|
Experiencing Tet in Vietnam
Following Nathan’s talk, MC
Judith presented him with a Certificate of Appreciation.
Pattaya City Expat Club members and guests were given
some interesting facts about Bangladesh and Vietnam. Club member Nathan
Russo shared two recent experiences at their April 6 meeting; one being his
efforts to find and reward a man in Bangladesh for his heroic efforts to
help his fellow man and the other about his visit to a Vietnamese family in
the Mekong Delta to celebrate Tet (Chinese New Year).
 Nathan
Russo shares two interesting experiences: travelling to Bangladesh to find
and reward an unsung hero, and visiting Vietnam to share ‘Tet’ or Chinese
New Year with his friend Loan and family, in a small village in the Mekong
Delta.
Nathan divides his time between Thailand and USA. He spends a lot of his
time here doing charitable projects such as building schools, orphanages and
helping poor people in general. Nathan said he learned about a factory
worker in Dhaka, Bangladesh who risked his life numerous times last year
pulling people out of the wreckage of the Rana Plaza garment factory.
Further, during three of the rescues he had to actually amputate a hand, an
arm, and a foot inside the wreckage because doctors were too frightened to
enter the collapsed building. Stories appeared on-line in the English, Daily
Mail, BBC and Newagedbd.com.
Other than the publicity, apparently Didar Hossain received no recognition
or reward for his gallant efforts. Nathan said he decided the best way to
acknowledge this man’s accomplishment was to reward him financially and set
out to raise US$1,000. Nathan mentioned that the first hurdle was to even
find one individual in a city with a population of 15 million people. He
described the efforts which involved more than 40 emails and 2 month’s
effort. Finally through an administrator at the American International
School in Dhaka, he contacted David Bergman, a British human rights activist
and investigative journalist and editor based in Bangladesh who was able to
find Didar.
 Tony
Heron conducts the Open Forum, where questions are asked and answered about
Expat living in the ‘Land of Smiles’.
Nathan then shared his photographs and story about going to Dhaka, meeting
Didar and giving him his reward. He then described his subsequent visit to
the factory site and meeting with Didar’s family at their home. Further, he
described how the collapse was apparently caused by heavy electrical
generators being placed on the fifth floor of the building originally not
built to be a garment factory; the generators’ weight and vibration is
thought to be the primary cause of the collapse.
To learn more about Didar’s heroic efforts, visit the following URLs:
http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2013-04-28&nid=47520#.Uz0sL6JaeSq
and http://www.dailymail.
co.uk/news/article-2319439/Bangladesh-building-collapse-Rescuer-forced-amputate-trapped-peoples-limbs
-save-wreckage.html. Nathan then paused to answer many questions from the
audience before proceeding into his trip to Vietnam for Tet.
He stated that usually he wouldn’t go to Vietnam during the Tet holiday
(Chinese New Year) because the entire country closes down for about 10 days;
thus many of the venues you might want to see in Vietnam are shut down. Also
travel can be a real hassle since trains, buses and planes are booked weeks
and months in advance. However, he said he was lucky enough to have
developed a few friends over the years visiting Vietnam and these friends
invited him to join them for the holiday, which provided a very real insight
into the Vietnamese culture.
On this particular holiday he said he spent his time in the Mekong Delta
with his friend, Loan’s family. Nathan explained that the Tet holiday is the
biggest holiday of the year in Vietnam. It is the western New Year,
Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving all rolled into one festive time. It is
the time of no work, giving gifts, visiting homes of relatives, honoring the
oldest members of your family and your ancestors.
He described his adventure of taking a motorbike trip south to a small
village called Vinh Xuan not far from Can Tho, the largest city in the
Mekong delta and how they used the bus system to send many items needed for
the festivities that they couldn’t carry. Nathan explained that flowers play
a very big role in the Tet celebration. Even if the poorest people cannot
afford flowers most of the year, everyone from richest to poorest buys tons
of flowers to decorate their homes during the Tet holiday.
Nathan then shared his photos and described the festivities involving a lot
of time spent honoring ancestors, including setting out food at various
tables around the house for the ancestors. After a reasonable time, it was
gathered up and set out for the family to enjoy. Nathan said that his trip
to the Delta was such a success that Loan’s family has invited him back next
year. He then described his trip back to Saigon by bus and then going by car
with his friend Viet and family to Mui Ne; his favorite beach resort in all
of Vietnam. He concluded by stating that enjoying Tet with Vietnamese
friends will always be one of his favorite memories of living in Southeast
Asia.
Following Nathan’s presentation, Master of Ceremonies Judith Edmonds brought
everyone up to date on upcoming events and called on Tony Heron to conduct
the Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in
Thailand.
For more information on the Pattaya City Expats Club’s many activities,
visit their informative website at www.pcecclub.org.
|
|
500 seniors mix good health, Songkran blessings at Elderly Day celebration
Chawancha Khetpathum, 63, won the
prize for best health of anyone in their 60s.
Urasin Khantaraphan
About 500 Pattaya senior citizens got a jump on Songkran and celebrated good
health at Pattaya’s annual Elderly Day event.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome presided over the April 4 activity, which gave seniors
a chance to pour water on hands for Songkran blessings as well as enjoy stage
performances and other activities.
The seniors brought local crafts and desserts to sell and certificates were
awarded to groups caring for the elderly. People in their 60s, 70s, and 80s,
also competed to see who in their decade is in the best health.
The day also featured lectures, Buddhist sermons and demonstrations of exercise
options.
A beauty contest for seniors highlighted the activities, which also included
performances of traditional Thai dance and singing.
Chawancha Khetpathum, 63, won the prize for best health of anyone in their 60s.
She said she nearly dropped out when she realized she had to participate in a
talent round, so she was pretty surprised to win.
Chawancha said activities like Elderly Day encourages senior citizens to do good
and behave well to set examples for the younger generation and to also make one
another happy.
|
|
70 Children conduct a very successful cleaning on Cosy Beach
Sewage makes its way to the beach
as a result of the faulty water pump.
Neo LothongKum
70 Children and staff from the Child Protection and Development Center and
students from the Thai Chinese International School came to help Green Pattaya
volunteers clean the Cosy Beach on April 5. The Child Protection and Development
Center also sponsored this cleaning and 10,000 THB was handed over to Green
Pattaya for counties cleaning in Pattaya.
With the help from all the children a very effective cleaning was conducted in
just one and half hours and 50 bags of rubbish were collected. The area has been
returned to its original state … but for how long?
Children are certainly having fun
with their day out, cleaning the beach.
Cosy Beach has been the target for Green Pattaya’s numerous
campaigns for a long time; the lack of bins and a solution to the rubbish
problem making this otherwise nice beach an eyesore in the Pattaya tourist
industry. Just two months ago Green Pattaya with city hall removed three truck
loads of rubbish from the beach. A faulty pump also creates a waterfall of
sewage down on Cosy Beach.
Green Pattaya has conducted 16 cleanings in Pattaya, with thousands of kilograms
of rubbish removed from different areas here, with the support from city hall,
Rotary clubs and companies in the area and on many occasions the Child
Protection and Development Center in Pattaya.
The entire entourage gathers for a
group photo after cleaning the beach.
Moving forward, Green Pattaya now needs help from companies,
schools and other NGOs to help clean more areas in and around Pattaya. Green
Pattaya wants to create dedicated cleanings for each company, schools and other
NGOs, teaching staff and students to take care of the delicate environment in
Pattaya. There is also need for refreshments, cleaning equipment and protective
clothing for cleaners.
Next Pattaya Clean up is planned for 3 May 2014 at the area of Sheraton and
Royal Cliff in the Pratamnak area, and the one after that will be in Naklua at
Wongamat Beach 17 May 2014.
Faulty Pump creates smelly flooding on Cosy Beach
Swimmers and raw sewage don’t mix. On several occasions, local
environmental group Green Pattaya, has gone to Pattaya City Hall to making
councilors aware of a faulty sewage pump station next to Cosy Beach. The
offending pump next to Varuna Yacht Club was subsequently changed and Green
Pattaya and residents thought the problems were fixed. The solution was short
lived.
Smelly raw sewage flows out of the
faulty pump above Cosy Beach.
In a remarkably short period of time the replacement
developed a fault causing a cascading waterfall of sewage to pour down to the
beach. Pattaya City Hall must push the sub contractor to end this health hazard
and fix the unit to stop it polluting Pattaya’s beaches.
At the last cleaning at Cosy Beach, Green Pattaya was approached by small
business owners and beach vendors and asked for its help to pressure the Pattaya
City Hall about the issue. A request was made by Green Pattaya volunteers to
City Hall during last week but the official tasked with the repairs said it will
take 3 months more before the sub contractor will fix the faulty pump. In the
meantime, swimmers are up to their ears in bureaucratic brown tape.
|
|
Young hotel execs hone management skills at Skål ‘Ladders & Leaders’ seminar
Course Coordinator Scott Michael Smith from the
Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Assumption University, explains “The
Spirit of Hospitality”.
Veechan Souksi
Young hotel executives honed their management skills at Skål International &
Eastern Thailand’s “Ladders for Leaders” seminar in Pattaya.
Scott Michael Smith, from Assumption University’s Department of Hospitality and
Tourism, hosted the March 29 workshop at the Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa
with panelists Bruce Hancock, managing director of the Banyan Resort in Hua Hin,
Ferenc Fricsay, founder of executive-search firm HEAL Co., and Peter Malhotra,
managing director of the Pattaya Mail Media Group.
 Ferenc
Fricsay, founder of the Executive Search HEAL Company, explains “The Key to
Success in the Hospitality Industry.”
Smith lectured on “the spirit of hospitality,” instructing on how to provide
good service to guests by learning their level of satisfaction and giving
customers more than they expect.
The lecturer offered six “rules” to follow, including maintaining a professional
appearance and having the ability to respond to the needs of a customer and
provide all necessary information regarding facilities.
A second rule on “friendliness” espouses that staff and executives must respect
customers at all costs, remaining enthusiastic, smiling, and maintaining eye
contact.
Other rules include courtesy, empathy and responsiveness, which also includes
taking responsibilities for one’s actions. Finally, Smith said, the last rule
calls for staffers to remain flexible and formulate creative solutions to
customer problems.
 Bruce
Hancock, MD of the Banyan Resort, Hua Hin introduces, “The Power of Passion”.
Fricsay, who has more than 40 years of experience in senior management
positions, discussed “keys” to success in the hospitality industry. He said it
takes “two to tango” in the relationship between employer and employee. One side
takes and the other gives and, ideally, both sides benefit, he said.
Many successful hotel industries resemble a family. Many standards are required
in order to run a smooth management system, he said. Staff members must focus on
teamwork and treat each other like individuals.
He said training is important in developing good teamwork. Product knowledge is
almost equally important, Fricsay said, including sourcing, quality, quantity,
cost, when, where and how.
For managers, he said retention depends on the boss’ ability to heighten job
interest, lower boredom, increase morale and getting to know co-workers.
 Peter
Malhotra, MD of the Pattaya Mail Media Group, introduces Skål to the young
executives.
In his speech on the “Power of Passion,” Hancock said passion is all about
collaboration. This connects to developing a “culture” in an organization, he
said. People are all human and they need to be seen as humans.
He also explained the seven rules of collaboration, which were play, listen with
the willingness to change, let yourself fail, say yes, play the game, and relax
and have fun. These rules have been successful for many hotel industries in the
past, Hancock said. The combination of the collaborative rules and working with
each other to do a task and achieve shared goals is the main key to success.
Students also took part in activities, including a “story-telling dice” game,
which reinforced teamwork and giving a player courage to show and tell.
The session also introduced the attendees to Skål International and how it work.
Peter Malhotra said membership is open to managers or executives directly
involved in tourism management, sales and promotions in specified travel and
tourism businesses.
He also introduced “Young Skål,” aimed at students and young professionals
directly related to the travel and tourism industries. Certificates were given
out to attendees by Skål International and East Thailand.
Bruce Hancock explains how to play with the story
telling dice.
|
|
|
