Jul & Gem off to Seattle

While Jim was in Bangkok, Gemma and I took a much-needed vacation out to Seattle to be with the Port Orchard Hawkins (Matt, Hannah and boys) and the Kirkland Giesers (Steve, Tiffany and girls). What a joy to have family living in this beautiful part of the country! At the first part of the trip we went to Kirkland, on Lake Washington. Gemma, Avery and Bella took to each other right away (the twins kept saying "baby?" and pointing at her, and they were particularly fascinated when Gemma was eating in her booster seat. "What, another face at the table?"

The cousins had lots of good, hard playtime together - which was impossible to capture on photo because they all are so active! I like Bella's crazy hair in this photo, with Gemma and Avery in the background both pulling on something - a baby doll, or fighting over who could push Bella in the stroller?

Bathtime! "Avery, stop pouring water on Gemma's head." Oh well, she took it in stride. And a kiss from Bella helps, too.


Uncle Steve taught Gemma some new acrobatics.

On Saturday we put all three girls in the middle row of the car and braved the traffic & crowds and drove downtown to Pike Place Market. Tiffany even chose a fresh salmon to cook up for dinner that night (very, very tasty).


Gemma tastes a bit of smoked salmon...hmm...

And on Sunday we joined in for a church picnic at a small lake nearby, as Tiffany's younger brother was baptised. The twins poked their toes into the lake, and Gemma said "I think I wouldn't mind a swim." This photo may prove indicative of her adventurous attitude.

Jim in Thailand: Jim Thompson house

Jim Thompson founded the Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company in 1959, 12 years after discovering it while stationed in Thailand during WWII. Through his efforts Thai silk became internationally renowned. He stayed in Thailand, and having fallen in love with traditional Thai architecture (he was trained as an architect himself), he collected five traditional Thai houses from around the country and had them relocated to Bangkok, near to the workings of his business. He also loved gardens and had an eye for Asian antiques. The entire property is gorgeous, and of course I couldn't resist photographing the plantlife.

This is the spirit house at the Jim Thompson House.

Jim in Thailand: Street Food II

More amazing street food! I tried as much of it as I could, but three weeks were hardly adequate to fully explore the vast array of surprising and delightful aromas and flavors.


Thais seem to have a taste for frankfurters of all kinds, as evidenced by this vendor below (and many others I saw).


This vendor is sprinkling a spicy-sweet mixture on slivers of unripe guava.


This friendly lady sold the most amazing steamed buns.

Jim in Thailand: Chulalongkorn University

Known as the Harvard of Thailand, Chulalongkorn is the oldest and most prestigious university in the country. It was established by King Rama V (ruled: 1868-1910), whose name was Chulalongkorn and who donated the land for the establishment of the institution. The institution's color is pink. The reason: each day of the week in Thailand is associated with a different color. Since Chulalongkorn was born on Tuesday, for which pink is the designated color, the university adopted it as its primary hue. The insignia of the university is also related to King Rama V - it is his royal symbol.

Our experience at Chula was really special. We spent our time in the Faculty (meaning "School" or "Department") of Education. Our primary contact person and host, Dr. Sornnate, organized a full schedule of activities for our two weeks on campus, ranging from several formal presentations (on issues such as faculty development, curriculum, student activities, internationalization, and international partnerships) to informal discussions with graduate and undergraduate classes. We also had meetings with faculty within the Faculty of Education, the Vice President for Student Affairs for the entire institution, and the Deputy Director of the International Affairs office.

I'm glad to say that I have learned so much through experiencing academia in another part of the world - in this case, Thailand. Getting to know the staff and students we interacted with was such a treat. In addition, I enjoyed seeking to understand the relationships and behaviors I observed, from a sociological perspective. How do individuals come to understand the legitimate roles and behaviors of a given sub-culture? How are individuals impacted by the multiple realities of culture - national, social, religious, academic - that exist within social settings? It was great fun to keep these realities in mind as I observed classes, meetings, and discussions, and took part in them, as well.

Especially meaningful to our experience were five students in the higher education doctoral program at Chula. Together with Dr. Sornnate, they took good care of us every day and we spent lots of time together, whether preparing for presentations, attending various meetings, walking across campus from one place to another, or chatting informally in the graduate lounge (which also served as the ‘home base’ for our team). We also ate many meals together, which our hosts invariably paid for. Mo, Ajan A., Chai, Eddie, and Thanasiri were gracious and kind, patient, fun and entertaining, and always interesting to talk with about the pressing issues of higher education, both in the US and in Thailand. These relationships are without a doubt one of the highlights of this experience.

The upload feature is acting cranky, so the order of the pictures below is not how I’d like it, but you get the idea.

Brief introduction to our ur team: GaoLing, Brittany, and me

The Chulalongkorn University campus is a lovely green space in the midst of busy Bangkok. Below you can see a few of the older buildings, in Thai-style architecture, rising above the trees.

Jim in Thailand: Wat Pho

Wat Pho, or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is just as gleaming and intricately decorated as the Grand Palace. Wat Pho is a must-see! It contains the longest reclining Buddha in Thailand, the largest collection of Buddhas in Thailand, and the oldest and largest wat in the country. It is also the first public educational institution in the country. The Buddha was created in the mid-19th century and is draped in gold leaf and lays a full 40 meters long, although in the narrow temple hall it appears much longer.

Jim in Thailand: Grand Palace

The Grand Palace is an amazing collection of incredibly ornate buildings in the center of Bangkok, acting as the center of both the nation's religious life as well as the monarchy. In addition to the former residence of the king (who now lives elsewhere), the walled complex also contains numerous spectacularly glittering Buddhist shrines, including Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This figure is only 66 cm tall and sits so high on a gilded shrine that it might be easy to miss.