THAILAND

  Our first few days here we had an orientation to the culture – here are few interesting facts I learned.

• It is called the Kingdom of Thailand

• Currently the average temperature is 90 F and 90% humidity

• The King is the most important man in the country is NEVER to be talked poorly about or disrespected (Don’t even stepping on the money that his head is printed on)

• The Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the 9^th King of the Chakri Dynasty and was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts

• There are 65 million people

• 94% of the population is Buddhist (in the same way that a majority of Americans say they are Christian/Catholic): 4% is Muslim and 1% Christian

• $1 USD = 30 baht (local currency) 50 Baht can buy you a meal with a drink in most places

• Sawasdeecah, sawasdeekharp is how to say hello & goodbye for a woman/man respectively

• The head is the most honorable part of the body – you should not touch someone’s head nor pass something over a person’s head

• The foot is the dirtiest part of a persons body – it is offensive to show the bottom on your feet to someone or sit so they can see the bottom on your feet

• Monks are forbidden to be touched by a women, sit by a women, or be passed something by a women; if they do any of these they need to go through a 2 week cleansing process

• It is a high priority to be dressed neat and be clean. They are sensitive to body order and it is offensive to smell.

• It is not polite to show emotion in public

• It is impolite to shout, yell or speak loudly in public

• It is rude to point in a deliberate manner

• Great emphasis is placed on politeness and respect for elders and those in authority

• They are very group oriented

• They are known as “The Land of the Smiles”

• It is VERY important to keep “face” in the Thai culture.

• They have squatty pottys – which are toilets 6 inches or so above the ground and you stand on the sides, squat down, throw your TP away, and pour water down to flush what you put in there 🙂

Remember Nhu Organization

This is the organization we are partnering with and here are some interesting (and by interesting I mean completely devastating facts that I learned during our orientation)

• About 2,700 CHILDREN are trafficked into sexual slavery every day

• Children are often sold by desperate families; families who have no jobs, no money and need to borrow money just for food (this money is borrowed with a RIDICULOUSLY high interest rate). By selling a child they can receive a large amount of money.

• Some children are sold by families who are greedy for more money

• The girls are able to be sold as young as 12 years old

• They can be sold for multiple days at a time, or to a brothel/bar for a lifetime

• This leads to the girls being beaten and raped; as they are not willing to perform these acts

• One story they shared with us was about a girl who was sold for three days, she was locked in the room with the man and he didn’t even feed her!

• Remember Nhu finds these girls and takes them into their homes!

• In Thailand they have 77 girls between the ages of 4 and 18 sponsored!

• The girls go to public schools, receive as much education as they can/want, learn vocational skills to have a reputable job and eventually support themselves.

• The children also receive love from their house parents & peers, live with running water, have great food, and just an all around positive environment.

• Currently, in Thailand, they have 77 girls living at the home (split between 2 houses) and they can’t wait to expand and open up more houses for more children

• To learn more about the organization visit remembernhu.org

• AND to help protect the girls’ privacy it is not likely that I will post many pictures of the girls; BUT I can show you when I get home 🙂