The mad-cap adventure and fairy tale, film story of a quixotic, middle-aged woman who won't give up on her dream and ends up in every scrape imaginable.
Sorry I'm only answering now but like you probably heard, I got very upset on that first day when I just arrived in Thailand. I couldn't call or email. It is difficult to contact everyone. As I get settled I will email more regularly, like in EVERY DAY!
How are my nieces; Cara, Mila and Amy? I miss you all a lot.
Here in Thailand I'm like the "The Elephant Man". People's necks bend in all directions when I walk by. I think I realize now what it's like to be a celebrity. It gets kind of shit after a while because everyone stares at you and you aren't one in the crowd anymore. You stand out. And the novelty wears off quickly.
The weather here in Thailand is like Durban's humidity and it's no joke. I'm not usually the type to sweat but here I'm a regular "sweaty boom sticks"! Your typical dirty "falang"! I have to carry a damp facecloth with me otherwise I perspire in streams. It's especially necessary when I'm teaching. There is no air conditioning in the classrooms. Only a ceiling fan that merely displaces the hot air from one side of the room to the other.
"Falang" is the most important word in every tourist's vocabulary. It means foreigner. The Thais use it in a positive or negative connotation but mostly it's negative. You will surmise which from the context of the conversation. Luckily the Thais like teachers.
The family I live with are very nice. They have a two-year-old, who throws these typical two-year-old tantrums, but the eight-year-old daughter and the 13-year-old son are very sweet kids. The respectful, pragmatic boy handed me tissues when I cried like a baby on that fateful, first day.
I promised to regale you with my horror story of the squat toilets. The toilets here either don't flush or you have to squat. And there is never, ever any toilet paper when you need it. Furthermore, if you are lucky enough to get a western toilet there is always a bin heaped full of soiled toilet paper next to it. At many places you have to fill a bowl with water and flush the toilet by hand. Many of the bathrooms have converted a corner of the bathroom into a little splash pool for this purpose. So, your hands are dirty most of the time. It's so gross. You guys know how I am about hygiene. I just had to get over it and quickly!
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The second worst thing, is the dogs. Stray dogs are everywhere. There is a "soi dog" lying in front of the office with something that looks like a swollen ball of intestines that are coming out of its bum. The dogs are so neglected. They are these ugly, medium-sized pavement specials. On the other hand you also get these over-pampered Maltese poodles. Just like "Lady and the Tramp". The Maltese poodles here have flat faces. It's the ugliest dogs I have ever seen in my life. It's really heartbreaking to see the cruelty towards these street dogs. The people here are so desensitized that they don't even notice the poor things anymore.
I'm a glass-half-full person so I must also mention the good things. The people here are incredibly friendly and go out of their way to help me. They give me fruit and little gifts all the time.
My school children are crazy about me and they are busy teaching me Thai words. The kids treat me like a VIP. (I hope it doesn't go to my head!) I feel like "Anna and the King".
I have my good days and my bad days, my ups and my downs. I miss you all very much but the people here try their best to help me and they are very good to me. The Thais are very hospitable.
Today I felt like some Western food so I bought myself a KFC kiddies burger. (Yes, they have KFC and Caltex garages, one of our SA brands. Nescafé is big here. No filter coffee so far but it's so hot, I don't miss it!)
Alas, the KFC kiddies burger was flaming hot and spicy and to my great regret I had to put it down after only a few bites. I had such a craving for it. The one guy Oh, yes, you read it right, Oh, said to me that chilies and spicy food are a matter of course for Thais. They discipline themselves since childhood to withstand the burn. I'm foaming at the mouth but for them it's child's play.
The people here are short. I'm in the tall group. The men are my height. The young women are breathtakingly gorgeous and size 8. The young men are just as pretty as the girls. Some of the older men have long pinky nails.
Everything is going well. I'm adapting well. You guys better come visit me or I'll kick your familial asses – in a year.
Regards and lots of love and hugs and, and, and
Yvetta Bobetswetta
(in Thai, Yvesh)
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