God is good! 280 scarves have been sold for a total donation of $3,617USD OR 105,870 Thai baht to the Mercy Center! Thanks to everyone for your support! I tried to do a print screen into WordPress but I couldn’t figure it out so I just took some pictures of the donation with my iPhone, sorry they aren’t the best quality!
I just wanted to thank all of my friends and family that supported this mini-fundraiser that I put together for the orphanage. It was a lot of work but it sure did pay off big! I stuffed three suitcases full of 280 scarves. My biggest worry was getting through customs without being harassed. I have said from the beginning that God has blessed this project and He took care of us every step of the way. We made it to the US, filled out our customs form stating what we were bringing back, made it to the officer at customs and he welcomed us home. A huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I figured the absolute worst thing that could happen was I would lose the initial investment if they confiscated the scarves but that was highly unlikely. The only other thing that could have happened was we would have been taxed, which would have taken away some profits from the orphanage but luckily nothing happened!
photo credit http://andrewjrivers.com/beer-goggles/
I am sure that most of you know what beer goggles are but for those that do not, the basic idea is the more you drink the prettier the women/men get. If you have beer goggles on an individual that normally is a 4 (on a 10-point scale) turns into a 11. I truly feel that by living in the States, Americas have “beer goggles” on at all times. Until you leave the States, you have no idea that you even had these goggles on and there is no going back to the previous state of inebriation. We have come too far….
I have been debating whether to write on this topic or if it is to “sensitive” but I have decided after much deliberation that I would share because I wanted to share all of my experiences, with my friends and family that were interested, when I took this journey.
I haven’t been away from home long but I am really starting to miss the ability to be blissfully ignorant. I don’t mean this in a cruel way by any means, so please do not take offense. I loved living in my southern home where I didn’t really have any worries, I didn’t live in a big city therefore I only saw “bad things” happen through the media. Let’s be honest here, if you are living in rural America there really isn’t a terror threat level that one needs to worry about.
I knew moving here would be different. I know around the world there are many people that hate Americans and what my country stands for. I understand that I am in a relatively safe location but one can never be too careful. The other day I experienced fear like never before. The feeling lasted for only a moment but it was so intense it literally stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away.
You’ve heard of the CIA and MI6 but I bet you have never heard of the NMN, the Nanny Maid Network. We all know the Las Vegas motto: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. This might be true for Vegas but what you must remember about Bangkok is that what happens here might stay here but everyone is going to know about it.
Back in the South, I never really had to encounter the sex industry like you do in Vegas. I’ve been to Vegas and it’s all around but it’s what you come to expect and really it isn’t surprising; they don’t call it Sin City for nothing! In moving to Bangkok, I had a rough idea of the sex industry and I had read about “Soi Cowboy” in my research before moving here and yes I had seen Hangover 2 but it doesn’t really prepare you for what you actually see once you live in it day in and day out. Before you move here you think that the “red light district” is Nana, which is a few BTS stops away from where I live but in all reality, it is everywhere. My home is located between two sois, on one you have restaurants, salons and shops but then on the other you have brothel after brothel.
In my opinion, shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market (JJ Market) is comparable to shopping at the major departments stores (i.e. Macys, Belks, Dillards, Kohls) on Black Friday or any day after during the holiday season. That is not to say that it is a bad experience just a little stressful.
the line of taxis to the right all waiting for their next victim
I thought I would write about the taxis here in Bangkok with a few helpful hints to tourists or new expats. I was thinking I would have loved for someone to have explained to me how it would work using the taxis, tuk tuks, and BTS. Enjoy what I think is essential information on how to navigate Bangkok.
Bangkok the land of cheap fruit, food, massages, pedicures and tailored clothing. For weeks, Chris has been going on and on about wanting a tailored suit. For Chris buying clothes isn’t so easy (being a woman I can relate); he just can’t find clothing to fit right. He is shorter than the average American but he is taller than the average Thai and not big enough for American sizes, which I think is a good thing! Like Stacy London and Clinton Kelly always say it’s imperative to have a good tailor. Last weekend we had nothing planned so we ventured out in search of a tailor that was reasonably priced. We stumbled upon one along Sukhumvit Road near our BTS stop.
From Palmetto Pride to Pad Thai 