ludovic Leflon (drummer), Charlie McSkallywag (guitarist), and Paul Romaine (bassist). Expat Life spent an afternoon with them at their studio on the eve of their first album, over some exceptional coffee courtesy Romaine.
Can you tell us how the band got started? Jenny Lackgren - Originally it was me, Charlie, and Adam playing covers and at one of our regular spots, Apoteka, we met Paul and Will. Charlie, who's an old family friend, and I have been playing together since I moved back from Sweden to Bangkok in 2004. Adam Sharpe was a band member until recently when he took on a role at UNESCO. He still sings harmonies on a couple of our new recordings. Paul Romaine - I was working with Will closely at the time to record an album together, which I agreed to do if Jenny, Adam, and Charlie would join as well. We wanted to do original music and held songwriting workshops in my apartment. We were strictly a studio band at the time. It was slow going to get our first LP out because we were only holding one session a week and not performing gigs and that meant we didn't have immediate audience feedback, which always helps the process.
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Jenny Lackgren - The Aloft opportunity came up and the deadline to submit an original song was fast approaching. So I shot a video in my apartment of just me and a guitar singing a song that Paul and I had written and submitted it. Amazingly, we got through to the finals and got the band together. Paul can play anything and agreed to be the bassist. We flew in a drummer we’d worked with from the Philippines. Rehearsing for the first time at the studio in KL that we finally found, we then went on to play live for a panel of judges at the finals. The band has since changed a bit in composition with Ludo joining us this year. What is the origin of the name? Charlie McSkallywag - Well, we’ve used the name, Jenny and the Scallywags, for our band from the beginning. Everyone who listens to Jenny immediately realises she’s dynamite. The kid can sing! You give her a mic and a guitar
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and she’s good to go. The Scallywag part of it is from me. My grandma’s Irish and when I was naughty as a little kid, she and my grandad never said I was bad, they just called me a scallywag, which to me is a delightful term of affection that seems to say - look on the bright side of everything! Can you describe your songwriting process and what inspires you? Ludo Leflon - Jenny, Paul and Will are the three composers, writers, and singers of the band. Charlie and I do our best to be as complementary as possible. Paul Romaine - Our last EP was more folk but our new album is a bit more experimental. We’re having fun and creating spaces with the music, adding extra guitars, and finding unique harmonies. Will writes on the ukulele, which is his signature sound and
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one of our new singles has a fantastic ukulele intro. He knows how to write a hook and has an incredible sense of pop, melody, and lyrics. Jenny Lackgren - Paul is our musical theory guy and is one of my favourite musicians with chords and instrumentation. I think that I mix it up as I go. For inspiration, I look to the experiences that I have and also try to put myself in someone else’s shoes. I generally come up with the chords first because you need something to write on. But it’s not set in stone as lyrics and melody can always override the guitar. Yet I always start with the guitar. Charlie McSkallywag - We will always have the guitar, drums, and bass - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as I call it. And there’s some fabulous lyrics in there now that I would say are Scallywag anthems - “Ronin”, “Please put down your phone”. The latter song almost makes us musical guidance counsellors! You released your EP earlier this year. What was that like getting it out? And what has been the response? Paul Romaine - The response has been wonderful and has considerably increased our exposure. The video for the song “Beast” was recorded at my daughter’s school, NIST, where they generously let us use their theatre for a day. However, the dancers scheduled to perform cancelled at the last minute and we had to scramble for replacements. Fortunately, a friend knew two dancers visiting from Phuket. They choreographed their set on the spot and we recorded the entire video in four hours. Ludo Leflon - I've witnessed the early phase both as a friend and a big fan of the band since I wasn't their drummer yet. I could see that releasing their first EP was definitely a game changer for them. Much of today's momentum is thanks to that EP, which was greatly powered by the Project Aloft win. Who are some of your favourite musicians or musical inspirations? What's on your playlist right now? Jenny Lackgren - I always return to Fleetwood Mac. I also like Paolo Nutini. On my playlist right now: Banks, Anderson Paak, Nick Mulvey. Paul Romaine - Velvet Underground is one of my favourite bands for songwriting. I’m currently listening to Solange Knowles, Animals on Wheels, D’Angelo, Maxwell, BadBadNotGood, among others. Charlie McSkallywag - The greats for me will always be Jimi Hendrix, Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob Marley, and Albert King. I once saw Gary Moore live and him and the guitar, man, that was unforgettable. I’m a Catholic; we’re allowed saints so Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon are my saints while Bob Marley, oh man, he’s a prophet! “Once a man and twice a child” he sang. I mean, that’s just poetic. Will Corbin - I have nothing but our own songs on my playlist. If I'm listening to music, it's ours. I’m afraid that
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Photo by Dennis Thern
listening to other music will influence my writing. It could influence it in a good way but I prefer that our music come from a place of complete originality without risk. Ludo Leflon - As a drummer and given the music that Jenny and the Scallywags is currently doing, I try to focus on the ideal groove and keep things as simple as possible. Just playing for the music and the feel that it carries. So all the "groover" drummers like Steve Jordan, Abe Laboriel Jr, Jeff Porcaro, Carter McLean, to name a few, are the big guns who’ve inspired me for quite a while. My playlist has loads of blues, pop and classic rock records with a couple of jazz and world music thrown in. . What's next for the band? Ludo Leflon - We’re currently working on our first album and it's been a great journey until now, so I'm not taking much risk saying in the name of the band that we’re all fuelled to the max to make something big out of it. Jenny Lackgren - We recently collaborated with a young indie musician, Phum Viphurit, which was fun. And I’ve done some solo stuff, working on the song “The language of the affair” with Malaysia based artist Gabriel Lynch two month ago, and was featured on songs by the electronic band, Rock Shreller. Where can our readers catch your live performances? We play at a few places, best to check our Facebook page for updates as we’re revamping our website. We are always at Apoteka every Sunday from 4 to 7:30pm We’re also scheduled to perform at a few music festivals, which given the recent national tragedy have been postponed, but include Cat Expo, Big Mountain Music Festival and Noise Market. For more information, check out their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jenniferlackgren/?fref=ts
Expat Stories
From corporate to country life by Molly Linton
I have worked pretty much my entire working career of over 30 years within a corporate organisation and always dreamed of working for myself but my career somehow just kept me in the system. Don’t get me wrong I have loved my career and I got to travel and meet some of the most amazing people. I just always felt like a mouse in that wheel. How do I get off ... Born in Australia and moved to the UK as a young teenager, my parents decided to take the plunge for not only a career change from builders in Mt Eliza Melbourne but to become publicans on the other side of the world in a pub in the Cotswolds in England. I left school quite young and ventured to London where I fell into my first career with Parfum Christian Dior, a very luxurious corporation, and I learnt very quickly how the structure worked. I made my way up the company at a young age. I took a holiday to Australia and while there I was offered a more senior role with a large retail group. I decided to stay and take on the challenge. After a few months I realised that corporate retail was not for me. I found a job working in media sales starting with a small local newspaper group in Melbourne. I hit the streets as a sales girl and loved every minute of it.
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Not long after I moved to a radio network and then was poached by the largest newspaper group in Australia and became a sales director within months. I was climbing the corporate ladder very quickly and I was still only in my early 20s. Within 10 years I was travelling the world working for large media corporations and loving it! I was positioned in Africa for 4 years as an international media director working with mainstream media networks as a sales coach across newspapers and radio teaching how to sell advertising in tiny dusty towns in Namibia to the big cities like Cape Town in South Africa. It was an amazing experience where I learnt so much about the African countries and cultures. Then 6 years ago I accepted a position in Bangkok for a large media and entertainment group. I had never worked or lived in Asia and it was a huge learning curve, but a great challenge. I felt I could learn from the Thai culture and I could
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teach some of the Western corporate experience that I had gained over a long corporate career. My plan was to stay for 1 year then head back to Australia. 6 years on and I am still here …. once you have lived here for a few years Thailand is a very hard country to leave. I have always been a city girl … 2 years ago I visited friends in Hua Hin for the weekend and I ended up buying a piece of land in Black Mountain, some of you may of read my previous article about building your dream home in Thailand (Expat Life June/July 2015). What an amazing experience I just totally fell in love with the design aspect, building process and the complete project. Once the house was finished it became my weekend retreat. I love Bangkok as a city but all of a sudden I had the urge to make a sea change! Then in July this year I did it … I left my senior directors role and was out of corporate life. Never did I think this day would come - still in my forties (only just for those that know me). The day I packed up my office was a mixture of so many feelings, would I go back to another corporate job? What will I do? Am I going to miss the corporate structure? Yes of course I was going to miss my amazing staff and colleagues. But I did have a sense or maybe feeling this was the right time. My partner and I took a months holiday to Europe in August to see our families and the first week I just couldn’t get used to not having to check my phone for emails and calls from the office. After the second week I started feeling more relaxed that I didn’t need to stress or think was everything OK back at work. The third week I realised I wasn’t starting to stress that the holiday was nearly over and I had to prepare myself to go back to work! The final week I realised it was the first holiday ever that I totally relaxed in. Arriving back into Bangkok was quite a weird sensation not sure what to do for the first few days then the decision
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was made, I was going to move to the country and live full time in my beautiful house in Hua Hin. I packed up my condo rented it out and drove south. The first morning waking up I lay in my bed and looked at the beautiful view of Black Mountain and decided yes this was it a complete makeover of my life! Not that I’m having a mid life crisis or anything, No it was exciting what will I do … A very good friend of mine gave me a fridge magnet many years ago, which I put on my wall in my bathroom. I started to read it each day… Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. This got me thinking what life did I imagine? What would be my dream? And then it hit me … I love building houses doing interior design and working in my garden every day. That was it Lintons Design began. That week I didn’t sleep. I put a business plan together made my strategy also designed the company branding and logo plus I study how to build a simple website. I then made the decision to make this company work by myself I had to find the funds so I decide to put my lovely house up for sale and build and design a new project. I cleaned out the maid’s room in my garden and built myself a small office, which I love. I have my 2 dogs at my feet all day and around 10.30am I go to yoga. Lunchtime is usually an hour in the garden and some days I design houses on my computer under my vines beside the pool. People say when you own your own company you work much harder and very long hours which I think is true as many nights I have got up a 3am to write more ideas, but I am loving every minute working for myself. This is the biggest change in my life but I just say its chapter 2! I loved the corporate world, it worked for me, loved getting up dressing in a suit and managing staff and meeting clients but I have to say moving from the corporate life to the country life is amazing.
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Travel
3 days in Kuching by Lisa Donaldson
The city of Kuching is on the island of Borneo and spending a weekend here was the random result of a fun game I call ‘AirAsia roulette’ where I close my eyes and pick a place I’ve never been before. This wasn’t my first trip to the 3rd largest island in the world, but this sleepy town was a first and doesn’t get much press or backpacker attention, so it was a perfect spot to explore the road less travelled! Kuching surprisingly has a lot to do. For the trekking type, there are some very large mountains that will take roughly 6 hours round trip to summit, however I’m told the tree lined view isn’t worth the sweat. But don’t let my sway you – I’ll let you be the judge … My parents can attest to the fact that I
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am no hiker, never was, likely never will be. My happy place is on easily accessible paths and picturesque beaches. For the beachgoer, Kuching has that to offer as well and is just a car ride away! In total, my travel buddy Meredith and I spent 3 days in Kuching and the surrounding area. Upon arriving on a Friday evening, we checked into our hostel, which I can’t recommend more highly: Singghasa Lodge. It is perfect for every budget level and has both dorms and private rooms and a common area to meet fellow road warriors. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable and helped us line up tours and told us which buses to take. In fact, all of the people we met in Kuching were remarkably kind. A real reminder that rude, impatient city folk are not the norm, rather the byproduct of a stressful environment! We started our Saturday early and headed to Bako National Park. Early is best if you want to see the proboscis
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monkeys and hairy pigs up close as they are just waking up to the reality of the gawking tourists. We hired a guide at the entrance and he was very kind and knowledgeable (that’s him in the hat). He pointed out animals in trees we would have never been able to spot and a large viper snake hidden in a tree I wish I had never seen. He knew the jungle so well we followed him with complete trust through the windy path. At the end of the thick jungle was a stunning beach where we took a rest and ate some hard earned Oreos we strategically stashed in our backpack the night before.
there are so many tribes that living here and their cultures are beautifully different. At each ‘station’ there were different activities, foods to try, buildings to explore and things to learn. One of the best parts was an unassuming longhouse with wood fires burning in the centre. Towards the back of the smoky room was a costume booth where you could don authentic clothing from each of the tribes. The colours were fantastic and we each fell in love with a tribe’s pattern and style. We had a bit too much fun posing and snapping selfies. Other tourists stopped and asked us to take pictures with them. We became a bit of an attraction ourselves and couldn’t stop laughing.
Next, we hopped in a boat waiting for exhausted trekkers like ourselves to ferry us around the island – allowing us to see it from a new, equally stunning angle (and strategically skipping the sweaty hike back). After being dropped back at the visitor centre, we grabbed a bite at the cafeteria (keep your expectations of what qualifies as ‘food’ really low) and took the next ferry back to the mainland. That night we explored the small streets and restaurant scene in Kuching and stumbled upon The Granary Kitchen & Bar. A Western restaurant that had local flavour, fantastic British style pies and best of all, cheap wine! It was an absolutely fantastic find and I went back two more times for a comfort food fix. The food in general was excellent and we explored a rooftop seafood restaurant called Top Spot. Best to go as a group because Meredith and I wanted to order everything on the menu. The next day Meredith wanted to check out the Sarawak Cultural Centre, which at first glance, did not get me excited. And herein lies the perfect dilemma of a travel buddy – you will likely do some things you don’t really want to do and wouldn’t do on your own but, these things you overlooked may in fact be the best part of your trip! So I do have to thank Meredith for dragging my slightly negative Road Warrior bum to the Centre. We spent the day wandering the grounds that were developed to show what a traditional Malay village looked like. The fascinating part of Borneo history is that
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No trip to Malaysia is complete without a requisite trip (or two) to the spa and we found Mirage, which was near our hotel. Massages have become a staple part of my Asian life and one of the things that scares me most about the thought of moving away is the fact that I will be forced to part with luxuries like these! After trekking and walking in cheap sandals nothing beats an hour long foot massage. And then, just like that, the mini getaway weekend was over. I went back to Singapore and Meredith to Kuala Lumpur leaving us both with a really great impression of this often forgotten city. Borneo is a place I’d certainly go back to for a quick and easy weekend away in South East Asia and recommend it to fellow travel junkies looking for a hidden gem.
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FEATURES
Gili Back - diving into life full of flavour and soul by Ravit El-Bachar Daniel Photos by Sharon Amir
Superwoman: A woman who fulfils her many roles with apparently superhuman efficiency. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition I've came across several Superwomen during the time I have been living in Thailand, and I keep having the honour to meet more of them every now and then. I have decided to dedicate a regular section for them – to bring their story, give them a little praise, and let all our readers get some inspiration.
She started as a barmaid where she discovered the joys of flavours, continued as a marine life projects developer, and now she runs the Chomp cafe and Chomp Deli, while raising her two young kids and supporting community projects. When she was a teenager – she actually dreamt of being a rock star! This is Gili Back – our December Superwoman. When I think how to describe Gili, the first thing that comes into my mind is the *Energiser Bunny. She is a 'non-stop' person. Never seems to rest, always taking care of hundreds of things. With her lively head of curls and sparkling eyes, she eats the world with her presence. But a small scar on her cheekbone marks that life is not easy nor sparkling all the time. She was born in Durban South Africa, lived in Israel, England and has now spent over 14 years in Thailand (6 years in Koh Tao and over 8 years in Bangkok). I first met Gili over 6 years ago on a playgroup session with our babies. At our first meeting, between breastfeeding to crawling, we chatted for some long minutes in English. Then I turned to my baby boy and spoke to him in my native language; Gili smiled and said 'we are chatting for long time in English although I see now we could have spoken in Hebrew ...?' Sharing the same language and discovering we come from the same country and culture – made it easy for us to connect quickly and closely. Later on, she joined as a volunteer for the same organisation I was heavily involved with (BAMBI) and everyone could sense her special energy and her passion of giving and contributing from herself to the community, besides of her full time job she had at that time. Gili definitely falls in the title of superwoman. She is 38, a busy mum to Finlay (7) and Nixie (3½) who both inherited the
'Energiser' qualities from their mum. She is a businesswoman – founder and manager of Chomp restaurant cafe and of the newly opened Chomp Deli; and she does all management, purchase, PR and business development on her own. She is an activist, artists supporter, very much involved in her community and conscious about the environment we live in. I was a hyperactive loud child who loved animals, anything
*The Energiser Bunny has been the marketing icon of Energiser batteries since 1989, and was promoted as being able to continue operating indefinitely with the slogan "It just keeps going and going ...". It is used now as a term for anything that continues endlessly, or for someone that has immense stamina.
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to do with water, a real book worm with an overactive imagination, and I loved playing outdoors, tells Gili. I was truly a terrible teenager who looked for adventure and trouble, and enjoyed the freedom I suddenly discovered after moving from South Africa - where we had none - to Israel where we had too much! I was mad for rock and music in general, and loved singing in bands - especially metal and punk - and wanted to be a rock star and never grow up. If I couldn't be a rock star, I wanted to be a marine biologist working on arctic research ships and doing commercial diving. Bringing different passions in one place Gili is very busy these days with launching her new Chomp Deli – a sister to Chomp Cafe in the old town area of Bangkok. Her relationship with food and hospitality started back in her teenage days. I have been vegetarian since I was 12 and that was one of the reasons I started cooking and discovering flavours from around the world and what could be done with them, says Gili. After getting my 1st 'proper' job in a cocktail bar in Israel when I was 16, my passion, palate and memory for alcohol and what I could mix with it began to grow rapidly, and I found that 'food and booze' were interesting and fun and could be incorporated together in many ways. What brought you to Thailand in the first place? When I left the UK with my 1st husband, we planned on travelling around the Pacific rim for 2 years. But after arriving in Thailand those plans quickly changed due to another big part of my life's passion which has always been diving, marine biology, sea life, the oceans, conservation and anything to do with saving our environment. It was the main reason I stayed on Koh Tao for so long. I was the only person employed by the island as the 'Koh Tao Dive Operators club' which allowed me to create and run coral growing projects (BioRock), set up giant clam gardens, baby turtle releases, safe diving practices and regulations, mooring buoy programmes, helping set up the charity Koh Tao Animal Clinic (Noistar), create English and swimming camps for the local island kids, the yearly Underwater World festival, international and local exhibitions, charity events and much more. I also ended up opening a swimming pool bar and restaurant with partners on the island where I created and designed every dish and every drink, bringing together both my passions in one place.
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But as much as she loved the work and the island life, 21sqkm gets small after 6 years. It was time to move on and what's better, more interesting or diverse city than Bangkok?! I moved up here after getting a job with a regional lifestyle magazine and quickly found my way back into the F&B buzz. I met my Thai partner in Bangkok who had just returned from Australia after 6 years studying and working as a chef. We had a printing and clothing factory for a while which was connected to his family's business in the fabric and manufacturing industry. But after our second child was born we decided that we wanted to do something we both enjoyed and missed - and that's when we created and opened Chomp The Comfort Cafe on Samsen soi 1 in Old Town. 6 months after opening we sadly decided that it was best if I continued running Chomp on my own as the relationship was under too much stress and wasn't working with both of us trying to run and work the cafe as a couple. What does your typical day look like? Most weekdays start off early with the kids waking about 5:30-6:00am, getting them up, fed and ready for school before my taxi ride to work, which can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. They usually come with me to work on Saturday and Sundays and then as soon as we can get away - we escape to meet with friends, catch a movie or go check out a new place or event that we can enjoy together. I like having them at work so they can discover things and meet people from all walks of life, make friends with other kids that come in and slowly learn more about flavours, foods, healthy options etc. I carefully source and do all the shopping myself which has me running between Doi Kham (the royal project supermarket), Chinatown, Little India and various other markets and supply chains to gather what we need for Chomp. I do have some suppliers that deliver high quality products but sometimes it's just better and safer to do it yourself. Now with the Chomp Deli that we opened 2 months ago, I get more stuff delivered directly as I am working with locally made artisan products, most of which are made in old town itself or in Bangkok. I am also always looking for new ingredients, flavours, herbs, spices and ideas to blend into drinks and food recipes, and this gives me a chance to find items along the way. EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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I then set aside time for marketing and PR or use my travelling time to get social media and other online requirements done. Besides the foods and drinks we make, we also cater for events and private parties both at the restaurant and in people's homes or venues, so there is a lot of juggling to be done with managing the staff (and I do have a great team to work with - but there are only 9 of them plus me), shifts, kitchen prep, creating the unique menus and cocktails with a special theme that is connected to the party or event. We run monthly art exhibitions at the cafe promoting and supporting local artists, so I have to deal with the artists - many of which do not speak much English but we somehow manage with my limited Thai and lots of body language. I try to plan events 3-6 months ahead of schedule so I always have something to do; planning, finding sponsors and promoting. On the second floor of the cafe we have our 'community space' where we run the gallery exhibits as well as many workshops, yoga classes, kids storytelling and art classes and other social or environmental activities that give something back to our community, and hopefully educate others along the way. You are a busy mum to two young children, run a restaurant, opened recently a new deli, activist, support artists and more. I always see you doing, in action, never rest, and do things mainly on your own. How do you do that? These days everything is like a mad rush against time, and it seems that even when I'm not at work - I'm still busy working. I am very very lucky to have two of the most incredible parents-in-law anyone could ask for; 'Mama' and 'Agong', the Thai Chinese grandparents. They are the most
helpful supportive and wonderful family and thanks to their care and love of the kids, they enable me to be a full time working mummy, and I know that my kids are in the best possible care, which removes a lot of the guilt! It's the simple things that I get to do with loved ones that pamper me most What motivates you? I am a 'sucker' for a good cause and have done a lot of charity work in the past so that too gets incorporated into life, whether it's for disaster relief or for helping street dogs, if I can - I will! I really believe in leading change and that it must start from us, as individuals, rather than waiting for governments to implement the changes that are needed to benefit us and the world we live in. I want my kids to grow up in a world that cares for all its creatures and natural treasures as well as for each other, in a healthy world that is balanced in all aspects of the word. Do you take time off? What do you do then? How do you pamper yourself? I don't get much time off at all, but the time I do get - I try and make the most of it; it could be a fun crazy night out with friends, or a few drinks by the river and a walk around the night markets. If I do get a Sunday off then it's a few extra hours of sleep, or just taking the kids for a walk and a picnic in the park. Occasionally I get to enjoy a few hours at the Onsen Japanese hot spa or take advantage of the wonderful Thai massage parlours found everywhere. If I do manage a few days off then I love Kanchanaburi for its gorgeous waterfalls and unspoilt nature, or a sleepy quiet beach at Baan Krut. It's the simple things that I get to do with loved ones that pamper me most. A recycled teenager who is inspired by people every day You had many ups and downs in your life. What makes you keep going? My ups and downs are never ending but I am not a quitter and I want to set an example for my kids. I always tell them to think good thoughts and do good things; That where there is a will there is a way, and if you work hard you can achieve anything your heart desires; That it's OK not to be perfect and make mistakes because that's how we learn and grow; be kind to others and be true to yourself. You had a challenging time in the past year ... I have been ripped off last year by close friends financially, but that doesn't
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mean I won't love and trust people anymore. I have stood up to and fought off a man who was trying to rape a girl in the bathroom of a hotel nightclub and got my face sliced open. The man will get nothing more than 2 years in jail for what he did; but I would do it again if it means stopping someone from having to suffer. I have given people chances, given them a job, trained and taught them in the hope of them making something of themselves only to have them betray me and themselves - but I would never turn away a person who expresses the desire to grow and improve their life. Who are you? Who is Gili behind the actions? I am a recycled teenager ... not always in control of my emotions and not always sure if I am doing the right thing. I still love to jump up and down on the dance floor, pick up a mic and belt out a Guns ’n Roses song, meet with friends and have a giggle. What or who inspires you? My Bobo - my maternal grandmother was the first person I think had a strong influence on me and there have been many other over the years from famous artists, inventors, creators and teachers. But I am inspired by people everyday - sometimes by the creativity of a beggar on the street and how she has made art out of junk; from a talented musician who came from a poor village and worked hard until he taught himself to play an instrument and got a scholarship - and made his dreams come true by dedication; by people who stand up and fight for what's right even when it seems there is no hope; by people who make time for others and by those that give of themselves tirelessly to make the world a better place and save what's left of our planet. A big believer in 'go get lost' What are you proud of? I am proud of being a mummy to 2 healthy funny curious kids that are my heart and soul! I am proud to have an
amazing Dad who no matter what - has always been there for us - his children. And I'm proud to have sisters that have made their dreams a reality and found their own paths in life even when told they couldn't Where do you see yourself in ten years from now? I am not even able to think that far ahead - I hope I would have figured out more about life and what it really wants from me, what's my true calling, and have more financial security without having to worry about what I will leave for my kids. For a closure, your top tips to inspire other expats women in a foreign city? I am a big believer in 'go get lost' - walk about and discover this amazing city. There is so much happening here around every corner. Don't be shy, smile and make friends, try things and be inspired! Bangkok is one of these places where you can actually make things happen, so don't be afraid to try! Don't compare everything to 'back home' but open your hearts and minds to the differences, and become part of your community as it's where you will meet and make friends for life. Be grateful and thankful for having the chance to be here!
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Fashion and Beauty
Indian homemade remedies by Kiran Khanijow
Every country has its exceptional beauty secrets. However, it seems like the wellness world has lately become infatuated with Indian health and beauty tips. From the yoga boom to Ayurvedic retreats and massages, what’s famous now has been going on for centuries in the home country itself.
Growing up, whenever I used to complain about acne or other skin problems, my mum always would always tell me to try some Indian homemade remedies to make the problem go away. She would always encourage me to use the natural products that we had at home. However, each time she mentioned it, I would just look at her with disbelief and preferred to rather spend lots of money on chemical laden products that were offered in the market. If my friends were buying them, then I should too, right? How I was wrong! It’s a shame that we always think that we are wiser than the older generations. Once, I decided to succumb to my mum and applied plain homemade yogurt on my face. Can you imagine the result once I washed it off? I looked like I had just walked out of the parlour. And voila! My love affair for natural products began. The reason these natural remedies are passed down through the generations is because of only one reason ... they work! They are so preciously shared between the women in our lives, be it mum, grand mum or next doors neighbour that sometimes there is no choice but to eventually
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give in and follow the beauty regiments that they did. Despite so many beauty products available in the market today, these age old grandma remedies cannot go wrong! They are highly effective and often work wonders. Since the festive season is coming up, there’s no doubt that we all want to look our best. Yet, there are so many expenses at this time that it’s a good idea to save some money and try these easy, inexpensive Indian homemade remedies for a natural skin glow. Believe me, they won’t burn a hole in your pocket. 1. Turmeric India and turmeric go hand in hand. The endless benefits of this spice cannot be understated as it is antiinflammatory and an immunity booster. Its healing properties as a blood purifier also makes an excellent moisturiser and brightens the skin immediately. Traditionally, many brides to be prepare a turmeric paste on their face and body a day before their wedding. For a bride like glow mix and apply to the face and neck: ½ teaspoon turmeric 2 tablespoons of gram flour
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
1 teaspoon of coconut oil A pinch of rosewater Leave on for 15 minutes and then wash off with warm water. You can also use turmeric in the form of a night cream. Just make a paste of turmeric with milk or yogurt. Apply on your face and leave it on overnight. Your skin will be completely smooth when you wash it off in the morning. 2. Gram flour Gram flour can be found in every Indian household. Its benefits are wide and can cure many beauty ailments. Its course texture makes it ideal as a chemical free exfoliate.
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To brighten your skin, mix all of these with some gram flour to form a paste: 5 powdered almonds Some lemon juice 1 teaspoon milk
Apply a natural moisturiser right after as your skin will feel tight and stiff. For a cooling all year round summer facial, as it’s always hot in Bangkok, you can also mix: 1 small grated cucumber 2-3 tablespoons yogurt
Leave on for 30 minutes and then wash off with warm water. 3. Honey Honey is easily available and its natural benefits are vast. It’s antibacterial qualities nourishes, soothes
and rejuvenates the skin, therefore making it an excellent hydrating agent. To get a face pack that will leave your face smooth and flawless mix: 1 teaspoon honey 2 teaspoons milk 1 tsp gram flour
Beat well and leave on until it dries off. Wash off with cold water.
Leave on for 20 minutes and then wash off with warm water. Or you can simple apply raw honey on your skin and rinse off with warm water. 4. Yogurt Yogurt is delicious and healthy and a staple in most Indian households. It is normally homemade but if you are to buy it from the market make sure it is plain and possesses high levels of fat. Why so? Because it is the fats in it that will promote healthy skin, remove dead cells and tighten pores. To give dull skin a face lift, apply plain yogurt on your entire face Leave on for 15 minutes and wash off with cold water.
Milk Legend says it that Cleopatra’s beauty routine always incorporated honey and milk. Milk contains skin friendly ingredients and has unique properties that removes impurities. It can make one of the most effective facial scrubs. Like yogurt, this should also be full fat. For a natural facial: Grind 6 - 7 almonds Mix it up with some milk. Leave on for 15 minutes and then wash off with warm water. These are just a few of the old school beauty treatments that I have learnt to swear by. They contain no side effects and no false promises. However, to be blessed with wonderful skin, one must also lead a healthy and happy life style. So why not ditch the artificial and give mother nature a chance?
Kiran Khanijowa is a Thai Indian and has lived in Bangkok all her life. A freelance writer who regularly contributes to Missmalini - a Bollywood blog based in India and Masala - an Indian community magazine in Thailand. She loves writing and feels that she can express all her thoughts through it. Used to teach English in a Thai school and found the experience to be interesting as she herself studied in an international school.
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Education
Internet safety
- if you use a computer please read this! by Bernard Collins
The internet today is in everybody’s life, you can’t walk away from it, it drags you back in constantly. Whether it is your email, Instagram, Facebook or the news, you can’t do without it. As a result, we use it on our computers at the office, home, tablets and on mobile telephones. No wonder it has become the fastest growing medium for criminal activity together. Gartner Group reported a few years back that internet crime was more profitable than drug, alcohol, prostitution and physical theft all together. I work from home, only on private matters, should I be concerned? Yes, you should be; and here are the reasons why! 1. C riminals need tools to perform their activity, and the isolated, unprotected computer is a perfect target. Your computer could be used as a relay in a chain to break into a bank account, or an email server and you would be the only one appearing in the traces left after the crime. 2. C ertain types of attacks need a massive number of computers used as zombies to block an entire network or company, early October, half of the internet in the US was down due to millions of home computers used in a concerted attack, yours could have been involved. 3. S haring computer is increasing the risk! Are you using your home computer for private and professional tasks, reading emails, or kids homework? You become the favourite target
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of hackers to silently observe traffic on your computer and get information to be exploited in another case. The most famous one that will make history is Huma Abedin sharing her home computer with her husband to read emails from the US government - a la Hillary Clinton … we’re still not sure where they leaked to! My office system is well protected, should I be concerned? Yes, you should be as well! 1. C riminals will attack in ways that are increasingly sophisticated, phishing exploit will hit you because no anti spam software, firewall or intrusion prevention will block them all and if you or one of your less security aware colleague is hit, the whole email system becomes a risk. 2. O ne of your suppliers or clients can become infected, and hackers will take over the communication with you
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and eventually money due to you will arrive on a wrong bank account. Without having been compromised, you actually in the middle of a hack and you will need to defend yourself to prove that you were not the origin of the problem … but money is missing and if the amount is big, it can be costly to defend yourself. 3. People use private email address to copy messages to another server so they can be easily accessible when out of the office, recently Yahoo, a very popular emailing network disclosed that their servers had been hacked and 500 million accounts had been compromised … was yours one of them? In short, your first line of defence should be awareness, and not relying on technology alone. So what should I do? First of all, you should understand that once you are logged in a system, whether it is email, Facebook or anything online, if you click on a link that ask you to confirm your credentials (retype your user name and password), there is a great chance this is a phishing exploit attempting to get your digital Identity. DO NOT login again, get out of the application and check what click brought you to that request. If you get an email asking you to verify a bank account, to check your email details, to confirm your password on an account, immediately suspect that this could be a phishing attempt again to collect your ID, do not follow that link. As a general rule, never disclose your ID on a link you just clicked. An important precaution you should take, is that before clicking on a link, you simply move your mouse over it and wait a few seconds until you see the exact direction this link wants to take you. If you understand URL and how they are constructed, you can identify 100% of phishing by this simple method. If you are not certain, you do not click on this link and you use your normal method to access this site. Typing the URL or taking it from your saved browser shortcuts. Do not trust a request because it comes from a friend, hackers will fake the sender to entice you to click on the bait … and if you click and see a message asking you to accept an installation of a SW, cancel by closing the window and restarting the computer. Some phishing experts disguise the accept button into a cancel one, so getting out is the safest measure. What if I still get caught …? You should expect that despite your protection and your awareness, you could still be caught because hackers are very sophisticated. Being prepared is the best protection you can have, and the only good preparation is to have backup. Now, let me clarify what a backup is or is not … • A backup must be automated, and should happen without confirmation from the user, or you will delay, not have time, not remember and eventually not have a recent backup when you get hit.
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• It must have history … please understand that having a copy of your hard drive of files is not a backup … it is a copy and if your file is compromised or encrypted, so is your copy … You can only recover if you have a copy of the file just before it got infected, so we suggest 15 days of history as a minimum • The backup must be remote! If it sits next to your computer, in a nice box with expensive disk and someone steals your computer, there is a great chance the backup will also go… or if a fire destroys the computer, it could also destroy your backup. Cloud backup are a good solution. • It should be encrypted if you have sensitive data, and who doesn’t? Simple mechanism to avoid data leakage. If you have paid attention to this article, you have gain a greater level of resilience, simply remember, knowledge and awareness is your first line of defence, technology will only assist if you are paying attention. If you found this of interest I will propose a regular column where I explain the latest hacks and disasters on the month, why people got caught, what damage the suffered and how it could have been prevented, hopefully protecting you by making you smarter.
Bernard Collin is the CEO of SafeComs established in 1999 in Australia with a focus on computer security in the SME and enterprise market. In 2003 he launched the Asian branch of the company located in Bangkok. Prior to launching SafeComs Bernard was CEO of Pacer Software Inc in Europe and was with Digital Equipment and Apple. EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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Contributors List
Our editorial contributors Agneta de Bekassy: Social editor is a wonderfully connected woman who literally knows everyone worth knowing in Bangkok. Elegant, sophisticated and the ultimate social butterfly, she conducts many of EL’s feature interviews and coordinates the social pages. Meghan Lynch: Fashion editor is mum to 3 glorious boys, with a 4th bundle on the way. She lives in Bangkok with her family. Originally from the States she is Expat Life’s inhouse ‘fashionista’. What she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing! Rianka Mohan: Arts and culture editor moved to Bangkok last year from New York, which she called home for 15 years. She spent 13 years on Wall Street, ten as an investment banker before taking a career break to pursue writing. She has two kids aged 8 and 4. Rianka is Expat Life’s Art and Culture editor. Please contact Rianka with any arts or cultural events or profiling. Alex Bannard and her family have lived outside the UK for more than 10 years. Alex teaches yoga to private clients and group classes and can be contacted at masteryoga@elboliving.com.
Barbara Lewis is a regular writer for EL. Her insightful pieces are a real treat for all readers. We look forward to more pieces from her in the future.
Dr Donna Robinson is a UK qualified, trained and experienced doctor. She has been a resident of Thailand for over 25 years and is one of the few foreign doctors to hold a Thai Medical Licence.
Marjan Yavari recently relocated back to USA having spent a year in Bangkok. She spent her childhood spent growing up in Iran and France. She has practiced the art of interior and event design since 2000 at various firms in and around Los Angeles, CA. Marjan can be reached at studioyavari@gmail.com. Orla Corrigan is a passionate traveller and has been living overseas for five years and has recently returned home to Ireland. Orla writes about her travel experiences on her travel blog www.travelorlabout.com. Contact corriganorla@gmail.com David Richards is currently based in Bangkok and works as freelance photographer. He specialises in architectural, landscape, travel, commercial and advertising photography. He is half British/Thai and floats between the UK and Thailand working on a number of different photography projects.
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Carolyn Ford and Kasia Symanska Carolyn Ford and Kasia Szymanska are both registered counsellors and Carolyn works for Psychological Services International (PSI) in Bangkok. PSI provides Bangkok’s expat and local communities with International standard psychotherapy and counselling services. Margaret E Johnston has lived on and off the island of Phuket studying a variety of healing plants and portraying them with her watercolours in unique compositions. She runs a variety of websites with an art blog and a holistic health blog, upcoming events and future travel plans. Join her online and see what she is up to next! www.mejcreations.com Zipporah Gene is a freelance journalist, writer, and self-professed frequent stuffer of face. When she’s not writing for various magazines and newspapers, she’s on: shedoesliving.com.
Alessandra Marazzi Rodel came to parent coaching with over 18 years of business experience, in the corporate world and as entrepreneur. Alessandra holds a Laurea (BA and master equivalent) from Bocconi University, Italy. PCI Certified Parent Coach® Carole Ann Eastgate is a delightful lady hailing originally from the UK. She worked for Harrow International School for many years and as you will read in her article has travelled extensively.
Helke Vijsma is from The Netherlands. Before she moved to Bangkok with her family 8 years ago, has lived in Singapore and Croatia. Until then she was an art teacher and picked up photography again in this fascinating country. Karla Winter has completed extensive studies in homeopathy, nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine, macrobiotics, Shiatsu massage, vegetarian cooking, human bio science. Karla has been changing lives through private counselling, public lecturing and teaching. Lisa Donaldson originally from the US, Lisa moved to Asia in 2013 with work. Lisa has caught the travel bug and loves to explore and experience new things. Find out more about Lisa at lisatheroadwarrior.com/about/
Kiran Khanijowa is a Thai Indian and has lived in Bangkok all her life. A freelance writer who regularly contributes to Missmalini - a Bollywood blog based in India and Masala - an Indian community magazine in Thailand. She loves writing and feels that she can express all her thoughts through it. Used to teach English in a Thai school and found the experience to be interesting as she herself studied in an international school.
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Bernard Collins is the CEO of SafeComs established in 1999 in Australia with a focus on computer security in the SME and enterprise market. In 2003 he launched the Asian branch of the company located in Bangkok. Prior to launching SafeComs Bernard was CEO of Pacer Software Inc in Europe and was with Digital Equipment and Apple. Cynthia Gould is a trained speech pathologist and dyslexia specialist originally from Dallas, Texas, Cynthia has worked in the field of learning support for 15 years. As head of learning support at the International School of Monaco and Harrow Hong Kong, she decided to make the move to Bangkok where she is currently the specialist education coordinator for Brighton International College Bangkok. Daniel Sencier was born in London 1951, the son of Belgian/Irish parents who settled in England after the war. He spent his childhood being raised by his grandmother in the Republic of Ireland, before moving to go to school in England. He is married to Beverley, who is Head of an International School in Bangkok, and they have eight children between them. After service in the military, aircraft and hotel industries, he retired to further his education at the University of Cumbria. He successfully completed a Bachelors Degree in Wildlife & Media, and qualified as an English teacher. Now in Bangkok Daniel is organiser of the ‘Bangkok English Speakers Lunch Group’, encouraging others to improve their English and explore this wonderful city. Gina Christie is married with two children. Her son is in high school in Bangkok and her daughter has just graduated from university and lives in the UK. She has been an expat for over 11 years and has lived in Japan, Poland, Slovakia and is now starting her fifth year in Thailand, which is the longest she has ever lived anywhere in her 26 years of marriage. Currently the Chairman of the British Women's Group in Bangkok which has around 250 members. This takes up a lot of her time which she enjoys as well as playing golf. Molly Linton an Australian who lived in the UK as a teenager then travelled with corporate life to Africa and came to Thailand 6 years ago. Has recently stepped down from her corporate role to pursue a quieter life for a while.
Neil Brook will try anything once and agrees with the Bizarre Foods motto, if it looks good eat it! He now calls Bangkok home and is looking forward to discovering more of Asia, making the most of this opportunity. A regular contributor to the Aussie travel site The Big Bus Tour and Travel Guide he enjoys sharing his experiences, endeavouring to create a fresh perspective as he travels the globe. Nicole Sheldon specialises in TCM medicinal cooking and has a doctorate in Chinese Medicine. She has recently moved from Pattaya to Bangkok.
Martin Hart-Hansen was appointed Deputy Resident representative of the UNDP Thailand country office in April 2015. He holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Economics from the University of Copenhagen and is married with 3 children.
Nisanart Tavedikul earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Television from New York University (1998) and her Masters Degree in Education Administration in Public Education from Teachers College, Columbia University (2013). Currently, she serves The American School of Bangkok as Assistant Director. Trained at Columbia, Yale, France and the UK on various mindfulness disciplines, she introduced and implemented the Mindfulness in Education programme which was well received by all stakeholders at ASB. Among her trainees in mindfulness techniques are multi-billion dollar enterprise, Amata Nakorn executives and doctorate students from Thammasat University. Phyllis Ansusinha currently serves as the President of the American Women’s Club of Thailand (AWC). Before arriving in Thailand in 2013 she managed fitness centre’s across the Midwest (USA), and is a health, fitness and nutrition coach. She has taught fitness classes for over 30 years and has been featured in magazines and newspaper articles over the years. She is the mother of seven adult children and grandmother to one. The AWC believes that every child has the right to an education and has strived for that goal for the 61 years as an organisation but more specifically the last 21 years as a focused sub-committee for the AWC Scholarship Programme. Steve Croll born in Boston MA. Graduated from University in Ohio 1969. Served 4 years during the Vietnam war as an air artillery officer. Lived 40 years in China before moving to Bangkok. Manages Asia for his family business.Two children he has homes in Boston, Bali and Bangkok. Ravit El-Bachar Daniel is a busy mum of two. After handling a career in marketing and business management back home, she decided to volunteer for BAMBI upon arrival to Bangkok 9 years ago and served until few months ago as the group's Chairwoman. She is now taking some time off to dedicate to a long 'to-do' list that was neglected, and to other hobbies and passions, writing is amongst them. Ror Alexander worked in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Taipei, Bali, Bangkok, Manila, Vancouver, Toronto, China, Canadian fitness and nutritional consultant, World Wandering trainer, canfitpro certified. NAFC Master Trainer. ASPATA Director. Owner of thriveLife Studios in Bangkok, The ROR Health Radio Show, and Active Life Asia Podcasts. iTunes / SoundCloud , Ror Alexander: Instagram, Periscope/Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, www.RorAlexander.com Tara Lynn Conrad is a certified clinical nutritionist. Tara can help change your diet, lifestyle and the way you feel about food. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tlcnutritionnow
If you, or anyone you know would like to join our ever expanding team of talent to contribute your experience of being an expat in Thailand please email at nick@elbkk.com
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mind matters
Revolving resolver ... by Zipporah Gene
Maybe it’s time we all ditched the New Years’ resolution? This year, just don’t do it? Don’t make empty promises for the sake of it. Don’t try to revolutionise your life simply because everyone else seems to be doing it. Stay clear of the bandwagon and don’t even bother joining that gym that you’ve no intention of going to. In fact - just say no to New Years’ resolutions. We’ve all been there, high off the merry-go-round that is Christmas, the smell of tinsel and pine still in the air. The year is young and we’re rearing to take on the world. But ask yourself, how many of those earth shattering changes have you ever really kept up? And was it really worth the effort of starting it all in the first place? I’m as cynical as they come when it comes to such things. So much so that my friends know better than to even ask me in January. Every so often, one of them slips up and my response is always the same, “why on earth did you wait for the New Year to change your life?” I know it’s a snooty response but just think about it, if study after study has shown that putting things off means we’re less motivated (and less likely) to complete them, then why on earth then would holding off to January work? How can cramming all our expectations into one month, magically make it all better? It’s illogical on a bad day, comical on a good one but there can be no denying that for most of us, you’re simply just setting yourself up to fail.
travel more, drop a dress size, and just generally be better. Every year they’re blazing and emboldened, resolute and ready, but by March all is forgotten and left at the back of the cupboard, collecting dust, waiting to be flogged on ebay. It’s not all doom and gloom though, there is a way to break free from this rut, and it’s simple. I always get asked how I can get so much done, and though I’m not getting my own TED talk anytime soon, I thought it best to share my tried and tested method of making resolution. Here’s my three step programme to making sure you break this funk and achieve your goals for the New Year. The great thing is that this method can be applied all year round and works with most things: 1. Work backwards Before you even make a resolution about how you’ll amp up your life, count your blessings. It sounds so simple, but when was the last time you solved something by immediately rushing straight in to tear it all apart? We are
I call this the case of the revolving resolver. We all know one, that person that year on year promises to eat better,
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our own worst critics, after all, so it’s natural to rush for the things we hate, over the thing we like about ourselves and I truly believe that therein lies the problem. By just by taking a moment to see what your strengths, achievement and victories of the past year have been, you can really shift your perspective, which ultimately has a tremendous effect on how you’ll move forward. 2. It’s a marathon not a sprint So your intention if to lose 5kg before your cousin’s wedding in June? Rather than just saying you’d do it, and rushing straight to a gym to hand over all of your hard earned cash - plan backwards. This is nothing new and I take no credit for this way of thinking, but work out what changes you’ll have to make to your lifestyle to get there. Visualise the destination and simply work backwards. Make March the milestone month where you’ll ideally have lost 2kg and buy the dress in the size down. This not only forces you to visualise your target, but also give you a milestone to work towards. I guarantee you, by the time you’ve been working out and you hit March, it won’t even seem like a chore anymore. 3. Accept that we’re all human Life is truly a wonderful thing, full of countless surprises, twists and turns. As much as we admire the friend or colleague who seems to have it all figured out, that gruelling level of self-discipline is not only toxic but hard to maintain. Accept that some of the tasks you set yourself won’t meet the finish line, but for the love of all that is holy in the world, stop setting resolutions in January.
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60 Years of 60 Years of
Fulfilling Fulfilling Potential Potential
Congratulations to the Class of 2016 on their IB Results! Congratulations to the Class of 2016 on their IB Congratulations to the Class of 2016 on their IB Results! Results! They have met the rigours of the challenging IB Diploma programme, producing They have met the rigours of the challenging IB Diploma programme, producing They met set theofrigours the challenging IB Diploma programme, producing our have best ever results,ofwhile pursuing a rich school life of diverse activities. our best ever set of results, while pursuing a rich school life of diverse activities. our best ever set of results, while pursuing a rich school life of diverse activities.
In the most recent IB examinations, the Class of 2016 achieved outstanding results, including an In the most recent examinations, Class 2016 aachieved outstanding including an average total pointIB of 35 outthe 45, of against world average of 30.results, In the most recent IBscore examinations, theofClass of 2016 achieved outstanding results, including an average total point score of 35 out of 45, against a world average of 30. average total point score of 35 out of 45, against a world average of 30. Of our 120 students who took the Diploma, 18% achieved a score of 40 points or Of our 120 studentstowho tookaverage the Diploma, achieved a score of 40 points or higher, compared a world of 5%. 18% Of our 120 students who took the Diploma, 18% achieved a score of 40 points or higher, compared to a world average of 5%. higher, compared to a world average of 5%. Our students produced a 99% pass rate compared to the world average of 80% Our students produced a 99% pass rate compared to the world average of 80% Our students produced a 99% pass rate compared to the world average of 80% For more information on our students’ achievements across all stages of our non-selective For more information our achievements across all stages of our non-selective programme, please scanon QRstudents’ code below or visit www.patana.ac.th/Go/?To=938 For more information ontheour students’ achievements across all stages of our non-selective programme, please scan the QR code below or visit www.patana.ac.th/Go/?To=938 programme, please scan the QR code below or visit www.patana.ac.th/Go/?To=938
www.patana.ac.th | admissions@patana.ac.th | +66 2785 2200 | 643 Lasalle Road, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 www.patana.ac.th | admissions@patana.ac.th | +66 2785 2200 | 643 Lasalle Road, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 www.patana.ac.thBangkok | admissions@patana.ac.th | +66 2785 2200accredited | 643 Lasalle Road, Patana School is an IB World School, by CIS and Bangna, NEASC Bangkok 10260 Bangkok Patana School is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC Bangkok Patana School is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC