Thailand Letter
August 31, 1997
Bangkok, Thailand
Dearest Family,
What a thrill to come home from church and find e-mail messages from the Woolleys and from Bob. THIS IS WONDERFUL!!! Marc Hall has been in Chaing Mai for a few days and when he came home last night we called him and told him the problems we were having with some of you just receiving blank letters. We met him at church this morning and he told me how to send cc (carbon copy) letters - I guess I was doing something wrong but if you still get blanks then I still haven't learned.
Bob - thank you for sending me the letter I sent to you - you got the whole thing. Claire - thank you so much for the letter I received last night. I loved the part about Brett feeling so sad because he didn't get the grades he wanted. I think you are very wise to have him assume the responsibility for good grades. No one will believe me when I tell them that I NEVER remember helping any of you with your homework - I remember Daddy helping you with some math problems but if you didn't get your homework in on time that was your problem. I know it is harder now but I also know you were very SMART!!!
Ann, Ron and Jessie - I LOVED your letters. I received the one you had sent priority mail today in my mailbox so I feel doubly blessed. I hope SO much that you are at the cabin now. It is about 4:15 p.m. on Sunday here so it is about 3:15 a.m. in Utah - I THINK!!! I also hope it is cool in Scofield and I hope you catch some fish. I had a very sweet letter from Wayne and Chris and they just love it there and said they had caught a lot of fish. Annie - THANK YOU for taking care of my prescriptions for me - I think it will work out just right because I have enough for about two more weeks. I'm glad the trial for Ford Motor company is over Ron - I LOVE to hear about your events. Susanna in college - I about cry when I think of that!!! Bob wrote that he hates to see their children grow up and I know the feeling!!! I'm SO happy you and Jean and I hope Bob and John will go to Chad Forrest's wedding - that will mean a lot to me and to them too. Jessie, don't get hurt doing your cheers. Russell - keep up the good work with your football.
I had a letter from Carol today - she sent me a little craft thing to hold a tablet. I had another letter from Ramona yesterday and she told me the same things she had written before - I can relate to that too!!! I also had a letter from Dianne and one from Susanna Frisby - I will write to them. John tell the Frisbys "hello" when you see them and also the other neighbors.
We had a tremendous rainstorm last night - this is the rainy season here. We have a little friendly toad on our back door screen and neither one of us dares to pick it up and put it over the wall where it belongs. We don't know how it got in the house. One of our teachers brought us all kinds of fruits last night; pineapple, long gons (sp.?), mangosteens, lumyi (sp?) and coconuts. You just wouldn't believe the fruits here - some I like better than others.
The son of one of our teachers from America is coming to visit next weekend. They are going to meet him at a hotel in downtown Bangkok and spend a few days with him and his wife rather than have him at their apartment. I want so much for those of you who can to come see me but it wouldn't even be worthwhile if you couldn't see where I live and the schools where I teach. We'll talk about that later.
I admired a pin one of the church members was wearing and she took it off and gave it to me - I was embarrassed. The Fredericks gave me a "Utah Pioneer Pin" before I left so I took it and gave it to her. When we leave the schools where we teach they make a big ceremony and give us gifts - we have had things from nice carry all bags to small handmade corsages. I wish they wouldn't do it. One school gave us a huge bouquet of "bird of paradise" flowers.
It is quite cool here today - 96 degrees but it has rained so it feels cooler. We start another district tomorrow - we have been in Bangken for two months and tomorrow we start in "Buengkum" - pronounced Boomgoom. There are 14 schools and they are very far away. I'm glad we will be in another district - I have used every bit of material I have. I will have to really come up with some different material by January when we start these districts all over again.
I am SO sad when we pass the tin shacks along the "Khlongs" - we go for about three miles when we go by bus and honestly I don't know how anyone could possibly survive in them and when it REALLY rains they say their homes get flooded. This bus we catch is filled to capacity with people who live there and this morning there was a lady who got on and she had a brightly colored skirt and a brightly colored blouse of different materials and colors and she didn't have any front teeth but she had about 10 bracelets on her arm and she was smiling. The little children break my heart.
I made brownies last night to take to church and they were SO good. I dropped them on the bus but they were in a box and just got a little broken. This is the first time we have tried our oven. I found a cookie mix at the store and added "milo" which is a chocolate powder and margarine and water. It felt SO good to actually make something we could eat.
I love you all SO very much and I truly do appreciate your WONDERFUL letter. Grandma B