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I’m back home. No not, Australia, but Chiang Mai. Tak was a good, and well needed rest, but I can’t bear to sit still for too long. The first day of doing nothing was great. Time to think is a luxury. But I can’t bear to sit still too long and by day two or three I was ready to get back to work. I guess it makes a difference when your work is a defining point of your life.

It was nice being in Tak again, and seeing old friends. Since I left some things have changed. There are now even fewer white people in Tak, and the few that are there are, to put it bluntly, old. It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, as people assume that I’m their offspring, because, you know, all of us whites look alike! But being the lone ranger can always boost your self esteem. Travelling around of course, men are usually content with staring and smiling (sometimes no smiling though), while women and children get all giddy and say hello.

As my birthday is coming up, my friends in Tak gave me a present this morning. To be honest, it is the perfect gift. There was no “what do you want for your birthday?”, just thoughtfulness. That’s all there is to the perfect gift, I think, thoughtfulness. And they got me a unique gift. Have a look.

It’s a plaque that goes on my bedroom door and says: “Michael”.

When I woke up this morning, I had to pack and go to an ATM to take out money for the bus, and to pay for my stay. On the way it began to rain, and when I put my card into the ATM it froze and ate my card. Staring at the machine blankly, I called the number on it, could hardly hear a thing, so called my friend. While on the phone to her the machine regurgitated my card, so I went looking for a more reliable machine. After waiting a while for the rain to stop, it calmed down to a drizzle, so I headed out. Soon I began to feel that my back was slowly being drenched, and reaching back I found it was covered in mud. The bike, you see, lacked any sort of mud guards. So riding around, covered in goop, I found the ATM. Already 20 minutes late for church, I couldn’t go like I was, so went back to the centre to bathe and change. By the time I reached church it was half way through, but I didn’t understand any of the second half anyway.

After church I saw a few of my old students, and, armed with my increased Thai ability, began to tease them. “I know you missed me! Don’t cry when I’m gone, ok?” I’d say. “We won’t!” They’d reply. “Why do you lie? It’s ok!” I assured them. At this point they began to smack me, while I repeated “don’t cry!” amidst impersonations of them crying “Don’t leave, Michael!”

After this, it was back to the centre to pick up my bags, then off to the bus station. I noticed the ticket was quite cheap, half the price of what I’ve paid to go similar distances, but I thought nothing of it. But then, when I got to the bus, I quickly found out why it was so cheap. Sitting on the floor in the luggage compartment, huddled together with a group of Thais, some of whom would casually fart and avoid eye contact to defer suspicion, I found out why I had just paid half of what I have before. 3 hours in, my backside was dead, and we stopped for a toilet break. I took my opportunity, and I stole some white guy’s seat. Let the good times roll!

When I got home the kids were playing games, and, greeting me with the level of enthusiasm that I’d expect from my family, they said the equivalent of “oh, you’re back! …” I went to collect my motorbike, which I had left at the girls house while I was away, and road the mighty beast down the street and home. Oh, how I missed that bike. I so under appreciated it before. Coming back to it though, and travelling at more than 20km/h, I felt the power!

The kids enthusiastic greeting was made up for though. Boat told me “when you were gone I cried because I missed you.” Gets me… right here (points to heart)… you know? And the night was finished with fireworks. My hearing is starting to return too!

~ by Mono on October 25, 2009.