Weekend Activities

This turned out to be a very busy weekend! 

Since Friday was the national Thai holiday, Kevin went golfing with two co-workers from the Embassy. He had his best game of golf in a long time (maybe ever?) and shot par on four holes in a row. All that time playing in Miami must have helped! It was an interesting experience for him in that each golfer is assigned a caddy and all of the caddies are these very petite Thai women. Throughout their round, his caddy carried & cleaned Kevin's clubs, kept his score and offered him advice on each green (maybe that was why he did so well). Kevin said there are hundreds of workers maintaining the course and they help your caddy to find your ball, regardless of where it is hit. Kevin's caddy was able to find every ball that he hit (except for the two that went into the lake). Knowing how Kevin can hit, she probably got more than enough exercise for the day and deserved a HUGE tip. After the round of golf, they were shown into the VIP changing room and were able to shower and change before having a nice lunch. While they were at lunch, their shoes and clubs were so thoroughly cleaned, they looked almost new. The most surprising thing about this round of golf (other than Kevin having four pars!) was that the total cost was under $55.00.

ISB had orientation for the new middle schoolers beginning at 11.00 am on Saturday. The kids went into small groups within their grade levels while Kevin and I spent about 2 hours listening to the Principal and the Vice Principal explain all of the processes and procedures of the school. We had to absorb a lot of information and I am just glad that we won't be tested! The kids were able to meet other new children in their classes so at least they will recognize more faces on Monday. The orientation was very organized and they seemed to cover everything imaginable so I hope our first day/week goes well. I thought the orientation would last about an hour but it turned into a three hour event! 

Christopher had assessment for the 13 & Under basketball team immediately after orientation ended. The athletic complex at the school is huge and so impressive! They have separate gyms for the elementary, middle and high schoolers with age appropriate equipment/activities (jungle gyms, weight rooms, etc.). There are 7 tennis courts, a soccer field, baseball stadium, a brand new 1/4 mile track and a 25 metre swimming pool. By the beginning of the next school year, they will have a new 50 metre swimming pool. Parents are welcome to use any of the facilities during non-school hours. I think just about every sport is offered and most of the children participate at some level. Although Christopher was a bit rusty, he played well and was asked to come next weekend to play with the 15 & Under team. He was thrilled! The basketball coach also turned out to be the baseball coach and invited Christopher to come to their practice the next day to play with the 13 & Under travel team. The team is now training for a tournament in Singapore over the Thanksgiving weekend but they play all year round with games in Australia, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. If he makes the team, it will be a fun way for us to get to see more of this region! 

Sunday morning, Christopher and Kevin went off to baseball while Caitlynne and I took a taxi to the Chatuchak Markets. Chatuchak is thought to be one of the largest street markets in the world and is about 15 minutes from our home. Nothing will ever prepare you for visiting Chatuchak. The market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays and it is estimated 250,000 people visit each weekend. There are over 10,000 stalls and, while there is a map that does a pretty good job of putting some method to the madness, between the layout and the number of stalls and the number of people shopping, it is quite chaotic. Having learned the hard way, if you see something you want, buy it right then because you will never be able to find your way back to that same stall. The stalls are arranged on a very crazy maze of narrow alleys and some are so run down that a good gust of wind would knock them right over. Items for sale are piled high on tables and stacked on shelves. Anything you could possibly want and/or need (and a lot of stuff that you don't) is for sale at Chatuchak. In the 2 hours that Caitlynne and I wandered around, we saw silks, orchids, furniture, bed linens, bath towels, ceramics, fine china, designer clothing, used clothing, jewelry, beads and a variety of animals. There is a lot of junk but also some good finds. In fact, we went to dinner at a friends' home last night and they had just purchased 6 high end dining room chairs from Chatuchak. I hope, after talking to others and visiting the market a few times, I will begin to figure who and where the "good" vendors are to buy lamps, furniture, dishware, etc. The prices are very good and it is expected for you to bargain. Caitlynne wanted a bracelet offered at 79 baht. I offered 60 baht and it was ours.  Not a very intense bargaining session but I was so proud not to have paid full price. The trip certainly was an adventure for us! 

Christopher's baseball went very well and I think he was glad that he had such great coaches in Miami and was appreciative of all of the time he spent with his pitching coach and in the batting cages. Most of the boys on the team are Americans who have been in Bangkok (and on the team) for several years. I think there was only one boy from the Embassy and the others were here with the oil companies or other private industry. They will only practice once a week until the tournament gets closer so Christopher should be able to play both baseball and basketball without too much conflict.

We had a minor hiccup with the golf cart and called a repairman who, much to our surprise on a Sunday afternoon at 3.00 pm, came right out and fixed it! I was so happy it could be easily fixed because school starts tomorrow and I did not want to have to hoof it up there on the first day with the kids and their heavy backpacks! 

More Photos!

My new camera arrived today so I have some more photos to post! 

Can you guess what these are???

I had seen them in the grocery store a few times and thought they might be some kind of Asian grape or gooseberries.  On Wednesday, I went to the shops with a native Thai woman and she told me they were EGGPLANTS to be used in, among other things, green curry.  So, I purchased all of the ingredients for green curry and that is what I made for dinner tonight.  Doesn't it look delicious?!?

Well, while it looked delicious, it was spicy, spicy, spicy!  Christopher had a small bowl and then asked for cereal.  Caitlynne "washed" the chicken off and had that with some rice.  Kevin soldiered through but his eyes were watery and his nose was snuffly by the time he finished.  I tried to finish my portion, I really did, but it was just too spicy for me.  Also, the rice turned out to be a big sticky mess.  Epic Fail for me for dinner tonight! 

In an earlier post, I mentioned that Friday was a Thai holiday to celebrate the Queen's Birthday.  All around Bangkok, there are displays similar (but MUCH  more elaborate) to the one below in honor of the Queen.  This evening, there will be fireworks and light displays all over Bangkok. This photo was taken at a school (not ISB) down the street from our home.



Some photos of the interior of our home are below. Please remember these rooms are BLANK canvases for me to work my decorating magic on once our household items arrive.  I consider these all the "before" pictures.

This is our entry way. The front door is to the left. The formal living room is straight ahead and the balcony of the staircase landing to the 2nd floor is on the right.

Below is the view of the formal living room from the family room. You can see the staircase on the left.  

The view below is from the formal living room into the family room. There are sliding doors on the left that lead out to a raised patio.

This is the view from the family room to the dining room (and the kitchen beyond). 

Below is a close up of the kitchen.

A view of the rest of the kitchen. The door to the maid's flat and the washer/dryer is on the right.

And, just because...

Simpson

and Sonder

Holiday Weekend

Today (Friday) is the celebration of the Queen's Birthday and is an official holiday in Thailand.  The Embassy is closed as it employs almost 1, 200 Thais (referred to as FSNs - foreign service nationals).  One benefit of working for the US Government in a foreign country is that all of the US holidays, as well as those of the host country, are observed.  Kevin and a few other men went to golf this morning at about 5 am.  They were going to a course about 40 minutes north of us and had to be there for a 6 am tee time.  I think Kevin was a bit disappointed at not being able to sleep in.

We had a somewhat exciting start to our holiday weekend.  Yesterday morning, Caitlynne woke up with what looked to be a mosquito bite on her lower leg.  She complained it was itchy and I told her to put some Benadryl on it.  About 4 hours later, she began complaining that it was throbbing and was very painful.  I took a look and it was indeed very red and very swollen.  I could actually see it "throbbing" which was really weird.  We have been warned about and/or immunized against several illnesses in Thailand that result from a mosquito bite (dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria).  Since Nichada was basically built on swampland, there is no shortage of mosquitoes and we have all been bitten many times since we moved here.  Since Friday was the holiday, I thought I should take her to the medical clinic - just in case.  As it turned out, the dr. thought she was bitten by a spider and gave us some steroid cream to apply.  I was very glad to have had the experience of getting medical care in Thailand in a non-emergency situation.  Kind of like a dry run for me.  The medical care was fine (but it was only a spider bite after all).  However, as with almost all of the drs. in Thailand, ours received his medical degree in the US (Baylor College of Medicine) so we were probably treated as well as we would have been back in the US.  For those of you who know what a drama queen Caitlynne is... I later found out that she brought a notebook to the drs. so she could write her will in case the diagnosis was death.  She is now referring to the incident as her "brush with death".  She does make us laugh! 

As I walked the dogs this morning, I noticed how quiet Nichada is with it being a holiday.  Two things have impressed me since we arrived...1) how hard the Thais work and 2) how many of the Thai people are employed at jobs that seem to have little significance.   The construction workers, gardeners, guards, maids, etc. all work 6 days a week, arriving in Nichada every day about 6 am and working  until 5 pm or so.  They are very hard workers for the little money that they are paid.  That being said, there are several jobs that seems to have no real purpose other than to create an employment opportunity.  For example, there is a woman who sweeps the three streets of our neighborhood (20 homes).  There is also a team of women who similiarly sweep the main street in Nichada, as well as all of the parking areas at the village center.  In the areas where there is construction of new homes, there are sweepers to keep the dirt from the construction site off of the streets.  The women just stand there and, after each vehicle goes in or out of the site, they sweep the street.  All of this sweeping is done continuously, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.  With a broom and a dustpan.  A  gardener comes EVERY day to each home in our neighborhood to water plants, weed, pick up debris, and trim the lawns (which are 1/4 acre at the most).  In Miami, we lived on 1 acre and were lucky if the gardener came twice a month!  Each neighborhood & home in Nichada has this same set up so there is truly an army of sweepers and gardeners employed by Nichada.  If you need a taxi, you call the guards at the front gate and they arrange for a "moto" to go find you a taxi.  The moto then escorts the taxi to your home and you pay the moto 30 baht for locating the taxi for you.  When you leave through the front gate of Nichada, there are about 10 motos at the gatehouse waiting to fetch the taxis (which are often less than 100 yards away & just waiting to be fetched).  Not a very efficient means of calling for a taxi and, given that petrol is expensive here, I wonder how the moto can even make money at only 30 baht ($1.00) for each fetched taxi.

Almost every family has a maid and the families that work for the oil companies often have a maid, nanny and driver and, sometimes, more than one of each.  All of the homes in Nichada are built with an exterior room and bathroom specifically for the maid.  Within a day of our arrival, the doorbell began ringing with maids wanting to work for us.  Word spreads quickly when new families move in and the "maid brigade" swoops in almost immediately.  Our maid, PeePorn, is working for us full-time but does not live with us.  She speaks very good English and has helped me communicate with the gardener and the milkman.  She does the cleaning, some of the shopping and all of the ironing.  She will also cook for us three nights a week.   I told her that I only wanted her to make Thai food so we will get to try some new and different dishes that we might not find in restaurants.  She will help me prepare for any dinners or events that we need to host for Kevin's job.  She is very quiet and peaceful.  Although I was a bit uncomfortable with having someone around all day, every day, I think it will work out fine.  Even with the kids still being home, we have managed to work around each other.  Kevin keeps telling me to enjoy my "vacation"!

Lazy Days

We are settling into a routine of lazy days.  With school starting Monday, I know this will all change but it is nice to enjoy the slower pace for now and we are glad to have some downtime before the craziness begins. 

I wake up about 4.30 each morning so I can walk the dogs for about 45 minutes before my run.  I feel very safe being out so early in Nichada and there are guardhouses at the entrance to each neighborhood so help is never too far away if I need it.  Running has been a challenge here.  After three years of running in Miami, I did not expect to take so long to adjust to the heat and humidity and I am just now able to run my 7 miles at my usual pace. In Miami, I was running 5 days a week for about 30 miles each week. I can't see myself continuing to run 5 days a week in this heat and humidity as it just takes too much out of me.  So, I am trying to decide if a) I should reduce my weekly mileage/running days and pick up another cardio activity for 1 or 2 days or b) run the 30 miles but over 4 days.  I leaning toward option "b" and might try to do a longer run of 8 or 9 miles this weekend  to see how it goes.  It will begin to cool off (a very little bit) as Fall and Winter near so that might help too.  Kevin does not like running in this weather any more than I do but he is much tougher and does not whine (or over analyze) as much.  Ha! 

Kevin leaves for work about 5.45 am.  Although many people drive downtown, Nichada provides transportation (via several shuttle vans) to and from the Embassy each morning and afternoon. Kevin usually drives in with someone but has taken the shuttle a few times.  If he leaves Nichada before 5.50 am, he can be in his office at 6.10 am.  If he leaves Nichada at 6.10 am, he will be in his office at 7.30 am.  It is all a matter of timing.  In the evenings, he has found that, regardless of the time of his departure from downtown and whether he goes via shuttle, private car or taxi, it takes an hour to get home.  The first week he worked very long hours but this week has not been so bad.  In fact, we have seen him for dinner 2 out of 3 evenings!  Once our car arrives, he will drive most days because the last shuttle to Nichada from downtown leaves at 5.30 pm and, most nights, that is just too early for him. 

It is very easy and inexpensive to take taxis either downtown or to areas not accessible by the golf cart.  For a trip to or from downtown it takes about 25 minutes during non-rush times and costs about 200 baht or $6.00.  Most of the times, my tip is almost 1/2 of the taxi fare.  The tipping here is interesting.  Tips are not expected at all and the Thais are so very appreciate for whatever "extra" they are given.  I try to tip at least 100 baht ($3.00) and am always thanked profusely.  One nearby restaurant brings out a HUGE gong, stands next to your table and bangs it whenever an especially generous tip is left.  The first time this happened to us, I almost died of embarrassment!  Next time, we will leave the tip and run. 

The kids both had required summer reading for school so they have been catching up with that.  Caitlynne has determined that the school has an amazing library and she has found a lot of new books to read. She is such an enthusiastic reader that she will have to pace herself so she does not read everything by Christmas!  The library also has three international papers delivered daily so I will be able to keep up with what is going on in the world (or at least what is not covered by http://www.washingtonpost.com/). Christopher has been staying up pretty late so he usually sleeps in until about 9.30 or 10 am.  Caitlynne, like her mother, is the early riser.  We spend the mornings puttering around the house and running a few errands before lunch.  After lunch, we meet up with friends at the pool or somewhere else so the kids can all play together for the afternoon.  None of the other moms I have met will be working so it will be nice to have women around during the day to do fun things with.  The US and Thailand do not have an agreement for local employment so spouses and dependents of the US Government employees cannot work on the economy except under special circumstances.  The only option is to work at the Embassy and those positions are very limited.   

I have been making a few dinners but the pots and pans supplied in the Welcome Kit are very limited and not of the best quality so it is not an easy thing to do.  I am also still finding my way around the grocery stores and sometimes cannot find all of the ingredients I need for some recipes.  Many nights we just order delivery from one of the many restaurants in the area as it is incredibly inexpensive and the food is very good.  All of the restaurants will deliver, including the fast food places like McDonald's, Subway, and Pizza Hut (yes, those places are all here!). 

Our evenings have been very quiet.  Kevin has had a few evening work dinners or functions and we have gone out with some other families for dinner but that is it.  I keep reminding myself to enjoy these quiet evenings because once homework, studying, sports and practices begin, they will be few and far between.

New Neighbors and Friends

As of today, I think our neighborhood has pretty much filled up.  School begins next Monday and I am sure newly arriving families want to get settled and over the jet lag well before then.  Although there are a few "non-American" families in Premier Place 2, most work at the U.S. Embassy.  This is not the same in the other neighborhoods in Nichada as, on my morning runs, I see diplomatic license plates from many other countries.  Chevron also has a big presence in Bangkok and quite a few of their employees live in Nichada as well.

Over the weekend, a family moved in on one side of us.  Last night, a family moved in on the other side.  The homes across and down the street are all now occupied.  The pool is busy and there are a lot of kids riding bikes and playing outside.  Caitlynne and Christopher have been walking to pool to meet up with their friends to swim and play in the afternoons.  I am really happy that we are in this community and that it is turning out to be exactly what we wanted when we decided to live here.  I know there will be times when I get frustrated because (similar to Australia), we do live in a fishbowl and everyone wants to know everyone else's business but, for the kids, it will be great for them to have their friends close by.

It is interesting to meet and chat with the other families.  Although we are all Americans, we are all arriving in Bangkok having lived in very different parts of the world.  The family next door arrived from Rome, Italy.  Two doors down, the family moved from Budapest, Hungary.  Another family has just arrived from Japan.  We have met families from Moldova, England, Zambia, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.  I am thrilled that Caitlynne and Christopher have the opportunity to be friends with other children who have such unique life experiences.  I am pretty sure I did not even know where to find Zambia on a map when I was 12!   Everyone has been so friendly and helpful.  The new arrivals seem to assimilate very quickly and I wonder if, having been the "new kid" so often, encourages everyone to be more welcoming and inclusive? 

Up To Date!

Well, I think this (long) post should bring you current (as of Monday, August 8th) with all of our happenings. Yay me!

Kevin had a business trip to Japan last week and returned home very early Saturday morning.  While he was gone, we met more families in Nichada and I feel like we have gotten a good little network of friends & acquaintances going. I am starting to recognize people when we are at the school, the pool or the grocery store.  I also feel much more confident interacting with Thais in the grocery store, taxis and restaurants.  The language barrier is significant but hand motions help a lot.  I have yet to walk away because I can't communicate what I want or need.  It seems that many Thais can write some words in English so, after a few back and forths on a piece of scrap paper, voila!  We understand each other!    

The support system here for US Government employees, as it was in Australia, is amazing! Each family is assigned to a social sponsor and to a work sponsor.  The sponsors help with your transition to the country/neighborhood/school and to the office. Both of these people are very essential to successfully establishing your family here.  In my opinion, the more you interact with your sponsors, the easier and faster you settle in. Our social sponsor is just the kind of person you want to be assigned to. She has three children - one each in high school, middle school and elementary school. Their family lived here six years ago and returned about a year ago after living in Moldova and Warsaw. She is very outgoing and knows a lot of people in the neighborhood & school.  She has given me the rundown on the best shops, restaurants, and salons.  I am eager for the kids to begin school so I can experience for myself (and by myself!).  Kevin's work sponsor is his deputy and he has been very helpful introducing Kevin to the office and around the Embassy.  He likes to golf and he and Kevin have been to the driving range and have plans to play a round this Friday. 

Sunday morning, we attended Mass at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.  I must remember to take a photo to post the next time we go as it was such a unique building.  The church is built to look like a wat (Buddhist temple) and is open to the air on three sides.  There were a lot of fans on but it was still very warm.  Even though the Mass we attended was to be in English, I was concerned about being able to understand the priests.  Fear not, their English was excellent, in fact, even better than some of the priests we had in Miami.  The music was absolutely amazing.  One of the churches that we attended in Miami, St. Louis, is well known for its great music and singing but I must say that Holy Redeemer's music and singing were even better.   The songs were traditional and we were familiar with most but the music was a little more folksy and upbeat.  Everyone sang & clapped and every so often, the lead singer would shout out, "Sing it one more time!" or "All together now, sing with me!"  Certainly not what I expected during a Catholic Mass but it was very nice and uplifting.  After Mass we walked to have lunch at Neil's Tavern which is, apparently, a Bangkok institution and reminded Kevin and I of Old Ebbitt Grill in DC.  Probably not someplace we would go again as, according to the kids (and they got this from their Uncle Jim), it was a little too hoity-toity for us. 

The kids also got cellphones over the weekend and, now, everyone has a cellphone except ME! Not sure how that happened and I am wondering for how long I can get away with it.  Since the kids will be walking/biking a mile to school and will be involved in sports and other after school activities, we thought it best to get each of them a cellphone so they can check in with us and we can track them down.  Since the saleswoman helping us spoke very little English (and we speak no Thai), I can only hope for the best as far as the phones and plans that we selected.

Yesterday, we had to go through the formal admissions process at ISB so the kids can start school next week.  Although we had gone on a tour of the school last week and purchased uniforms and pre-packaged school supplies, the kids had to meet with their counselors and be placed into their chosen electives.  We also had photos taken for our id cards (parents get them too!). If you forget or lose your card, it is a BIG deal as the card is used to open your locker, to check out books from the library, to buy lunch and snacks in the cafeteria (more on that later), to check out equipment from the athletic dept. and to buy from the bookstore & the booster club stall.   Very cool. 

Settling In

After our second week here, we feel more at home and settled in. The house, although still empty, is beginning to feel like our home. Our air freight shipment arrived and was quickly unpacked. I think Christopher's basketball, our computer, Kevin's golf clubs and the dog beds were the most appreciated items. Some items that I was expecting to come via air freight did not arrive so I can only hope they were included in our sea freight and not sent to storage. Our internet was connected and that seemed to make everyone very happy! We felt so out of touch with the world without it.

We have become more comfortable driving the golf cart outside Nichada and, by doing so, increased our options for things to do and places to go. After Kevin received his golf clubs, he and Caitlynne went to the driving range (right outside Nichada) a couple of times. We went to a funky Mexican restaurant (also outside the gate) and met some other Embassy families that also just arrived here. I have taken the kids to the mall and we have been out to lunch with friends. Our social sponsor, Laura, took myself and another newcomer to more upscale (by Bangkok standards) grocery store which was much easier to navigate. We did go back to the first grocery store I had been to and she explained how it was laid out, what the different products were and what items to avoid (or buy). It was so helpful and made me feel much better about cooking here. Laura also took us to a Home Depot-like store so we could buy various household items and small appliances.

Several more families have moved into our neighborhood and there are a lot more kids around. Caitlynne was very happy to meet three girls who will be in 7th grade with her. One of those girls lives two doors down from us and there is also a 7th grade boy across the street. Christopher still needs a 6th grade friend but I am sure once he is out playing basketball or going to the pool, he will meet other boys very quickly. He is going to try out for the school basketball team on August 13th and Caitlynne is going to try out for the school swim team on August 20th. Kevin and Christopher have been practicing their shots on the court at the sports club but once we have our access cards for school, we will use those courts. Caitlynne is also swimming a lot and prefers our small neighborhood pool over the 50 metre one at the sports club.

I attended an orientation at the Embassy and met the Ambassador and her Deputy. Both women seemed very nice and supportive of the families here. The kids and I had a review of our medical records and found that we each needed two shots for diseases unique to Southeast Asia. That was not fun at all and our arms were pretty sore for a few days after.