already 2.5 months back in Thailand! In June I started my 1-year term at AIESEC Thailand, a quite insane experience so far. As at the last time, scroll down to look at the pictures, if you are bored with reading exciting stories ;)
Clashes in Bangkok
Right after arriving, I got to know one of the saddest chapters in the Thai history. You might have heard about the conflict in the TV. Basically there are two policital competitors in Thailand, called Yellow Shirts and Red Shirts. The Yellow Shirts support currently the government, while the Red Shirts wanted to overturn the government in the last months.
For weeks, the red shirts blocked the Thanon Ratchadamri, one of the biggest and most important street in Bangkok and claimed the area as law-free zone. To keep away police and army, they built a wall of wheels and woodern sticks. From this base they organized protests that ended in many cases bloody, like one in Silom (inner city): two granades were thrown at a subway station right at noon, 2 people died.
Quite scary for us, since our office is a 5 minutes walk away from the closed area and on our way to the office we passed army with machine guns and protestors against the red shirts selling Thai flags, pipes etc. At the end of May the government stormed the law-free area with army forces. As a result the violence escalated and the red shirts occupied several places in Bangkok and burned down the Central World, one of the largest Shopping Mall right in the center of Bangkok. At this time there was a national curfew and no one of us was allowed to leave our houses before 9 pm.
Central World after the clashes.
Center One burned down as well.
During these time I started to use Twitter, I never took it very serious before, but with this tool you get the latest news minutes after, with photos, videos. Also this map was very helpful to see which areas where dangerous to go lately.
To stay in Bangkok at this time was not as dangerous as many poeple all over the world thought (scared by the news in TV), but still it was a scary and sad feeling to drive in the bus and see smoke and burning houses. We all hope this will never happen again, the political situation remains unclear though and in some provinces (not Bangkok) there is state of emergency.
The Thailand-India-Ivory Coast Story
I don't know wheater to laugh or to cry about this story. A guy from Ivory Coast (West Africa) staying in India contacted me a month ago to apply for an internship AIESEC is responsible for. Actually I was happy to talk to a guy so near to Ghana (he even used to live in Ghana). But then things turned worse.
The normal process to apply for an internship is to have an interview by Skype or phone between the candidates and the company and after the company accepted, the candidate books a flight and comes to the country.
But this guy couldn't wait and booked the flight immediately without having an interview or any backup plan. I told him before, it will be not easy for you to find a job quickly in Thailand, if you don't get this internship. His reply was, I'm the right person for this internship, I will get the job.
One week later I met him the first time in person. I remember the time, it was 2.20 pm. We had a lunch and talked about this and that and eventually he told me:
He: "Good news, at 3 pm I have an interview with the company" (I was fairly surprised, usually the interviews are arranged through AIESEC)
Me: "Wow cool! At which day?"
He: "It will be by today!"
Me: "What??? Where is it??" (It was 2.40 pm)
He: "I don't know exatly, somewhere around here:..." (he showed me his notes saying the company is at the other end of the town)
Me: "You never gonna make it till 3 pm, you will be at least 30 minutes left"
He: "No problem, they will understand it!"
I coudnt quite believe it, because this was his only very good chance to keep staying and have a nice time in Thailand! 4 days later it was clear that he didn't get the job. We tried to help him out and get him another job at a school in Bangkok (English teaching). We even arranged him an interview at 9 am with the director of this school. At the evening before I talked to him, that was the first time I became really angry. He told me he will not be able to make it at 9 am, because the traffic in Bangkok is so bad ha would have to wake up 5 am, etc. etc. I mean, this was his last chance to get a job in Thailand, and he demanded his 10 hours sleep in the night!?
So we cancelled the interview and I predicted him that was the last time I helped him.
2 weeks later he called me another time, telling me he wanted to fly back to India (and then back to Ivory Coast) and have a guess what happened? HE MISSED HIS FLIGHT, because of "bad traffic"!.....That is it so far, updates follow.
Lost-My-Wallet-Story
Arghhh! Some of my friends back in Münster or Tübingen might know it: I lose my wallet regularly, but I was amazingly lucky in the last years and always got it somehow back, by friendly foreigners, by myself or by the government.
Losing the wallet in a bus in Thailand, is a mistake you shouldnt make though. However I managed to leave it and seconds after getting off I realized it and took a taxi immediately. Unfortunetely the driver coudn't speak any English, so it took a while to explain him with my poor Thai to follow the orange bus number 77! As he realized it he run scared as well and accelerated massively. That might be the reason why he took the wrong way at the next intersection.
My situation was not the best at the moment: Now I realized that I had no money to pay the driver, my mobile phone had ran out of credit and the key for my house was in the wallet by the way (plus credit card, cash, driver licence and a couple of other cards).
The driver was the best example of Thai friendliness though: He understood that I didn't have money and switched the meter of. He even drove me through the half city for free to a bus station where I could try to catch up this unholy orange 77 bus and search for my wallet in there. (I noted the driver's phone number to call him later)
After two ours stopping busses and searching desperately for my wallet, I gave up. Luckily Khwan had called me in the meantime and we went home and called Pete in Germany to lock my credit card.
On 11 pm I got a call: "I have found your wallet, can you come to Mo Chit?"
Oh my god!! Lucky again! The bus driver had found the wallet and besides that he waited 2 hours for us to pick up the wallet, I love Thai honesty.. I even had to almost force him to take a couple of Baht as appreciation..
Visa Run in Laos
In order to renew my visa, I have to leave the country every 3 month. I have to admin it's a little bit annoying, but fun at the same time! Last month I went with Khwan to Laos, here some pictures:
Kanuing at an amazing landscape
One highlight of the trip: Around 20 meter high swing over the river, after enjoying a flight in the air, the jump in the cold water is still pretty high and can hurt! Surpise: Even Khwan dared to fly a couple of times ;)
MC at AIESEC
Right after arriving from Ghana, I started my incredible work as MC at AIESEC. It is hard to describe this work properly, it is extremely challenging and unique, that's what I can say for sure after the first 2 months. If it is meet big companies (e.g. Coca Cola, Electrolux, HSBC, Reckitt Benckiser, Nielsen,...), facilitate training for and coaching our members, analysing the organization and planning the next year, organize and promote our next National Conference, developing new products, etc., there is no time to get bored.
I have a wonderful team as well, Charmy, Aum and Zong from Thailand and Dessy from Indonesia.
Headache topic: Work Permit and Visa Training at Chulalongkorn University
Board Games at Battlefield Bangkok
Some of my friends might know, I love to play each kind of board games, preferably the ones who last 8 hours minimum and are played by real gamers (freaks) :D
After month of total game abstinence I found my paradise: The only (!) gamer shop in Bangkok, and I bet it's the only one in Thailand as well: Battlefield Bangkok. Usually Thai people are neither big book readers nor big board game players, this shop is an exception. Every weekend you can find lots of both Thai and expacts to compete against eachother playing all different kinds of games.
Our second session there was Twilight Imperium, a really nice game, we used to play that back in Muenster as well a couple of times. Even though we couldn't finish I loved it so much and will repeat it definetely soon!
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