Last night after work, I went to wash sheet.  No, that’s not a typo.  They only use a bottom sheet here.  There seems to be no top sheets.   So technically I went to wash sheet and blanket.  There are 4 washers they are next to someone’s house.  The house has big roll up windows like a lot of houses do so people can sell stuff or have some kind of store out of their house.  The windows were open for the first time that I’ve seen and the smell of chocolate came flooding out of them.  I looked over an several chocolate cakes sat on the counter of a large kitchen.  She had just finished cooking the chocolate that would be the frosting.  Most people just put their laundry in and come back later, but I don’t really have anywhere else to go so I usually bring my nook and read.  Yesterday I got to read while smelling chocolate.  She cut the cakes up into smaller cakes, frosted them and put nuts on top.  I bought one.  That and clean sheet were the highlights of the day.

It’s getting hotter.  By 11:00am I am uncomfortable.  By the end of school, I’m not sure I’m going to survive.  Today was the worst so far.  I had a giant headache and was so physically uncomfortable.  I couldn’t seem to stand or sit or find any way to get comfortable.  I had an overwhelming desire to go home, but I have no AC so home wouldn’t solve anything.  There’s no pool or ocean.  I’ve never seen anyone in the river and I think I’d be eaten alive by bugs before I even made it to the river.  No AC.  So, after school, I went home and took a shower.  It helped for a minute.  I bought a coconut at the market yesterday and had the brilliant foresight to put it in the refrigerator.  After a few minutes of hitting it with a knife I made a hole in it and had cold coconut water.  This actually was the best thing I could do.  The electrolytes in the water helped with the headache and I felt like I might survive.  I’ll have to buy more coconuts.  I’ll try to figure out how to get it open and eat the rest tomorrow.

Tonight, Laura and I went out to dinner again.  As I was heading down to meet her, I ran into Noi driving up to the house to get me.  She wanted to take me to her house for dinner.  For the first time, I think I successfully rescheduled with her.  She knows Laura and seemed to understand that we already had plans.  I think we rescheduled for tomorrow.

When I met up with Laura, she said we were meeting a couple other ladies for coffee and then we’d go to dinner later.  She dropped me off a the coffee shop and then went to run an errand.  The two ladies found me when they arrived and started talking with me.  They were delightful.  They  use to be English students of Laura’s when she was teaching English on the side.  They immediately wanted to practice English with me, know how to get in touch with me later and said if I needed any help to let them know.  I told them I needed help learning Thai.  So, I think I may have found my Thai teachers and two new friends.  Laura is leaving in a week and a half for a 10 month sabbatical.  She set up this coffee on purpose knowing how nice these ladies are and that they would want to befriend me and that they will try to take good care of me.

I think this will be a huge help in settling in to live here after vacation.  I’m trying to take it in that life is supporting me and taking care of me.  It just doesn’t look the way I would have wanted it to look or would have expected it to.  I think subconsciously in the back of my head I had the idea that I would learn to trust life, but that it would be by meeting other expats and building friendships that looked similar to the ones I left behind in America.  One of those, of course would be the man I’ve been looking for for so long.  I didn’t realize I had these specific expectations until the reality turns out to be so different.

While at dinner, it rained.  Now it’s hot and muggy and I’m wondering how I will ever sleep.

(c) all rights reserved Kimberly Fiore