HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! From Bangkok...

Happy 4th to America!  I will say, reading about all of these human rights violations and the demonstrations in Cairo only gives me more pride in my country and love for it.  For so many of the United Nations law reports the United States is the model... No, we definitely don't have it together but have been blessed with enough resources and providence that in this time of the world's history, we are a model for the rest of the world - I hope our generation can keep that up!

Anyway, back to my life in Bangkok, I have settled in here, if you can call it settling in.  I have realized that God has given me a cool perspective on the trafficking fight, because for most westerners, their primary contacts in Thailand are Western NGOs, but for me, my primary contacts here are the Thai government!  So it's cool to be on the other side of it and be surrounded by people who have given their life's work to helping their country fight human trafficking.

I have just started interviewing the people I report to - Pi-Mou at the Department of Social Development, who is in charge of Thai child victims of trafficking; Khun Pravit, who is a public prosecutor of traffickers; Khun Paisith, a special expert for human trafficking investigations at the Department of Special Investigations (DSI); Pi-Kae, an investigator for human trafficking at DSI.

Here is me, Khun Paisith, and Pi-Kae after their interviews (sporting our DSI jackets!):

Side note: I have just begun to understand the subtleties of the Thai hierarchy system.  Khun means "Mr." and is quite polite; "Pi" means sister, and is used for anyone older than you.

I will travel with the DSI to Udon Thani this weekend and see the government shelters where the trafficking victims recover before being repatriated to their home countries, and then onto Vientiane (capital of Lao PDR) to interview some victims who have been trafficked from Lao.  Of course, the interviews will all be in Thai but I will pick up what I can, mai pen lai!  (Thai for "no big deal")

In addition to settling into my research and developing relationship with some government officials, I have had even more visits from friends!

Tomas and I checked out the flower market in Chinatown: 

                                   

There are just rows and rows of the same exact flower, it is hard to think how they all sell some everyday!

You have never seen so many flowers, or garlic, for that matter (pictured here), in your life...

Last weekend, Alex also managed to come visit (New York will be a piece of cake after Bangkok)!  Plus, here we could even afford the beer,

the tuk tuks,



and the sky bars!

I finally made it to the Grand Palace, 

And a Muay Thai match!  (I've also been taking classes :) )

                                  

But the third ring gambling is as much of a spectacle as the match itself...

We also made it to the Jim Thompson house, the first business man to really bring the Thai silk industry to America (pictured with the silk worms below)

                                              

and I was also treated to lunch at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (they have every Royal sport you can think of), thanks to Mom, Maggie Mudd, and Mr. Longfellow!

Always nice to know I could consider non-residency membership and spend my summers in hot and happening Bangkok... I am really loving this city, gateway to Southeast Asia. 

Off to Northeast Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam next week, will blog when I can!