The first two days of the five-day weekend were quiet. Khun Kuan and family brought me dinner on Friday. I unpacked most of the rest of my things that day. I put my pictures on the walls; so the place is feeling more like home. Saturday I hung out at home and packed my bag of “things that will stay in the U.S.” I had purchased scales when we were at Big C so I could weigh the bags before getting to the airport. This one is exactly 50 pounds. I may need to remove a few things at the airport if their scales are a little different, which has happened before.
Saturday we were going to go to a housewarming party, but it was changed to Sunday. The teacher had invited Irene and maybe Tony and me or Irene asked if she could bring Tony and me. At any rate, Kru Tang drove all of us to the house for lunch. Before picking up Tony, we stopped at Macro to buy a fan as a housewarming gift. Of course, we had a photo with the group and the gift.
After we ate, Sister arrived and we took more photos. She was quite the orchestrator of photo taking, even though she was not in most of them.
Then we danced a little with Kru Wan, the hostess and a few other women while people sang karaoke. Fortunately, we escaped before getting invited to sing a song. I wore one of my silk outfits for the occasion, which was a big hit. It had been a while since I’d been told how beautiful my clothes and I are.
After leaving the house, we stopped at a nearby wat. It turned out to be one I had been to with Khun Yindee two years ago. It was the first time Kru Tang and Irene had been there.
Then we went to another wat outside the city a bit. I think this is the one I visited with the smaller school last year, as it has a silver Buddha and those are not common.
This was a special occasion at the wat, as it was hosting a display of relics on loan from Bangkok for a month, and this was the next to last day for the display. Irene did not go into wat to look at them. She explained later that she does not know how to be respectful in wats; so she doesn’t go in. Kru Tang walked through the exhibit with us and was interested even though she is Catholic. Later we learned that she was raised Buddhist, married a Catholic, and is now Catholic with her husband and children. It was interesting to visit the wats with non-Buddhists, as we did not pay our respects to the Buddha images, which is often all we do when I go with Buddhists. We did not go to see the silver Buddha; I saw it only from a distance.
Next we went farther out of the city to visit the mother of a teacher who is in the hospital. Again my silk outfit was a hit and several people who don’t even know me commented on how beautiful it is. Kru Tang chatted with the mother quite a bit; also with the woman in the bed beside hers. The room had 17 beds in it and all had patients. We were there an hour before visiting hours, but Kru Tang went in and asked for permission for us to enter. When we left the room, we waited outside until another teacher arrived. Then we left.
After we took Tony home and were close to my house (5:00), Khun Kuan called to see if I wanted to go to Wat Hua Don with them. So Kru Tang took me to Kuan’s house and I went with them. They were having a special ceremony, and Khun Toy was joining the others to stay awake and pray all night. I asked Pra Tong, Khun Toy’s son, what the occasion was and he explained that he had made the Buddha image in front of their Buddha image and would give it to his friend’s temple in Pitsanuluk.
We didn’t stay long, as they were concerned about getting me home early, since I had to get up at 4:00 AM for the trip to Laos. They had gone to deliver drinks they were donating for those attending the ceremony and those staying all night. On the way to my house, Khun Oy stopped to say “hello” to the man on the corner, who is a friend of his. He has always been friendly and greeted me when I see him. Now he is a friend of a friend. Saturday when I went to the market, the man on the other side of the corner spoke to me in English. He and his wife lived in New Mexico for eight years while he went to grad school and worked for Levi Strauss. When the plant where he worked was closed, he returned home.
Monday morning at 5:00 we left for Mukdahan and Laos. We were going to leave at 4:30, but it started raining heavily at 4:15, and Tony was late getting to the school and was very wet and had to change clothes, since he was riding a motorcycle. We arrived at the passport control office at 7:40, as scheduled. Khun Tang drove rather fast. When she talked to someone Sister learned that the Thai Embassy in Savannakhet was closed for the holidays. She had called and been told that it would be open. So She, Khun Tang, and I went across the river while the others waited, as my visa expired on Tuesday; so I needed a new one. Sister and I talked with a man who said I could change passports and enter Thailand on my personal passport. When we got to Savannakhet, we went to the embassy so Khun Tang would know where to take us when we returned on Wednesday. It was open. So we called the others and told them to hustle over to join us. There was a long line of people wanting a visa, and Sister talked to someone who said the others could join the line when they arrived. They only had to stand in line for five minutes and finished before the 11:00 closing. While we waited, Sister talked to the people in the office about my situation. We walked up to the window and she asked a question, which lead to other questions with other people. Being with someone wearing a habit is helpful. The last man said I should not get a visa and should wait till I return from the U.S. So Sister, Kru Tahg and I left the other three in Laos to wait to pick up their passports with a visa on Wednesday and returned home.
Before leaving, we took them to their hotel and hung out in Kate and Lovely’s room for a while. Then we went to eat lunch. After lunch we went to a nearby house to meet the woman there so the others would know where they could go if they had a problem. The woman is the mother of one of Sister’s convent friends. After visiting for a while, we left and went our separate ways.
When we got to immigration, the man at the booth would not let me use my personal passport and said I had to use the one with the Laos exit visa. When I explained that the man in the morning had said it was OK, he told me to talk to him. Since he was on the other side (outgoing) of the border, that was not possible; so I went to a different booth and got a visa for two weeks. In Mukdahan, we stopped to shop at the Indochina market. I’d been there one other time but hadn’t been to the underground section that we went to. It was an enjoyable way to end the day before driving home.
I will try to get a visa at the Thai Consulate in Chicago when I am there in early June. If that doesn’t work, I can get a one-month visa at the airport with I arrive in Bangkok and then do this process on my own again. I think Sister was a little concerned about what would happen if I can’t get a visa in Chicago, as she asked if I would come back if that doesn’t work and was very happy when I said I will return.
On the way back, Sister asked about my teaching Saturday special classes for students and parents who are interested. This would be extra and I would get paid for teaching. She also said she wants Tony and me to begin working with students who will enter competitions. I knew the latter would be coming up sometime. I’m a little concerned about special classes for students, as I think too many will be interested in studying with the native speakers. We are still a novelty for the school. She also wants us to teach classes for the teachers. I knew my time would fill up soon.
When I went with Khun Kuan’s family to deliver a bicycle to Khun Tang’s house, Khun Tang’s husband told me that his friends want me to teach their children. He has told them what they should pay me. He asked if I want to start now or when I return from the U.S.; I told him the latter. I declined to meet them that day. He had mentioned this possibility when I went to interview, but I guess it’s a done deal now.
In Amnat Charoen, we stopped to see the new Ave Maria School that will open on Wednesday. It is the fifth Ave Maria School. The two Sisters I talked with speak English very well. This year the school will have pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade. It will add a grade each year as students move up. When we were leaving, Sister asked if I want to teach there. I said not for several years, as I don’t want to teach the lower grades, and I will stay with her if that’s OK. She happily walked—almost danced—over to me and hugged me.
One of the Sisters gave me some lychee. I like lychee juice but had not seen or tasted the fruit. I’ll be looking for it in the city market.
We stopped at the market to purchase food for dinner before dropping me off. A young man got my attention. He was one of the university students who did English camps at the larger school and recognized me from that. It was nice to chat with him.
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