I'm Just sending this to show you guys what I've been up to. This is for a speech competition among the exchange students in my district (3350) on Jan. 14th. The winner then goes on to speak at the district conference in Pattaya province in May. Remember, this is supposed to be given in Thai so now I'm busy translating. Pray for me that I will do my best. Thanx!!
Later, 
Za' 

My Perspective of Thailand.

 

Good Morning. Honored board members, esteemed Rotarians, distinguished judges, special guests, ladies and gentlemen and fellow inbounds. It is my distinct pleasure to bring to you this day, “My Perspective of Thailand.” 

Allow me to take you back in time, about five months. The date and year – August 10th, 2000. Time? Approximately 12am. The event? Arrival of Barbara Za’ Franks to Don Muang International Airport – Rotary Exchange 2000-2001. Into the airport she stepped to a place far more sophisticated than she had thought. Into the “Land of Smile” she began her journey. 

I am that Barbara Franks and over a period of only five months, I have been able to gather my thoughts and feelings about Thailand. 

It is certainly a culture where people do the things they do, but can’t really say why they do them. To me, at first, I thought that they simply lacked logic and reason. But now, I think that perhaps this is good. As famous playwright once said, “if we knew what the gods did, then we would be gods ourselves.” 

I have also come to realize that the Thai people have and intense respect for life, religion, authority figures and other such things. This, I believe is the glue that holds them together when all else around them seems to be crumbling. A place where there is so much negative but yet it’s people are genuinely happy. 

I also think that Thai people have different priorities than the Western world and therefore it has become a place that I can learn
from and even see life and the world from a different perspective. George Santayana once said, “A man’s feet should be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.” 

When talking about physical Thailand, there is so much untouched, undisturbed, natural beauty that far out weighs the hectic way of the city, namely Bangkok. For example, provinces like Chumphon, Krabi, Surratani and Kanchanaburi. And in places like these, primitive people reside. Explorers, researches and analysts have come to the conclusion that although Thailand appears to be progressing physically, the minds of it’s people are still small and most times they believe exactly what they see and hear. But we outsiders must not look down on this. After all, I believe that sometimes we would be better off without sophisticated thoughts, modern ways of living and even at time new technology. 

Well, a wise and favorite teacher once told me, “ you have not lived, if you have not learnt.” I can say that in Thailand I have learnt more than a new language. I have gained a new way of looking at things, I have become more aware of how other people are living. I can say that for these five months I have lived. I once heard a saying, “Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.” Today and forever I will let my memory of Thailand be my travel bag. 

In conclusion, I would like to tell you the words of Miriam Beard. “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is the change that goes on deep and permanent in the ideas of living.” You never know, maybe if I had not come to Thailand, two different worlds would have never met. All of my perspectives can not be good because only Jesus Christ is perfect but I can truly say in the words of a Disney children’s song that Thailand has opened up to me “A whole new world, A new fantastic point of view. A whole new world, A dazzling place I never knew.” I have been as eloquent and honest as possible. Thank you very much for listening to me. Good-bye.