What's in a Name Anyway?

So, I now realize that my readership went from maybe five people down to one but hey I don't know what I expected when I take such long breaks between posts. It's Sunday morning and I should be getting ready for church but I was laid out yesterday by something I ate (I think it was school lunch on Friday) and am still not quite up to going to church. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible for all of us to be healthy at the same time.

Anyway, I've been meaning to post about student names since I got here and just haven't gotten around to it until now. Nearly everyone has a nickname that they go by in their classes and it's a good thing too because when you've got names that are 30 letters long . . . For example, look at some of these names:

Passawalee Seearamroongruang
Kuntida Chokboonsongsawat
Chuanfachom Navabunniyom

And these are just a couple in one of my classes. Anyway, I really get a kick out of the nicknames that they give their kids here. It's quite funny to a native English speaker. You have to keep in mind that some of these names are nicknames in Thai and they just romanize it into English and you end up with something like "Earn." I'm only going to list the funny and interesting ones.

Noon
Bonus
Plug
Ice
View
Oak
Dragon (Oh wait, that's not a nickname -- that's a real name!)
Earn
Simba
Turbo
Proud
Pee - Pee
Bank
It
Gift
Need
Big
Peach
Benz
Future
Fifa
Dear
Net
Bell
Flash
Arm
Mink
Dream
Alpha
Earth
Pop
Opal
Japan
Title
Donut

One of the other teachers was joking with me the other day. He asked if we have a boy if we're going to give him a Thai nickname. He said that he jokes with other teachers that they're like American Gladiator names -- Turbo, Flash, Bonus, etc. I like Nitro. So, if it's a boy, he'll have an American name but you can just call him "Nitro."

My Life is Run by a Toddler

It's been over a month since my last post and this month has been an interesting one to say the least. Well, with so much happening, where do I begin? Hmm . . . how about with the fact that we're going to have another baby! After being late and feeling lousy for a while Kristen thought she might be pregnant and so took a pregnancy test. The test was negative. When taking Trea to see the doctor she asked about it and he said that it's probably just hormones (new environment, stress, etc.). About a week later she wanted to check again so we got yet another pregnancy test (this time the $5 imported from the US model instead of the $1.25 one). This too, had negative results. By this point Kristen is really starting to feel lousy (similar to her morning sickness with Chantrea) and is pretty sure that she's pregnant regardless of the what the tests say. In fact, she asked her mom to send her some medications for morning sickness the before we got a positive test. Anyway, we are excited. Giving birth in a foreign country will be an interesting experience but I know that if anyone can do it Kristen can. I'm really hoping that it's a boy.

I think our house has kind of been the sick ward for the last month. We all had a real nasty cold about five weeks ago. Then nearly two weeks ago Kristen gets throwing up and can't stop and has to go the hospital and get an IV. She spent the night. I did all right with Trea. The next day I start getting a really bad toothache in a tooth that had had a root canal two years ago. Anyway, the toothache was so bad that it kept me up half of the night. This on top of Trea fighting us to go to sleep for two hours. Her sleeping habits went out the window when we all got sick and Kristen and I didn't have the energy to fight her and just let her sleep with us -- BIG MISTAKE. Anyway, after a lot of hassle trying to find a place that can get me in and will actually do something while I'm in pain (apparently it's pretty common practice for dentists to give you an antibiotic and say they can't do anything until the pain goes away) I just get the dang thing pulled for a grand total of $12 (with five days of painkillers and antibiotics). Another root canal would've been about $200 plus another $100 for a new crown and the doctor said that the outcome is questionable so I just went for the extraction. That was a really bad week for us. Kristen was ready to go home. She said she would have if she wasn't so sick and could've handled the flight.

So, when Kristen and Trea first arrived Trea was really attached to both of us but particularly Kristen. Anytime Kristen left the room she would cry. I understood why. Daddy had left for six weeks and now Grandma and Grandpa were gone and Mommy was the constant in her life and she didn't want to lose her mom. Anyway, this lasted for about three weeks or so and then she really started getting back to normal and would be okay if we left the room. About two weeks ago she decided that Daddy is the coolest and now she won't let me go anywhere without being at my side or crying. It's kind of flattering for about two days and then it starts driving you crazy. I know it's aweful to talk about your child like this but lately she's like a leech. Weekends aren't a break. It's hard to get anything done. If I'm doing something she doesn't want me to do (typing on the computer, reading, giving attention to Kristen, or anything other than giving her my undivided attention) she fusses. I realize that a lot of this is typical toddler behavior but I'm just venting that I'm going crazy here. Kristen isn't able to help due to being sick but I honestly believe that even if she wasn't Trea wouldn't give me a break.

School is going all right. I had my first parent-teacher conference last month. It was all right I guess. I feel like I'm making progress as far as what I'm doing. I feel like I have a better idea of what I want to teach, how I want to teach it, etc. If only the kid would give me some time to prepare. I've got four kids in fourth grade who are always getting in trouble and getting detentions. I'm getting pretty sick of it but I'm not sure what I should do.

Chantrea has pretty much fully adjusted to nursery. She doesn't cry at all when I drop her off. In fact, she seems somewhat excited to be there. She knows all her teachers names and I'm told the names of all her classmates. She's picking up a lot of Thai. It's so cute to hear her speak Thai. She's really good at wai-ing (putting your palms together in front of you) and all the locals eat it up when she wais.

Hopefully my next post will be more exciting and less whining.

PS -- Anyone reading this who wants to talk: we got our webcam hooked up and a microphone so we can now talk on the internet (Yahoo MSGR with voice or Windows MSGR). The quality is about the same or better than the intl. phone calls and much cheaper.

Rocking Out!

Wow, it's been so long and so much has happened I don't even know where to begin. I've been meaning to post so many times and have just found myself busy and haven't been able to do it. It's really hard to get my lesson planning done now that I have Kristen and Trea around. Life is really good now that they're here with me. If you want to read some of what has been happening since we've been here check out Kristen's blog at chronicallysleepdeprived.blogspot.com . She's a little more on the ball with blogging lately. Thailand with a baby is quite different than Thailand without one. Although now that I've typed that I realize that everything is different with a baby than without one so it sounds kind of stupid.

The first two weeks that they were with me were . . . let me say . . . interesting. Both of them were having some serious adjustment issues. I hope Kristen won't kill me for saying so. I think I just got lucky and didn't really have any culture shock this time around and kind of forgot to think that it's the normal thing that happens. Anyway, I was stressing out because Kristen was stressing out because Trea was having a hard time adjusting. Anyway, I believe that things have settled down, for now.

We know know somewhat how celebrities feel when they go out in public because a "farang" baby (see previous posts for what a farang is) is nearly unheard of here. People are like in Trea's face like all the time. Everyone wants to play with her and hold her and touch her. Drove her nuts at first but I think she's gradually getting used to it. This past Monday and Tuesday we had off because of Buddhist holidays. Monday we went to a park by the lake here and just let Trea play on the playground. One boy (probably eight or nine) was talking to his friend in Thai, and basically said, "Whoa, a farang baby. I've never seen one before." It was almost like he wasn't sure they really existed. It's nice to be able to understand at least enough to catch jewels like that.

I'm working on taking pictures of some Engrish here and would like to collect enough for an occasional Engrish display/post on the blog. So keep your eyes open for that.

Also on Monday I found out that I have bronchitis. I went to a doctor who lives down the main road from us. His office is probably five mins. on a songtaew. His English is really good because he studied in England and did his residency in the Philippines. Anyway, I saw the doctor, he gave me some cough medicine, five days of prescription meds: for bronchial spasms, an antibiotic, an antihistamine, and a cough suppresant. My bill for the entire visit was 300 baht, about $8. The doctors here sure like to prescribe a lot of medications but I figure if it's gonna cost me $8 (including the visit) I don't care. Speaking of cheap, I've had a couple of pairs of pants that I bought at the super store here sitting in my closet for nearly a month. They've been sitting there because they sell the pants here unhemmed. I finally pulled them out and had Kristen figure out how long they needed to be. We went into town and took them to a seamstress (they just have these sewing machines out on the sidewalks) who hemmed both pairs for about $1.50 and had it done in an hour.

I don't know if it will really happen but we're toying with the idea of getting a car. That's probably the one thing that IS expensive here. It's kind of a pain to get around without one. Especially with a child. It's not like we live out in the sticks but we're kind of on the outskirts of town and it takes like 20 min. just to get into town on a songtaew. So, we'll see what happens. I'll keep you up to date if we do get one.

As Kristen mentioned in her blog we bought a stove a week ago yesterday and have already made good use of it. It's kind of like a glorified propane camp stove but whatever -- it works. It's a "Lucky Flame" and I know that you all wish that you had a "Lucky Flame." Speaking of flames, check out Kristen's account of the school fire drill. It's definately worth a look and I'm too lazy to write my own account.

Last night was the school welcome party. Every year they have a party to welcome all the new teachers and they put off the party until after Kristen arrived. They had some good food. It was a byob affair as some of the teachers had a few drinks of their own (or shared with others). And what is a party in Asia without karaoke!! They have a tradition of making all the new teachers sing. Kristen told me prior that she WAS NOT going to sing. I didn't know what I was going to sing. Kristen, knowing that I knew a few Thai rock songs, told the school owner that I should sing a song in Thai. Now, there was definitely a part of me that wanted to but also a big part that was very nervous about singing in Thai in front of a bunch of people who SPEAK THAI fluently. But once Kristen mentioned it, the deed was done and there was no turning back. So, I got up there and ROCKED THE FREAKIN' HOUSE!!! All the Thais were totally into it and loved it while all the farangs were jealous because I'm the man. I just thought it was a lot of fun.

We are going to get so spoiled here that it's going to be an adjustment going back home. We get our laundry done here for about $25/mo. The lady washes and irons our clothes (we do our own underwear and socks) twice a week and returns them to our doorstep the same day (provided it doesn't rain -- everything here is line dried). It's so awesome. We really could do our own laundry but it's the ironing that just takes so much time.


Yeah, this is my neatly ironed, folded laundry waiting on my porch as I return home from school.

I will try to be more dilligent with the posting but don't hold your breath.

It’s Raining Elephants and Water Buffalo

Yeah, this post is a few days old but I wrote it on the laptop at home and am just now at a place where I can upload it to the blog.

Well, I’m stuck here at home tonight (Saturday) – not that I had plans to do anything but I was going to get a bite to eat – on account of a torrential downpour. This is way beyond cats and dogs – elephants and water buffalo. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE thunder and lightning. I used to stay up nights in Houston just watching the lightning and waiting for the thunder. This storm has had a lot of good thunder and lightning but a couple of times I froke out and almost wet myself because the lightning was so dang close.

It’s a good thing that my kitchen is semi-detached from the rest of the house because it leaks like a sieve and it’s pretty much a swimming pool right now. I’m not too happy about that either because I spent the better part of my morning cleaning it. On the bright side, the heaviest leak drains right into the kitchen sink. It’s like someone took a hose draped it over a rafter, pointed it at the sink (which is metal, by the way) and turned it on full blast. It was like that for a half hour straight.

I had a really productive Saturday. I got nearly all of the house clean for Kristen’s arrival on Friday, did the laundry (which I fortunately hung up to dry in the closets because had I put it outside to dry it would be soaked right now), got a haircut, and bought some food for tomorrow. I may end up eating it tonight though. It’s funny, this morning I was sweeping the patio out front and the neighbor was so impressed that I was cleaning. I can’t figure out if it’s because I’m a Farang (the Thai equivalent of gringo or howlie) or because I’m a man. I get the impression that her husband doesn’t do much around the house but that’s actually pretty normal for Thailand. Then, when I was bringing the laundry in the lady across the street was impressed that I did that myself. Man, if only they could see what I can do with a broom and a mop!! Speaking of cleaning: they have a bathroom cleaner here that is way better than anything I’ve seen in the states and it’s made by SE Johnson (how ironic is that). I wonder if they can’t make anything like it in the states because of safety regulations and such. I couldn’t read the label but I could tell it was dangerous if swallowed and corrosive (symbols). It works amazing but I was afraid to get too close because I thought it might melt my hand or something.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to Udorn Thani (about an hour north) to get my visa extended for a year. It was a nice drive and I’m glad everything went smooth. I’ve heard horror stories about that place – just think of how pleasant the DMV is every time you go there. It’s kind of like that. I’m just glad the school has someone go with you who knows the routine and can speak the language. I can’t even imagine going there by myself.

Well, right now Kristen is in Utah for her sister’s wedding. I guess she’s probably awake and doing her hair or something to get ready. I can’t remember exactly what time the wedding is at. We talk almost every night but since she left for Utah she hasn’t called. I assume she’s pretty busy. In fact, I think she told me not to expect any calls until after the wedding. I’m so happy that the week has finally arrived. Everyone here has been asking when she’s going to come. I fly down to Bangkok on Wed. evening and then pick Kristen and Trea up at the airport on Thursday morning. We fly back to Khon Kaen on Friday afternoon. Saturday and Sunday we are attending a regional conference of the church in Mahasarakham (about a half hour to an hour east). The church is also celebrating 40 years in Thailand so they’re having some festivities for that on Saturday. I’m actually singing with the branch choir (in Thai) which is quite fun. Kristen will take Trea to the nursery on Monday and Tuesday and start work on Wednesday (the 28th). So, as you can see, things are going to be really busy. I’m so excited for them to share this experience with me. It’s been great so far but the missing pieces will be put into place.

-- Monday:

I got a couple of leaks fixed today in the upstairs bathroom. Nothing a whole lot of plumbers tape couldn't fix. The landlord called and had someone come and fix them. He just wrapped a ton of plumbing tape and reconnected everything. There's no such thing as upkeep here. Things just break down and are put together "with duct tape" so to speak. I'm sure the leaks will most likely return as he just kind of put a patch on a larger problem but whatever.

Exciting Times Going on Here

Well, I don't have any new pictures to share just yet but I will. Still haven't got internet at the house yet. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever will. I'm at the school computer lab. Today is a holiday. The King of Thailand is celebrating 60 years on the throne (it's kind of like 50 years in the west because they go by 12-year cycles). Anyway, they've been having celebrations in Bangkok for about two weeks and then on Tuesday, parliament decides that they are declaring Friday a national holiday. Gotta love Thailand. One would think that they would declare this months in advance not a few days. Either way, I was happy to hear that I would have a three day weekend.

Anyway, I'm here at the school with about four other kids playing video games with the sound way up and it's driving me crazy. Yesterday was Wai Kruu Day (honor teachers day). The school had an assembly where students were given awards for the best drawings about teachers, and poems and essays about teachers. The students then present the teachers with these beautiful flower arrangements (they made on Wed.) -- I'll try to post some pictures later. It's kind of cool just to see how different holidays are celebrated.

Things are going much the same. I still have a few students that I want to punt but otherwise things are good. I'm really ready to have the family here. Just two more weeks and they'll be here. I know, I always mention how much I miss them or can't wait until they get here but come on you'd all do the same if you were in my position.

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of reliving a memorable experience from my past :-(. I was watching a movie (I rented four last Friday for 90 baht - about $1.25) and noticed a little spider in the air dangling from a web. I killed it and kept on watching the movie. A few minutes later another one. I looked up at the ceiling and there were probably a hundred of those little chumps up there. There were probably about 1 cm across (the leg span - not the body) and they were everywhere. So, I paused the movie and grabbed the can of bug fumigant (I had purchased this in a pinch because I couldn't find regular spray). So, I spray the room for 15 secs. as per the directions and close the door and leave the room. Oh, I must mention that when I looked up at the ceiling I had seen a gecko making a meal of the spiders but I knew that little guy couldn't finish the job by himself so I grabbed the spray. (If there had been five or six geckos I may have just let 'em feast. Anyway, back to the story; after 15 min. I go back in and start airing out the room. Now there are dead spiders all over my bed and probably half of the original population is still running around on the freaking ceiling. By this point I'm so ticked that I start yelling and mumbling at the spiders (as if they are doing this just to make my life difficult and can actually understand what I'm saying). I then spent the next half hour killing the little chumps one at a time by smashing them with a paper towel. GOOD TIMES!!!! Kristen and I had a similar if not quite as distressing experience in Provo a few years ago.

I don't know if I'll get used to the bugs. I'm just going to start using lots of sprays and traps and such. I think I've killed probably 4-5 roaches (and seen as many that were already dead). YUCK!!!

Well, that's the news on the eastern front for now.