Letters to the Folks - Nov 5, 1993

November 5, 1993

            (Aerogramme to Mom) Thanks for the flowers, what a surprise!  That was very sweet!

            Keep planning to come and visit me, after three months I still feel like this is the greatest experience!  Living in a different culture is indescribable and I see something everyday that shocks me, scares me, amazes me and touches me very deeply!  I want you to share it with me!

November 11, 1993 (Aerogramme to Mom)

Hi, I wanted to dash off a quick note, because you would have loved yesterday!  I have only been here two days and I feel at home, anyway… Wednesday is “market” day.  There are a bunch of shops already with everyday items and some food, but Market day is like a major grocery store and department store fills the streets.  There are stalls of fruit, every kind, but the only ones you would recognize are watermelon and apples (from Washington) and pineapples.  But there are a thousand different fruits.  And stalls of clothes, material, stationary, kitchenware, plasticware, ceramics, (I have a cute little vase on my desk full of orchids) flowers, meat, etc. etc.  The meat stalls need further mention!  Its all out in the open – they usually have a pig head on display.  They sell every part of the animal!  One stall was only tongues and feet, and other unidentifiable parts.  Thai people love the look on a farang’s face!  There are tons of people “shopping”; Monks all over, people playing music (Thai music), it is very fun!  Its like a street fair, or swap meet, very festive!

But,, because I am here in Thailand, and most people are dressed in Thai style and yelling to each other in a language so strange I feel like I ‘m at a Renaissance Faire!  A Real One!  And I get to do this every Wednesday!

Wow, telling about that brought up a very strange feeling of deja-vu, that is the third time since I arrived here.  Most of the time I feel like, “I had a dream similar to this…”  Plus, the little black cat that adopted me, he showed up the first night and spends all night with me and leaves when I go to work.  Mmmmmmmm………….. The deja-vu thing is weird; I will let you know if anything else comes about…

It is sunny and warm here, clear clean air, beautiful!  Barbra Streisand is singing “You don’t bring me flowers, with Neil Diamond!  Pe Toy just came in with a V-8 juice mixed with milk!  Yum!  She is looking at me funny, she can’t understand why I would drink milk by itself, or vegetable juice by itself!  She also has a big bag of basil (3 kinds) that she picked from her house; they are having a big Welcome Party tonight (for me!).  Yesterday they were building a stage in the park in front of the office.  What fun!  Right now Helen Reddy is singing “You are my world, my everything” so unreal!  I wonder if they played English music before I arrived?!

November 15, 1993 (Letter to Dad & Audrey)

Hello!  Thanks’ for the church stuff.  I m glad to see its still getting mailed, as much as I would like to see the world stop without me, I am glad it didn’t (really!)

I know I have a lot to learn.  I don’t know very much about Takfa, but I love it here.  The people I work with are the same people that are my neighbors!  My next door neighbor (& my co-workers wife) takes very good care of me, we are about the same age… she feeds me all the time!  She is also teaching me how to cook, ‘Thai-style”.  I love Thai food!  I think she likes having another female around.  He nickname is Dome, I call her PeDome.  She has two daughters, “Wan” (Malang Wan = butterfly, aptly named because she is a doll), age 8; and “Mum” (Malang Mum = spider), age 4, also aptly named, because she is a cutie pie brat!  Malang means insect.  There are always two to six kids at my house, (my co-workers kids)!  They all have cute little nicknames, that I can never remember.  Almost all Thai people have nicknames, Noy = little; Nong = younger; Nit = small; Nom = milk or water; Dek = child; Daeng = red; Toy = cup; etc., etc.  Good thing too, Most of the time I can’t say their real names. 

I think I found one of the hardest  words for Thai people to say, is “clever”…

PeRat (Ratana) gave me a puppy this weekend – because she loves me!  She is about 8 weeks old and her name is Susie  - everyone calls her Susie Sing Sing (i.e. Single, because I live alone!) PeRat named her, she is really a cute pup.

This week I will get all the negatives together with their story and send them off.  I am still unpacking and getting myself organized… Living in Thailand is a lot like camping, I am learning to deal with ants!  Too much fun!