LI am sitting on the toilet contemplating a cup of my own urine.
I have been feeling unwell for a couple of weeks. My lymph nodes are inflamed acclimatizing to the combination of cold virus, new Thai bacteria from the air and the soil of the garden and from the light brown canal water that we wash ourselves in. I am colonising myself with thousands of new comensual bacteria and my glands are supervising the process. And they are plain worn out. Not to mention processing the antigens from the salivary glands of numerous friendly mosquitos. Too friendly.
So in the circumstances 2 weeks to recover from a cold virus isn't too shabby. If it weren't for a comment that I heard from another mother at Pun Pun.
"I drink a small amount of my urine 3 times a day when I am sick, Never thought I would . If you had asked me about it 5 years ago I would have laughed at you and now.... I drinks small sips when I feel a sickness coming on and I feel great the next day! "
"No way!" I thought
And then I watched with interest as her child recovered in 3 days from the same bug that had floored my kids for 2 weeks.
So now , here I am. Contemplating my wee-wee. My lymph nodes straining against the load , my throat on fire, my mind impatient to get well and get on with life.
In the end the mosquitos make my mind up for me. Watching them weave toward me through the smoke tendrils from the mosquito coil. I down my drink and run out of the bathroom.
Two days later, and several more sips, My lymph nodes are normal and I feel great. :-)
(Clarissa)
" 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)
