So, after I posted my blog last night, I went downstairs and saw a huge spider.  Not the largest spider I’ve ever seen (I grew up in Florida), but large enough he could have starred in a horror film.  He was larger than the palm of my hand.  Now all my childhood survival skills are kicking in.  From now on I will check the sheets before I go to bed, check under the toilet seat before I sit down, and shake my shoes before I put them on.  No, I didn’t get a picture of him.  I was too busy with the long handled broom trying to get him out of the house as fast as possible before he killed me.

Today, same “I don’t want to get up”.  I suspect that will continue for awhile.  I’ve never been a morning person and was never fond of getting up for work back home either.  School was better.  My next door neighbor, Teacher Q, gave me a ride to school on his motorbike.  He insisted that I don’t have to walk that far (2 -3 blocks).  I taught 3 classes today.  It went fairly well.  Some stuff was easy and some was too hard, but it gave me a great feel for what to do with their next lesson.

Pat and her husband took me out to lunch with a local missionary who is also a westerner, one of the few in town.  Lara is funny and just delightful to talk with.  She has lived in Thailand for 20 years and has been friends with Pat and Dam for 10 years.  It was so nice to have an easy conversation for a change.  It was also nice that Pat and Dam set it up, knowing I would like to meet here.  Lara and I are going to have coffee next week.

After school, I came home and decided to try some of the fruit I picked up at the market last night.  Since I now have a large amount of milk from what the students brought me last night, I figured fruit and milk would be a good snack.  The box of milk said 2% and has a picture of fruit and milk on it.  Huh?  Guess what?  Yep, it was fruit flavored milk.  It wasn’t good enough to run out and go buy more, but it was good enough that I will have a fruit milk snack every day until it is gone.  The red fruit I ate was kind of like a spiced apple, but less sweet.  Not high on my list of favorite fruit.

There is a huge wasps nest in one of the trees next to my house.  It’s probably 3 feet long by 1 foot tall.  It’s been a slight concern to me and at night 10 -15 wasps are always at my window screens trying to get in.  Tonight I was sitting out in front of my house drinking fruit milk when a very loud whir sound happened, loud enough to block out all other sounds.  Then the sound moved.  It was a swarm of thousands and thousands of wasps all moving away from the nest.  I tried to run inside, but was mesmerized and stood staring.  Well, if I’m not going to run, I should at least video this.  Unfortunately the video didn’t do it justice so I’m not posting it.  Then all together they flew off in the same direction.  I looked up at the wasp’s nest and couldn’t see it.  I think what I had thought was a nest before was actually a mass of sleeping wasps.  I wonder if they do this every day.  Will they be returning or did they take off for good?

Shortly after that, a teacher and student showed up with two frying pans, cooking oil, sausages and more pork chips.

I wanted to call someone at home, but it was the middle of the night there.  Brandon had put me in touch with his friend, Chris who lives in Thailand so I called him.  We had a nice long conversation.  Having lunch with Lara and having a conversation with Chris, have helped balance something.  I feel a lot better than I have in a long time.

Then another teacher showed up with a slice of cake and asked if I wanted her to take me to 7-11.  There’s one 7-11 in town and a tiny (4-5 food vendors) market next to it.  So, I went and got chicken on a stick.  Meat on a stick is quite a popular thing in Thailand.  I bought two pieces of chicken and as I was walking away, the lady gave me a third for free.

So, now I sit here writing and battling the mysteriously appearing beetle like bugs.  I’m just sitting here minding my own business and one crawls across my computer.  I check everywhere around me and there are none.  Then a few minutes later, one crawls across my shirt.  This has been going on for at least a half hour now.  They aren’t on the ceiling, walls or floor and then one appears.  Where are they coming from?  Magic bugs.  This is a poor use of magic.

(c) all rights reserved Kimberly Fiore