Bangkok

I went back to Bangkok on a last minute trip – I found out I was going four days before I left! I was there for a week last year but forgot my camera, so I was excited to revisit the amazing temples and palaces and canals and capture it all on camera…

Unfortunately, the day I got there violence erupted between the anti-government protesters and the police. It’s been all over the news, but basically about 20,000 protesters led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy occupied the Government compound and claimed that they would not leave until the Prime Minister resigns. Last I heard they’re still camping there, and it’s been over a month. I went to dinner with one of my colleagues and her two Thai friends who live in Bangkok, and it was fascinating to hear their discussion about the current situation. It’s really a clash like many happening all over the world in countries we work in – modern versus tradition, rural versus urban, laborers versus the elite. Anyways, the day I arrived the government declared a state of emergency, so I was confined to the hotel for most of my trip and couldn’t put my camera to much use at all!

So it was a good thing that the work part of the trip was fascinating, since the tourist part was virtually nonexistent. I got to be a part of a meeting between all of the heads of the different Asian countries we work in and learning about the operations in each one. It helps put the reality behind the news stories in places such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. A particularly interesting part of the meeting was the discussion about the complexities of operating in a conflict environment and the constant negotiation that doing so requires. It has been particularly difficult for our staff in Afghanistan – it seems to be getting worse every day, and it is heartbreaking to hear about certain situations and the overall downward spiral of chaos. I really believe that the U.S. action in Afghanistan was a major geopolitical opportunity squandered, and it is having ripple effects throughout the region, particularly in neighboring Pakistan. New terrorist cells are popping up every day, and staff are having to deal with the local mafia and kidnappings. The staff who have worked there for a long time see it reverting back to the kind of chaos and intimidation that the country experienced under the Taliban. One of our major focuses in Afghanistan is around girls’ education, and at this point the staff are having to have the conversation of, is it worth risking our lives to educate girls? It’s come to that point.

What’s always fascinating to me as I travel is the in-depth knowledge of and interest in American politics that I constantly encounter in people from other countries. Staff from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan who were attending the meeting had watched almost all of both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and they peppered me with questions. When I express my amazement at the level of knowledge about what’s going on – much more so than almost any American I know – they always point out that the outcome of the U.S. election matters almost as much to their lives as it does to ours. It is amazing how much Americans are respected, and how much our ideals are valued and emulated, and it is so disappointing to watch that standing in the world be tarnished. It really affects global notions such as democracy and equality. For example, there’s a big conversation going on about whether or not we should claim links to the U.S. in the countries we work in, because having those connections undermines our legitimacy to take stands against wrongful government actions. We cry foul for torture and detaining without trial, they point to our troops in Iraq and Guantanamo. It is so incredibly demoralizing.

So the one night we went out with everyone attending the meeting, the hotel arranged for us to go on a boat cruise. It was quite the cultural experience. If by cultural one means a bad prom out of an 80s movie, complete with corsages, posed photos under an arch with the Thai hostesses, awful renditions of bad 70’s and 80’s music, slow dances, disco lights and décor. It was a riot.

Perhaps the next time I’m in Thailand I’ll finally get to take some pictures, and get to plan my trip far enough in advance that I can do some traveling outside of Bangkok. Click here to see the few photos I took while on the cruise and from my hotel.