Third Letter Home - Nov 2, 1993

Tracy’s new address:

Nicome Nakorn Sawan

Jongwat Nakorn Sawan

Amphur Takfa

Nakorn Sawan, 60190 Thailand

November 2, 1993 (Tuesday)

            Hi there, well, training is over!  I know where I will be for the next two years.  It is called “Takfa Land Settlement” in Nakorn Sawan Province (Naw-kahn-sah-wan and Tock-Fah).  It is about 237 km north of Bangkok, towards Burma.  Technically I am in the North!  Only two forestry volunteers went to Eson (East Thailand), Jeff and Lee.  From what I hear, Nakorn Sawan is very pretty and Takfa had a volunteer before, a few years ago.  It is not a “poor” community…so it looks like I am going to Club Med!

            This afternoon we met the people from the Ministry of Thailand.  Tomorrow we pack up all our stuff and they will ship it out to our site.  On Thursday, we “swear in”.  The Ambassador is out of the country, so his #2 guy will do the ceremony.  Then on Friday, we meet someone from our “office”.  Since Takfa is pretty close, they will probably take me back with them, I hope so… I don’t want to travel by myself!

            My language is ok, I passed the test, but being in Bangkok with all the other trainees together again, I have gotten used to English!  Passa Thai jom my dy!  (I cant remember Thai language!)

            So, since my last letter…I got sick, finally!  We had to teach at a school (in Thai) and it was warm!  I played a game where half the class was rice, some kids were grasshoppers, some were chickens and two were farmers.  I let a couple of girls be butterflies, and a couple of boys were frogs…remember I had to do this all in Thai!  I asked the kids what grasshoppers eat, Rice (looks like grass).  Then I had the two “farmers”, a couple of smart-ass little kids, spray the field with chemical pesticides (DDT).  They used these little colored plastic disks.  Then I had the grasshoppers eat the rice and take the disks, then the chickens ate the grasshoppers and took their disks, the kids were really getting into it now!  They were trying to give away their pesticide but learned they could only give it up when they died!  then the farmers ate the chickens and rice and ended up with all the pesticides.  The kids all agreed this wasn’t good!  Imagine, all in Thai too – well kinda!

            We got back to the hotel and I took my temperature, 103.8 o yikes.  Juli and Dave told me to take a cold shower (what else!) and they brought me a bunch of ice.  By 9pm I was normal and by 10pm I was 96 o.  Around midnight it was 100 o and at 4am 102 o – so, I went to the hospital.  The doctor asked what my symptoms were and I started telling her in Thai, that I was very hot… she said in perfect English, “Maybe we should speak English?” (nice try trace!)  She knew I was with Peace Corps and asked if I had been in the forest lately?  (I began to giggle hysterically!)

            They took some blood and tested me for malaria, but it was negative.  It was really cool, they take you into the lab to draw blood.  I had no other symptoms except a sore throat, so she decided I must have some kind of infection.  When we got to Bangkok, I saw the Peace Corps doctor.  I had a good cough by now and my temperature was up and down (96 o -102o), he said I had bronchitis caused by bacteria and took all the drugs away (I have no idea what they were).  He gave me amoxillian, and some little purple pills to help me breathe and robitussin!  I feel better!

            Yesterday, we had a three-hour session with a shrink, David Bailey, from CSB, Community Services of Bangkok.  He was great, funny, direct, and said what we needed to hear – how to cope with stress and what we will miss, being here, and how stress relates to getting sick and if you know that, you can deal with it.  He was impressive.  Made me feel like, “yea, I can handle this!”

            The first two days in Bangkok last week, we went to Kasetsart University, to learn about available resources.  There was a couple working there, John Raintree and Katherine Warner.  They were in the Peace Corps in 1967, John was the neatest guy, he reminded me of Reverend Jim Turrell and Dad, maybe they are cousins!  They have lived all over, Katherine runs the Forestry Training Center at the University.  John runs F/FRED (Fuel/Firewood Research & Development Center) for USAID.

            There is a really cool store in Bangkok, in a mall, called “Back to the Origin”.  It is all cotton clothes, natural colors, recycled paper products and green environment products.  I felt very good shopping there!  I bought two pair of cotton khaki pants for 500 baht each ($20).  As volunteers, we are paid $6000 baht per month ($240) and are fairly well off here. 

November 9th, 1993 (Tuesday)

            Here I am, Takfa, my site!  I love it!  Airy-fairy stuff out of the way first… I have no idea how to help these people.  My new co-workers are absolutely wonderful and very together.  One is PeToy, she is in charge of Social Services and PeChansawal (a man) is in charge of Agriculture and livestock programs.  There is a new nursery and dek-len (children’s playground).  There are woman’s clubs that make and sell shampoo and weave everything: silk, bamboo and cotton, which they grow.

            They are looking to me to get funding for water wells for the villages that have no access to water, except rainfall.  The previous volunteer, Marilyn, got money from the Canadian Embassy for 3 wells a year ago.  Fortunately she took a job with an NGO (Non Government Organization) working on an AIDS project and is still in Bangkok.  I can call her!  Meanwhile, I guess I’ll be learning new skills after all!

            There is a telephone in my office and 8:30am to 4:30pm someone is there, and I usually will be too.  I can’t call international from here (those phones are about 20km away!)  To call me at the Nikome (settlement) it is Country Code 056-241-384 remember we are 14 hours ahead (I think)…right now it is 9:30pm on Tuesday night.  Ok? Ok!

Some Thai phrases you will need:

Hello (also Goodby), “greeting” – Sawat Dee

I’d like to Speak with Tracy, please – Yak ja poot gup Tracy, no icee

I don’t understand – My cow jy

Can you speak English? – poot passa ankrid, dy my?(PS No one does!)

Is Tracy there? – Tracy you tee nee, chy my?

            “Yes”  -  chy! (wait they will get me)

            “No” – my chy!  (hang up now)

Speak slowly – poot cha cha, no icee

Thank You –  kup koon

Cultural Note:  they have a polite ending which is different for males or females.  Females add “ka” to the end of everything and males add “kup”.  Kind of like “over” on the radio!  I would say thank you as “kup kook ka”

So, we went to the Peace Corps office on Wednesday 11/3, and put all of our stuff into boxes that the Peace Corps will ship to our sites.  On Thursday, we had our formal swearing in ceremony, with the Charge de Affairs, Matt Daily and a Minister from the Royal Thai Government (I think from the education department or public welfare).  Small world, the minister went to the University of Michigan and had a part time job (while getting his doctorate) teaching thai language and culture to the “first” PC Volunteer in Thailand in 1961.  He loved us!

            I gave my camera to Ashley, our forestry trainer and he did a great job.  He took a bunch of pictures of the ceremony and I am in a lot of them.  I got to see myself shaking hands with the Minister and wying (bowing thai style).

            That night we had a party at “Saxophones” a great blues club in Bangkok, all the volunteers, a bunch of the old PCV’s, Trainers, Ajaans, Staff, etc.  the whole party was word of mouth, way fun.

            Friday, we (Forestry and Fisheries) met our “Poobacrons” (big bosses).  Another formal ceremony deal, with German Volunteers too. 

            One of the staff told me there was a phone call for me, it was the PC office telling me someone had sent me flowers.  Turned out to be from Mom to say Good Luck, but I was the only one to get any and everyone else thought that was the coolest thing!

            My new Boss wanted to stay in Bangkok for the weekend (his family lives there) and said I could stay there too.  He would pick me up on Saturday afternoon, so I would have a little time with my puen’s (friends).

            Saturday, he and his wife took me to lunch and to see some land they are buying or selling, I am not sure which.  Then we stopped at a grocery store near their house, which is a little condo.  (yep a condo!).  It is near the Airport, where the wealthier people live.  Major déjà vu, I thought I was in Garden Grove, where I did go shopping for Thai food!  Everything was in English and Thai.  The grocery/department store had a large parking lot, (very uncharacteristic), and lots of stores attached, like a strip mall.  The stores were clean, with everything wrapped in cellophane!  (there is hope!)…

            We get to their house and have dinner.  His daughter is 23 and not too interested in me.  The wife’s little sister. 27, was a doll.  She told them to leave me alone when they started with the usual questions of how much everything costs in America, how much everyone makes, etc.  She told them it was not polite!  (I wanted to kiss her!)  Her name is Duen (Moon), she is an Amway Distributor and wants to move back to Chang Rei, but is making too much money to quit.  She plans to move north in six months.

            On Sunday, Duen took me to the weekend market.  I had been once before but it is so huge I saw all new stuff this time.  She took me to see all the endangered animals for sale, I think she thought I could help stop it.  Mostly it was “papered” dogs, cats, and bunnies for sale, and fish too.  Also, there were squirrels, and little rodent-y things.  The best part was that she knew it wasn’t right and wanted to do something about it.

            Monday, Duen was leaving for work (Distributors have an office here) and she woke me up to give me a hug and say, “I hope I can visit you” so sweet.

            Mr. Poobachron and I were supposed to leave at 8am, he said he needed to talk to his brother-in-law at 9am.  No problem, I’ll take my book.  At 9am the whole family gets in the car to go have breakfast.  We get back at 9:20am and brother-in-law is waiting… they talk a while, then we all watch some workmen dig up the street.  A water pipe broke earlier.  We left around 11am.  So Thai!  We arrived in Takfa about two hours later, the Nicome is 90km this side of Nakorn Sawan.

First Impression:  It is a town!  Our office, Nicome Supervisor and Staff, 30+ people, is next to the police station and across from the Post Office, which is next to a very large outdoor market.  At least I wont starve!

Second Impression:  There are 98 villages that are helped by this Nicome office, 89 are scattered randomly about and they have been here for more than 40 years.  There are 46 villages placed here more recently, 15-40 years ago.  The newer villages are made up of people from all over.  This is how the Department of Welfare could help them, each was given 25 rai (2.21 acres = 1 rai, so about 55 acres) and the Nicome office is here to help them.  These people have been here longer than I have been out of school!  Also, if you are good at math … I am not sure how46 + 89 = 98, but it does!

My House:  About three houses or 100 meters away from the Nicome office, across from the new nursery and playground.  It is a typical Thai style house,  concrete and wood supported on stilts.  All wood, the upstairs is two rooms, one large and one medium.  Lots of windows with wooden shutters, no screens or glass though!  Downstairs is all open with two little concrete rooms, one is a kitchen with one window and the other is the hon-nam or bathroom.  There is a squat toilet (its ok, I am used to it!) and two large “jars” of water for bathing, plus a shower (sort of).  Cold water is available 6 am to 7am and 5pm to 6pm.  The water comes from a reservoir.  I buy drinking water.  I have a little electric wok pan that makes great popcorn.

            Every Wednesday is the “big” market, so I plan to splurge and buy a bowl, spoon, pan and some pillows!  I don’t want to try for a table, desk, chairs, etc. the Nicome may provide those since I will be here only two years.

            I have a big yard, with some papayas and bananas, and a big jack-fruit, and weeds!  There is a perfect place for a garden outside the kitchen window.  So much trash to pick up though.  Thailand needs Woodsey the Owl!  I did hear a remark in their favor once, regarding trash.  If they learn to pick up the trash, it is almost all plastic and glass, then what?  Put it in a landfill?  It will take just as long to deteriorate anywhere on the ground!  And its not all in one place.  The problem is plastic, the water isn’t safe to drink, so everyone carries little plastic bottles of water, they consider them disposable, and the wonderful plastic bag has replaced the banana leaf for food storage.  Plus, every drink is put into a little plastic bag and tied with a rubber band.  I may never use paper plates and foam cups again, I like the plastic!

            My house is old but sturdy, and big, everyone is welcome to come and visit! 

My office brings back memories of the Forest Service – if we could add the smell of nomex and chewing tobacco … ok, I’d be nauseous!

            You all have my address, I will be very lonely for a while, according to the shrink…so please write to me!  PS PeToy collects stamps, she loves American ones!

They are trying to think of a Thai nickname for me, so far they all like calling me “Taxi” too much.  There are several geckos living in my house with me, and a frog in the bathroom.  Plus, a black cat with gold eyes showed up my first day, he is a lover and catches insects.  I think I have adopted him, he likes oatmeal and popcorn.

My co-workers told me my house was haunted, like “Dock-yoo-lah” I told them I would buy some garlic and I wasn’t afraid.  They laugh!  Mandy sent me a card with a sticker of snoopy on Halloween that says “Dracula lives” boy did they get a kick out of that!

Today, two people offered their children to come stay with me so I wouldn’t be lonely or scared! 

One last thing… I get the strangest feeling of déjà vu, every time this cat walks across the floor upstairs in this house, and also anytime I think about the market across the street.  If I realize it is next to the post office, the premonition of déjà vu is overwhelming, something to do with people shorter than me!  (Oh great, I am in Thailand, everyone is shorter than me!)  It’s eerie tho, maybe my house is haunted.  Its bedtime, I love you all, good night!