My alarm clock Mr. Rooster wakes me up at 5:45 am every morning. Prior to standing up I evaluate and scratch the many new bites that are all over my body. I sleep under a mosquito net so that rules them out. Whatever they are - they are my nemesis. This truly is my only complaint about my stay in Thailand.
The rooster eventually stops cock a doodle doodling. But about 20 feet away from my house is a mega phone that is attached to the power lines and there is a broadcast that is heard throughout the village. It starts at 6 am every single morning. On Monk day it starts at 5 am.
The best part of waking up is NesCafe in my cup. This is something that I've begun to look forward to in the morning. I then enjoy a delicious breakfast of rice, eggs and sauteed morning glory. I take my cold water bucket bath. It feels nice on my bites, and it wakes me right up. I brush my teeth with bottled water out of my bedroom window. It's quite convenient. I enjoy watching the little chickens and baby chicks feed on last nights dinner scraps as I brush my teeth.
Deciding what to wear is the most difficult decision of my day. Not for fashionable purposes but because of the consequences that will come with what I choose to wear. If I wear shorts or a skirt I face the wrath of the insects outside that like to feast on foreigner blood. One would think that I could solve this problem by using the big bottle of deep woods Off that I brought with me. Not so. Insect repellent puts a coating on my skin that doesn't let it breathe and it makes me hotter than I was before doing this in the first place. It's suffocating. However, I am grateful to not be in Malaria country. I'd be in big trouble if I was. Second problem. If I wear pants then I face the wrath of the heat the same way the deep woods Off brings me. It is a daily conundrum. I like to mix it up.
I leave for school by 7:45 am. I teach 3 classes each day Monday - Friday. Some days are better than others. I really enjoy some classes and would teach them all day if I could, and then others are painful to get through and I feel like I'm babysitting. Thai teachers have the same problem. It's not just me. It's frustrating, but the good by far outweigh the bad.
At some point in the day I ask myself if sweating profusely was part of the job description? It is indescribably hot in Thailand! This heat is magnified by the fact that it rains on a bi daily basis and makes it incredibly muggy. I keep thinking that there is a day when I will get used to the heat and it won't be so uncomfortable. I'm still waiting for that day. I feel like I'm the sweaty girl, and I've never been the sweaty girl.
I walk home from school or ride the bike that the school has borrowed to me while I'm here. As hard working as Thai people are - they don't walk anywhere. They don't understand why I want to. People stop to offer me rides home and I usually decline. Most days I stop to get a soda or ice cream bar on my way home. It's refreshing when it's so hot. All soda is bottled here, but that's not a problem because the nice lady just pours it into a plastic bag to take with me.
If the Internet cafe is open I'll stop and check email and maybe write in the blog. If not I'll continue on home. Once home I sit on the porch for a while. I like watching the construction of the home that is going up across the street. They have a different way of doing things and I enjoy watching. I get 2 regular visitors each day. They are 2 little girls who live on each side of me. It makes me happy when they come to see me.
It gets dark at about 6:30. The mother that I live with makes dinner every night. There is not much refrigeration out here so everything is bought fresh from the market for each meal. Thai food is famously spicy so it's toned it down quite a bit for me. Chili peppers go into just about everything. Some women have been teaching me how to cook Thai food. I'm enjoying this and looking forward to cooking when I get home.
After dinner I'll write in a spiral bound notebook I keep with me or I'll read. Some days I'll go pray and meditate at the temple with the family or friends. I like to watch Thai soap operas at night with the family. I don't a have clue what is going but I try to figure it out or just make up the story. At about 9 pm I'll take my nightly bucket bath. Thai people bathe every morning and night. It is important that I do the same. I find it difficult to stay up any later than 9:30 so I'm ready for bed. Before I turn out the lights I re-evaluate the many new bites that I've acquired over my body throughout the day, and apply my Tiger Balm.
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