First One Day Entry
November 6th 2007
I woke up at my own leisure even though I had set my alarm for 8:45. While shaving I couldn't help but notice it was kind of hurting, but I figured it was just because I was plugged in to a 220 V socket. Then I looked down and saw that there was a hole in the foil, dangit! The hole was really sharp so I couldn't go on shaving, now only half my face was shaved! Good thing it was only a 2 day old beard; it was hardly noticeable. I went to eat at the same place and Aleela was there. They both commented on how good I looked in my shirt and tie and assured me I would get the job. My huge breakfast was 45 Baht. I asked Aleela where to get a tuk-tuk to the plaza and she offered to take me herself! I hopped on the back of her little moto feeling so grateful. Riding to my interview with her made me feel so...adjusted/non-farang. It felt good. She dropped me off, I found the Starbucks quickly, and within moments Mr. Peter Welch arrived. We sat down and he bought me tea. We chatted about myself; why I was in Thailand, what experience I had working with children, how I thought I'd be able to handle myself, and so on. I think I performed very well. He said he liked me a lot and hopes that he'll be able to offer me a job (I think this means basically he hopes I will accept, seeing as there's no one else I'm interviewing with). It was during the interview I realized that he asked me when I was flying home to find out how long I was planning to stay, and how serious I was about this job (my Dad was right).
After the interview I wandered around the mall looking for a shaver. I went up to people saying "gohn fai fah tee nai" which doesn't sound hard because I can't put in the tones. It's actually a pretty tough sentence. Literally it means "shave electricity where". The person would smile then tell me to go somewhere. I did this about 5 times until I finally ended up in the right store. I got my razor, and took a tuk-tuk home. Lunch at the spot was bomb as always and later in the evening Aleela called and said to come over. I went and saw her little room in a guest house 1 Soi over from mine. Her room was awesome! It was about the size of my bathroom at home but had tons of cool stuff from all over the world. She played me some music and I got to see her rabbit Koh-Koh, her cat Maa-ou, and her dog Tahm-Tahm (all of those names are the Thai words for the animal itself, hehe). We took her moto over to a Thai shopping center and bought me the phone I wanted for $80, approximately half the price in America. We ate dinner at a cafe downstairs and got to talking.
Aleela is 38 years old but looks about 30. She started to tell me about a special friend that had been calling her all the time and talking her head off. Apparently this friend is an Algerian man she had met 2 years prior who had randomly met her and stayed in her guest house. He had fallen in love with her romantically but she said she connected with him on a different level. It turns out Aleela's boyfriend died 8 years ago and she has never been able to be involved with another man in the same way. She told me about how she could never kiss Tarik (the Algerian) because she would see her deceased boyfriend. She is such an awesome lady, and I would feel sad for her except that I don't think she feels sad at all. She is so full of life and so fun and friendly. She has been all over the world and yet she still comes back to Chiang Mai to stay in her little room. I couldn't help but think, while listening to her, what a unique experience this is for me talking to this lady. Here I am on the other side of the Earth talking and connecting with a woman I met yesterday. No matter where you go, people are the best and most important part of life. Riding home on the back of her moto was just as pleasant and enjoyable of an experience as the past 2 times on her bike. The cool breeze on my face, the quiet hum of her moto, the dimly lit cobble stone streets, the quaint atmosphere within the old gates of Chiang Mai. I'm so glad I came here. I could write forever, but I'll let the rest just linger and wash over me...
I woke up at my own leisure even though I had set my alarm for 8:45. While shaving I couldn't help but notice it was kind of hurting, but I figured it was just because I was plugged in to a 220 V socket. Then I looked down and saw that there was a hole in the foil, dangit! The hole was really sharp so I couldn't go on shaving, now only half my face was shaved! Good thing it was only a 2 day old beard; it was hardly noticeable. I went to eat at the same place and Aleela was there. They both commented on how good I looked in my shirt and tie and assured me I would get the job. My huge breakfast was 45 Baht. I asked Aleela where to get a tuk-tuk to the plaza and she offered to take me herself! I hopped on the back of her little moto feeling so grateful. Riding to my interview with her made me feel so...adjusted/non-farang. It felt good. She dropped me off, I found the Starbucks quickly, and within moments Mr. Peter Welch arrived. We sat down and he bought me tea. We chatted about myself; why I was in Thailand, what experience I had working with children, how I thought I'd be able to handle myself, and so on. I think I performed very well. He said he liked me a lot and hopes that he'll be able to offer me a job (I think this means basically he hopes I will accept, seeing as there's no one else I'm interviewing with). It was during the interview I realized that he asked me when I was flying home to find out how long I was planning to stay, and how serious I was about this job (my Dad was right).
After the interview I wandered around the mall looking for a shaver. I went up to people saying "gohn fai fah tee nai" which doesn't sound hard because I can't put in the tones. It's actually a pretty tough sentence. Literally it means "shave electricity where". The person would smile then tell me to go somewhere. I did this about 5 times until I finally ended up in the right store. I got my razor, and took a tuk-tuk home. Lunch at the spot was bomb as always and later in the evening Aleela called and said to come over. I went and saw her little room in a guest house 1 Soi over from mine. Her room was awesome! It was about the size of my bathroom at home but had tons of cool stuff from all over the world. She played me some music and I got to see her rabbit Koh-Koh, her cat Maa-ou, and her dog Tahm-Tahm (all of those names are the Thai words for the animal itself, hehe). We took her moto over to a Thai shopping center and bought me the phone I wanted for $80, approximately half the price in America. We ate dinner at a cafe downstairs and got to talking.
Aleela is 38 years old but looks about 30. She started to tell me about a special friend that had been calling her all the time and talking her head off. Apparently this friend is an Algerian man she had met 2 years prior who had randomly met her and stayed in her guest house. He had fallen in love with her romantically but she said she connected with him on a different level. It turns out Aleela's boyfriend died 8 years ago and she has never been able to be involved with another man in the same way. She told me about how she could never kiss Tarik (the Algerian) because she would see her deceased boyfriend. She is such an awesome lady, and I would feel sad for her except that I don't think she feels sad at all. She is so full of life and so fun and friendly. She has been all over the world and yet she still comes back to Chiang Mai to stay in her little room. I couldn't help but think, while listening to her, what a unique experience this is for me talking to this lady. Here I am on the other side of the Earth talking and connecting with a woman I met yesterday. No matter where you go, people are the best and most important part of life. Riding home on the back of her moto was just as pleasant and enjoyable of an experience as the past 2 times on her bike. The cool breeze on my face, the quiet hum of her moto, the dimly lit cobble stone streets, the quaint atmosphere within the old gates of Chiang Mai. I'm so glad I came here. I could write forever, but I'll let the rest just linger and wash over me...