Thailand Letter
Dearest Family, September 30, 1998 2:15 P.M.
I just walked home from the Central store - it was raining so I had to buy a new umbrella in the store - I needed one anyway.
ANNIE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LONG AND GOOD LETTER. Bob wrote and told me that Russell has a small bone broken but that it will heal just fine and he will be okay - I'm relieved!!! What has happened to the jerk who hit him? You all sound so busy and involved in things and that's WONDERFUL. I'm sorry to hear that Russell's new wife has been ill and I'm glad you are going to go be with them during UEA. I want to see Lee Anna, Laura and Sarah all cheerleading - we should have a picture of them all in their uniforms!!!
LAURA - WHAT A THRILL TO HAVE A MESSAGE FROM YOU. I am SO happy to hear about your school activities - you are one busy gal and I'm proud of you. Thank you for telling me about what you are doing. Your Dad was surely proud of you for helping keep your home clean and food on the table while your Mom was gone - I will teach you how to make some Thai food when I come home. I will be VERY happy to be home again so I can be with you for some of your fun school activities - will there be some cheerleading things after I get home???
BOB - THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER TOO. Sometimes I think that cancer is epidemic and then I have to remember that I am just more aware of it now than ever before. I hope all of you are having your checkups when you should!!! I can hardly wait for you and John to come - will you be able to bring some extra suitcases like you did before? I have thought about mailing some boxes but if you can bring extra suitcases I don't believe I will have to - unless you buy a lot when you come. Helen's daughter took a big suitcase home for her - I was surprised that it didn't go over the weight limit - I don't believe I have ever seen such a big one. I hope I can go home with you guys - the church will reimburse me for the airfare if I want to buy my own ticket. John says you will stay over in Singapore and that might be a problem for me. My roommates are flying on EVA - the China Taiwan airline. They have opened a new Japanese restaurant in the Phloenchit Center (by the Marriott) - the name of it is "Shabu" or something like that and that has to be Japanese doesn't it???
I am going to have to present a training demonstration on EFL (English as a Foreign Language) for the category "School, Classroom and Home" and I am worried about it - did I already tell you this? It will be for the new volunteers and special selected Thai teachers. Just when I thought I was about finished I have more to do - Ha!!! All the "old" teachers who have not gone home will have to do this during the training time Oct. 9 - 12.
I taught my four young women for the last time last night - they have been so special and want to "follow me" so I can continue teaching them but it is so far away they won't be able to. They brought a beautiful cake with candles on it to surprise all of us in the apartment - it was Darlene's birthday about a month ago so I believe it was for her but she wasn't here so Helen and I accepted it. There are so many things going on that I will have to cancel my Friday night class too. I am going to Ayutthaya by boat like Ann, Jean, Barji and Jessie did on Friday during the day and then to dinner that night with some teachers. Tonight a group of teachers are coming here to fix dinner for us - they brought a pan of spaghetti sauce over this morning and I tasted it and it isn't very good - I believe they thought it would be nice to have some American food (even though spaghetti is Italian).
My hair is thinning out so bad in the back that I asked the lady who has been giving me permanents if she could get me a little "hairpiece". She called me to go to her place this morning and she had dyed a black human hair hairpiece for me - it is a pretty color but it is too auburn. She said I could dye the hairpiece any color I wanted to. Instead of doing that I went to the store and bought some auburn hair color for my hair. I decided that since I was moving to another place I could be any color I wanted to - Ha!!! She wanted to give me the hairpiece but I made her take 200 bahts (about $5). I may never wear it but it is fun to try something new.
John wrote that the hurricane is in the area where Chris and Wayne live in Gulf Shores. Do you all remember when that happened before and they were living in Little Rock at the time and Daddy, Dick Cobb and some other men went with Wayne to see the damage? They expected to find their home ruined but they had very little damage. Daddy told about all the grocery stores being ruined and he stopped and picked up a big case of instant coffee and brought it home - he traded it for some fishing stuff - Ha!!! I surely hope they escaped the damage this time.
I'll bet the Roys are feeling the effects from the hurricane. I feel like we are here but it has been like this for months!!!
I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma B