Altruism's Dark Side

Much to the disappointment of myself and, likely, those who would fancy me a "good-hearted person," as of Tuesday I am no longer a Volunteer. It may sound bogus, but there's no longer any need for simple grunts like myself. This is actually a good thing, because it means that, given adequate resources, the Thais are perfectly capable of rebuilding their own community. We have also learned that the Thai government is going to be enforcing laws regarding work permits for foreigners beginning in March, so the entire volunteer effort itself may be in jeopardy.

Bob has still proved incredibly useful in the restaurant project, as you can see from the photographs. In a week the building has gone from being completely flattened to a legitimate structure. Bob's genius lies in administration--doing things like "planning ahead" and "ordering materials the day before they're required," both of which seem simple but escape many of the bureaucrats here. Because of his managerial savvy, Bob has skilled volunteers who want to work for him, so there are contractors and construction gurus from the UK, along with his crew of Thai laborers, at his disposal.

Disillusionment sank in for me when a group of us had as a project the task of moving softer sand from a pile to a volleyball court 50 yards away, one wheelbarrow at a time. It was the sort of project concocted by someone who wanted to be busy for the sake of looking busy, and it was really contributing nothing to the rebuilding effort. I'll miss the free lunch, but rationalize my non-involvement by saying that spending my tourist dollars will help the recovery effort far more than my volunteerism will (right, Dad?).

What's really heartening, though, is the resilience we've observed within this community. Every day it seems like more shops are re-opening (and the touts are returning to their tenacious sales positions), giving people a chance to get their lives back together. I was saddened by one man we met, who said in broken English, "We see on the TV how other governments are giving money to help us, but where is it? I don't know."

We have been lucky to observe such progress in only two weeks. We have also been lucky that the incident with the bike didn't have more severe repercussions, as we heard about a fellow farong (foreigner) who ended up with a dislocated shoulder, a broken collarbone, and abrasions requiring stitches from a meeting he had with the pavement.

Sunday we depart for Ko Pha-Ngan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand and supposedly a backpacker's haven. You would think we'd be tired of the beach by now, but honestly, when am I going to have another chance to get a tan like this?

I hope that everyone is healthy and happy, wherever you may be, and that you spent Valentine's Day with someone you love, romantically or otherwise.