A tribute to family

5-22-11 I haven’t told you all my stories about traveling during summer break. In fact I am only half way through so it will take me another few weeks to finish informing you of all the fun I had. This blog is more an intermission. It is about my present life and although these thoughts are happening after all my travels I think it is more important to share them with you while they are running through my mind. With that said I think this blog should be posted without any pictures as well.

I have just returned home from a wonderful weekend at Phe Toy and PA Gai’s house. On my way home with Pa Kit, Mah Nee and Na Tak I reflected on thoughts about living in Thailand. I’ve just been traveling around the entire country for 2 months and had many fears about returning “home” to begin teaching my Thai students again. As a matter of fact I was dreading returning to my hot house knowing I would be battling with teachers that don’t always include me and students that drive me crazy because of their lack of critical thinking and behavior skills.

What got me to finally want to return home was the thought of seeing Plah, the 18 year old girl that lives with me. She went away for the summer to work near the beaches with some friends. I had been back to my village with my parents and saw all the people I love here in NKP but Plah was the only one not here. So with the thought of coming home to see her I had the strength to leave Heather’s house and get on the bus home to Chok Amnuay. Sure enough when I got here I saw Plah immediately and we gave each other a huge embrace, typically an awkward encounter with Thai people but this was special, like hugging one of my SMC friends after Christmas or summer break.

Going back to school wasn’t all that bad either. My students greeted me with big hugs and “Good Morning Teacher Rita” as I walked onto the school grounds. I had been in the mode of saying Sa wat dii ka and having Thai’s say the same so hearing English come from my little Thai students was like “Gasp!!! YOU REMEMBER ENGLISH!!!” Thoughts to myself. . . of course they remember how to say good morning they said it to you every day for 6 months how could they forget?! Then in the classroom, the first lesson for all students was to review all the material I taught them last year and I was shocked at how much they remembered. . . Teacher Rita was a happy teacher and ready to carry on the rest of the year.

Now my first weekend back at home Phe Toy picked me up at 4:30 Friday afternoon and brought me to her house for the weekend. All fears for living in Thailand another 4 months or thoughts of being homesick escaped me. As Phe Toy and I were in the car making the 45 minute drive to her house, we talked and laughed non-stop. She filled me with great joy! Then I had the most wonderful time just relaxing at their house. They even asked me to cook American food; pasta salad was what came to mind for the hot day. The entire family and I made a trip to the store and it was there that they told me I would cook for 18 people. Gaeo, their eldest daughter and Owen, the only son and I chopped cucumbers, carrots, garlic, broccoli, and boiled pasta for 18 people while speaking tinglish as we moved about the kitchen. Only to find out once it was all prepped that only 9 of us would be eating the meal and 4 of them were small children, we had many leftovers. It brought me back to memories of “Kids Night” when the adults made the little cousins make dinner for the family. Then Sunday morning I made pancakes, in a wok!!!! It was a challenge to make American food and they weren’t the greatest 2 meals by any means but they raved “Alloy, Alloy!!!!” (delicious, delicious). Now maybe they were just saying this . . . because they added fish sauce, peppers and ketchup to their pasta salad but it made me feel good to know that they were thrilled to be eating “my” food.

The pancakes were consumed and Phe Toy was talking about buying an American pan so the next time I visit we can make pancakes the American way. Shortly after Pa Kit, Mah Nee and Na Tak (my “cook” family) picked me up from PA Gai’s house on their way home from the weekend market. All the way home we talked and laughed about many things. Part of the conversation was, “Rita? What brings you happiness?” They answered their own question “Money, Health and Family”. I then responded “Family and then Health and ok I guess money a little bit but people with lots of money aren’t the most happy in the world.” They agreed with my change in order and explanation on money. But this conversation was perfect to the thoughts and feelings I was having about Thailand. Another conversation was about me missing them when I return home to the US in September.  Both of these conversations relevant to the high I was feeling from spending time with PA Gai and his family and then a joyous ride home with my “cook family”.

The conclusion of my thoughts . . . “I could live in Thailand forever. . . maybe. . . well maybe not. . . teaching here isn’t what brings me the greatest happiness here, it’s the two families that I have and Phe Nok. Thailand is too hot and doesn’t have snow or arts and crafts like I love doing at home but they have family. . . and that is the top item on my list for what makes me most happy in life.” So with that in mind I will carry on these next 4 months with great strength and courage knowing I am surrounded by family who will support me and love me through all the struggles and successes I may come across. So to all my family out there, and you know who you are (if you are reading this you are most likely my family)  I LOVE YOU!