For those of you who have kept a relatively close eye on my blog, you might remember my thoughts right about the time I took off in the airplane from Atlanta.
They were something along the lines of “what have I gotten myself into?” And may also have included a few thoughts of “am I insane?” coupled with “oh, I don't know that I am ready for this.” Well, I am about a month and a half in, and some days I am not sure I have resolved any of those questions.
Daily I wake up to the sun shining in, the breeze blowing through and this marvelous view directly before my eyes:
The landscape of Phuket, Thailand is beautiful. Every day we see people who have flooded onto this island to soak up the sun and take in the beauty.
It is sometimes difficult to reconcile the tourist culture with the bars and nightlife of Phuket. For a frame of reference, think Bourbon Street, New Orleans. Except Bangla Road is more densely populated with bars, bars and more bars. And the bars employ more prostitutes than I think I could previously imagine. For some, it is the family business. Generation after generation have grown up to inherit their positions in the bars. For others, it is their easiest and most obvious answer to meet a financial need in their home province. Still others seem to have no options. They are here because of someone else's desires, plans and schemes for financial prosperity.
As an outsider in Thailand and a relative outsider to the general bar scene, I was nervous to come in and work with SHE for a month. The whole concept seemed out of my element. And it is difficult. We are in bars a few nights a week and praying for the women on the nights we are not. It can be physically, spiritually and emotionally exhausting.
But last week, My teammate Laura and I sat at a bar and played the most killer game of Jenga you have ever seen.
And I cannot wait to go back and hang out with those ladies again. For them, maybe it was a glimpse of a different kind of life. Or maybe it was just a relaxed evening with friends. I'm not sure. But it was good.
