Return Part 3 (9-7)

Since Wednesday was my birthday, Khun Toy and Khun Dakom had said I should take something to give to the monks in the morning for good luck in/blessings for the coming year. 

After returning home, she and I started cooking for my party at noon. This was a small party just for me because I would miss the big party for the September birthdays: Khun Toy, Khun Teamjan, their friend Khun Tam—and me when I was here. Since we were going to the wat in the evening, my birthday meal/party was lunch rather than dinner. Khun Dakom had two chickens ready to be cooked and Khun Toy had purchased a fish. 

My jobs were to cut the ginger and take leaves off the stems. Later I chopped a papaya for somtom. Other than that, my job was to watch, which I did happily.

At 10:00 we took the food to Khun Suwit’s farm where we finished cooking. Khun Tongbai also joined us and brought bamboo. While they prepared the bamboo, I rubbed the leaves to make the green sauce for bamboo soup. Lunch was delicious, of course. 

After eating, Khun Toy presented me with a moon cake from Malaysia and we all shared it for dessert. Then Khun Dakom had everyone say a special wish for me. After he started this, I remembered that it is a tradition he always starts.

After a relaxing afternoon, Khun Toy and I went to the wat for the evening service. So the events of the day were pray, eat, pray. It was good. Vanessa sent several messages on Khun Toy’s Line, the final one being a voice message with her and her daughter singing “Happy birthday.” Tuk called me at night, and it was good to chat with her again, too. A good birthday all in all.

On the way home, we stopped at a new small market in the village where a few women sell food. One gave me a bag of passion fruit, from which Khun Toy made juice on Thursday.

Thursday we skipped the morning service, which surprised me. Khun Toy took me to Nam Tuam School so I could say “hello” to the teachers there. I was greeted with big smiles and lots of hugs from the kindergarten teacher who especially likes me. I met the new English teacher and was pleased to learn that she speaks English well and may stay at the school for a long time, as her husband also teaches there and they live nearby. 

She had me speak to the assembled students and had a few boys come to the front to have a conversation with me. They did a good job. After asking each question, which I answered and then asked them, they conferred to plan the next question. It was nice. Like Chumchong Puai Hua Dong School, I always felt comfortable at this school. It, too, has a good atmosphere. I was really glad I went. Before leaving, a teacher who wasn’t there before gave me a bag of longans, probably from his tree. The rest of the day was mostly for relaxing for me. Khun Toy prepared food but told me to sleep. We went to my last evening service at the wat. Although I had learned to use it as meditation time, I was tired of sitting on the floor, which had become more difficult for my knees every day. So I was happy to be finished with this activity. I enjoy being there but not on a daily basis.

Back at the house, Khun Toy cooked dinner for me to take to Khun Yindee’s house in the evening: fried chicken, fried fish pieces, sticky rice, and mok naw mai/bamboo steamed in banana leaves. She’s so generous and giving.

Friday was my last day with Khun Toy and Khun Dakom. We began the day by going to a wat I’d not been to before. It’s a very small wat in a very small village near Lue Amnat. We gave food to the monks along the road on the way in. 









Then a man took us to the three buildings that house altars to three former monks. Each building looks like a small house, which I hadn’t seen before. The man placed flowers on each altar. Afterwards, we joined the villages to pray while the monks began their breakfast. They gave me some fish and sticky rice to take home.

Later in the morning we went to a traditional Isaan music contest in Lue Amnat where we met Khun Wasana. When we arrived, the contestants, many of whom were students, were playing a traditional stringed instrument that is now electrified. This made it too loud and acoustic for my taste, and I didn’t especially enjoy it. One of the instruments had been modernized in style, thus the old and the new. Khun Toy had tried to buy a small papaya to make somtom for me, but the only ones at the market and store were really big. So she bought some from a vendor, and the three of us went to a café for lunch. (In Thailand it’s OK to take food from elsewhere into a café where you are going to purchase something else to eat.) My last somtom. 

After lunch, the contestants were playing the traditional bamboo flute, which I enjoyed more.

At 4:45, the van Khun Yindee takes to Ubon stopped at the driveway to pick me up. It was hard leaving these wonderful friends, but now they are on Facebook; so we can keep in touch a bit, which we couldn’t do before.

Saturday I just hung out with Khun Yindee. Since she’d been so busy with many projects at school, I hadn’t seen much of her. We went out for lunch and I had my last pad Thai and roast duck. Hanging out at her house is like being at home.

Sunday it was time to leave, which is always hard. Khun Yindee cooked fish I like and three kinds of mushrooms (for good luck) for breakfast. Then they took me to the airport. It’s always hard to say “good-bye” to her, too. But the time had come.

I flew to Bangkok and stayed at a hotel for the day and night. There’s not much near the hotel, but I noticed a sign for massage and decided that a Thai massage would be a good treat before leaving. It was.

Leaving Thailand is always hard, but it was time to return to China and teaching. As the time has drawn near, I’ve started to feel like I’m ready to return and start teaching again. One of my girls wrote that about her summer. She had shown her friends at home a photo with me and reported that her friends think I am adorable. It’s been a long time—if ever—since I’ve been called adorable. One reason I stayed at the university is my groups of girls. I know they will be sophomores now and will be very busy and won’t have much time to meet with me, but they will remain my special friends and I’ll be happy to see them whenever they want to and can meet. And there will be a new crop of freshmen to get to know. Now I’m ready for them.