The adventure of the week was on Friday. Kru Tang told us (Tony, Kate, Lovely, Angela, and me) that we would go to Phibun to get our visas extended. We currently have a visa good for three months and need to have them extended to be good for one year. Sister Viphaporn went to Bangkok on Monday to see why our teacher certificates/cards hadn’t come yet. She got that sorted out; so now we can get our visa extensions and a work permits.
After the opening ceremony, we were told that we would not go to Phibun; we would go to an office near Ubon to have them look at our paperwork to make sure it will be approved for the visas and work permits. We then spent two hours completing forms we didn’t have and making sure all of us had everything. Next (10:30) we went to Big C to have photos taken, as we needed portraits of a special size for the government offices. We got twelve photos for 200 bahts (about $6). We had to wait an hour for them to be processed. So we ate lunch early and then walked around the store. Of course, they weren’t ready when we returned; so we waited for another 40 minutes. Then Kru Tang was told that they were ready at the shop where they were developed. So we went to pick them up on the way back to the school. It was now 1:00. The photos are amazing. They Photoshopped them and dressed us properly—blouses with big collars and a black jacket for the women and a shirt, tie, and jacket for Tony.
While we were at Big C, our documents were being copied so we would each have two sets—one for each office. After picking them up, we were off to the government office. The people there looked over each of our documents carefully. Kru Tang had to translate a few of our answers into Thai. We gave that office three of our new photos. After an hour, we were off again, this time to see the doctor because our documents have to have an original copy of his certificate of health and mine was the only original. The other originals had been given to the consulate in Laos when they got their visas. On the way back to school, we stopped at a nursery to order trees to be planted next week for Mother’s Day.
We arrived back at the school at 3:45, just in time for the closing ceremony. Five minutes later, we were paged to see Kru Tang. There were two other documents to be added to our portfolios and we needed to sign them. The documents were to be completed in Thai; so Kru Tang and other teachers will do that. She told us that on Monday she will take the documents to the office to apply for our work permits. She took four more photos for that office. It was good that we had gotten a dozen. (We could have gotten six photos for 10 bahts less.) Later in the week we will go to Phibun for our visas and then pick up our work permits on the way back. This will be another day away from school.
The dog bite has turned into quite a saga. I had been told that the owner was paying for everything at the hospital. Last week I learned that she didn’t pay anything on the day she took me there. Khun Kwan brought her to see me on Wednesday, and she gave me 2000 bahts (about $60). Khun Dakom called me and said that she is poor and doesn’t have a lot of money. I learned from Kru Tang that the school insurance is 5000 bahts (about $230) per incident. (When I was clarifying the coverage, she said that, for example, the next time a dog bites me, I can get 5000 bahts again.) Kru Tang took me to the hospital Monday through Thursday mornings after the opening ceremony. This worked well on Tuesday when we went to the hospital, had my wound cleaned, and returned to school in twenty minutes. But Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we left late and stopped to do her errands while we were out; so I missed most of my first class on those days. She suggested to Khun Kwan that she should take me to the clinic near the market in the evening because it costs less and I wouldn’t miss my classes. (This may have come from Sister Vihphaporn.) I’ve seen the clinic and there are always a bunch of people there in the evening; so I’d have to wait quite a while. I’m not my best in the evening these days, so that didn’t appeal to me. I know the private hospital is more expensive and the clinic would probably be fine, but I just don’t want to change. So I was not happy about this. Khun Kwan got that idea and arranged for Kru Oy to take me early Friday morning before going to school. I didn’t choose the hospital; that’s where the woman took me.
The school paid their 5000 bahts. On Saturday I paid the rest. The invoice lists a discount on the meds, but they made me pay the full price. I asked why I had to pay the higher price, and Kru Oy asked in Thai. There didn’t seem to be a good explanation. I wasn’t happy, but I finally became frustrated and paid. When I asked him later if he understood, he said he didn’t. I don’t know if he didn’t understand or just couldn’t explain to me in English. The women working didn’t seem to know much; they were just doing their job and collecting the money. I knew I wasn’t behaving Thai, and it was bit embarrassing to behave American when my Thai friend was there witnessing and helping. I did apologize to him. He’s been so good about helping me. He waited for me outside on Sunday, not risking another incident.
Having something like this happen is stressful enough in one’s own country. Having it happen in a country where I don’t have strong communication ability and where one is not to show feelings is even more stressful. Here people are not to show negative feelings. Everything is covered over with a smile. Life goes on with very little recognition that I am (or anyone else is) not fully well. Tuesday after school, for example, Bitoy told me that we were walking to her house; in the morning, Khun Kwan had said she would pick us up. There wasn’t anything I could say; so off we went. Fortunately, Khun Kwan picked us up half way because she had decided to go to Big C for dinner. No one asks how I am doing or how my leg is. (The standard greeting is “Have you eaten yet?” or “Where are you going?” not “How are you?”) It’s been taken care of; so all is supposed to be well. The past is over; so the problem is over.
I stayed at Khun Kwan’s house for three nights because Kru Oy went to a seminar in Khon Kaen and she doesn’t like to be the only adult in the house. Thai people don’t like to be in the house alone; children don’t count. My being there also made it easier for her to take me to school in the morning, as she is not a morning person.
Most of the week I was barely functioning. I started off thinking I would be fine, as I was a little better each day, but, as the week went on and I wasn’t well yet, it was depressing. I didn’t expect it to take so much out of me. I don’t have much experience being unwell like this. The leg wasn’t really painful but it was irritating much of the time. I figured out that I could walk downstairs with the foot sideways, which enabled me to get around the school a bit faster. Thursday I decided to take one of the strong pain capsules (Tylenol 8 hour) to help me get through the day, remembering that on Monday when I took one to help with the rabies shot, I did feel better. It helped my disposition and enabled me to function OK most of the day. Even with that, by the end of the day, I was wiped out. I had Khun Kwan take me to my house so I could get my passport and money for the trip to Phibun that didn’t happen. When I started to leave, I realized that I had locked the keys in the bedroom. I wanted to sit down and cry, not a usual reaction from me. But I knew that couldn’t happen. Fortunately, she was parked at the end of the street because my neighbor’s car was out and was blocking the street. So while I walked to the car, I prepared myself to smile and tell her about my new problem. We laughed and all was well again. She called Khun Adin, who arrived in a few minutes. He pushed up one of the ceiling tiles in the living room outside the bedroom door, went into the space above the ceiling, took up a ceiling tile in the bedroom, and jumped down into the bedroom and opened the door. That approach never would have occurred to me, but it got the job done quickly and easily.
Friday after school I was in pretty good spirits, unlike the rest of the week. I was tired but OK. Of course, I didn’t do much but sit most of the day. So I knew I was getting better. Saturday morning I woke up feeling good and had some energy for the first time in a week. Three hours later, however, I was tired, and four hours later I was exhausted. So I spent the rest of the day reading and sleeping. Khun Dakom called and said Khun Adin could take me to the village if I needed to there. That was sweet, but I thought I should stay home this weekend. Maybe next weekend.
On Saturday I asked the nurses how much longer they think I’ll have to go in every day, and they said one week. I had, of course, hoped for one day, but at least I have a possible target for being done now. Before they had just said “every day.” I have noticed that the cleaning is faster now than it was a few days ago.
I had the third rabies injection on Friday. The one Monday didn’t bother me. I had taken meds for the day and it was fine the next day. The one Friday, however, was fine that day (I took meds again to ensure that.), but Saturday afternoon I noticed that my arm hurt if I moved it certain ways. It hurt more at night and was still a little painful Sunday. This is not fun.
Monday I learned that there is another speech contest next week. I decided to work with Pim, one of my prayer group girls, since Bank is still working on his story for a future contest. He was quite interested in the speech and told Kru Toom that he wants to go to a speech contest. So he will prepare a speech for a contest she thinks is at the end of the month. When I asked him why he is interested in speech contests, he said that he thinks learning speeches helps improve his English. He is smart and ambitious.
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