Home Improvement (7-2)

Just as I thought this was a rather mundane week with not much special to report, Saturday happened. The excitement began at 6:00 AM when my phone beeped that a text message had arrived. In my half-awake state, I thought about a previous message early in the morning from Big C and wondered if I should check it. I did, as I wasn’t fully conscious enough to really think and make decisions. After all, it was Saturday and I didn’t have to get up. This message, however, was from Khun Kwan saying that they were going to Khun Joy’s new house and inviting me to go along. Since I do most things with them and I know Khun Joy, I called and said I’d join them. It turned out that the new house was for Khun Joy’s mother and was in a village about 45 minutes from here. The village is way out in the country, and we had to stop several times for directions. Khun Kwan finally called Khun Joy. We arrived as the monks were leaving and just in time for breakfast. I had been envisioning other city folks lost in the country, but we were the only city people there other than Khun Joy and her sister. I got a lot of stares from the local people, as I am probably the first American woman they’ve had visit. They will have met Khun Joy’s American husband, who was not there that day.

On the way home, Khun Teamjan called to say she was on her way to my house to work on the bathroom. When I paid my rent two weeks ago, I asked about getting a sit-on toilet. Today was the day. I thought they would remove the squat toilet and put a new one in its place. Since it was elevated one step up from the floor, this would have been a little awkward because sit-on toilets on the elevated steps come very close to the edge. But they removed the whole elevated area and made a new floor level with the rest of the room. This was quite a project. Two men banged and banged to remove the cement blocks and the sand that filled them. Then they put the debris into the hole to make it firmer for the new toilet. After this was cemented over, a woman took over and laid the tile on the floor and around the edge where the step had been. Then she installed the toilet. When that was done, the men took over again and hooked up the water and spray gun. So, I now have a sit down toilet. And it flushes! I hadn’t even thought about a flushable toilet as a possibility; so that was a good surprise. (With non-flushing toilets, you pour water into the bowl to wash the waste down.) This whole project took nine hours. Now I won’t have to wonder how my knees will be every morning. Sometimes they’re fine, but sometimes the squatting and getting up is an effort.

While they were working, they noticed that the water supply was bad. Only a little flowed out and it took a long time to fill a container. When Khun Teamjan mentioned  her concern about this, I said that I wondered if the pipe was plugged. Her nephew went out of the yard to the place where the water meter is and turned the handle and, low and behold, the water now flows normally. Without this, flushing the toilet would not be possible. And now I can fill all three laundry tubs in less time than it took to fill one before.

Since the men were here, I mentioned that the stove does not automatically ignite like it’s supposed to. Her nephew turned something near the valve, and it now ignites as well as my previous stove did. (This means it still takes a few attempts, but I don’t have to use the lighter like I have been doing.)

I also took advantage of the men and the truck and asked to have some of the building materials lying around removed. So they took them away in the truck and the area around the house looks much neater.

In the afternoon, a man came to look at the room the termites have been in. He treated the edges of all the rooms and the places where there are holes. He’ll come back and do it again in three weeks.

Saturday morning, Khun Teamjan told me that she would buy me a bed that day. It was delivered in the afternoon along with a desk for me to work at. Khun Dakom had told me when I moved in that she wanted to surprise me with a bed, but I hadn’t really thought about it since it didn’t happen soon after that.

The desk was a complete surprise. I’m sitting at it now—on the chair she gave me when I moved in—and it’s great. It’s one of those things you don’t realize you miss until it comes back into your life.

Khun Teamjan bought lunch for all of us. When we set the “table” (the mat on the floor), she got out the dishes she had brought along and wouldn’t let me put out my dishes. I just had to laugh. She gave me the dishes; so she knew I had enough for us.

Khun Teamjan called Khun Yindee for translation services to make sure I’d be OK with the termite treatment. Then I chatted with her a bit. It was really good to talk with her. I know she’s very busy with her classes and then is tired from doing so much; so I understand why she doesn’t have time to socialize. Talking with her made me realize how much I miss that.

Other news of the week: I saw Khun Somlan’s daughter Tuesday to get my meds. The plan had been to go to the clinic after school, but Khun Dakom called Monday night to tell me that Khun Somlan would pick me up at 6:00 AM because the doctor wanted to check my blood levels. Since I’m a new patient, this is appropriate and responsible. We went to her clinic and then to the lab to provide the blood. After school, Khun Somlan brought me meds, but I needed the doctor to sign the papers for my insurance; so we went back to the clinic. I also wanted to ask her about the meds, as they were a different brand that was very inexpensive (350 bahts, about $12). They turned out to be a generic brand made in Thailand. I wasn’t sure about this, as we had been advised not to take drugs made in Asia and because my friends all take the American brand drugs. So she got me Crestor, which I have used before. The cost was 1450 bahts (about $45). This is half of what I paid at the private hospital and about a third of the cost at Walgreen’s.  It’s so low that I won’t get much back from the insurance after my co-pay.

The other event this week was the first special class with Bitoy and her friends, all in 5^th grade. There were four of them, and one more may join them. They were fun to work with, and we all had a good time. Not surprisingly, their skills are low. They know some vocabulary but can’t write or speak much. And they don’t know the sounds of the letters. We didn’t do reading, but I doubt that they can read much, either. Khun Kwan said they want to do this three times a week. I’ll enjoy working with them, and it will give me a little extra money (2000 bahts a month, about $60—more if the other girl joins them.)

At school, this was one of my better weeks. Classes were all pretty cooperative and I didn’t have to yell at any of them to be quiet. It’s sad when that’s what defines a good week. I gave a unit English test and it confirmed my suspicion that many students’ English is so low that they should not be in an Intensive English Program, especially one their parents pay for. In two classes, a third of the students had less than 20% correct. On the positive side, half of the students had 50% or more correct.

 On Thursday we were told that we have to prepare three students for a speech contest on Monday. Khun Toom had just learned about the contest that day. This is Thailand. We were all assigned students to prepare for future contests, and three of us are focusing on the one Monday. I was given one of my 7^th grade boys who is quite fluent and verbal. We worked Thursday after school and three times on Friday. We were told to work with them on the weekend, but he went away with his family. I learned that he is so good in English because he went to one of the better schools in Khon Kaen up until this year when his family moved to Ubon. He goes to our school because it is near his home. I think that’s why a lot of students go there.

This was pay week. Sister Viphaporn had the four of us go to her office to get our money. She told us that she is very happy with everyone, especially because she is not getting complaints from parents this year like she did about the foreign teachers last year. We had to turn in lesson plans, but she didn’t tell us how she wanted them. When we asked her at that meeting, she said it was up to us how we did them. The next day I heard that she wanted Tony and me to look at another teacher’s plans. I did mine minimally, with the idea that, if she wants more detail, she can let me know and I’ll do it next time, since we were not given guidelines this time. Word is that she wants more.

On Friday I had a call from a man at one of the better government schools in Singburi asking if I want to teach at his school. I was surprised. He had just received my resume on Thursday. Khun Tuk had given it to some schools in February and March. Apparently, this wasn’t one of them and someone else passed my resume on to him now. When I told him I already have a job, I realized that I am living where I want to live; but it was nice to be asked.