T.V. Star

Last night I was showing a colleague around the Lumpini night market when a reporter and cameraman from the Thailand Tourist Board stopped and asked me to do a little two minute interview/sound bite about what I thought of Thailand since the violence began last week. Since I am used to sound bites, I had no problem speaking in front of the camera. Afterwards, he said I was really professional (which is beside the point actually of why I am telling this story). The point is what I said. Although Thailand is virtually in a state of anarchy and has been for the past number of years, from the farang perspective, life goes on. I live on Sukhumvit, which is like Yonge Street, and as you walk up and down you see people going about their normal working lives. Having said that, at the night market last night there were many shops closed, so the economy is the same everywhere around the world but I assume they were closed because of the economy, not violence or the threat of it.

When I think about what I see in south east Asia, it is surprising or lucky that we are doing so well in the west. Thailand is in a classic state of anarchy, Myanmar has a fascist dictatorship, Singapore is a one party state as Mike is quick to point out, Vietnam is a Communist country where there is no free speech and I have not even begun to describe Laos, Cambodia, or Bangladesh. Maybe what we see here is more akin to the human condition and what we have in North America is some aberration, wrought by a confluence of factors like natural resources, free education and just plain luck. Maybe Hobbes had it right when he said the nature of man is nasty, brutish and short. In this area of the world people are packed into a can like a bunch of sardines and are virtually fighting for some little piece of space. Perhaps we would move to the right if there were a 100 million of us, even though that would probably still seem empty in Canada compared to what I see over here.

I can’t remember when I wrote last or what I said, but I am definitely having fun. Last week I was in Hanoi. My company has formed a consortium and we are opening a few large schools. I had to explain to a board of consultants what international education really is and I gave an absolutely brilliant speech, (I am a legend in my own mind.) It is so easy to give speeches in a foreign country because when the translator is talking, you can gage body reaction, think about what you want to say next and keep your thoughts in order. In addition, as I discussed with my translator afterwards, he really softened a lot of what I had to say so it would be politically acceptable. For example, I said the absolutely first thing I would change would be to rip out all of the podiums where teachers stand and talk to make the statement that the nature of teaching and learning had to change in Vietnam from teacher-centred to student centred. He said something like we might consider removing the podiums in due course or words to that effect. I told them that the afternoon nap would also have to go. God knows how he translated that one.

I am now in Singapore, where there is a one hour time difference and guess what? My cell phone automatically changed times. Wow,:yet when I go back to Bangkok I will have to change the time manually. Another amazing thing. I went down to Singapore on an emptyish plane and had a chance to lay down and sleep after takeoff. Two and a half hours later I heard the pilot say we are about to land. I must be getting as good as Alana in travelling on planes!