Life has become "normal" but as my parents like to remind me there really is nothing normal about my life to them right now. So I'll continue to blog as best I can and those I entertain keep reading and those I bore its just a simple click on delete.
Monsoon season is here! I have always read about monsoons but did not pay much attention to the word. Well it has my attention now. Monsoon is a season and it rains everyday damn day not spit but pour. Sometimes it rains so hard it rains in the house. Yep it's a rental! It seems at night it's the worst. Thunder and lightening like I've never heard. Streets are flooded and the poor people who live in the dirt are now living in mud. Streets get washed away, garbage is everywhere. The other night staying out WAy to late it took over an hour to get home because everywhere that Biayoon went the street was flooded. Cars were floating. It was quite a sight. Thank goodness Khun B was driving, well for other reasons than just the rain, or I would never have gotten home. It rains so much that the giant frogs seem to mistake our pool for a pond and have turned it into a mating pool. Lovely thing to wake up to in the morning plus a nice lesson on natural reproduction for my boys.
Walter thought the one frog was trying to kill the other as he was trying to separate the 2 frogs. Andrew was like hum dad I think they are doing something else. Obviously Walter missed that issue of National Geographic when he was 12. Don't ask me why he was bothering to separate the 2 frogs. Lol
As for Khun Biayoon maybe you notice the new name. Nope same driver just new name. Well I don't think his name is new it's just new to us. Turns out for a month in a half we were calling him the wrong name. Culture kept him from correcting us. Oh that was a funny conversation between Biayoon and Walter. Walter in his matter of fact, I don't really get this, way did not understand why a man would not correct us with his name. I am still trying to teach Walter that sometimes you have to just take things the way they are and NOT always understand why. Lol. Basically what we got was we can call him Biayoon, Yoon or really whatever we want just as long as we like "driver style" (his words in your best Thai accent) and pay him at the end of the month.
Khun Biayoons a good guy and we like him. I still struggle with the whole driver thing. In the beginning I was going out all the time because I felt guilty about him sitting in my driveway now I never go out because I feel guilty about him driving to all these crazy stores where I buy basically nothing because I feel to guilty spending money in front of him. It's a vicious world I live in. ;) At some point I hope to find a balance between these extremes. For now he naps in my car or watches a movie. Glad I'm paying for him to get his rest and keep up with the arts. Lol
Kids are good. Erin loved her trip to Koh Chang. I'm still trying to get her to take over my blog for the day. She has some funny stories about life at school. For now she is to busy with HW and BF. Yes she has a new friend. He comes for Sunday dinner and I think is so taken back by the controlled chaos that goes on in this house. It is hard to get a word in with 5 very strong personalities plus a father who towers over this poor boy.
We are his only experience of American culture except for episodes of the Real House Wives of NY, Big Brother on MTV, oh and once when he went to Disney in FL. Scary that we, along with all those "classy shows" and Disney are giving him an idea of what being an American is. Maybe we need a reality show The Real Life of an American Expat Living in Thailand. Naaaah don't think so then you would see how I truly live and I would never have sympathy again. Lol
Jack is good. He has his name on the wall at school. No not for discipline. He is the fastest runner in cross country for year 6. Yep that's Jack. After this running session he is now on the Cross Country team at school having 2 meets this month. He has made some really nice friends and seems to be happy.
Andrew is super. Finally got a phone so he thinks his 12 year old self is quite cool. Finally broke the culture barrier and had a friend over. It is not common to have kids over on weekends especially those from other countries and being few Americans here you naturally become friends with kids from all over the world. We are going for a sleepover this weekend. Stay tuned!
The social world here is probably the toughest adjustment for my kids. They are use to having friends over on weekends for sleepovers or go to other peoples houses but here you just don't do it. During the week they are super busy but weekends can be tough if we don't have something planned.
No longer am I the eager beaver, well sort of. I have regular things on my plate now. Have made a few friends and have gotten out a bit. I joined a book club, a foodie club, a Rayong Ladies Club just need to put them all together and make it one big club called the Prosecco Club. These ladies like their Prosecco. They even make fun of me now, when I order a beer they refer to it as my "man beer".
I survived the book club. On to my new torture of reading the Enchantments, a Russian Novel. If only my English 101 teacher could see me now. Of course I haven't started. Lol
Foodie club is quite fun with a great group of women. We are learning how to cook one another's food from our countries. Our first meeting was Thai cooking. So fun but I will continue to go to the restaurants for Thai food. I don't think I will ever measure up plus don't want the family to think I will now be cooking Thai when all we have to do it drive down the road. Next up is American food well American traditional food. We are going to try and put up our best Thanksgiving meal. Many of these women have never had pumpkin pie. Found out that pumpkins are generally not used for making desserts around the world more used as a vegetable. Plus the big giant orange pumpkins are not common. I can buy a 12lb pumpkin here special ordered and imported from the good ol US of A and pay about 1600 baht. That's about 50 US $. I think I will pass on the pumpkin this Halloween.
Rayong Ladies Club is like a newcomers club where all the women who are expats bitch about our rough life ( this said in a truly sarcastic voice). This has been a great way to meet new people and exchange information about the happenings going on in Pattaya.
Week 2 of Thai language classes for me. Interesting to say the least. She keeps me informed on all the sex trade in Thailand and Lady boys. I don't have to read Pattaya Mail anymore. I get more education from her on the happenings in Thailand. It is eye opening about the things I really didn't want to know. She is EXTREmELy forward with her information. Yikes! One 30 minute conversation was all about the ladies and white men and what they pay and who their after and how she has no interest in making her money that way (Thank God). Then I started getting serious with her about the morals and values of these women which she looked at me like I was nuts and very flatly told me how else would these women make money. Smacking my head, WHY did I bother to exchange in conversation about this. Hello I am paying you for language lessons not the Arts of Prostitution Practice. Basically my Ability to speak Thai is pathetic but boy I can tell you about all the "strange" "activities" here in Thailand.
Walter's been traveling for work. Last week India this week Korea and Japan. Next week ?
Ryan got a roommate no more single hood for him. He is doing well and loves MSU. Good thing, now I can remove that from my worry plate.
Family vacation in 2 weeks to Koh Chang. Kids have a week off of school for Fall break.
Keep waiting for the leaves to turn here, do Palm trees change color.
JK ~ weather continues to be hot and humid with a slim chance of sun and a lot of rain. 🌴🌞
Of course just as I wrote this the sun came out. 😄
Girls Night Out ~ we are the women who DONT know when to go home. Fun Night!
Jack in his Koala mask. They had World Animal week at school with the year 6 dressing as Australian Animals. This was the best I could do with no Hobby Lobby. Jack has been studying Australia for weeks now. He's got his "good day mate" down pretty well with his Aussie accent.
Top of his list ~ trip to Australia! of course it is Lol
Jacks class ~ Jack' REALLY cool teacher (Jacks words) with the peace signs is in the background. He was the safari guide.
Cheers
😘 M
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