Reflections: Stuff, Stuff, and More Stuff

I’ve been living in Bangkok for 3 months now. It’s time for some introspection:
      I left a lot behind when I moved here. I’m not talking people, I am talking stuff. I packed away an embarrassing amount of clothing, shoes, kitchenware, home decor, dry pantry items, toiletries, and other stuff. So much stuff. And, really, I had it easy. There is a house full of more stuff like couches, rugs, wall hangings, artwork, (more) kitchenwares, and stuff that I don’t even remember is there that Brian, a close friend, was kind enough not to want removed when he moved in. It makes me a little queasy even thinking about going back to all that stuff. Whatever possessed me to acquire it in the first place? 
     Well, as many of you know, I am a sucker for a bargain. Even more of a sucker for the word ‘free’. So, the vast majority (90+%) of my clothes were purchased at low-cost consignment and second-hand shops and the greater majority of my non-clothing items were acquired as hand-me-downs, gifts, or from the distribution of my late grandmother’s estate. So, in some ways, I can breathe a sigh of relief.... at least I didn’t spend an unfathomable amount of money on all that stuff. 
      But, still. What is a 22 year old woman doing with so much freaking stuff? Its not like I need it to be happy. I’ve proven that. I am perfectly content with the stuff I have in my possession right now... and all of it fits into two bags and a backpack. (And 12 lbs of it is the freaking blender I hauled halfway around the world) Even still, the amount of stuff I have here borders on too much. Case in point: I have to do laundry about once a month. Not even kidding. ONCE A MONTH. And, when I do, there are still clean things in my closet. How ludicrous is that? Positively insane.
     I like to think of myself of the kind of person who is immune from the capitalistic, ‘buy! buy! buy!’ and ‘more things=more happiness’ mantra that I often rail against and yet, here I sit, my mass of stuff, spanning the Pacific ocean, haunting me. Its a little discouraging. In some ways I would love for it to all disappear.... If, in 8 months, I get back and the 60 pounds of clothes that I vacuum bagged aren’t there to greet me, I might just breathe a gigantic sigh of relief. But I know that the easy route isn’t the answer. (And, realistically, living in a mono-climate sort of place greatly simplifies one’s wardrobe.) Once I get back to the States I will need my peacoat, my corduroys, and my scarves. Furthermore, banishing that stuff potentially sends it to the landfill and if that stuff is being unproductive in my possession, it certainly won’t be doing any good in the trash heap. (For the record, I did donate close to 70lbs worth of clothing to the Macon CrisisLine before I left. At the time I thought that was pretty nifty, now I realize I could do that again and still be left with plenty)
     I’d love to be one of those people who lives in a shipping container and can simplify their life to the point of numbering the items they own from 1-100. I’ll also be the first to admit that it will never happen for me. I, like my mother, build wunder-cabinets (a very, very Dutch practice) out of our homes. We turn them into psuedo-art/history/science/nature/family museums. Anyone who visited my house in Macon has already witnessed this. My mantels were shrines that honored anything and everything I found delightful in the world. I built cairns out of rocks on my fireplace to imbibe peace and I displayed art that I cherished to remind me of people/places/experiences that I loved. I don’t want to lose any of that. That isn’t the kind of ‘stuff’ I am talking about. I am talking about the slowly amassed, non-sentimental, utterly pointless things: Clothes, junk-mail, tupperware, knick-knacks, paper, magazines, etc etc etc. Needless to say, I will say that I will be making a conscious effort to reduce the amount this nonsensical stuff in a few key ways:
1.   I’ll be going through the masses of stuff I left behind and re-evaluating what I use it for and how my life would change without it.
2.    I won’t be getting more stuff just for the sake of satisfying a momentary longing for it. I didn’t think I did this to begin with; I am one of those people that mulls over big purchases for an achingly long time BUT I clearly need to do some more mulling, especially in the clothing department... even when I find a rad shirt at Goodwill for $0.10 that would work perfectly for Halloween 2023. Nope, not going to play that game anymore.
3.    I will resist my genetic disposition to be a pack-rat. I come from a long line of them and, frankly, I don’t want my grandchildren wading through cabinets containing an army’s worth of meticulously cleaned, re-used and stored ziplocks, tupperware, and take-out containers after I kick the re-used, meticulously-clean, bought-for-a-bargain, old-Dutch bucket...(Both my grandmother’s were guilty of this). So far, genetics are winning. I can do better than that.


Further 3-month anniversary reflections on the horizon... 

Biscuits and Gravy Come to Bangkok

       Yes, indeed. I caved. You see, in Thailand, there is no such thing as breakfast food. Thais eat the same sort of dishes every meal of the day. Which, under most circumstances, is actually quite convenient: no need to whip out different ingredients or find a speciality restaurant in order to eat breakfast food. This seems all fine and good until you realize that you are a person who adores classic breakfast dishes. 
       You see, I am one of those people. I love breakfast. I love capers and lox on a homemade bagel. I salivate at the thought of banana pancakes with Michigan, grade B, maple syrup. I get an endorphin high just thinking about the multitude of muffin possibilities. And, I take personal pride in my no-recipe-necessary rendition of biscuits and gravy. It is my power-recipe. I make it to relax, to give myself an ego-boost, and to show my love for those around me. 
       Naturally, when presented with the opportunity to cook in a friend's kitchen here, I jumped at the opportunity. My menu choice was even less surprising: Biscuits and Black Pepper Gravy and all the fixin’s for a Southern Breakfast. Who cares if it was Halloween Eve, a dinner party, and we were in Bangkok?! I was making Southern Breakfast come hell or high water.

Its not often that you take a boat to a friend's house. But, wait, I'm in Bangkok. That explains everything... Also, Keng's apartment is the bomb-diggity. Just the fact that there is a private shuttle boat should insight oohs and ahhs.

Bacon in a wok in Bangkok?! Check!

What homemade meal is complete without homemade cookies? None I make!

Sous-chef extraordinaire! He was a cookie makin' pro by the end of the evening.  

Making cookies is for the sole purpose of licking the spoon. Duh. 

Finished product: Biscuits, black pepper gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon and thai honey. Yum! Lovely evening with lovely people.  Love, love, love, love, love. 

"My Research, My Pride"

        Isn’t that a nifty slogan?! Mahidol recently hosted their graduate research exposition, where this was the catch-phrase. I was lucky enough to be able to attend an assortment of lectures, poster presentations and even a community ‘hot-pot’ dinner. It was awesome. I love seeing other people’s research. I love talking to them about it. I love academia on display. Love. It. 
It was really intriguing to see how a Thai university conducted an event like this. Movie stars were hired to lend their voices to the campus-wide advertisements. Young professors served as trendy MCs for the event. Trivia was played between speakers and the prizes were legit (500 baht... heck yes!). It was basically like a 2-day celebration of all things Mahidol Research related. And, the best part? It was mostly in English... Score!
I was incredibly impressed with the sheer scope of research going on. I knew that the Faculty of Science encompassed a wide-range of departments but it really hadn’t dawned on me how diverse my campus is. There were mathematicians who worked on nanotube structure, physicists who devised electronic noses, and chemists who invented antibiotic/antiviral infused, natural rubber gloves to help prevent infection from needle-pricks. Basically, I sat in awe for the duration of the day. 
Most of all I loved the student support that the research received. Every single speaker gave their presentation to a standing-room-only crowd. Whole departments would sit together and wave hand-made signs of support when one of their own presented. The clapping, hooting and hollering that followed each presentation was deafening. It was a true community of support, encouragement and love of research. I realized all over again why I was so lucky to be at Mahidol and why I wanted to be a lifetime-academic. 
I have always, in longer terms, took“My Research, My Pride” as a personal mantra. How nice it was to be surrounded by people who thought the same thing and weren’t ashamed to make it publicly known. 
Second to the actual research, the highlight of the event was the final ‘hot-pot’ meal. All the students and faculty gathered in ‘The Canteen’ the main dining hall for a traditional cook-it-yourself dinner. Each table had its own cooking contraption, a massive basket of veggies/noodles and a gallon bag of broth. Meat and fried rice was served buffet style in one corner of the room. Each table got a heaping plate of meat, lit their wood-fire and went to town. It was delectable. 

To top it off, a karaoke stage was set up so that professors and a few students could share their renditions of Thai pop tunes throughout the night. I couldn’t help but wonder if the professors of Willet Science Center at Mercer would be game for some pop karaoke at the next Undergraduate Research Symposium. Doubtful and not necessarily a bad thing.

Dhamma: Unexpected but Welcome

        In September, a Fulbright colleague emailed me a notice about a series of Buddhist Dhamma talks being conducted in English. Since I greatly respect the undertones of Buddhism that play into Thai day-to-day life, I was intrigued enough to attend the first talk. Naturally, most Dharma teachings occur in Thai so this was a unique opportunity to get English insight on a classically Thai subject. 
Most of you know that while I did experience a Lutheran baptism and catechism as a pre-teen, I now identify as “agnostic” at best. From my stand-point religion, dogma, and those-of-the-faith seem to cause far more problems in the world than they solve. If one looks beyond the root dogma of most monotheistic religions, that the actual practice is rife with hypocrisy, greed, and deceit. No, thanks. I think that morality, compassion, kindness, altruism, and love can exist outside of the realm of dogma and aspiring towards these comprises my only “spiritual” practice. 
Needless to say, I was relieved to find no expectation of ritualistic or dogmatic knowledge and a monk, Phra Pandit, who delivered the talks in realistic, genuine, and humorous terms. I liked the first lecture enough to continue with the series. So, for the last 6 weeks or so, I have walked away with both simple and profound revelations. I extended my interest to a meditation workshop at the Young Buddhist Association of Thailand and have been trying to keep up with other Dhamma events. I was even fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Ajahn Jayasaro, one of the most respected teachers of Dhamma in Thailand. 
While I still shy away from the dogma, I find the mindful and self-sovereign practice of Buddhism quite intriguing. Both are things that I have been trying to incorporate into my daily practice and I find myself a more patient, kind and compassionate individual as a result. 
If you are interested in reading Phra Pandit’s notes from these lectures (I encourage you to do so if you have the time... ) I have compiled them, compliments of his blog www.littlebang.org into an easy to download PDF document. If interested, click  HERE .