Thailand

by Bill Preston (Thailand 1977-80)  . . .  It was the hot season in Thailand. I had recently left Yala, my first site, in the deep-southern province near the end of the dangling elephant’s trunk of Thailand that latches on to Malaysia. Having completed my first year as a Peace Corps English teacher in a Thai secondary school there, I had just relocated to Sukhothai, the provincial capital of the north-central province and name of the nearby old city, with its ancient ruins of the original Thai capital. I was starting over in another part of the country, preparing for a different assignment with new groups of teachers and students. Joining a new project In 1978, several volunteers and I were offered the opportunity to join a new project, a collaboration between the Thai Ministry of Education and Peace Corps Thailand. The idea was to place pairs of volunteers, who had taught . . .

  No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield (Thailand 1967-69) Atria Books May 2017 322 pages $13.99 (Kindle); $12.99 (Paperback), $13.99 (audiobook)   Through his signature warmhearted, poignant, often funny stories, with their a-ha moments and O. Henry-like outcomes, Jack Kornfield shows how we can free ourselves, wherever we are and whatever our circumstances. Renowned for his mindfulness practices and meditations, Jack provides keys for opening gateways to immediate shifts in perspective and clarity of vision, allowing us to “grapple with difficult emotions” and know how to change course, take action, or—when we shouldn’t act—just relax and trust. Each chapter presents a path to a different kind of freedom—freedom from fear, freedom to start over, to love, to be yourself, and to be happy—and guides you into an active process that engages your mind and heart, awakens your spirit, and . . .

  The New York Times put Charles Murray on the cover of its Sunday Magazine, calling him “The Most Dangerous Conservative.”   That was after he co-wrote the book, The Bell Curve, which argued that different ethnic groups have, on average, different IQs. As Murray puts it in my video this week, “Blacks on average have a lower IQ than whites. However, whites are not at the top. East Asians, on average, have a higher IQ than whites. Ashkenazi Jews have higher IQs.” Other researchers agree. An article in ScienceDirect journal puts it this way, “East Asians and their descendants average an IQ of about 106, Europeans and their descendants about 100, and Africans and their descendants about 85.” But many people don’t believe it. Many don’t even want such topics discussed. Last time Murray tried speaking to college students, a mob shouted him down. “They’re angry at you because you’re . . .

I have officially made it to Thailand, the land of smiles. These last 24 hours of traveling have been crazy. It started at 6pm on the 5th bringing all of our luggage to one meeting spot, getting on busses, and traveling to the San Francisco airport. The last day and a half of the orientation/staging we really connected with our director and our training officer so we all had to take one picture together to get everyone in. What I didn’t realize is that Peace Corps staff doesn’t accompany you on the travel to country, so you can imagine how trying to get 47 Peace Corps volunteers through checkin and security TSA was… a little chaotic. Nonetheless everyone made it on to the plane departing for Taipei, Taiwan. This plane ride was the longest I have ever been on, I can remember always complaining on the 4 hour plane ride . . .

About Me January 5, 2024 Yesterday was a full on travel day to San Francisco. I woke up in my Wisconsin home at 3, got dressed packed those few last minute things, loaded them in the car and me, my parents, my grandparents, my boyfriend and 2 best friends (a whole group!) trecked our way down to Green Bay for my 6am flight. The ride was sad, seeing Door County one last time. During all of yesterday I’ve was listening and resinating to the song “You’re gonna go far” by Noah Kahan. If you haven’t heard this song it’s really good and just had me in my feels with moving, I was sad to leave by I knew it’s what I needed. I am so happy with all the love I was met with by my family they really have supported all of my dreams and aspirations. My first flight was . . .