Thailand Letter
Dearest Family, Saturday, December 7, 1998 6:30 a.m.
BOB AND CLAIRE - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE CONDO PICTURES!!! It is so thrilling to look at them - is that whole thing my condo? I thought it would be smaller than that. I was surprised to see some grass in front and it was fun to see the fog around the mountains and what a beautiful setting. Maybe they will let me put a cot in there and stay while they finish building it. One thing I would like for you to have them do and that is to put PLENTY of insulation in the walls and roof while it is being built - I don't believe our home in Orem had any insulation and that was such a pain for us - we kept having more blown in and it isn't as effective as it is if it is put in during the building. I think you are great to keep checking on it like you are. l can't remember what the cards had on them that Nut made for you but she seemed to think it was what you would need. She "runs interference" for me in the schools here - Ha!!! One day last week, Lek (the BMA Supervisor), came to our school and she said to me, "Do you have a friend who works for Channel 9" and when I told her that I did she said she had called some principals and told them to help us more - I about died!!! She means well but she sometimes is overly concerned. I had told her that the schools hang up on me when they hear my voice and know that I don't speak Thai and that made her angry. It doesn't hurt BMA to know that other people are looking out for us. The school teachers here do things for us that the other volunteer teachers NEVER have done - I am a little embarrassed but I don't know how to handle it. You just wouldn't believe how nice they are to us and it is constant. Some friends called us one night last week and told us to not eat dinner so we waited - they got tied up in traffic so we waited until about 7 and we were glad we did - they brought in a four course dinner and even ice cream bars for dessert. Yesterday after school the teachers insisted on taking us out to lunch and then they kept "recommending" different foods - we were stuffed!!! Myrth has had the royal treatment since she got here and I just hope she appreciates it - she is SO flippant and shallow!!! I have never asked the teachers to do favors for me but it doesn't bother her one bit.
JEANNIE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTER TOO. I hope the "Emerald City" for the Stake New Beginnings turned out exactly like you wanted it to - you surely go the extra mile and I am SO proud of you!!! I can't imagine hemming and ironing 300 pair of white pants - I should have kept my ironrite for you. The Young Women have surely mastered quilt tying and they make such nice quilts - 25 of them in one night??? I hope the sale of your home goes through - I hear from Annie and Claire that your new home is spectacular - I can hardly wait to see it. I haven't heard anything about the hurricane, Mitch - we don't ever have time to watch TV. even though we have an excellent set and even cable. I wrote to Ricky and I hope he got it - it didn't ever come back. He will be just fine.
ANNIE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTER TOO. It is SO fun for me to find letters from all of you when I come to the computer and you are getting to be an e-mail expert when you can have your students e-mail their assignments to you. You keep saying that you "go down" to your computer - where do you have it? I am happy that Ron has been able to make so many offices in his building - is everything rented there now? I didn't ever enjoy being a landlord for a home so I can just imagine how many problems there are with being a landlord for a big office building. I envy you being in a snowstorm - I am looking forward to that. How fun that you still spend the night in Salt Lake with your friends, Chris, Marie, Claudette and Jodie. I can't imagine any harder work than running a dude ranch like you say Marie is doing - quite different from her "Show House" but I think it would be fun because they have enough money to hire the work done. I remember Dillon very well and one thing I remember the most is a very good singing group so Marie will fit right in. I have some high school friends who have a big ranch close to that and when we visited them I thought they were out of their minds to live there but now their property is very valuable. We loved Montana and the church will grow by leaps and bounds now there is a temple being built there. I'm surprised Marie wants a "Dream Log Home" in Midway - they surely have done well financially, haven't they?
We will go to Lopburi this afternoon. Nurack has promised us we will have a BIG English class tonight - we had 21 there last week and I'm not sure we will be able to handle many more than that. My Friday night class is the hardest one I have - the students are in 10th, 11th and 12th grades (Mateoms) and I told them last night that they were not learning any English because they just want to be spoon fed - I have the hardest time getting them to talk or respond in any way except to "repeat after me" and I have tried every trick I know of. Their mothers come and sit in the kitchen while I teach - it makes me very nervous.
Roy and Patrice - I want to hear about your Disney World Trip and other things going on in your lives. I think about Emily, Timothy and Jesse ALL THE TIME!!!
John and Julianna - thank you for going to check on the condo. Bob and Claire and Jeannie told me about your visit and they were so happy to see you.
Myrth is out cleaning the yard - she has a lot of energy for things like that but she doesn't want to prepare for any teaching. The teachers all love her though and that is the most important thing.
I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma B