Noik

I want you all to meet Noik-my korng-kwan or gift to me. (She looks so much like my nephew's girlfriend Meagan. The boys have all commented on the similiarities, it's uncanny.) She started cleaning for me this week and has been such a wonderful blessing. She is about 35 years old and lives right behind our property. She has 3 sons too-17,15 and 2 years old. From what I gather she worked in housekeeping at the hospital in Pattaya before she delivered her youngest son. She has been looking for a job for a while and seems so grateful and thankful to be working for us. So much so that she has already asked me if we would take her back to the states with us when we leave. My words to her were, "If you still like us in 3 years we might talk about it!" That was after asking about her little son to which she replied, "He can stay with my mother." Her mother lives with her and babysits her son while she is here, along with their 11 dogs!! Thankfully, we can't hear all the dogs, from what I understand they just keep having puppies and they have no way to sterilize them. I then asked her about Noon, her husband and she said, "My-pen-lie!" No worries or no problem? (Note: all the Thai translations I provide are written how I would pronounce them, not their spelling? FYI)

Noik comes M,T,TH,F from 10-4 to clean, do laundry and iron. She insists on ironing way more than I ever would, she doesn't believe in taking them out of the dryer and hanging them up right away. She really doesn't believe in the dryer but has consented to use it until I have a proper Thai "metal" line put up this week in the backyard for her. The timing is great, I cook breakfast, see the boys and Mark off, clean up the kitchen, go for a morning walk and do my Bible study before she comes. Then she leaves shortly after the boys arrive home from school. I like that we can still have some privacy. I pay her $6000 Baht/month ($180) and the neighbors say that is too much! That is the same pay our driver receives as a base salary and he is way higher on the Thai status pole. She also gets to take all of our trash home. We had been told to just leave our trash at the end of the road and the local people will snatch it up to recycle every bit of it. They love cardboard, all the empty 'naum' bottles-we will never be able to drink from the public water system or our well. We can use our well water for pool, shower, dishwasher and cold-water only washing machine. All that to say, we have a lot of recycleable plastic in our trash that Noik seems to really appreciate, along with some soda cans-she considers it bonus pay.

Her English is pretty good and we really have quite a bit of success in communicating. She likes to laugh with me and at me. She thought it was the funniest thing that I offered some paper towels for her to use in cleaning the windows. I gave her a roll of paper towels and she is motioning-for what? to wipe my face? and I motion-no, for cleaning windows. She thought that was the most hilarious thing she had ever heard of. When you think about it, paper towels are very expensive to her and why wouldn't you use an old t-shirt instead, that she washes everyday and uses again and again.

Another thing she found very hilarious. She was telling me to be careful in that she has VERY big snakes-cobras and such in her yard at times. I motioned to her do you cut off their heads. No, that would be bad luck. I told her- well, then he will crawl over to my house and it will be bad luck for me. She thought that was so funny.

I told her that I was a Christian and that I had prayed for a good housekeeper and that she was an answer to prayer, a gift. She told me that she is Buddhist and she works hard cleaning for me to make merit. Noik-my korng-kwan. She calls me Khun Da, to show respect you address people as Khun rather than Mrs. or Mr. All Thai people have nicknames because their proper names are crazy long. A lot of times they take one syllable of the official name so there are a lot of Noi, Na, Nong, Nip, Nit... She took the last syllable of JoRonda giving me my Thai name-Khun Da.

Before I close today I want to ask you all to join me in praying for all of our dear friends and family that are now in Ike's path. Psalm 34:17-"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." Our thoughts and prayers are with you all, we love you!