Editor’s note – Julie Hansen is a professor of music at Skyline. She has traveled to Thailand over 30 times during the last two decades.

I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 29 and later went to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. The earthquake had just happened and news of tsunami damage came over TV and newspapers.

The government leaders and the people are so very strong in spirit and wisdom. The Thai culture, including the media, wisely dealt with disaster not with hysteria, but acceptance. Of course, there was great sorrow and moments of silence there and all over Europe for the thousands of victims, but in the midst of this, wonderful stories could be heard. There are so many stories but here are just a few that I gathered from the Bangkok Post and TV Asia.

An Indonesian woman in Aceh says that she swam to safety with her neighbor’s young twins on her back by using a giant snake to guide her through the floodwaters. The snake was as big as a telephone pole and was gliding with the current. The woman said she had no fear.

A mother of three living in an Indian town grabbed the youngest two and ran. Her seven-year-old did not follow her from the family hut near the sea, but the family dog ran into the hut and grabbed the boy by the collar and dragged him to safety.

In Thailand, dogs and elephants worked together in the rescue efforts where heavy machinery would not have been efficient. Army dogs, who usually work military tasks were taught to search for bodies (instead of drugs) and when they found the scent, the elephants moved the heavy wreckage to open the area for the human rescuers.

Mangrove forests and coral reefs saved lives by helping to deflect the big waves. Friends of the Earth said the natural barriers were the only long-term solution to shielding coastal populations.

Eight elephants on the coast of Thailand sensed the earthquake and saved dozens of tourists by running up a hill. First, they began to weep, and then they cried out and, with their trainer, lifted tourists up on their backs with their trunks and ran to higher ground.

I am afraid to say that there was much naïve thought from the United States. It was well meaning, but in many cases, not very helpful because most Americans do not understand the culture. One American company that misunderstood the culture and way of life even sent pre-fabricated American-style houses. Many areas affected by the disaster are hard to reach and unless one speaks the language and understands the culture, it would be difficult to help. For this reason, I think it is wise that the Indonesian government has asked all foreign helpers to leave by March 30.

I recommend that you not send things like clothes and food or American-made houses, but rather give money to UNICEF and go as a tourist to the areas of South Asia not on the beaches. Study their culture and perhaps you can learn from them. They give such a wonderful example of how to live in the moment, how to be a community, and how to have true compassion everyday.