Thailand Letter
October 31, 1997
Bangkok, Thailand
Dearest Family,
I am sitting in the dark by the computer with "my robe" on - it is actually cool and so WONDERFUL. The neighbors are complaining that it is cold = Ha!!! I believe the low must be in the 70's - we don't have a thermometer so I don't know but at least it isn't in the 90's. I wanted to write last night after we came home from the wedding but Virginia was at the computer for a long, long time so I went to bed - I got up early this morning to write!!!
Bob - WE LOVE THE PICTURES AND THE NEWS - thank you so very, very much. Brett's Court of Honor pictures are so darling and they are especially good because you are all smiling and look SO happy - even the other scout leaders!!! I think Brett looks SO much like his Dad but then I remember seeing the picture of Claire when she was that age and I guess he is a combination of both of you. Little Katie dressed as a pioneer is also darling and I'm SO glad you are all helping your children realize how important the pioneer history is. Claire - did you make Katie's bonnet?
The news about the Park City skiing was SO interesting and I agree when it said, "The skiers of today are a spoiled lot". So many people today want their entertainment to come easily and they want it "right now" - does that sound like an old fogey - Ha!!! I can remember when we used to think we had snow activities at their very best when my father would take us to a little hill on the way to Logan for toboggan rides and we would have to CLIMB back up the hill pulling the toboggan. I can't believe they have perfected the snow making machines so that 425 acres can be covered with skiing snow if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate. The article said they have recently invested ten million dollars to improve the resort and that is on top of tens of millions already invested. I REALLY miss the snow and I don't even ski.
The news about the stock plunge is a worry except that everyone kinda' expected it - I hope you all haven't lost fortunes!!! I had a message from my friend, Anne Smith and she said they have lost some money. There wasn't any news about Prudential - I'm sure Wayne Snow will contact John if he thinks anything should be done about my investments. Everyone here is concerned about the devaluation of the "Baht" - it was 25 Bahts for $1 when I first came and now it is 41 as of yesterday according to a man we were with last night. My faithful watch broke last week - just the band but it doesn't look easy to replace. Anyway, I bought a new one - a Timex for 833 Bahts. I charged it because I think I get a better rate of exchange that way so it would be about $25 and it's cute.
Claire - I was THRILLED to have your letter yesterday with the pictures. I appreciate that SO much. I can put the pictures on my wall to look at every day and they are SO good but they are good on the computer too. I should probably save your letter because hand written letters are almost a "thing of the past".
John - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTER TOO. Julianna - I hope you are better by now - school teachers and doctors are exposed to EVERYTHING!!! I am SO happy you went to the Tippets' Halloween party John - I love those people and they are SO giving and if Beth had anything to do with the dinner, I know it was delicious. I'm anxious to hear if you really fixed up Tar as a "skunk" with a white stripe down his back - you will be the hit of the neighborhood!!! I am thrilled to hear you have LOTS of candy for the neighborhood kids. You said the weather at 1 o'clock in the afternoon looked kinda' stormy - Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I hate it when the weather ruins it. It makes me so happy to know my family is contributing to the happiness of everyone - I see a lot of doom and gloom and you make me realize life really is the same as I remember it. Thank you for being the kind of people you are!!!
John - I appreciate SO much your looking into depositing the money in Zion's bank for me. That is supposed to work and I know that if you deposit it with the Mellor name on it, I will get it and it will be so much easier than the way I have been doing it and I won't have to pay the $30 fee. The couple at the mission office, Jay and Barbara Poelman, will let me know and then I will let you know. The $1,000 will last me for a long time - probably until January or February - because I still that that $500 check that hasn't come through. It is scary to not have any cash.
Let me get you up to date about my activities. Thursday afternoon the teachers at our workshop had to go to a funeral (that isn't what they call it) for the sister of their school director SO we had the afternoon off. Our driver passes a big mall - Fashion Island - as he has taken us to school each day so we had him drop us off there and we shopped for a couple hours and then took three buses to come back to our apartment. We had to get two wedding gifts, my watch and Virginia actually bought something - some material to have a skirt made - Ha!!! It was a fun afternoon.
Yesterday was our last day at this school so again they had a ceremony for us and gave us gifts - darling little tops - I hope mine fits. The individual teachers also give us little gifts and they send home food, food, food. We really don't like for them to do all this but we don't know how to get it stopped. Our driver even brought us breakfast yesterday. He won't drive for us again until we are back in this district.
We got home about 5 o'clock and the director over us at the District Office and her husband came for us at 5:30 to take us to the wedding party of the assistant director at a school where we have taught. The couple who was married have been over to see us several times and invited us and then made arrangements for "Mrs. Sallee" to come for us. Nipaporn is the bride's name and her sister made that little top for me out of Thai material. Her sister also made her wedding dress and I have NEVER seen such a gorgeous dress - I know it was as beautiful as any dress in royalty that has ever been made. The sleeves and overdress were made of "Tulle" - the bride is a beautiful young woman and her husband is a major in the air force and he was in a full dress white uniform. The wedding party was held at the school and it couldn't have been more beautiful - red, yellow and pink roses ALL OVER. The teachers at the school had spent all week decorating and it was obvious. They were SO thrilled that we would come. They were so gracious and went around to every table and thanked people for coming - usually people in that situation are so caught up in their own "thing" but this couple was so aware of everyone else. They must have served at least a 10 course dinner - chicken, "black eggs that are a real specialty", mushrooms, pork, duck, sweet and sour fish, soups but the only thing you could use your spoons for was the soup - they had chop sticks for everything else. They had people singing and playing instruments all the time. They also had bottles of whiskey and Pepsi on the tables - we had water - Ha!!! They had at least 50 tables and it was SO cute - there were a lot of school children there and they were treated as nicely as the dignitaries.
The couple who came for us will have their daughter's wedding at the Grand Palace on Tuesday and they brought us invitations last night. You should see them - they are practically all gold. The King has given permission to his son, The Crown Prince, to pronounce the wedding ceremony and then we are invited to the wedding "cocktail" afterwards. We are also invited to something on Monday morning at the parents' home and we don't have the faintest idea what. All we know is that a director will pick us up at 9 a.m. I will let you know. We are very honored to be treated this way but we can't quite figure out why - we have just decided to "enjoy it".
I had such a wonderful letter from Cheryl yesterday - she is SO sweet. Don had brain surgery for his Parkinson's disease on Tuesday in Loma Linda, California. He also wrote a little note. I'm glad I didn't know about it before he had it done. I'm not familiar with that surgery - is it quite successful? She said Don was planning to drive back to Utah on Thursday so evidently he didn't think it was going to be too bad. It would be nice if some of you could check on them. She also sent me some pictures of Chad's wedding - my word, Chad is HUGE. Cheryl said she had lost 40 pounds on Fen Fen under Dr. Jack's supervision but he won't let her keep taking it. The pictures of her are darling - Cheryl is such a beautiful woman.
You will never read all this. If I have my time right - you are just now getting ready to go trick and treating - that is SO weird. It is Saturday morning here. I hope all of you will have a wonderful Halloween - I miss you all SO much and I love you so very, very, much.
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL.
Grandma B