(Photo A.K.)

We've arrived at my favorite moment... that special cusp between discovery, romanticized exclamations, self congratulations and the onset of normalized routines. We've been here almost two months now and what was intially unexpected has become expected. It's a time to sit back and breathe easy. Work permits and all the official hoops have been navigated, our modest home has furniture (kind of), we know our way around (pretty much) and we are super aware of the hazards (we think).

In short, we are feeling very much at home in what was initially an exotic and mildly intimidating environment. Plunking yourself into a foreign culture for the long run begs a certain mind-set; an acceptance of the actions neccessary to sustain the decision to make the move in the first place. It takes a bit of time. It takes a bit of time to coax the leg left behind to follow the one you have planted in a new continent. I think we've done it and it's a rather nice feeling (but who can argue that the conveniences found in the USA aren't the best in the world?) Every decision comes with a pocketful of compromises and giving up this for that isn't always easy.

It's obvious, if we truly want to thrive in the Thai culture, that we must learn to speak the language. That's the next goal. We get by now simply because many Thais on this island speak a kind of "Thainglish." Their economy depends on tourism and tourists from around the world use the English language. I suppose that's why most Americans never bother learning other languages. We haven't found the time to implement a language learning discipline yet, but we will.

So right now... it's kind of kick-back time - sit on a palm frond and gaze at the scenery of the new world we've flown to.

Smile At My Funeral

I wasn't there, but the story goes something like this:

We have a Thai version of a convenience store at the head of the road, a short distance from our house. We buy small quantities of this and that there frequently. A, being the outgoing and friendly soul she is, has befriended the proprietors (as well as the language barrier permits). The owner's daughter, nicknamed 'Bo,' is enrolled in Bangkok University and speaks enough English to qualify as a novice interpretor, so communication is always easier when she's around.

A always has a camera at the ready and generously gives folks prints of photos she's taken of them. Many of our neighbors, like the motorbike taxi drivers, cannot afford cameras, so A's offerings are always warmly received, accompanied by wide grins and much (undecipherable) laughing chatter.

Two days ago, the English speaking daughter, Bo, told A that her grandmother, her father's mother, had died the day before and her casket was in state in the Wat (Buddhist Temple) close by. She asked A if she would please take pictures of her family in the Wat, in front of the casket. (The body would be cremated the following day.) A followed the family to the Wat and took a number of pictures of the funeral setting. Bo then insisted that A should sit for a photo that Bo would snap. The result is what you see above. (A photo of the deceased is displayed to the left of the casket.)

Bo also asked A to smile for the photo, something she thought inappropriate; a smile that seems terribly out of place, considering the circumstances. In a sense, Bo's request for A to smile telegraphs a bit of the Buddhist take on death, which certainly recognizes loss and bereavement, but, more importantly, also recognizes the opportunity for rebirth into a happier life and cause for celebration intertwined with bereavement. My take on it is that the belief in reincarnation is a close cousin to the belief in salvation promised by other religions. We seem to take great comfort in the idea that we will continue somehow, somwhere, in some state, and complete darkness is not our inevitable, egoless fate. There's only one way to find out, of course, and we all face the truth of that little matter.