There are many answers to this question….some were answers I myself was unaware of when I started planning this trip.
The easiest answer is this….I’m inThailand because I was invited to come by a close, albeit distant, friend of mine from Eckerd College , Tim Johnson.
The easiest answer is this….I’m in
Earlier this year, as I was fretting about the impact on my business of the economic downturn, I got an email from Tim letting me know that he was planning a 6 month sabbatical in Thailand . He sold a book idea to a publisher, and received a tidy little sum as front money to write it. Tim’s book deals with the fate of Tibet in a post-Dalai Lama world. Tim has met with the Dalai Lama, and has traveled with his entourage for about 3 months.
In addition, he has lived inBeijing for the last 6 years, where he is the lead report for the McClatchy news service. (McClatchy is the 3rd largest US newspaper company. They own the Raleigh and Charlotte papers among many others.) Tim’s primary reason for relocating to Thailand was that he needed a safe haven for writing something that could be viewed as even remotely “critical” of China . Tim is a pretty high visibility correspondent in China , and Tim has had to take a lot of precautions to arrange for backups of all of his research and files on servers all over the world, with no access by the Chinese government. Seems “big brother” is alive and well in China .
In addition, he has lived in
Tim’s wife, Tanya, was born in Nicaragua and went to college in Russia . She is a colorful, extraverted Katherine Zeta Jones-ish woman who owns any room she walks in to. Her field is PR. Immediately before I arrived, Tanya was traveling for 2 weeks herself as she was taking a tour group of Chinese business people to Mexico . Tanya, like my wife Allison, lives to dance, and she’d rather dance than probably most anything else. She’s an outstanding cook, and she and I had a GREAT time doing a Thai cooking class together (she’d already done 2 others). She has deliberately spoken Spanish in her household since her babies were born specifically so they have Spanish AND English as native tongues. Daughter Sophia frequently lapses into Spanish when calling her parents as it gives her an element of privacy in whatever setting she is in.
Tim and Tanya have two very talented daughters. Their oldest, Michelle, is from Tanya’s first husband, but has lived with Tim and Tanya since she was about 6. She also maintains a close relationship with her Nicaraguan father. Michelle is a freshman this year at Wellesley college in Boston . I saw pictures of her. She is a charming, petite international young lady who could probably pass as a native most places in the world, both due to appearance and accent. She has black, or dark brown hair cut in a Chinese bob. I could easily mistake her for being Chinese, Thai, Hispanic, or American. I didn’t get to meet Michelle.
Who I DID get to meet was Sophia, age 12. I usurped her bedroom, which didn’t matter too much because she seems to rarely be at home. She catches the bus to her school, a 30 – 45 minute trek, at 7:10 am daily, and gets home about 6 pm …unless she is spending the night with any number of friends. Sophia has, in her short 12 years, lived in China , Thailand , the US , and Nicaragua . She is fluent in English, Chinese, and Spanish, and speaks all with a native tongue. She’s quickly learning Thai, both spoken and written, and I assume her skills will exceed those of her Dad’s shortly. Sophia is very soft spoken, smiles constantly, and she is naturally attuned to technology. Tim and Tanya asked if I might help her with a powerpoint presentation she was to develop discussing the evolution of the art movement of her choice. She chose Op Art (are you kidding me, and this is 7th grade?!). As I attempted to help her, I quickly became aware that she needed no help at all. Her comfort with Technology is such that she quickly figured out Powerpoint on her own, and her capabilities far exceed those of her parents!
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