Sigh...Office Supplies...I'm in heaven.

 April 17, 2026

Dear friends and family,

A common sterotype is that most women love to go shoe shopping.  Nope, not me.  I purchase most of my shoes on-line and when I find a pair that fits, I purchase them in several colors and usually an extra pair in mainstream colors (black, navy, cream, red) in case that style is no longer carried. I find shoe shopping a bit traumatic.  Okay- so an overreach but I have pins and plates in both feet, so there. 

BUT, I love shopping for office supplies. Crazy? Right? Probably dates back to those heady first days of a school year with a new binder and pencil case and the teacher passing out papers that had been printed on a  ditto machine, which was the precourser to copy machines.  The ink was purple in color and produced a heady odor from the solvents used that brings back a nostalgic memory to anyone over the age of 40. Right?  Yeah- some of you are nodding. 

Well, speaking from experiences in three SE Asian countries, the office supplies over here put Office Max/ Office Depot to shame! Paper weighs a ton but I'm quite sure I'll  have 4- 5 pounds of ink pens and notebooks coming back with me.  It is almost worth a 2nd suitcase. Now, you're really scratching your heads, but hang in there with me. 

When I first arrived, I needed gift bags.  I brought some items from our college as gifts for the Dean here at CMU and her Executive Team for our first meeting. I could only find one store on-line and it was out by the airport.  So off I went and while it was nice enough, it was set in a large mall and not really what one would call a office supply store as it was more of a book store with a few office supplies.  I did find the gift bags though- the one size I needed in one pattern, but it worked.  I rather figured this was "it" for Thailand office supplies. But! Lo and Behold. In looking for a pharmacy the other night, literally around the corner- 2 blocks from my apartment is "office supply heaven".  There is a university right across the street, so that makes sense. I didn't discover it though until 11 days into my stay here. So, today I went for flip chart paper as I'm conducting a faculty workshop on Monday and I have an activity for them. (I love to use flip chart paper in my classrooms. Gets people off laptops and thinking creatively.) This is a huge store, taking up about half the block.

First ink pens.  The colors of ink pens you find over here are remarkable: violet, olive green, tangerine orange, fuscia, eggplant... sounds like a paint store right?  I made myself keep walking today but I'll be back and am bound to bring home a few (last trip I brought home over 30!).  All three of these pictures shows the ROWS of ink pens.  It's like an ink rainbow (no I am not sniffing ditto paper). 

 

Next, notebooks/ paper. This is where the 5 extra pounds of luggage come in.  Most notebooks here have no more than 50 sheets- lined, unlined, dated, undated.  They love whimsical characters like Hello Kitty.  Even adults use notebooks with fluffy characters on them. I found a new one that I really liked.  It provides space for you to draw and underneath- you write out the details.  I can see where a student in math or anatomy could use this for taking notes, but what a cool thing for journaling? I'm no artist in anything other than making lists and schedules, so hmmmm.... maybe. I am confident there are other styles amid the aisles, but I am on a tight schedule today. 

 

  Index card style "post it" notes.  60/ pack Each pack $1.00!

 

 

                                            

Finally, tape.  I have never seen so many colors of tape, duct tape, decorative tape in my life. It is like a ribbon counter in a fabric store, but its all tape!  I have a whiteboard in my office and I've already picked up some narrow border tape to section off the board when I get home for various lists/ activities/ dates. 

           

And that concludes my musings for this entry. I'm discovering each day that there is more to my neighborhood than meets the eye. I've taken a page from the area Thai people who go out during the day and routinely wear a mask and carry my parasol (Yes, I have a parasol. Brought home 3 from Hanoi back in 2023. See below.).  I'm looking forward to an evening walk in a different direction to see what jewels I can find!

Please stay in touch.  Your messages mean a great deal to me.  I miss home and Lee though I'm doing what I know God wants me to do right now. It is not often one gets a shot at a 2nd Fulbright Specialist Award and this is an opportunity not to be squandered. 

Stepping Off the Sidewalk.... Into New Adventures,

Karen

Disclaimer: The content of my writing strictly represents my personal views and not those of the University of Florida, the U.S. government, the Department of State, or partner organizations.