Category: Stories

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020

Life is Full of the Unexpected

“Why did you choose to live in Bangkok?” It’s a question I hear more often than not. I’ll do my best to leave politics and my own personal views out of this read for the sake keeping things PG.

One doesn’t need to be a Noble Prize winning economist to see the trends of the world now. It’s clear that EME’s (Emerging Market Economies) will afford the most opportunity to those with the drive and ambition to capitalize. Yes I am a greedy New Yorker. I view everything in money/time/opportunity costs with everything else being a far second to my decision making process. So with that out of the way, let’s get to it.

Why Bangkok you ask? The journey here wasn’t clearly defined like many others who came here by securing a job prior to moving to the Big Mango. To sum it up, I was seeking a similar lifestyle to what I was accustomed to at home, with the elimination of some negative factors I felt the western world had just come to accept as the norms of….well the western world. We’ll save those for another day. So I created a simple Yes/No checklist for a bunch of cities which I had previously visited. Most of these are boring boxes, but at the top of my list and probably shocking to anyone I talk to was Ice Hockey. Yes, beyond safety, culture, etc. ice hockey was my top criteria for a relocation destination. I easily adapt to my environment, but not having ice hockey was not a life I would accept. So here I am in Bangkok playing ice hockey.

It started sometime in the late 80’s, on West 33^rd street, up on some high floor at the original Sky Rink. I took my first ice skating lesson. The rink closed in the early 90’s and is now Chelsea Piers. If you think hockey isn’t popular now, imagine it 30 years ago. The popularity of hockey grew in the mid 90’s with 2 specific events. The year is 1994, the Rangers win the Cup, all of a sudden hockey is popular in New York. There is talk of rinks, projects, hockey related stuff in the city and its surroundings. Fast Forward to 1996 the US wins the World Cup. I don’t know what made this so special at the time, but it absolutely was a catalyst for the growth of hockey in America.

My dad wasn’t a hockey player but he was athletic so he took me and my cousins skating once a week. Myself and one other ended up playing ice hockey and his younger sister ended up figure skater. Everybody competes, plays at different levels/places, but in reality none of that really matters in the end. I’m not a fortune teller, but for hockey players I can guarantee one thing is certain. You will end up in the beer league. No one ever told me this, and my father not being a hockey player could not have known. The hockey community is full of great people who all look out for one another, even if you’ve only known some a short time. It’s like moving to a foreign place and the immediate bond you have with meeting someone from your hometown. Meeting other hockey players, in non-hockey cities is the same except you have grown up in completely different worlds/cultures. It’s a small community and it’s very hard to describe to someone who’s not part of it or doesn’t identify as a hockey player.

My journey to Bangkok is actually quite short. In 2012 after finishing my MBA, I went to Taipei for 3 months to learn Mandarin. There I was playing with The Taipei Gentleman’s Club. Seeing how far advanced this society was compared to where I came from was the turning point. From this moment on I was set on relocation. 2016, operating my own business, my parents randomly ask me if I can go with them to Hong Kong to visit my cousins. There was also the added bonus of a 2 week stop in Tokyo prior to this. In my early –mid 20’s I would have cringed at going on vacation with my parents, but with age comes wisdom. Who am I to turn down a free vacation, plus I was burning out hard working 100+ hour weeks. Long work weeks are driven by what’s known as “American Greed.” It’s a dark slippery slope most people fall into and can never get out of. Especially if you own a business and there is infinite work/money available.

I booked a one way ticket with this being my opportunity to visit potential relocation cities. First stop Tokyo. Great city, but unfortunately because of their economic conditions it wasn’t on my list. Off to Hong Kong, the motherland! Mega Ice in Kowloon would be my home if this would be the chosen city. For those who think that Chelsea Piers’ view of the Hudson River is amazing, it’s nothing compared to Mega Ice’s view of Kowloon Bay. My parents finally leave back to NY. Next stop is Jakarta to visit some old classmates/coworkers. To my amazement this city has a handful of rinks. Even one larger sheet that isn’t even used for hockey sadly. Finally Bangkok! I check out the city and the hockey for 6 weeks. Sadly I need to leave to attend to a work emergency. If you think going back to work after a 2 week vacation is hard, try 3 months…brutal.

So my focus is set on relocation. Prior to leaving I entered contract for one last project but it was set to be finished by 2018. After it finished, I liquidated everything via local sources and eBay. March 2018, I start looking for 1-way tickets to somewhere in the EME ASEAN region. Randomly Singapore Airlines is having a special to Jakarta. 450 bucks later I land in Jakarta mid-April. Randomly one of my old D-Partners who works for the UN is in the city. He doesn’t have his gear, but gladly takes a ride with me to the rink. Somehow in Jakarta Indonesia I ended up playing 4 times/week for a month. Who would have guessed? While I made some great friends, whom I see whenever they come to Bangkok for tournaments, Jakarta’s traffic and lack of mass transit wasn’t quite a fit for me.

Next stop Ho Chi Mihn City aka Saigon. Mind you, this city wasn’t in my 2016 trip because the rink wasn’t yet built. The evening after arriving I’m on the only sheet of ice in the city. Typical Canadian hockey community with some others mixed in. Shortly after I arrive, I’m told a Hong Kong team will be coming to play some games to initiate the rink. They don’t have enough players and everyone from Saigon wants to play, so being the new guy and having HK roots I gladly volunteer. Great games, friends made, bonding afterwards. Everyone goes their separate ways. Saigon doesn’t have enough players to support hockey while all the teacher are gone for the summer, this was unknown to me prior to arrival. 3 months is here and a visa run is due. I’m looking for a cheap flight to somewhere with an ice rink. To my astonishment I remember hearing about ice hockey in Phuket from one of the veteran players on the HK team. Rink confirmed, get some beach time in? I’m there.

Arrive in Phuket early afternoon, check into my Airbnb, meet up with my hockey connect, better known as Phuket Jo, for lunch at his restaurant and meet his wife, who eventually ends up being my Thai mom. Quick stroll to the beach then back to my room. Few hours later Jo swings by, I pop the trunk only to see a set of goalie pads. When we played together in Saigon he was skating out. Little did I know this Canadian took it upon himself to play goalie since Phuket didn’t have one. Brings new meaning to the phrase “never say never.” I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Somehow on this tropical Island in Thailand I’m playing 3 times/week. Phuket holds its first tournament, great, make new friends, many whom I eventually end up playing with in Bangkok. Sadly Jo suddenly passed, and it was obvious his crucial part in keeping the community together. Everything happens for a reason. This was the stimulus for me to move to Bangkok. While the beach life was fun, I’m a city boy at heart.

Notable mention: My parents came to visit Phuket and my mother was very animate about not living in a communist country. Our HK roots are very strong, so that would rule out Vietnam and sadly now Hong Kong.

Arriving in Bangkok was easy as I had already been living in Thailand for 9 months and could speak a considerable amount of Thai. Next day after arriving I’m on the ice for Shinny. I see some familiar faces and make introductions. It’s the summer, but we still have hockey thanks to the large community of expats/Thais supporting the game. I’ve gone from the Big Apple to the Big Mango. Finally fall is here and the SHL is in flight. Great city, great times, great people. Hard to really ask for more. My life here is nearly identical to my New York life, minus the cold and crime with a better work/life balance. Will I be in Bangkok forever? I’ve found a great life and community here, but places/people/circumstances are ever changing. If you asked me in 2010 I would have told you I would live in New York my whole life. All one can do is prepare and adapt. Life is full of the unexpected…

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020

THEY’RE A LONG WAY FROM WALL DRUG AND ROSEAU COUNTY

Original story written by Jeff Olsen for the Roseau Times-Region (Volume 128 – Number 31) Saturday, August 5, 2017

With close ties to Roseau County, Dom Dumais and Bill Bredesen, two former Twin Cities residents who share a flair for ice hockey, recently got acquainted for the first time in the strangest of places.

In early July, Malung’s Julane Kjaer sent a photo of two white guys in a hockey arena in Bangkok, Thailand, which is twelve-time zones away and where ice cream melts rapidly.

Unbeknownst to Dom and Bill, they share an extended historical connection to Roseau County.

Dom’s late mother was a McMillin, which guarantees that at any one time in Roseau County, they can field a complete baseball team of McMillins.

Make that two teams!

Bill, Soey, Charlie and Soey's mother, Rewadee — Bill, Soey, Charlie and Soey’s mother, Rewadee

Bill’s family ties in Roseau County extend all the way back to the 1890s when his maternal great-grandfather, Olof E. Olsen, arrived here from Sweden in 1892 and was an original member of the Roseau Volunteer Fire Department when it was organized in 1903.

His wife, Anna Connelly Olsen, was the Roseau County Superintendent of Schools from 1909-1915.

On a side note, Bill Bredesen is my sister Katie’s youngest son, who used to visit here many summers ago.

In her text, Julane Kjaer explained that Dom is her cousin’s son.

“Small world,” she added.

Yes, it is.

In early July, Bill, 37, and soon to be a first-time father just a few days later, spoke by cellphone on What’s App from Bangkok.

It was 10 p.m. here and 10 a.m. the next morning in Bangkok.

On another side note, both Bill and Dom found love in Bangkok.

Bill is married to Soey, a talented young woman, and both are employed by international news media agencies.

Immediately, the ice rink came up.

They have a Zamboni, youth hockey teams, and an enthusiastic group of Thai kids who will someday be as nuts about hockey as the kids are in Roseau and Warroad.

“We play every Thursday, a pick-up game, and then I play in the Bangkok Hockey League (BHL), that’s run by Thai guys,” he said.

“The majority of every team is Thai-ten Thai players and five farangs (foreigners),” he said, explaining that farang actually means white foreigner.

“You get all these Thai teenagers out on a date, and they press their faces up against the plexiglass and watch us play, wondering what the hell is going on,” he laughed.

But get this.

They actually have tournaments where Thailand plays against Mongolia and other countries.

“Hockey isn’t big over here, but it’s got a following,” he said.

Bill has done well for himself.

“I’ve worked for the German Press Agency (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) since 2014,” he said, adding that his title is Asia Coordinator.

“I basically look after our network of correspondents and stringers in about 20 countries, spanning from New Zealand and Australia to India, including China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and everywhere else in-between,” he said, adding that he reported on President Obama’s trip to Vietnam in 2016.

From 2008 to 2014, he worked for a lifestyle magazine published by the Bangkok Post in which he covered the arts, culture, and nightlife.

What a wonderful gig!

Dining out, bar hopping and dancing, and then writing about it.

“Soey (pronounced Soy) works for Reuters, and she does big time news on Reuters TV,” he said, “She’s interviewed all the prime ministers, and she’s out there in the streets when there are demonstrations,” he said.

On Tuesday, July 11, Soey gave birth to Charles Arthit Bredesen, their first baby.

“I have 14 days of paternal leave, and Soey will have four months of maternal leave,” he said, laughing about how upset little Charlie can get when he’s hungry. Arthit, his middle name, is Thai for the sun and sunny days.

Dom Dumais, 46, also lives an interesting life and once served as a submariner, lost his mother when he was a teenager, has a quick laugh and a flair for podcasting.

Yes, and he loves hockey.

“My mother was a McMillin,” he said, which means he has many aunts and uncles and scores of cousins up here.

“Everybody called her Layne, but her first name was Doris,” he said, adding that he was 16 when she died.

He has one other tie to this area.

“My father, who now lives in New York, is from Warroad. I was born in Roseau and grew up in the Twin Cities, but I used to spend sum-mers and Christmas up there,” he said, adding that he’s been in Thailand for 11 years.

It’s funny how people make connections. Take Bill and Dom, who recently bumped into each other at the rink.

It took just one question.

“You from Minnesota?” asked Bill, and Dom had replied, “Yes.” and they struck up a conversation.

Who knows who snapped their photo? Probably some Yank or Canadian.

In Bangkok, the expatriates refer to just one hockey league of note -the SHL – the Siam Hockey League.

Dom is the administrator and official podcaster for the SHL.

On their website, siamhock-eyleague.com, there’s a catchy heading Siam Hockey League -Brought To You By The Flying Farangs

“It’s been nine years since I took my wife up to Roseau for the first time,” he said. “Tracy is British and works for the British Council, and we’ve been married for 10 years. We got married in Thailand.”

He laughed when recalling how strangers back in the States gave him weird looks during meals when he ate with a spoon while dining out.

“There are forks in Thailand, but spoons are the preferred utensil,” he said.

He served as a radioman in the U.S. Navy from 1990-94.

“I was on a submarine, but I also did a lot of shore stuff,” he said.

In a metropolitan area of over 14 million people, Dom knows the preferred methods of transportation in Bangkok.

“I use a bicycle some days. Depending on where I’m going, I use the subway or a motorcycle taxi,” he said.

His wife designs English instruction Apps for Thai students, “I teach math and English to first, second and third graders in a Thai school,” he said. “They’re great and a lot of fun to teach.”

Dumais is an unusual name.

“It’s French Canadian and Italian,” he said, and then explained who plays hockey in the Bangkok Hockey League (BHL).

There is a mix of Thais, Japanese, British, American, Canadian, Russian, Finnish and Swedes on all the teams,” he said, adding that he just plays in pick-up games since he registered too late.

“I’ve been away from hockey since 1989,” he said, speaking by cellphone on What’s App in mid-July.

It had to be asked of a happily married man of ten years.

“Do you do the dishes?”

“Of course,” he laughed. “I do the dishes, the laundry, we share it all.”

He’s an easy interview, which comes from a master who does numerous interviews on his Dom Dumais in Bangkok podcast at http://domdumais.com.

He’s twelve-time zones away, but he can be sitting in your living room. He’s a McMillin, so he has a gift of gab and a great love of sports.

One final note: Dom and Bill never have to worry about slipping on icy sidewalks over there.

August 12, 2019August 5, 2019

Returning to Hockey

Let me start off by saying that I moved to Bangkok, Thailand almost 14 years ago as I write this. I moved to Thailand to be with the woman that became my wife. For the first year and a half, we lived in Bangkok, then we lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand for 3 years and then we moved back to Bangkok, where we have been ever since.

When I first moved here, we talked about how I used to play hockey growing up, born in Minnesota and raised by a hockey coach father it was an inevitable part of my childhood. My wife told me about how there was hockey in Thailand, with a foreigner traveling hockey team called the Flying Farangs, and two hockey leagues, the Thai World Hockey League (TWHL) and the Bangkok Ice Hockey League (BIHL).

As interesting as that was, at the time, I wasn’t really interested in playing hockey. That didn’t happen until 2016, when I happened into one of the local malls here, Central Plaza Grand Rama 9 to watch a game with my wife. The teams that were playing were Warriors and Thunder. The two best teams in the BIHL. It was a lot of fun, and I ended up doing a podcast about it.

Two players from the Thunder team listened to my podcast and asked me for a meeting, because they wanted me to do a little bit of news and interviews for a league that they were just getting ready to start called the Siam Hockey League (SHL).

I went to the first game of the inaugural season and met the captains and did a few interviews that day. I ended up going to almost every game that season, getting to know quite a few of the hockey players, and I realized something in the process. Hockey is supposed to be fun!

It had been 28 yeas years since I played hockey, and now, at 45 years old, I wanted to start playing hockey again. When I went back to the States to visit my family, I started buying some gear, some new, some second hand.

One of the first things I noticed when buying my gear was the weight difference. I bought some new gear, and some second hand gear. One of the first things I noticed, were that most of the hockey gloves I looked at weren’t made of leather. When I got my shin pads, that was another thing. They seemed so much thinner and lighter, and when I wore them to shinny, they felt like they were more protective. Finally, another thing I noticed were the skates. The skates I got were second hand, but they were super rigid, almost like they were new, and they were so much lighter. It was so weird to feel the difference in how things felt now, compared to how I remembered them feeling.

My first game back, I excited and nervous all at the same time, at least until I stepped on the ice. Then I stopped thinking about it.

Here we are now, three years on, and I’ve played in half a dozen tournaments or so for the Flying Farangs, and I’ve played two seasons in the BIHL. My skill level wasn’t great, and it still isn’t, but I feel like I’m having more good games than bad games, and I’m loving playing hockey again.