For the last 10 months, I've been living, working, and traveling in Southeast Asia.  It's my first time living overseas, and a big change, especially after 10 years in Vermont.  It took some adjusting, but I'm enjoying it a great deal now.  Based in Bangkok, I've been fortunate to visit Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Korea, India, and China, as well as many other parts of Thailand.  A few things I've learned:

• It's HOT
• The next day will probably be even hotter
• The culture is incredibly rich and beautiful
• Almost everything is different
• The food is awesome, and I am enjoying cooking a lot more now that I have a broader array of culinary weapons in my arsenal. My kitchen is now rarely lacking in shallots, garlic, limes, chilies, fish sauce, black pepper, and coconut milk. And lots and lots of rice and noodles.
• People are generally very kind but can be frustratingly slow by American standards. Getting things done is not a high priority, though they usually "get around to it" someday.  On the other hand, I think they generally enjoy life more.
• Learning the Thai language is harder than I thought it would be, but it's surprisingly thrilling when somebody actually understands a complete sentence I utter, or I can read a simple billboard.  I finally figured out why the lady at the laundry always smiled when I asked for my shirts: I was unknowingly asking if my tigers were ready (same word, different tone).  Bahasa Indonesia is a LOT easier, though I don't know much yet.
• Living through a mini-revolution here in Bangkok has been quite an experience.  Southeast Asian politics make the disagreements of the Democrats and the Republicans looks pretty small.
• I can't wait for my next trip, and I get anxious if I'm home for more than a few days.  I'll be in 7 cities in 5 countries this month alone, and that's the way I like it.  Next is Cambodia!  I can't wait to see Angkor for the first time.

I'm working for Habitat for Humanity International to implement a large capital fundraising campaign in many of our key countries here, but have given special focus lately to Indonesia, where I'm spending a week or two every month.  That's a good thing, because Indonesia is second only to Thailand in my list of favorite places. The music, art, and culture there are intensely beautiful.  We're trying to raise $440 million (USD) here in the Asia-Pacific to help poor and sometimes homeless people find new homes, as well as to rebuild the homes of people who've been stricken by natural disasters.  Habitat is a wonderful organization, and the staff and volunteers are incredible.  I even got to meet President Carter!  But meeting the families in their new homes is my favorite part. These are people who used to live in slums or in total squalor, or who witnessed their home destroyed by a flood or earthquake or typhoon. We build very simple, basic homes here, a place that most Americans would consider tiny.  Each one usually costs only a few thousand dollars, including the cost of the land.  They usually have cinderblock walls, a metal roof with no finished ceiling, an outdoor kitchen, and maybe one little separate loft space for sleeping.  They're typically occupied by a family of 5.  Yet the families are so grateful and happy to be there, and nearly all of them say that it has completely transformed their lives.  it's truly moving.  The work keeps me very busy and is about as rewarding as I can imagine.

I of course miss my friends and family back in the US immensely, though a few have managed to visit me here and I've been back twice.  I also miss my home in Vermont, and I also miss working more actively with EarthDeco.

I still enjoy hunting around the local markets, shops, and galleries.  Every time I see a beautiful, unique craft or artwork, my first thought is, "I really want to buy that for my gallery!"  Much of the time, I end up buying it for my apartment in Bangkok anyway, but I'm starting run out of room!  My urge to collect beautiful and unusual things is still very strong, and the more I travel, the more that urge seems to grow.

EarthDeco has been mostly dormant since we closed the physical gallery in June, 2009.  We still have our website, and have continued to sell one or two items every so often from remaining stock, but I haven't been buying anything new.  That is going to change.

It might take a while, but I've decided to rebuild EarthDeco as an online-only business, focusing mostly on smaller pieces, decorative accessories, sculptures, art, indigenous crafts, and other things I run across in my travels.  I can also try to hunt down items that clients request.  Someone just emailed me from Europe asking for a 12th century Khmer Visnhu.  I can do that (a reproduction anyway).  We can even still provide the same furniture, antiques, lighting and other large pieces that we used to have in the gallery on a custom-order basis.  Maybe someday we'll have an actual gallery again too.  Who knows.  But for now, I'm going to keep it simple.

I definitely love my "day job", and am still committed to it full-time. However, I think I can do this in my spare time if I just keep it uncomplicated and fun.  Once things get up and running again, I'll make a more formal announcement, but for now I decided I'll just write an occasional weblog when the mood strikes.  I like to write, so that's fun for me too.  I want to keep better track of my experiences here.

It's 11 hours time difference from Eastern Daylight Time (12 hours difference in the winter), so you'll be seeing these posts at pretty odd hours.  Please feel free to COMMENT by clicking on the "comment" link below, or by emailing me.

Cheers, sawasdee krub, selamat tinggal!