Tom Yum, Spicy Thai Glass Noodles with Seafood, Blood Pudding, and Other Delicacies

[Above photo: Six of the 13 students, on a Friday evening outing.]

8 April 2023

Week 1 of the workshop has concluded. It went very well and the students, all at different stages of learning and ability, have taken to it.  The major surprise to me is that my little daily lead-off, “One thing I learned yesterday.”, has often turned into a 2 ½ hour exercise. They use it not only to recount aspects of the previous day but, more importantly, as an opportunity to reflect on themselves. Sexual abuse, beatings, and other forms of personal parental, relative, and schoolteacher betrayal are recounted with strong feelings, demonstrating to me and them the power of a trusted group and the desire we all have, at some level, to expel those splinters from our psyche. Several of them volunteered yesterday that it was the most valuable aspect of the training. I agree, as it allows me to help them see how our experiences and feelings contribute so much to how we conduct psychotherapy, with both adults and children.   It makes me very happy that we have created a trusting group.

We generally order food in. I know this sounds like it would be incredibly expensive but it actually is cheaper than buying all the ingredients, including seasonings and relishes that they add for flavor, and cooking ourselves. It is such fun, sharing meals and clean-up, especially because they are so trained by their culture that they prepare plates for me, wash my dishes, etc. despite my protests which have gradually become more feeble.  I carry large containers of water from the 7-11 nearby, continue to buy them small things for their toy kits as I come across them in my wanderings about town, and pay for pretty much everything—house, food, taxis, outings, etc.

7 of us took two taxis to the zoo, where we boarded a red jitney which drove us to the top of a nearby mountain. It was a long haul, up, up into the clouds. There is a lovely monastery at the top and a viewing deck which overlooks the city, far below. Although the air is considerably better than it was, it still is somewhat smoggy.  The temperature at those heights was perfect at sunset. We stood and chatted and took photos and walked around the pagoda, listened to the monks at their evening chants, and enjoyed the mild evening breeze gently caressing us. There were some artificial pools that frogs inhabited and their croaks, plus the local geckos’ squawks, added to the atmosphere. We then descended the 300 steps to the parking area and took the jitney to an organic restaurant for supper, each dish of which was delicious and shared. Next door was an over-the-top ice cream parlor and we all had cones. I do love each of the students in the way you can if you have close familiarity and begin to hear the details of their struggles.

One evening I accompanied 2 of them to a Burmese hostel where 9 wounded opposition “soldiers”—in quotes since they appeared in their late teens and don’t have uniforms or weapons—were staying, awaiting surgery to repair and improve the effects of their injuries. One of the youths was totally blind; I hope he only requires corneal transplants to restore his sight. It was moving to see them engage as a group with the two psychologists; these are boys from villages who have probably never had more than 3 or 4 grades of school. One appeared to be very traumatized, dissociating and unable to talk much. I’ve not worked with soldiers before, especially those wounded. All of them were champing at the bit to return to the fight. Their cause is just, as is that of the Ukrainians, and I have to believe they will prevail. But at what cost?

I may go with a couple of my students to a border area after the workshop to help them think about how they can be maximally useful with refugees and opposition soldiers. I’m tempted to cross into Burma to visit the armed camps but shall not; mostly, I am worried that since I am White I’ll stand out and jeopardize my students who can blend in as villagers.  The Thai government, being a military dictatorship backed by a monarchy (with a 65yo playboy King who mostly philanders about in Berlin—so much so that the German government said he couldn’t stay there the majority of the time if he was the king of another country!), has not been sympathetic to the Burmese opposition.  Thai police often arrest wounded Burmese fighters who are brought to Thailand for medical/surgical treatments and return them to the Burmese military, which means long imprisonment or execution.

Speaking of bad guys, the dinosaurs in the Tennessee legislature haven’t gotten the word that racism is no longer in fashion in most parts of our country.  Nor are semi-automatic weapons which are regularly used to kill children and teachers. We have more than 1 “mass shooting” a day in the US since January of this year. I hope that some of the international corporations in Tennessee, as well as members of the wealthy music industry based in Nashville will speak up loudly about this. The lack of shame of these fools; the GOP line is so antediluvian, constantly trying to drag us back to our racist roots. “Woke” just means thoughtful about the injustices that we have done, and are doing, to minority groups—Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Gays, Lesbians, Transpeople, etc., seemingly anyone who doesn’t look or act like “us”.  Being intentionally blind to those injustices is “Not Woke”.   Ron DeSantis’ Florida, “Where Woke goes to die.” prefers to ignore and live in ignorance of those facts of our past and present, as well as to prevent others from learning, teaching, or talking about them.  How cruel and lame, to attempt to appeal to people’s baser, tribal natures. It is a summary of Trump’s shtick—to induce fear of “the other” (For example, the scary migrant convoys in Mexico funded by George Soros, dog-whistle for “Jew”, heading for our border.) create division, and then exploit it for personal political gain. It’s not going to work in the long run, as most people are accepting, tolerant, and support fair treatment of minorities, gun regulation, and a woman’s right to choose, unlike the members of his Base. Talk about painting themselves into a corner. And Clarence Thomas, no big surprise there.

I continue to be intrigued by The PathTo Power. My god, Johnson was driven!  Childhood poverty and estrangement from his failed father seemed to propel him beyond human capacity at times. Caro’s description of how hard he worked, how diligent he was at pursuing victory, and how fiercely he drove those who loyally worked for him sheds new light on him for me. I just remembered he was a kind of boorish Texan who showed his gall bladder scar to all and who gave dictation while sitting on the toilet with the door open.  He escalated our involvement in the American War in Vietnam (Vietnamese correctly call it the “American War”, not the “Vietnam War.” We did, after all, invade them, not the other way around. Just as the “Iraq War” is really another “American War*”. *In Iraq.)  He also managed to push through the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts.  Immensely talented, an ends-justify-the-means politician, his focus was on accruing Power which he managed to use for great good and great evil, I suppose the result of lacking a moral compass to guide his incomparable energy.