Gettin' Better all the Time

Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand
This week is slightly better at school. I suspect that my avoidance of the abrasive people (person) has caused them to back off, at least for now.

The students are good, one major snot-breath, and an older boy who may be well on his way to becoming a serial killer, but I only have to deal with him at lunch. The rest are growing on me. I have a Japanese girl whom I adore - she spoke no English a week ago and is picking it up at break-neck speed. My homeroom students teach me one new Thai word a day, so that keeps them occupied for 10 minutes.

I am at a loss for 3/4 grade social studies and science materials and I spend countless hours looking for ideas on the Internet.   The reading is going swimmingly as would be expected and I have a good handle on the Math now.

I've gotten pretty good at transportation to and from school and have worked out a system whereby I take the van to the Central Plaza at night, do some errands, buy supplies for school at office depot and eat dinner, then take another van to my home later. This saves me from having to go out again at night although there's nothing wrong with that.

I still need to find someone to do my laundry and clean my little apartment, and a good place to get my nails done and a massage. The places near the mall are too expensive and I can't quite figure out where any places are on the streets. Scott, the other farang teacher, has found a good massage place near his house but I haven't had any luck.

I emptied out my old Krung Thai bank account from Mahasarakham today and got the princely sum of about $90 back - which was good since I was getting low on funds. I hate to keep hitting up the ATM especially with an $8 charge per transaction. The Bums. I had to sign my name no less than 4 times, give my passport to be xeroxed and a DNA sample to close the piddly little bank account. There is an elaborate procedure and form for everything here, even the smallest purchase. OK, so I lied about the DNA but it felt like it.

Sometimes you just want to shake the clerk and say, Just give me the GD book, already! I don't want to answer questions, I don't need an explanation, I don't need it wrapped in plastic, get on with it.

My motorcycle taxi driver this morning was an old, old man. I get on wondering why he is even out working and damn near snap my neck when he takes off. This is the fastest I've ever had one go and when a wild dog crossed in front of us I thought I was a goner. When I got to school my friend Voravit taught me to say Kab cha cha - drive slowly. Good to know.

Marlin, the librarian taught me how to save my work so that I can work on school things on my computer (Windows 7) and at school (Linux.) This will help smooth a few bumps. So far I can honestly say that I hate Linux but then it's probably because it's all so different and confusing to me. I wish I had someone to teach it to me completely, it's like hit and miss, sometimes I blindly figure something out, but most of the time I am totally bewildered.

Yesterday I went over to the "Villa" at the estate where the school is located to get my "physical" for a work permit and open a bank account for automatic payroll deposits. Vovavit called for the roving golf cart to transport me within the estate from school to the community center type place and then I took a taxi home from there. All went well. You don't usually need a doctor's appointment here, just walk in and I was taken care of immediately and out in 20 minutes. Blood pressure, temperature, a quick look down the throat and I was proclaimed fit to work in Thailand. You don't even have to take your shoes off. All for less than $18, but in Mahasarakham it only cost me $6 to go to the clinic. But just when you think things are cheap here, they do something that flies in the face of reason - like the $4.50 ATM fees (here) when we only pay, what? $1.50 at home? and the bank charged me $9 for my ATM card when they're free at home. They also charge you 27 cents per month if you want an SMS sent to your cell phone alerting you to the fact that your check has been deposited. And you can't even think about renting a place without at least 3 months rent up front - my tenants would have a stroke if you asked them for that, they act like they're doing you a favor by paying rent.

So, all in all, I'm pretty well settled in. A few bumps to resolve but Isn't it amazing how your perspective can change in two weeks? I always have to remind myself to calm down, it's not forever, it will be resolved eventually, you're going to look back on this and laugh.
As my old Thai students text , "555"  - haa haa haa.












Other Entries

Photos & Videos

Comments

Patty D
2010-08-25

You are the gutsiest problem-solver that I know! I think I'll send you
y challenges so you can resolve them for me!

2025-02-17

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank