The Daddy's Back

We are so excited Mark is back! Many weeks ago we found out that Mark would have to be gone for an entire week after we had only been here a week and a half, I had been dreading it and now am so grateful that it's behind us. He had to attend a course in Singapore, which ironically was being taught by a Baton Rouge friend that retired from Exxon when we lived there and now is a consultant. He returned last night not greeting me with roses but rollers!! He was so sweet to make it his mission to try to find me some hair rollers while he was away. (Now that I think about it maybe it wasn't sweetness driving him but the way my hair looks perhaps?) I've posted earlier that we have been unable to find any since arriving in Thailand, my old set burned up after three uses plugged into 220V. Mark had a wife of one of his Singapore contacts buy me some-$60, a little pricey but ohh so thoughtful. He can be sooo romantic! It brought me much happiness!

Where did the week go, my goodness we were busy. We had two invites out for dinner made from new church friends, we had the Clarkson family here to swim at the hotel. Okay, for all of you moms of teenagers here's a story. My new friend Molly and her three boys came over to swim Wednesday after school. On Wednesdays the boys are released from school at 1pm, it's great and they feel like they have a break in the middle of the week. The thinking behind it is-piano lessons, dance tutoring, Dr. appointments...are to be done that afternoon. Or in our case, new friends invited over to swim. Molly and I are setting by the pool and all of a sudden she has the most horrified look on her face, I can't even imagine. I turn to see a lady totally topless and practically bottomless with the size of that bikini bottom, strolling to get into the pool. Thankfully, we are so relieved that the boys are totally distracted wrestling and scuffling in the pool, we think! Shortly there after we all head into the hotel for an afternoon snack. The next evening the boys and I were discussing some of the challenges they are facing-the language at school, not the Thai language-the cursing, Dustin has already confronted one boy that stole a baked good from the Student Council sale, friends that don't even know what prayer is...and I mentioned, "Boys yesterday there was a lady at the pool that didn't even have a top on." To which Ethan replies, "Yea, I saw her she was setting behind you all afternoon!!!" Dustin and Nathan chime in, "Yea, that's why we decided we better go in and get a snack." They don't miss a beat or a half-naked woman walking around! I went to the hotel front desk and asked if they were okay with that, "I don't know if that is okay in Thailand?" She assured me that no, that is not okay in Thailand and she would check into it. You know when I tell you that I talked to the front desk a lot of the conversation is in sign-language. You can imagine me motioning with my hands-my three boys, lady naked, covering their eyes, the horror on my face...you get the picture. I'm so glad this blog is closed now and I don't have to worry about someone thinking I'm prudish and Cleaverish and that I can again remind you, PRAY FOR US! PRAY FOR THESE BOYS-PLEASE!

I spent most of the daytime while the boys were away at school looking for a vehicle and another day of house hunting. Our company is different from most foreign companies working here in that they give money directly to us for house, utilities, driver, maid, vehicle...They do pay the boys tuition and school transportation directly, otherwise they give us the money to do with as we want. There seems to be pros and cons to that. Most of the ladies I have met so far are provided with their car and driver, because the company contracts that out and they don't have to worry with insurance, interviewing...that seems nice when you can't communicate but I do think that in the end it may be more profitable for us because we can sell our vehicle, spend less on utilities, or perhaps only have part-time maid, you see? But up-front it seems like a little more work. So Songkran, our temporary driver, and I were out everyday visiting all kinds of car dealerships and such. It is difficult to drive around with another man in the car all day in total silence. He is so nice and I really like how he is always smiling except when he is smiling and saying yes and he means no, but oh well. (Interesting side note, I was told this week that there is not a word in Thai that means No, the word they use actually means, Not Yes! they don't even have No in their language!)It is so great because he doesn't smoke, he keeps the car immaculate and when he understands. he is prompt and efficient. This is how the day goes, you know me the being quiet is so hard, so occasionally I will attempt to make some small talk. I have learned-I think! that he has a 10 year old son and his wife cleans at a hotel! One day last week as we were looking for cars I was trying to tell him that Mr. Northcutt doesn't want a diesel car but a gasoline car, the next thing I know we are whizzing into a gas station to fill up the car and he is smiling and saying, "Yes?" AND he was not at an ESSO station! I then tried to explain to him that we have to get gas at ESSO because they are the ones that write Mr. Northcutt's check?? Do you get a sense of how frustrating and comical it can all be? and exhausting. You really can't make small talk so I spend a lot of time in the back seat praying, mostly for my safety while I'm in the car!!! The traffic is something else!

We still don't have a house and that's a whole other blog and I'm tired of typing. I really do have so much to tell you about. Thanks for joining me on this adventure! I did forget to say a special thanks to Susan Matthews earlier. I so appreciate you taking the boys the day Ethan had his tonsils out and then the time you let them spend playing with Kelly and the girls before we moved. Love you girlie!