Last night Misty and I went to the computer lab to book our upcoming Laos trip. However, the price of the tickets almost doubled since the last time we checked so we are rethinking some things. I am so incredibly frustrated.
We went to Mercy this morning to teach our first class. Misty’s class was cancelled so it was only me who was teaching. My class has already begun planning for my last day with them as they want to take me to the market on the other side of the river.
After class we spent some time with the adults in the AIDS hospice. Momma got word from the nurse that she is leaving next Friday. We took some “family” pictures together while we are all still here. The patients were so happy and have been preparing for these pictures. They wanted to go out in the garden in the back to take some nice nature shots, which they all set up. It was funny to watch some of the healthier patients push their friends in the wheelchairs to the trees outside.
I was happy to see that the Pepsi stand outside of Mercy was open again today after being closed for the last 2 weeks. The owner has a disability and has not had enough profits to cover the cost of buying things to sell so he was forced to close.
Misty and I went to Carrefour for lunch, and had a nice sandwich. It tasted so great, especially with the lettuce and tomatoes. We then bused it back home to take a nap and spend the afternoon doing our own thing before we have to go back to Mercy. Unfortunately all of the doors were locked, so after sitting outside on the step we decided it was time to make our way back to Mercy. The man who works across the street, who never wears a shirt, was kind enough to offer his bike, however after the heated walk there we decided we should take a taxi back. The taxi driver was awesome, telling us that Canada must be beautiful because we are beautiful girls, and that he wants to come back to Canada with us. I told him he could but that he would have to pay for his own ticket. He asked how much the ticket was, and when I changed it into Baht he said no way. He then went on to the usual talk of how Farangs are so rich, and he is poor. I argued back but the arguments only went so far. Still giving him directions in Thai I directed him into the slums. He looked at me and looked ahead and said… “You know around…Slums.” He then asked if this is where we really wanted to go. We said yes and he asked if this is where we worked. We explained to him that we were teaching English and responded to his “They Pay?” questions with no. He then went on for the rest of the ride about how he was so happy with what we were doing, “help poor in slums, you know…very good”
Back at Mercy we found out that there actually was a house parent here the whole time, so back to Soi 40 we went on a motorbike for an afternoon nap and some laundry. On the way home my motorbike driver stopped to let a dog cross the street. It was hobbling. Upon closer examination I saw that the back leg was cut completely open so that I could see broken bones. I have never seen anything like it, and hopefully will not again.
In the evening we taught the girls. I have some exciting news…Dew got a full scholarship to Pierson in Canada! She will be studying there in September. We all are very proud of her.
Tonight we went with them back to the seafood buffet. We ate a lot…probably about 6 plates per person, and laughed a lot. We had the same waiter as last time and he remembered us and all of the information about us, including our age. We told the girls that they had to speak English only. They were given one warning, the second warning meant they had to eat pig intestines, and the third warning meant they had to pay for the bill (806 baht). Poor Dew got so scared after speaking English 3 times that we would actually make her pay. I also had to laugh when Lek started off her supper with ice cream, then had another bowl half way through and then ended off with a final bowl. The funny part was, she ate it all with chopsticks. She explained to us that the supper is expensive so she needs to eat a lot.
After our supper we went to visit P.Ning in the hospital. Yesterday she was out sick, and today when she came into work she walked from the motorbike to the main door and complained of being dizzy before she collapsed. She was rushed to the hospital. She was very weak when we went to see her, and it took her mom two tries to get her to see us. They think that it has something to do with her brain, but they do not have insurance to cover the costly healthcare here, so instead they are starting with the cheapest tests. She is going to undergo a sinus exam which costs 10 000 Baht ($300 USD). They will see from there what to do next. Please pray for her, both that she recovers and that somehow this will not be a huge financial burden on her family. Ning is the main caregiver of her family, which is quite a feat for a 27 year old. Her father is an alcoholic and her mom does not work. Ning saves all of the money to help her family survive and to put her niece through school. In Thailand education is not free. Mercy provides preschool for children in the slums at a reduced cost. Pleaw graduated already so now she is in grade one. (Ning’s sister had her when she was very young and did not take any responsibility of her).
Today as we were walking around Mercy, Father Joe stopped us and asked if we would come over for a minute. He then proceeded to tell us that his sister, brother in law and aunty are flying in tonight at midnight. He was planning on taking them to the beach (Hua Hin…most high-so beach in Thailand) for a few days. I was wondering why he was telling us but assumed he wanted us to look after something. However, he went on to ask us if we would be interested in coming. We would have our own cabin, complete with bathroom and toilet, close to the pool on the main beach. All expenses are covered by home. Of course we said yes, so there is a 99% chance we will be leaving tomorrow at noon and returning on Sunday. :)
No more news on Laos. We are looking into going the following week so that we do not need to do another visa run before we leave. I have a few pictures to post but my internet connection is not strong enough right now (I am outside at Soi 40, waiting for laundry to finish). Please stay tuned.
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