Someone who chooses to become a Buddhist is saying, “I believe that I should conduct myself with benevolence, compassion, joyous sympathy, and equanimity”.

ref: Book: The Triple Gem-An Introduction to Buddhism, Author: Gerald Roscoe

I’ve learned that Buddhism is a life style, not a religion. The Buddhist lay people, monks, and nuns that I have met in Bangkok have shown me that they live their Buddhist values each and every day!

Chinese New Year

Bangkok’s Chinatown is one of the largest China towns in the world. I celebrated the Chinese New Year (February 5th) with friends who were visiting from the US. Earlier in the day, we took the express boat to tour the Flower Market. It reminded me of the wholesale produce house my grampa started in Portland. Later in the day, we walked to China town. As we were sipping tea in an upscale tea room on the main street through Chinatown, we witnessed the police clear the motor traffic and the party began! As the sun was setting, the streets filled with mass people dressed in Chinese costumes and a sea of red. Tons of food vendors set up their wood barbecues, woks and deep fryers as families gathered to celebrate the New Year. Excitement was in the air along with Lion and Dragon dancers! We even saw the Princess and Prime Minister go by in their coach – what an honor.

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Maryknoll Missioners – Thailand Programs

English Teaching

The Maryknoll English Teaching Program in Thailand was started by Bro. John Beeching, MM, in 1990 in eight different Temples. He coordinated the program until recently, which has now been taken over by Bro. Tim Raible, MM. The teachers are mainly the Maryknoll Volunteers and Affiliates who teach both Buddhist Monks and lay persons. At present, the program is conducted in three locations: Wat Vorajanyawat (I teach here), Wat Yannawa and Wat Prok.

Urban Asylum Seekers/Refugees

Maryknoll Thailand also helps the Urban Asylum Seekers/Refugees, particularly the asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). This vulnerable population scattered around Bangkok fled their countries (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Somali and other countries) for fear of their lives due to political or religious reasons. They are hoping that they will be given refugee status by the UNHCR and be resettled in another, third country. Once the asylum seekers are given “refugee” status, they avail the financial assistance from the UNHCR until they are approved to go to a third country. Some of those denied to have refugee status are advised to go back to their home country.

For the asylum seekers, Maryknoll provides the following:

• Monthly food assistance for a period of three months
• Visits to the asylum seekers’ homes, or to the Immigration Detention Center once they are arrested for an expired Visa
• Material assistance such as cloths, milk, kitchen/dining items, learning material, etc.
• Limited financial assistance for a trip back to their home country
• Coordination with other groups involved with urban refugees such as UNHCR, Jesuit Refugee Services, Bangkok Refugee Center, Asylum Access and others
• Participation in the regular meeting of the Caritas (formally the Catholic Commission for Human Development) Bangkok held once a month

Immigration Detention Center

At the Immigration Detention Center (IDC), when the Detainees come down from their cells to the recreation area, the Maryknoll team members that have clearance and access to the center have the opportunity to bring the detainees reading materials such as books, magazines, newspapers, etc.

Maryknoll services for those who are ready to go home include: coordinating with the Embassy for the travel documents, providing a phone card or connecting with their family and relatives for their one way ticket back to their home country, and providing clothes and other things needed for their trip back home. Maryknoll provides milk to the elderly and sick people inside the Detention Center as a food supplement.

We recently welcomed three new Maryknoll Volunteers to Bangkok and joined together for amazing Dim Sum after Mass on Sunday at Assumption Cathedral.

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The Temple Animals

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Sightseeing

I was introduced to Dr. Nik & Dr. Aim via email by an acquaintance who lives in my apartment building in Portland. We got together last Saturday and they were amazing hosts as I’ve experienced from all of the wonderful people I’ve met in Bangkok. They took me to see a floating market where we went on a boat ride on the canal and stopped at an orchid farm. Afterwards, they took me to an upscale mall for a tour of the ‘everything Japanese’ floor and wonderful Thai dinner. Did you know that Bangkok has been carved, drained, protected and irrigated by hundreds of canals since the 18th century? Although Bangkok’s usual icons are tuk-tuks and traffic, its waterways are the true symbols of a city that was known as the “Venice of the East” during much of the 19th century. Many of the canals have concrete barricades now to prevent boats and fishermen from using them.

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Bro. John took us on a tour of Wat Suthat which is one of Bankok’s oldest and most important temples. The ashes of King Rama VIII are enshrined in monuments there. And, although the 8 meter high Buddha image was covered and under repair, I was mesmerized by the color and design of the tile work inside the Wat.

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Ajahn (Head Teacher/Professor Monk) Suraphet took fellow Maryknollers and some students from the school to Wat Pho and Wat Arun. In addition to the impressive Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is well-known as a center for traditional massage and medicine. I’ve had two traditional Thai massages now and enjoyed them both. It’s quite different to most other forms of therapeutic massage and tends to be invigorating rather than relaxing, incorporating yoga style postures to relieve stress and improve blood circulation. After the tour, Pak, who is a beautiful 79 year old lady in my class, treated all of the Maryknollers and other students to an amazing dinner at a Japanese restaurant. She ordered a wonderful soup where the broth boils in the middle of the table and you add the raw meats, fish, egg, vegetables to cook. It was quite the experience and I think she ordered everything to put in the soup but the kitchen sink!

Wat Pho

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Wat Arun

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“The inward journey is a spiritual pilgrimage to the divine centre of one’s being.”

ref. book: Spiritual Co-Pilgrims Towards a Christian Spirituality in Dialogue with Asian Religions.

“There is unity in all religions on the spiritual journey.”

Julie Walker

Thai Monks

I was honored to be invited to one of my student Monk’s ordination. Phra (Monk) Den, who is from Cambodia and his parents could not attend so several of the Maryknoll s attended the ceremony. Now that he is 20 years old, the ordination ceremony consecrates him to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. I also have a monk in my English class who is 15 years old. He is a “novice” monk until he reaches age 20 and chooses to be ordained. There are precepts or guidelines that monks strive to adhere to. Among others, a woman must never touch a monk or his robe. To give a gift at the ordination, Phra Den extended a pink cloth on the table for me to place the flowers and money. At the beginning of the ordination ceremony, there was a procession around the temple three times while different chants and yells occurred. At the reception, we were fed an amazing Thai food feast. The Monks ate first and usually eat by themselves. Another precept is to refrain from taking substantial food after noon until dawn. Since the English school is within the temple, there is no school on Buddhist Prayer days. These occur on the day of the full moon, half moon and new moon. In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body, speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire.

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Thai People

My students and Thai people in general continue to overwhelm me with their kindness and respect. Everyday at class, students bring me snacks, desserts or homemade gifts! A popular form of greeting is the “wai”, where the hands are held together with the fingers pointing upward (like in prayer). It is not only a greeting, but is also used as a sign of respect for an elder person, someone of higher status and Buddha. At mass today in the Catholic Church, we “wai-ed” each other at the hand-shake of peace. There is an obvious high respect for others, the government and The Kingdom of Thailand Monarchy. I must say that I cannot help but feel a certain warmness for the person ‘wai-ing’. I rode on the back of a motorcycle taxi for the first time this week and it was quite fun! You see families on motorcycles with a parent riding with a child in back and one in front. Some people say that the popularity of motorbikes in the city have contributed to the air pollution. Schools were closed half this week and all next week due to the poor air quality. I have not felt too affected but did recently invest in a couple masks to wear while outside. One of my students told me that there are three seasons in Thailand; Hot, Very Hot and Rainy Hot! I just feel like I’m having one BIG hot flash!!!

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Sightseeing

I feel so blessed to be here and the Maryknoll staff; Bro. John and Bro. Tim have been so hospitable with their time and knowledge of the city of Bangkok. Also, Phra Suraphet, the Monk who manages the English program at the Wat I teach, has been wonderful taking us on tours. Bro. John has been in Bangkok for 30 years and currently lives in Chinatown. He took me and two other Maryknoll teachers on a tour of Chinatown navigating through back alley’s, beautiful temples, and amazing marketplaces. Evidence of the Chinese New Year approaching was evident everywhere – “The Year of the Pig”.

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Phra Suraphet received an award for his teaching outreach efforts. He invited us to join him at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University located about one hour outside of Bangkok to accept the award. The Ministry of Culture of Thailand ASEAN Cultural Center at the University also showcased the ASEAN community’s histories cultures, arts, traditions and values to deliver the message to the pubic on the shared cultural heritages and values within the Southeast Asian region and its people. Next, we visited a temple near by the University. I was most impressed with the beautiful paintings on the walls inside the Temple that used gold filigree paint and the impressive dragons protecting the Temple. Next, we visited the King Naresuan Great Palace, Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Wat Panan Choeng,  and Ayutthaya – the Thai Ancient City of Thailand 1350 – 1767 and former Capital. I googled the legend of the roosters seen at the King Naresuan site and all around Thailand: When King Naresuam was a Prince, he wagered a bet with a Burmese prince that Ayutthaya would be freed from Burmese rule if Naresuan’s rooster emerged victorious in the cock fight. Prince Naresuan’s rooster won the bet, humiliating the Burmese prince in the process. Phra Suraphet was a wonderful teacher, telling us what the different Buddha hand positions mean and explaining that people cover the Buddha statue with a thin golden leaf to honor Buddha teachings.

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Bro. John and Bro. Tim took us to the Jim Thompson House & Museum in downtown Bangkok. The hand weaving of silk, a long-neglected cottage industry, captured Jim Thompson’s (an American born in Greenville, Delaware in 1906) attention. He devoted himself to reviving the craft and contributed substantially to the industry’s growth and worldwide recognition of Thai silk. We toured his house which combined six teak buildings representing the best in traditional Thai architecture.

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Bangkok is a vibrant city with more than 8 million people. Despite the cities chaos of heavy traffic consisting of buses, motorcycles, cars, songtaews and tuk tuks, the people are so courteous. I live in a nice apartment in a residential part of town. One day, we took a songtaew (a red pick-up truck with two benches in the back) to a busier part of town. While riding on the songtaew, I complimented a lady on her shopping bag she was carrying. After getting off at our stop and walking a bit, I feel a tap on my shoulder . . . it was the lady from the songtaew who was frantically emptying the contents of her shopping bag in to a plastic bag so she could give it to me!

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I teach English Monday thru Friday at Wat (Temple) Worachanyawat. Some places reference it as Wat Vorachanyawas. The temple is about a 20 minute walk from my apartment and is located on the iconic Chao Phraya river. I am referred to as “teacher” by my students who consist of Buddhist monks, nuns and adult lay people. They are all so eager to learn English with proper pronunciation. Inside the temple grounds, there are golden shrines and statues adorning Buddha, Hindu and Daoism beliefs. Smells of incense, massage tiger balm and tropical flowers used to worship Buddha permeate the air. Most mornings the monks are chanting and wild dogs and cats chime in. They say that the Buddhist monks do not believe in killing any living thing, so many stray cats and dogs find there way there. The temple also houses a crematory and mortuary and provides funeral services. Some of the cheapest massages may be had within this temple since it is not popular with tourist. My first massage there was wonderful! After class each day, the missioners all have lunch together on the pier. The conversations are lively and thoughtful – Sometimes I feel a bit intimidated by my company of worldly scholars but I so enjoy listening and learning.

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I so often heard from travelers to Thailand that the food is amazing. I am here to say . . . it is AMAZING!!! The street we walk down to the Wat where we teach is my favorite. It is a local neighborhood so it’s not popular among tourists. Depending on the time of day, the array of street vendors and variety of foods change. I typically buy some new culinary delight from the street vendors each day and bring it back to my room to eat. I’ll let the pictures do the talking . . .

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One day after lunch, I ventured out on my own to see some famous sites in Bangkok. I took the express taxi boat on the Chao Phraya river, and yes, they are express – they stop at about 20 docks along the river. You better be ready to jump on or off at your stop because they maneuver those boats in and out of the dock in less than a minute! I intended to visit Wat Pho, Bangkok’s oldest temple, home of the stunning reclining Buddha and famous school of massage, but I got off the boat too early and landed at the famous Wat Arun instead. This temple, known as “The Temple of Dawn” was beautiful with it’s intricate mosaic work made from tiny porcelain shards shaped into flowers, a technique from the Ayutthaya era using recycled pottery that had been smashed during merchant voyages from China. Afterwards, I hopped on the ferry to go to the other side of the river to see Wat Pho and the reclining Buddha. Then made it back to the apartment successfully on my first singular voyage.

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“Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom”

BUDDHA

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I’ve always dreamed of going on an overseas mission, but asked myself – where would I go? And, how could I help? After a couple months in to my retirement, a magazine came in the mail from the Maryknoll Missioners. Flipping through the magazine, I landed on a page that described short-term overseas mission opportunities in various countries. The program in Thailand teaches English to adult monks and lay people as well as adolescent monk boys from Myanmar. So, here I am in Bangkok for 3 months teaching English! I will try to post about my experience each week (but, don’t hold me to it!!)

“YOU CAN’T START THE NEXT CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE IF YOU KEEP RE-READING THE LAST ONE”

Unknown Author

The gray hair transition

While on a ski trip in February of my first year in semi-retirement, I had an epiphany – and no longer wanted to dye my hair after doing so for the past 20 years or so. At first, it seemed like a great idea and would save me a boat load of money. I wore thick head bands initially to cover the gray hair during the transition. Then, as the gray hairs started invading my head, and the head bands were no longer thick enough to cover the gray, my insecurities started invading my head. Would I ever be attractive to a man again? Do people think I am older than I really am, or at least, older than I feel? Was I ready for “Grandma”? Was I ready to accept (embrace) getting old? Although I am completely gray now, it is still a shock sometimes to see my reflection in the mirror. Embracing my gray hair is a work in progress but I hope as I learn and grow spiritually, I will accept myself and people will look past the gray and see my inward youth and beauty!

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Part-time work at REI

What does semi-retirement look like? At 60 years old and an empty-nester, I left my job at REI headquarters in Seattle, Washington as a finance professional, sold my home and moved to Portland, Oregon in to an apartment. I gave up a two hour commute to work one-way and now work part-time at the REI retail store located in downtown Portland. I went from a 2200 sq. ft. home to a one bedroom apartment. Purging my “stuff” was very difficult, although, now I look around my apartment and know everything in it is very special. REI is a great company to work as a full-time professional or part-time. They encourage employees to breath their motto: “A life lived outdoors is a life well lived”. I love working as a cashier in the Portland store now and hearing about our customers and members great experiences in the outdoors. It is wonderful to work for an organization where their goals & passions align with my own. Part-time work has also afforded me the TIME to experience so many ADVENTURES outdoors doing the things I love . . . while I still can!! (See ADVENTURES post)

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Moving back to Portland gave me the opportunity to reengage on the ground of my ancestors from Sicily, Italy. My great grand-father on my mother’s side migrated from Sicily at the turn of the century. He pedaled produce through the streets of Portland with his horse and cart. My grand-father, continued the business in to a successful produce house in Portland’s “Produce Row”. I remember as a child going to the old brick produce warehouse with smells of burlap bags full of potatoes and ripening banana’s in the cold room. My favorite time was picking out our pumpkin at Halloween time. As a child, we were introduced to many fruits and vegetables that my friends had never heard of, yet alone, tasted. When my grandpa visited our house growing up, he usually brought a case of fruits or veggies that were on the verge of perishing. I thought it was normal for all banana’s to have big black spots on them!

During my first year of semi-retirement, I helped with harvest at my brother and sister-in-law’s lavender farm in Corbett, Oregon http://www.dancinglightlavender.com as well as my cousin’s vineyard in the Willamette Valley www.nemarnikivineyard.com. Several cousins helped to bottle the 2016 vintage and harvest several varietals of 2018 pinot noir grapes. I so enjoyed riding my bike to the Portland farmers markets to shop for fresh local produce and to see my brother and sister-in-law’s lavender products sold.

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“The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family”

LEE IACOCCA

“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”

MICHAEL J FOX

Through thick and thin, good times and bad, my “BIG fat Italian family” has been there for me. I am one of eight kids, fourth down fifth up is my birth order. My parents and grandparents have passed away now, however, after living away for the past 42 years, the most enjoyable moments moving back to Portland has been spending time with family and friends and keeping family traditions alive.

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THANKSGIVING Traditions live on at the family beach house since 1967 when my grandpa purchased it as a place for the family to gather. Many Thanksgiving, Easter and 4th of July holiday memories have been made at the beach house for four generations. Below, (right side) my sister Margaret & her husband Keith re-create Grandma & Grandpa carving the bird.

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FAMILY RECIPES: 

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FAMILY GET-TOGETHER S

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FAMILY GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

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“It’s where I’m going, not where I’m coming from, that carries me on the next mountain and beyond myself”

Reinhold Messner

I have been more active in my first year of semi-retirement at age 61 than the previous 42 years while working full-time and raising my family. Living in an apartment on the Willamette river in Portland, OR has afforded me amazing daily adventures. What a blast it’s been. Want to experience some sailing, snow skiing, kayaking, biking, paddle boarding and . . . ? Stay tuned for my next BIG adventure.

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“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Now that I have time, daily walks along the Willamette river path in Portland Oregon during my first year of semi-retirement allowed me to take advantage of breathtaking views of Mt. Hood and the changing landscapes of foliage and fowl. Take a stroll with me by viewing the pics below:

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