Number 9

Today I decided to do laundry. We have two machines and Mark showed me how to use them. It's pretty easy. You throw the clothes in, add soap and set it on "fuzzy clothes". I have no idea what that is supposed to mean but it worked. There's no dryer but right outside the laundry area are a couple good sized clothes lines. So I put in my clothes, added some soap Mark lent me, set it on "fuzzy clothes" and away it went.

I looked up and saw an older Thai fellow standing at the back door with a big scowl on his face. I think it's the first unhappy Thai I've seen. The security guard was with him so that explained how he got in the yard. (explanation of why we have a security guard and a locked gate will follow) I wasn't sure what the problem was but I was pretty sure it wasn't about a fried egg, anything involving good morning or thank you. He repeatedly gestured at the door, grabbed his ears and shook his head. I guessed Psycho, Guess Whose Coming To Dinner and Young Frankenstein but not only wasn't I correct, he seemed to be getting more upset. Finally I realized he wasn't into competitive charades but was saying that every time someone goes out the door it slams and it bothers him. The door is rigged with a bottle of water on a string so that when you let go it closes and when it closes it slams. I demonstrated to him that I understood by doing it without slamming it and he seemed relieved that he was getting his point across. So, with the guard looking on with an amused look on his face, I walked up to the neighbor and said; "friend, I feel your pain, as Rodney King said, why can't we all just get along?". He seemed puzzled by this so I went and got the first person I could find who speaks Thai. I found most of the Thai's in the office, told them what was happening and they all came to talk with the guy. After a few minutes he left and when I asked what was going on they said he didn't like the door slamming. I knew that. They didn't seem concerned, it wasn't discussed at the Monday meeting or the subject of an email or notice so I guess it's not a big deal. I mentioned it to Bruce and he said the guy has been doing some construction and uses a power saw so maybe they told him we were even. Regardless, I was careful not to slam the door when I went to the clothesline.

I was working on my project when the 9:00 Monday meeting started around 10 but Bruce asked me to join the meeting for the Thanksgiving discussion. I assumed it was something important that he wanted since he was taking me away from working on my project in Vietnam which is quickly approaching. I had no idea how important and how critical my involvement was in the meeting. Even though I've only been here a week he passed over the more experienced people and gave me the job of teaching the Thai's how to make Pilgrim hats and Indian headdresses out of construction paper. Fifteen of each!! It gets better. Aom dropped everything he was doing and went out right after the meeting to buy the construction paper, but only after we met privately to discuss what construction paper is, what colors we needed and how much. I downloaded a few patterns and waited anxiously along with the others for him to return. He did a great job returning with armloads of black and assorted colors of construction paper. So we got some scissors and staplers and pens and tape and glue sticks and made a mock up out of newspaper. Aom and Moon watched with amazement as the hat took shape. They both grabbed scissors and made their own mock up which were much better then mine. I realized in that moment, that kindergarten had not been the total waste I had thought it was.

Mark and I had to go to the outdoor market to get potatoes, onions, garlic and a few other things for Thanksgiving so Moon came with in the red truck to make sure we found the place and got what we needed. It was a pretty interesting farmer's market with several fruits and vegetables I didn't recognize. It's about 90 and humid everyday and there was meat and seafood out along with the produce. But it wasn't all bad because the decomposition made it easier for all the flies on the meat to eat it. I took some photos, we got what we needed and headed back to the house in the red truck.

When I walked in I almost lost it. There was Aom (an employee and law student) and the two male Lao law professors, sitting on the floor, legs crossed, making Pilgrim Hats like they were working on the cure for cancer and were really close. Paper and glue sticks and scissors and color pens everywhere. They had the 15 hats almost done and had figured out that tin foil would make a good buckle for the hats. I told them how amazing they had done and they beamed. They're not kids but they still have retained that joi de vie that we in the West are too cool to display. I immediately took pictures. Everyone came in to see what the commotion was and tried on a hat. It was hysterical. Tomorrow we're doing the Indian headdresses...

Back to the guard and the locked gate. As I've mentioned, Chiang Mai in general, and our neighborhood, specifically, is quite safe. Bruce has a brother named Cyril who is bipolar. Up until last February he lived in Chiang Mai with his wife. Apparently when he's on his meds he's OK. Apparently last January he went off his meds. He thought the BABSEA people were controlling the voices in his head and he came here and confronted Wendy with a hammer. Her husband intervened and Cyril hit him in the head a few times. He's Australian so it didn't hurt him and Cyril ended up in the mental hospital. Before the police could charge him he was released to leave the country. Apparently this is a new experimental Thai treatment. Shortly before I came out here, word got back that he was in Thailand. Bruce wrote me explaining the situation and offered me alternative housing if I was concerned. I wrote back that the last thing I was afraid of was a Jew with a tool. Last week Wendy was at Immigration and saw Cyril. The police have a summons to question him and some calls were made but he's still on the loose. Tomorrow there's a hearing in Florida about an inheritance he's waiting for and it appears he's getting somewhere between not enough and nothing. Bruce hired the guards (off duty Thai police officers) and they're here 24/7 unlocking and opening the gate to let people in and out. Interestingly their duties also include maintaining the bicycles, watering the plants and sweeping the grounds. They're very friendly and would all be good doormen in someplace like New York. A former student of Bruce's, who was at Chiang Mai University's masters program in "something", is a bigwig in the police department and he came by today to check on things. It seems he's the guy we call if anything happens and half the force will descend on the house within moments. Coming all the way to Thailand to be guarded against a Jew with a tool. You can't make this stuff up!

Anyway, Mark, Justin, Kim and I went out to another local place for dinner that has Northern Thai cuisine which was pretty good. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!