Thailand Letter
September 15, 1997
Bangkok, Thailand
Dearest Family,
WAY TO GO WOOLLEYS - I LOVED all your messages and appreciate so very much your keeping me informed about all your activities. I miss our Family Home Evenings very much but it won't be long before we will be able to have them again - they won't ever be the same though with Susanna and Jessie both in college by the time I get home!!! Jessie - I worry about your playing football - even flag football - you will get smothered!!! Russell and Jimmy - you are real football stars - that's great. Lee Anna - thanks for your message even though it was short. Ron - you are great to write and I love your letters. Annie - how can you have 54 for a fireside??? That's like a Mellor Family Reunion - you didn't say what you served for refreshments. I feel for you in your calling - having only 2 Laurels show up for an activity is disappointing but not unusual. I don't believe they even have Young Women in our little branch - there are only 4 in the Primary. There are 2 Young Men that age but I haven't seen any Young Women.
Bob - thank you for your reply so quickly. You have no idea what it means to me to feel so connected with home. The first thing I do when I come home from teaching is to turn on the computer and check the e-mail. I REALLY do understand though when you don't have time to write. I was glad to find out where Fish Creek is but I don't believe that is privately owned property is it?
I had a letter from Ellen Mae today and she wants to send me some money so I can buy some jewelry for her granddaughters. I don't know what to tell her because I don't feel comfortable in buying for my own granddaughters. I haven't learned yet where the best place is to buy jewelry - the place like WalMart here would not be a very good place even though their jewelry looks beautiful. I know that in time I will learn but for now I don't want to do it.
Rick - HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS THURSDAY. I'm sure it is obvious to all of you that I am not doing birthdays. When we visit with the other teachers we find that they are not doing them either. It is next to impossible to get to the Post Office. I had our driver go get me some stamps today and if that seems to work out maybe I can ask him to mail a package.
We finished our first school in this new district today. A five day workshop with the same teachers is a little too much we have found. We taught and reviewed everything we knew!!! When we left they had a little ceremony and gave us gifts - a fan that converts to a bonnet and two beautiful flowering (fake) plants. We just stack all our gifts up in a corner of our living room. We start a new school tomorrow and we have plenty of material for new teachers so I will sleep better tonight. I tried to teach something today and completely failed. They had been to the zoo with their students so I had pictures of zoo animals and we discussed them and then I passed them each a piece of paper and asked them to draw a picture of an animal and ONE sentence under the picture telling about the animal like - Bears eat fish. They couldn't do it. They give me this blank look and I am lost. I couldn't do it in Thai either so I surely do have empathy but these are English Teachers!!!
Our lane streets were flooded when we came home today. We walked down to the market in the water and bought some bananas and pineapple - FUN!!!
I love you all SO very much. Grandma B