I have abandoned the Thai builders who are still up on the platforms plastering the joints in the ceilings we have put up in the dining room and the kitchen. There are a couple of jobs left to do – putting in some basins on our plumbing, putting up the last of the lights in the kitchen, and putting some lead sheeting on some roof joints. We have some Thai contractors finishing the walls in the dining room and then the windows will be put in. I will organize the Dutch team coming next week to do some painting.
In the meantime I have resumed my old seat in the office and I’m trying to do a few things that have been in abeyance since I left. I have been doing a bit with the asset register, drawing up some maintenance schedules, collating some feedback information for the sponsors of the Year 10 kids attending the Kanchanar school and trying to get my head around the financial management stuff which has been rolled out on a new version of MYOB. Sounds exciting doesn’t it, but I have been enjoying catching up with where my “old” work is up to – or not up to as the case may be!
There has been a very exciting development here in the last couple of days. Bruce Garvie is a long term volunteer from Queensland and is very good with the kids, especially the boys. He has a background as a chaplain in high schools and as a Youth pastor. For years we have been praying for a man to be a role model in the house with the older boys. This has been a problem area for us, and the ladies who have worked there have found it very difficult indeed – teenage boys seem to be the same the world over! Bruce has moved into the house with Sand as his offsider and “official” carer. “Mum Bruce” just doesn’t sound right so maybe they’ll think of something else. Bruce is very difficult to say for Thais and what he gets sounds very much like “Boot”. Kampat who has labored there for 3 or 4 years has gone to look after the youngest group of children with a heartfelt sigh of relief. Bruce will be on a steep learning curve trying get his Thai up to scratch and Sand will help with some of that.
I haven’t said much about Sand in these Missives but now is as good a time as any. Chris has been a interested in Sand for 2 or 3 years (and vice versa) and the building team has been giving him a hard time about for quite a while – although the Thai girls give Sand heaps as well. Developing a relationship here is very public and there has been plenty of advice flying around for Sand and Chris. Despite this – or perhaps because of it! – the relationship has “moved to a new level”. There have been lots of hints about jewellery and many nudges towards shops that stock such goods, but nothing quite as final as that has occurred. Chris hopes to return in June or July maybe with Ruth and Murray – watch this space!!!
I haven’t mentioned one of our earlier social life experiences. We all attended a housewarming party for one of our Thai couples. Sun and Jip are wonderful husband and wife team – Sun is one of the builders and Jip looks after the guest/visitors’ house. They recently completed their own home, a beautiful place built of bricks and painted up a treat. Heaps of people come to a house warming and the hosts provide a meal. Canvas marquees are erected in the yard and we had “lap” (like mincemeat mixed with chilli although they had some that was not so hot for the ferengues who couldn’t cope), sticky rice, “som tum” (grated green pawpaw with tomatoes and chilli) and soft drinks to douse the fires. They wanted us to come and pray for their house so Rob did that. Part of the deal is you take a gift (usually money) so we pitched in a gave the cost of a kitchen cabinet which they bought the night before the housewarming and we were able to admire on the day. It is a lovely tradition and we were honoured to be included in their special day.
On Saturday just passed we had another celebration for Colleen’s birthday. At one stage we were going to take a drive to Phitsanolouk and pick Gedt up from her latest treatment, but those arrangements changed and instead we went up into the mountains and had an iced mocha and iced chocolate at a coffee shop. Rob loaned us his Nissan Tearna so we went in style. Our friend Alvin Tan (JoopJang’s sponsor) was here and it turned out his birthday is on the same day. Further to that, Suriporn, the trainee manager of the Pizza Company in Phetchabun also shares a birthday with Colleen. We have befriended this lovely girl over the last few years so we had a party at the Pizza Company with 3 guests of honour. It was a great night. We were very proud of Whun who sat next to Suriporn and helped us communicate with her. Suriporn’s English doesn’t go much beyond “Scallop marinara with cream sauce” and “salad bar” but we get along with her minimal English and our minimal Thai.
A few days ago we went to see Glom’s house – she is also building a house although she will still live on site except for her day off. So far she only has a heap of holes with steel ready to pour some posts but she is pretty proud of it all. Whilst there we went over the road to visit Mum Whun’s family, and especially to see her grandma who lost her husband last year. She is always pleased to see us and we spent a spent a pleasant half hour there eating tamarind and trying to chat. She is a tiny frail little lady but such a dear. The rest of the family were sitting amidst piles of tobacco leaves putting them on a stick ready for drying
Well, seeing as today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper, I’d better close. Not sure what the digital equivalent of that homily is – today’s email is tomorrow’s spam?
God bless
Ron
2 beautiful girls on a shopping trip to Phetchabun
Colleen, Alvin and Suriporn cutting the Swensons icecream cake
Iced mocha at the coffee shop in the mountains
Visiting Big Whun's little grandma
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