Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand December 2014 / January 2015 | Page 34
Life & Travel
was a mix of empowering
women’s songs put together
by Nathan Harrow, an expat from
the UK. Two expat women, Nikki
Breedt and Emma Hollis-Ricketts, were
our choreographers. We welcomed
anyone. There was even a whole class
from Bangkok Prep dancing with us!
QUESTION: YOU’VE BEEN
HERE FOR FIVE YEARS,
INCLUDING TWO YEARS
OF STUDYING IN HUA HIN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT
LIFE IN THAILAND?
Answer: Yes, I’ve lived
in Bangkok for three years
and Hua Hin for two years before that.
Bangkok has endless opportunities
for things to do. Parks, festivals,
sports, and a lot of runs. You’re spoilt
for choice!
QUESTION: WHAT HAS IT BEEN
LIKE FOR YOU AS A BLACK
WOMAN LIVING IN BANGKOK?
Answer: I don’t want
to say it’s difficult to be a black
woman in Bangkok, but people
make snap judgments. Once I open
my mouth and people get to know
me, it all changes. I’ve been here long
enough to know that it comes from
unfamiliarity. I might be the first black
person a lot of people have been
in close proximity to. And I’ve chosen
to live here. No one’s forcing
me to live here.
QUESTION: HAVE YOU LIVED
IN OTHER COUNTRIES
OTHER THAN THAILAND
AND ZIMBABWE?
Answer: I lived in the United States
for three years. I didn’t want to stay.
I wouldn’t want to have kids
in the U.S. because of the culture.
I actually see more parallels between
the culture of Zimbabwe and that
of Thailand. There is more respect
for elders; it’s a more communal
34 WANDERLUST
way of living. These values
are important to me.
QUESTION: YOU STARTED
BANGKOK RISING ABOUT
TWO YEARS AGO.
WHAT IS THE MISSION,
IN A NUTSHELL?
Most recently, this November, Bangkok
Rising teamed up with Bangkok Lyrical
Lunacy for a spoken word poetry
event. Poems and stories about being
a woman were performed, including
topics such as losing one’s virginity
to body image and sexuality.
Everyone wore orange to show their
support for ending violence against
women, which is part of a campaign
BKK Rising is doing. It was a great
event and we are grateful to everyone
who showed his or her support.
QUESTION: CONGRATUALTIONS
ON ALL THE GOOD WORK
YOU’RE DOING, CHII. ONE MORE
QUESTION. WILL THERE
BE ANOTHER FLASHMOB
IN BANGKOK IN 2015?
Answer: Bangkok Rising wants
to end violence against women.
We are trying to raise awareness
about domestic abuse in Thailand—
it’s a subject that tends to get swept
under the carpet here. The events
and efforts made by Bangkok
Rising always have to do with
ending violence against women.
We choose a new charity once a year
and we are open to suggestions
for charities to support.
QUESTION: WHAT
HAS IT BEEN LIKE TO RUN THIS
GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS?
CHALLENGES? HIGHLIGHTS?
Answer: It’s been a lot of work.
We are a group of volunteers. There
is a good core of volunteers who have
been working together since the start;
but because it’s an expat group, there
are a lot of goodbyes. People move
away or go home. It keeps BKK Rising
an ever-evolving, malleable group.
We helped put on a production
of Vagina Monologues in February
and March of last year, and the event
raised 100,000 baht for charity! We have
performed two flashmobs in Bangkok,
too, to help raise awareness. The first
one was at Benjakiti Park, and then
we got on the BTS and did it again
at Siam Paragon. The music
Answer