Embrace

The Thailand trip concluded yesterday on the third day of Chinese New Year.  Parents and I left Angela’s place around 5am in the morning to catch our flights to Taiwan.  I am not sure if it is age, awareness, or what the reason might be, the trip to Thailand this time versus the trip six years ago seem completely different to me.  On this trip, I observed more, thought more, interacted with people more, and of course, loved it more!  Six years ago, I visited as a tourist.  This year, I visited Thailand more as a tourist-traveler - not completely a traveler yet but more so than the last time.

I want to say that Thailand is a precarious country with its rich and poor, haves and have-nots, luxurious resorts and slumps, and modern and traditional contrasting in my mind constantly and persistently.  However, isn’t most places, so called “developing” countries from a Western perspective, like Thailand?  I have no illusion that the divisions, contrasts, and contradictions exist in a country like Thailand only benefit a small group of people or corporations.  However, I wonder, if the system was not set-up to benefit the lucky few, will the Cambodian, Burmese, and Thai work so hard almost to the point of slaving themselves to ensure that their next generation have an education to speak for?  I wonder if the value of a day’s hard work will be as respected?  And I wonder if countries like Thailand will be as energetic, exotic, intriguing, and exciting without these paradoxes?
  
I am not at all suggesting that the gap between rich and poor should be exploited, but what makes this trip so powerful, beautiful, and touching for me is the fact that I was able to see these conflicts, embrace their existence, without judgment.