When “We” equals “WHEE!”

We have been preparing for meetings in the most careful way: writing information material, translating it into Thai, strategizing whom to meet first, looking for the most meaningful way to make our point make sense in a different cultural, economic and historical context — you get the idea.

Two days ago we had a meeting with a man who writes grants for BIG NGOs.  We explained to him what we are about, how we are going about what we are about and what we need.  He said, half way through the meeting, “Let me know what I can do and I will do it for you for free!”  YES!  He then rang up our person here in Thailand and reiterated that he is in, totally in!  YES, YES!

Today we had 6 meetings and each one was a resounding success.

Meeting Number 1 actually started yesterday with a complete misunderstanding: we thought that the date was yesterday for the meeting and the high official who granted us the appointment thought that it was today. We got prepared for the meeting, dressed in our go-to-meeting clothes and got into a taxi cab which took us where we needed to go (we thought) and dropped us off. The soldier guarding the building said that we were in the right place and we got out, left behind by the receding cab. There we were, in a parking lot, looking for the entrance to a building with 7 floors. Nope. OK, we’ll find someone who speaks English and find our way. Nope. So there we were with only minutes to spare, a tremendously important appointment waiting for us and the only people to talk to a bunch of amiable non-English speaking guys hanging out in a parking lot. Not a relaxing moment.

The guys began gesturing to a van and ushering us towards it. No, we said. We do not need a ride (at least we did not think we did) and still they kept pointing us toward the van. Then one guy reached out and, we thought, was opening the door. But we were wrong: he was opening the window and inside was a regal and beautifully dressed woman who asked us in perfect English if she could be of help to us.

We explained our plight to her and she asked if we had a phone number. We did. She called and I got connected with the assistant to the man we had come to see who said that the Director expected us tomorrow and could not see us today.

What can you do? Nothing, just come back tomorrow. But seeing the look on my face of dismay, the lady asked what the problem was. We explained and also explained our mission. She responded with great interest and gave us her card: she was from another governmental department which has a great role to play in what we are trying to do but to which we had not yet developed lines.

She invited us to call her tomorrow (actually today, November 17) when we were finished with the first meeting (for which we got very, very good directions).

Next, back home in a taxi and more preparation meetings all day.

On November 17, 2006 we got ready and headed off to the official’s office (whom we did not see yesterday).

We got into a taxi whose driver had been instructed in Thai (and who had been given a map) because were trying to get to the high official’s office and NOT get lost. The hotel doorman instructed the driver in the cab about exactly where we needed to go and off we went. Twenty minutes? As they say in New York, “Fuhgeddaboutit!” Over an hour later we had gone miles and miles and miles out of our way in the worst of Bangkok traffic (which is more than pretty bad) and had actually driven past the building we were trying to get to: the driver had no idea in the world what he had been told we were looking for. And let me tell you, major highways (which we should never have gotten on to get where we were going) in Bangkok’s rush hour are a formidable obstacle!  A U turn, some more horrific traffic and there we were. Late.

When we got to our meeting location there were two translators outside of the [correct] building waiting for us and they greeted us warmly. Up we went in the elevators and met the Deputy Director of the department (who was wearing, by the way, a magnificent short sleeved business jacket made of stunningThai silk) along with other people who were sitting in on the meeting. When the Director of the department came in, we were able to give him our material on the International Decade of Nutrition (now in Thai and English), share our vision of what is happening to health and the world’s food supply and how we would like to help demonstrate what can be done to fix the problem.

After a bit of initial skepticism, he appeared to become fascinated and then very, very receptive. He made several suggestions about how to proceed and began using the pronoun “we” a lot. We agreed that we would stay in close touch, set up another meeting for either later this year or early 2007 and make two of our project areas a reality by creating two joint effort pilot projects here in Bangkok. What kind of joint efforts? Ones using our type of medicine — natural medicine.  Two of the people there were specialists in food safety and security so we agreed that we would have another meeting (and electronic correspondence with them specifically focused on Codex). Wonderful meeting!

Then we rang up the lovely lady of yesterday’s accidental “garage meeting” and were driven by a person who had been at the first meeting to have our meeting with her.  She is a head of section in another area of the government and, although she was very warm and gracious, she did not initially see the connection between what we were talking about at the last meeting and this one.  As we spoke, however, we made the point that natural medicine and natural agricultural techniques require new ways of doing jobs and people to disseminate information (a separate category of trained worker) and so her department had an important role to play in developing the skills and special activities of these people.  In short order she, too, was using the “We” word and the conversation turned to how she could help, suggesting connections for us, etc.

The remarkable thing is that I knew that we needed to work with her department here in Thailand to carry out our agenda BUT until our garage connection we had not yet developed any lines to that Department!  Talk about synchronicity!

At the end of meeting number 2, the lady put us in a taxi whose driver promised (in Thai) that he knew where the Conrad Hotel (the site of our next meeting) was.  Do you believe that?  I did at first.  It shortly became obvious that my faith in his geographical knowledge was sadly misplaced.  We were over an hour late for our luncheon meeting (number 3).  When we finally got there, the people we were to talk with were finished with their meal.  Non the less, we had an intense, brief, but highly productive meeting with an innovative, health-focused man who seemed to be very interested in how what we are doing fits in with his interests here in Asia.  Not long into that meeting the pronoun shift occurred.  His discourse went from “you” to “we”. So, although brief, the meeting was none the less productive, a preparation for more of same.

And the food in the Japanese restaurant in the Conrad Hotel is extraordinary!  If you get there, order the set lunch.  Mmmmmmm!  Delicious.

Next, we met with the woman who has been organizing all of this for us (meeting 4).  She has been a “We” person from the very first moments of our discussion.  Her understanding of how things work here and whom to approach are amazing.  Our first two meetings today came from our connections, but fit in very well with her approach.  Our next meetings were because of her contacts and were also filled with potential for success.  Thailand is, we believe, a pivotal country in our strategy because His Majesty, the King has committed himself, and therefore the people of Thailand, to health, organic farming and natural medicine.  Therefore, the momentum for these values and activities is tremendous here.

Our 5th meeting was held in the offices of a highly revered, and highly placed senior lady who understands clearly, very clearly, the vital importance of what we are trying to do.  Once we were introduced and began to talk, that wonderful word was very much in evidence: “We”.  “How do we begin?” “What is the best place we can start?” “How do we bring this to so and so?”

And, best of all, we have been asked to this lady’s home this morning for further talks.

Meeting number 6 was a dinner meeting with our Thai strategist and her partner, her father, a colleague and us.  We were “we” before we even sat down.

I would say we are having a “Whee” time!