Rain Rain Go Away...

Hello All,

As you can guess since I am writing this, that we did not go to Hua Hin. This morning we went to Mercy to find out that we both did not have a morning class as our students were way too busy with work. We waited around to get word from Father Joe about when we were leaving, spending most of the morning ironing batiks in the graphic art room. After not hearing from him we decided to call him. On the phone he asked where we were and how long we would be there and that he would be down to see us in a bit. After waiting an hour and a half we figured he must have forgot. In the meantime we found out from one of the drivers that he was taking them somewhere at noon. We asked our boss if she knew anything and she did not know, but said he was in a meeting. We called his secretary and she did not know either. We decided that since we only had an hour left we needed to go home and pack just incase. On the motorbike on the way home my phone rang, and his secretary said we would not be going today. I could not hear the rest of the conversation due to the sound of the engine, so I do not know what happened or whether or not he went without us. I am sure he had good reason and I am not too disappointed. This afternoon when I ran into his secretary she sent his apologizes, but I was on my way to meet students so I did not have time to ask.

We went to the villa for the afternoon with SiJie. It was nice to get out of the city and smell some fresh air. The children were all in school there so it was fairly quiet. We just spent most of the afternoon relaxing by the river and chatting with the house parents. The bus ride back to Mercy lasted about 2 hours, most of which I slept off and on. Traffic was terrible.

We both taught Lek, Boome and Dew in the evening and then walked back home. Not a very exciting day.

Tomorrow I cancelled my morning class so I could go with Sister Joan on the milk run. I really enjoyed my first run with her and have been hoping to go back. Since we moved our preschool schedule around, we do not have classes on Friday morning besides our adults so instead I cancelled. They were okay with it as most of them were very busy anyways and might not have been able to make it. I am so looking forward to tomorrow.

Thank you to Gus and Sollie for the postcard. It was a nice surprise.

Folk wants to write something: asr’

I went outside tonight to try and see if I could pick up a wireless signal again…no such luck. The boys crowded around me to see what I was doing and they were fascinated with the laptop. They explained to me using gestures that they wanted me to show them pictures of them that were on my computer.

Tonight Gelong came into our room to show us his picture, the same picture he draws every single day. Funny though because he speaks a language of his own, that no one can understand. I just give my Thai input here and there and smile and laugh at random. I am going to miss that man. Every day when he sees us walking towards our room he puts his hand out to get our room key and then walks ahead to open the door. The same routine every time; unlock the door, step in, turn on both lights, look around the room once they are on, give a shocked look, set the key down on the vanity, turn around, look at us and smile, step back and motion for us to go in. Once we are inside Gelong smiles again, waves, closes the screen door and then closes the main door. I’ve tried to record the process a few times but he always gets distracted by the camera. I hope to take a video of it before I go so I can remember it as my best welcome home ever.

Today I saw another sad slum dog. This time the dog only had one eye. I saw it as it was walking towards my motorbike, not noticing we were that close until it was nearly too late. Stray dogs are everywhere. Although most do not bother you, after dark it can be quite scary. I read somewhere that they will not kill the strays because many Thai people believe in reincarnation, which could mean that the dog could be a long lost relative. Many people will feed the strays. Some people also have dogs for pets but you can definitely spot these well groomed and well fed dogs among those that are missing legs, eyes, and other body parts as well as a lot of fur. Sadly I have seen dogs that look more like oversized rats as they show no sign of fur. I am not sure what happened to them, whether they just try to live life, or whether they were beaten, as many strays are. I was not a huge dog lover before, and many of these sights do not help matters. Also, one of my students told me early on that it is best to look at the ground in front of you when you are walking because of doggy do.

It is raining again here. As much as the rain ruins our plans, it also cools things off (although I am not a fan of the cold wash water in the morning). The rain is also great for sleeping, as it downs out all of the other sounds. For once everything in the world seems so peaceful, even if only for that moment.