Bits and Pieces

A few things have been happening this past week.  Marcus got his cast off and is now walking normally, his leg is still sore but at least the break has healed and in time he will be back running on it again soon.  Our friends from New Zealand have gone on holiday and have asked us to board their international student from Korea, Marie.  Well her name is Young Eun but we call her Marie. She is 17 and is a lovely girl, she mostly stays in her room and studies so its almost like she isn't here at all.  The kids love her too, they are constantly running into her room and climbing all over her homework and she is too polite to kick them out.  Marie is only staying with us for one week until school finishes then she flies home to her family in Korea for Christmas break.

We also found a lovely beach not far from our house (well 40 mins drive but that's still pretty close) it is on a navy base in Sattahip, we have to get a day pass at the guard house and pay a National park fee and also we cannot drive down to the beach we have to catch the complimentary taxi bus over the hill to the beach.  Its called Sa Kaew beach and it is the most clean beach I have seen on the mainland, the water is clear and completely free of rubbish and plastic bags, the sand down by the water is white and clean, it is what you would expect a beach to look like when travelling to Thailand.  We have been twice so far and plan to go alot more.  Saturday we met our other friends from New Zealand, they are a family of 5, down there and the kids played and swam and had the best time.  Lillie loves running in and out of the waves and she thinks its hilarious when they knock her over, she doesn't even mind when she goes under.  We have to watch her very carefully as she has no fear of the water.  Marcus and I got to relax while the waiter brought our food over to us, the beers were cold and the sun was nice and hot, it was the perfect day.

I have had some nanny dramas this week too, our nanny was dating a western man and he recently broke up with her and she has taken it very badly.  I can understand it can be very upsetting for a Thai lady to lose a western man, she has basically seen her free ride stop and got kicked off, back to living on no money and looking at a future with no security. As she is already divorced and has 2 children who live with her parents up country she came to Pattaya to find more work and maybe a husband.  Life for women in Thailand is bloody hard work, especially those with little or no education.  So I have been trying to talk with her about this recent break up, but the language barrier is a problem and my patience runs out real quick.  I just keep telling her that he is scum and to move on, but a Thai lady tries not to have too many boyfriends, it makes it harder in the long run to catch a man, especially a Thai man, they do not like to date or marry a Thai lady who has already had a baby or been married, its like they are tarnished.  Do these Thai men think they are the best catch?  Seriously, I am so glad to have been born in Australia where I have had the freedom to "try before you buy". 
Anyway she now tells me she wants to buy a massage business from a friend and work it in her free time, I feel this will be good for her to set herself up with a business that can support her in the long run, if she manages it correctly of course.  Even if she ends up quiting working with us, I wouldn't mind knowing that she is taking care of herself and making enough money to send home to her children. 

Last week Marcus also took his workers out for beers and dinner as a sort of thankyou.  They just went to a local restuarant (well a man and a gas burner, an esky and some tables and chairs and you have a resturant in Thailand) it was out near their factory.  I drove out later to meet him with the kids and had a couple of beers and some yummy BBQ pork.  Much to my distaste they had a plate of fried grasshoppers, worms and crickets that they were snacking on like entrees.  Judd even picked one up and pretended to eat it.  Marcus ate a cricket  just to save face in front of the Thai men who were all munching them down like peanuts. 


Fried grasshoppers



If Marcus and I had of been taken to a side of the road restaurant like that 4 months ago, we would have nearly vomited, but last week we were comfortable and happy and we let the kids run around and play.  Even though most of the men couldn't speak any English and we speak no Thai we all had a good laugh and the kids of course were the main attraction.  If it wasn't so late and Lillie wasn't so tired we could have stayed there much longer.  And to top off the evening it only cost Marcus 2100baht to feed about 11 men, including many many bottles of beer.



Fried worms



This week I plan to organise my time a bit better, the past couple of weeks I have been doing alot of running around without achieving much.  I would like to start going to the gym in the mornings, then head home to hang with Lillie for the afternoons.  And I also need to plan our holiday in May to Phuket for our friends wedding.  We cant wait to see some family and friends.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, Judd can now count to 5 in Thai!  Clever little man he is and Lillie can do the Wai - hands together and bow the head.  When someone says Sawatdee Ka she makes the Wai in return, its so cute and the Thais melt over it.