Everyday we get a bit more settled in, and everyday is an adventure too. We are amazed at the amount of familiar things around here, like Kraft dinner (Mac n Cheese for the Americans), Jif peanut butter, and A&W root beer. It's just like home, we say, then we get a bowl of noodles with a big wad of blood on the side.
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Bowl of yummy noodles. Upper right brown chunk is blood. Extra iron anyone?
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| See the little blue hat? Mom was feeding him rice while riding through traffic. |
Some of you have been asking some good questions about practical life here, so we thought we'd do a FAQs blog this week.
Are you having culture shock?
Of course! Some days are a bit overwhelming as everything is so unfamiliar. Like when we go to an International Church one Sunday only to find out that we are the ones making it "international". Thankfully, most signs, labels and ads are in Thai and English, so that helps a whole lot. We've had a pretty soft landing here thanks to all the gracious people helping us.
What have you been eating in Thailand?
Lots of spicy Thai food! We'll have to start a series of blogs on food--there is so much variety here! There are food stalls and small restaurants everywhere, and the food is very reasonable. For example, a plate of phad Thai typically costs $1.00 and will usually be enough for one person (except George). Jill is gathering ingredients and recipes and has fired up the burner a couple times; this is a brave thing to do in the afternoon heat around here.
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| Box of Easy Mac: $6 |
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| Thai dinner for our whole family: $6 |
Jill, what have you been cooking in Thailand?
I have attempted sandwiches (with success), eggs and pancakes (not the prettiest but still tasty), little hot dogs (which come wrapped in individual plastic that I didn't see till after boiling 2 packs!) and spaghetti (which took about all I had both mentally and physically!). The counter tops are pretty low here, making food prep a hunched over experience. Maybe I should work on my knees.
How far away is Grace International School from your home? How do Tim and the boys get there?
GIS is about 3 miles from our house and the drive takes about 5-10 minutes. Tim has been riding a rented scooter and Jill has been taking the boys in a borrowed car (we are vehicle shopping right now!). Jill is looking into a carpool with another family.
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| Just another drive in the family car. Fret not, Finn isn't driving. The steering wheel is on the right side, shifting is with the left hand, and we drive on the left side of the road. Finn sitting in the front is safer, as there are only 2 belts in the back. Don't worry, there is no passenger-side airbag. |
Can you drink the water?
No one drinks the tap water in Chiang Mai. Bottled water is plentiful and ice is safe. We have a water cooler in our house, so cold water at all times is ready for the drinking.
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| Notice the lovely green bowls under our food pantry. They are filled with baby powder to keep the ants from getting in the pantry. It works well! |
No, we have a Big C which is pretty much the same. Cheap shoes, clothes, plastic stuff for the house, pretty good electronics. I can get groceries there also. Seems like every other aisle has chips in it, so I usually end up leaving with noodles, chips and milk every time. Downstairs has a play area, which we can pay about $1 for the kids to play awhile. Can't leave them there alone though, I have seen Juniper escape and the workers just smile.
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| A pottery shop on the side of the road. I looked under a few cool bowls and mugs and saw the IKEA label. Made right here in Thailand. I got a nice stoneware dish for just over $2. |
How are the kids doing?
For switching to yet another country, culture and language, after living in Brazil and the USA, they are doing pretty good! They have their ups and downs, missing family and friends of course, but they have made new friends and are getting into the routine of school and playing around.
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| George's favorite pastime is catching fish for our little ponds. |
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| Finn's coat hook at school. Notice the shoes too....both he and George must remove them before entering the class. School in your socks! |
Anything else that you guys have there that you didn't expect?
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| A common occurrence; Juniper being part of people's family pictures. Between how friendly she is, and the stark contrast of her skin & hair, they love her and she loves them! People are continually touching her skin. |
Uhm, yes.....
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