The Siamerican

It’s been a while since the Siamerican Wanderer’s last blog updates, so here is the last week plus in a nutshell.

Last Thursday, October 29, I waved goodbye to my son, who was in his grandma’s arms crying–assuming I was just going out for fun, as he loves to ‘go out’, usually which has been on the bicycle or walking around the neighborhood pointing at the large trucks and machines that mesmerize him.

With my fully packed medium sized alice pack on my back, and a notebook and document bag on each shoulder, I caught a motorbike taxi to the bus station several kilometers away. Aside from aching my muscles, the excess weight assured the driver took it steady as not to wear out his tires and shock, and so I safely made it to the bus station and loaded the bus.

Roughly 5 am the next morning, got off at the Samut Songkram off-on ramp, where Kru Pisit had just arrived in his car. With sunrise aproaching soon, we whisked through the street-lamp lit road past the market and on towards my apartment to drop off my baggage. My room was an absolute mess and I was shy to let Kru Pisit see so. Soon we went to his house– which his family had yet to awake.

After a coffee, we went to undress my mistress which had been waiting for her owner to come and use her after a month of idleness. Initially, she wouldn’t budge–perhaps angry at me for parting her for a whole month. But after a few kicks, she got going and I was off to take her home.

After parking the bike at the bike shelter of my apartment, I made my way upstairs and cleaned my apartment.

Stayed around Mae Klong for the next three days, completing freelance writing projects. Late Sunday afternoon, I packed a bag and headed to Bangkok. By 7 pm, I arrived at my friends house on the Industrial East side for a few days of nothing particularly worth mentioning with my Uni buddies, other than competing the re-application process for University on Tuesday.
I have yet to go to an appointment to choose courses for January as well as pay tuition, which is going to cost me some 30,000 baht, mid to late month. I have to start allocating my funds and sources if I’m going to make the end of month deadline and follow through with the plan to securing a secure future …?…?…

Holloween evening, I hopped on the bike and zigzagged my way through the harsh rush hour traffic of Bangkok, heading some 15 kilometers to the north side to see some of my Thai friends.

Ended up heading to Kao Sarn in a car, but I wasn’t so energized for a big parth. Nonetheless, had a few drinks in Hippi bar, sitting around for several hours in the crowded Thai pub-restaurant. Eventually, headed back.

Stuck around Bangkok for the next few days as to entertain appointments with a few other persons. In between all that beer and junk food also completed a few tasks for a new paying gig I took on.

I was contacted by a stateside based business operator who had investments in a mushroom growing business in Thailand through his family-business associates. Through several rounds of corespondence, it was agreed that I would act as his Thailand representative, or more precisely, as a language consultant. i.e. translate his instructions and plans from English to Thai for his Thai associates, and also visa versa–a mid contact point.

So far I’ve translated materials regarding land grading and house construction. This arrangement seems to be a budding professional-personal relationship that is active challenge for me to learn new aspects of work and business as well as help supplement my way through college, life, and child support. Time will be the ultimate test.

Ah, and this Sunday morning, woke up and got myself together to make the trip–covering some 290 kilometers in week’s time– back to Samut Songkhram for the next phase–one final month and a half of teaching here. Around Christmas, my eldest sister and her family will be venturing to Thailand for all of their first times–as she is half Thai, I’m sure this is a very exciting time for her as it was for me some 6 and a half years ago.

I shall act as the middle grounds for this experience where she and her immediate family will be exposed to not only all the riches, charm, delight, scum, and scar of the Thai kingdom itself, but also all that and more of her maternal roots and the existing branches of the present–aunts, uncle, cousins, and a brother!

Logistics are in the working for an itinerary that will include over a week in Bangkok, Chantaburi, Pattaya, and Lopburi for leisure and family related activities as well as 5 days and 5 nights in Phuket to soak it all in before going back to Bangkok for one final night before flying back to New Mexico.

Still have to secure the van and confirm schedules with my Thai side family, but hopefully everything will work out for the most opportunistic beneficial and memorable experience, seeding more to come!.

With this blog update out of the way, time for a little relaxing and mental preparation for teaching which begins tomorrow. For the next month and a half, I’ll be teaching 15 hours between four schools on three days–Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, which gives me plenty of time to maintain my other obligations and tasks that continue to fill my plates.