Our microwave is finally working, so I started my day with a cup of delicious Thai tea. Unfortunately my breakfast is still a little strange; this morning I had bread with a seasoned mayonnaise-like spread... It's not even Thai! It's what Thai people think a typical Western breakfast is like.
Around 8:00 they play the national anthem in my neighborhood, and that is my cue to walk to the bus. It's a little bit of walk, but I don't mind. It gives me a chance to really get to know the area where I'm living. I don't take a traditional bus, but more of a covered pick-up truck with a bench on each side. It fits maybe 15-20 people. It costs 7 baht, or about 20 cents.
After the 7 or 8 minutes on the bus, and a 10-minute walk from the main road to Ban Rachawadee, I went to the physical therapy building. There weren't as many kids or workers as there usually are, and later I found out that some of them went to Northern Thailand for a sort of special olympics.
I sat and talked with 3 of the boys for a while and we looked at pictures, then I took 2 of them for a walk. I try to do that regularly because the boys spend most of their time in their beds or the workers will sit them in high chair-like seats. It's sad because they are always so happy when I let them wander around. In Thailand, it is considered highly offensive to make direct suggestions to superiors, so I'm hoping they will see what I'm doing and see how much the boys like it, then they can pretend that it was their own idea!
I finished for the morning at 11:00 and I didn't have to be back until 1:00, so after lunch I decided to do some exploring on my own. I've done a lot of this within Rachawadee but today was the first time I've walked in the area around the Home. There wasn't a lot to see, but I ended up in an area that I actually recognized, so that was exciting. My mental map of that area expanded a lot by seeing how the two areas connected. By that time, though, I was too far away to walk back and be back on time.
Everywhere you go around Bangkok you can see people (men, mostly) with red or green vests and motorcycles. They are basically a cheaper taxi, and they're way more fun! And I know it isn't the safest way to ride, but I love that I don't have to wear a helmet. You can really feel the speed. For 20 baht, I got my ride back to Rachawadee. I think I was overcharged a little bit, but I was in such a great mood that I didn't care. I had to explain to the driver where he had to go, which I did all in Thai!!
In the afternoon, there was a sort of party for the boys, but I'm not sure what it was for. I took three boys who weren't "invited" (they would have stayed in bed otherwise) to see some of the festivities, and they had a great time!
U-M people: Welcome back! I hope you had a good spring break, and good luck with the last stretch of the semester! Go blue!
Love,
Alex
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