" Eh, eh ,eh!!! Falang dek!! Eh eh !!!"
We are in the back of a white truck on our way to Chiang Mai for the weekend. We have stopped at a market and an older women has spotted our children in the truck and is calling her friend over to have a look. Big toothy smiles appear over the edge of the windows and the two women gesticulate and make funny faces at our children. Lukey hides in my shirt and Tara, who is getting used to the scene gives a hesitant wave. Both responses are met with shrieks of laughter and more funny faces and waving.
Soo many Thai people we have met love to play with our children. So often meeting new people or coming to a new place involves a stately matriarch breaking out a repatoire of kangaroo springs and funny faces, ramping up into "catching and eating" games (if I am not careful to intervene) which invariably results in both kids in horrified tears and all the Thai's shrieking with laughter. They seem to love to laugh because what ever the kids do, from " too shy" to "paddling the floor tantrums " is funny.
It is lovely to see the tenderness and care. This morning at the same market Two ladies pressed some Lamb- yi ( Tara's current favorite fruit) and two banana leaf parcels filled with sticky rice and coconut cream for Tara and Luke. "NoPay , NoPay!" . When the train from Bangkok to Chaing Mai was delayed for 5 hours and the restaurant was fast running out of food the waitress set aside some plain rice soup and amarinth noodles, " For the student! No spicey No Pay!".
It is beautiful too, to see the children unfolding. With each funny meeting, they become a little more confident, quicker to look up from their shy hiding place to see what funny face might be pulled or what tasty morsel offered. Tara is often struck by shyness and gets Luke to accompany her on her mission to return a fork to the kitchen or to find Nang
And ask " Play with me , Please!"
(Clarissa)
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