IM Journal May, 2013
Dear Friends,
I recently returned
to Thailand after a seven month period of work (“deputation”) in the USA. During
this time I was based in Philadelphia, and did some extensive travel (Colorado,
West Virginia, New England). I love public speaking, and I love sharing the
stories of girls at the NLCF…their transformed lives, their excitement, their
hope for their future. So I always enjoy these opportunities to visit so many
people in different places across the United States…!
In addition to
speaking at various churches and spending time with my family and friends, I had
the opportunity to go back to school in January. I started an MS degree in
“Organizational Dynamics” at the University of Pennsylvania. This degree
combines organizational development and organizational psychology…and it’s just
perfect for me in terms of what I want to study and some skills I need to
develop at this stage of my life! Working and going to school was a bit of a
challenge, but the experience was just fantastic. It gave me fresh insights and renewed energy. I am hoping to finish this degree during this
upcoming school year (September, 2013 – May, 2014). Many details regarding this
are still unclear, but I am trusting that the pieces will all fall into place
within the next few months…!
Upon returning to
Chiang Mai I realized the extent to which I am just completely familiar
with Thailand. That deep sense of familiarity is what makes a place your home,
and after 14 years here I am really far more familiar with Thai culture than I
am with certain aspects of the culture in the United States. Regardless of how
long I’m away, this familiarity feels like stepping back into a pair of one’s
favorite, comfortable shoes.
The Thai language has
at least 25 different pronouns for “I”, “you”, “he/she” etc. When referring to
someone else, you can communicate respect for them, and/or acknowledge their
status, simply by choosing the appropriate pronoun for the word “you”.
Simultaneously, you can also lower or raise your own status through your choice
of the word “I”. For example…you can refer to yourself as “dichan” (quite
formal, communicating a distinct hierarchical distance between you and the
other person) “chan” (more informal, relaxed, to use with familiar colleagues
or acquaintances) and then there’s my favorite - the word “phi”, meaning “older”.
“Phi” is what you use in a casual context, and when you want to be very
friendly. I use the word “phi” to refer to myself when I’m buying something at
a store, or at the gas station, or in any other very casual situation (e.g.,
“older would like you to fill up the tank”; “older would like the fried rice
with vegetables”). It’s
fun to see people smile and relax when I use this word – a sweet indication
that my desire to be friendly has been successfully communicated.
As you know, Thailand
has a hierarchical culture; one is placed on a ladder of status according to
one’s rank, somewhere between a rice farmer on the bottom rung to the King at
the top. (This deeply engrained cultural hierarchy is related to Buddhist
philosophy as well, but that’s another conversation.) You have to know where
you are placed on this ladder (higher/lower; more/less education; older/younger; etc) in order to
know how to truly gauge a social context. When I first came to Thailand I was
hopelessly lost trying to track all the different pronouns in conversations. I
couldn’t figure who was talking about whom. I was particularly confused when
the principal of a prestigious Thai high school called me “phi” because I knew
she was at least 15 years older than I! (She explained later that she called me
“phi” as a way to be very friendly and respectful, despite the fact that
she knew I was younger and had far less status than she does.) It took me several
years to learn to navigate my way through these different pronouns and
understand the social ramifications of each one, but now it’s easy to jump
right back into it. This is another aspect of my familiarity with Thai culture,
and it just feels so comfortable.
There are many other
aspects of returning to Thailand that feel so comfortable as well. Working in
my office at the New Life Center Foundation, with all my books! Bike riding on
the trails through the rice paddies that I’ve discovered over the years. Reconnecting with friends, and the
staff and residents of the New Life Center that I’ve grown to love so much. I
am so grateful for all of this.
Many of you have
asked how you can pray for me, and the ministry of the NLCF in this period.
The NLCF is
definitely at a place in its organizational life cycle where it needs to
transition to full ethnic minority leadership. Another way of putting this is:
the NLCF needs an ethnic minority director! I am quite committed to the work of
the NLCF and will stay here as a consultant, as a support staff, as a resource;
however, it is extremely clear that we need some type of an appropriate
leadership succession plan. Given the unique situation of the NLCF (legal Thai
NGO, started by American Baptist missionaries and flagship ministry of the ABC)
and our current donor relationships and funding requirements, this is proving
to be more challenging than I had anticipated. Please pray that the staff,
board of directors and I can work together to develop some type of feasible,
practical, and appropriate leadership succession plan. Thank you so much!
How can I pray for
you?
Gratefully,
Karen