I am concerned about granny. She stays indoors for weeks and never goes out. She is not getting any fresh air. This can’t be healthy.
I proposed to Chalerm yesterday that he takes granny to Rangsit in northern Bangkok, where his father lives with Chalerm’s stepmother and the daughters, a number of kids and a bunch of other people, maids and workers and who knows who they all are.
In Rangsit granny can get green grass under her feet again, and sun on her face, and she can cuddle with the children and talk to people. This would be much better for her.
I spoke to Chalerm about this plan yesterday. This was after he had said he didn’t know how long granny wanted to stay here with us, and after he replied “I don’t know” when I asked if she wanted to remain here the rest of her life.
I expect general approval of my Rangsit plan. It should be executed today, when traffic is light and they can go by taxi without getting stuck. Yes, the plan is so good that I insist Chalerm takes his grandmother to Rangsit as soon as possible.
June 25th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
Your generous with your taxi fares. Can’t you stick her on a bus?
June 25th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Good plan. But have you thought of the consequences? Who will do your shirts?
-Former Farang
June 25th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
The bus? She will make the full circle and come back here.
Chalerm will have to expand his just-in-time service to include the laundry.
June 26th, 2006 at 5:20 am
Just mail her pension to the new address and may be she will go to make sure she get it.
June 26th, 2006 at 7:27 am
Bkkdreamer’s reply reveals shoddy spelling, but much worse than that meanness of spirit. Strange how people can live in Thailand without picking up on the generous nature of the Thai; the idea is that among family and friends life is shared , not lived parsimoniously.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Pardon me for the spelling. I am not sure I am so mean. I tolerate farang preaching at me in a holier-than-thou manner - without raising so much as a murmur of protest. However, I do take the precaution of avoiding them as much as possible when I am outdoors.
My Thai guy knows better than to hand out money to whomever comes asking. In fact, if anyone does too much of that in his eyes, it’s me.
So…just how well were you saying you know the average Thai?
June 27th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Dear Bkkdreamer,
You wrote “Can’t you just stick her on a bus?”, and still you think this does not sound mean?! Is this a dignified way of dealing with your other half’s grandmother who has been staying with Silom farang for 10 weeks?
Sorry,but clearly we look at life in very different ways.
Sorry, too,if the tone of my response was “holier than thou”, but truly I was taken aback by the way you wrote. Please tell me it was all in jest!
June 27th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
Actually, it was..I would not normally talk that way about anyone, at least not in print.