Wednesday November 4th, 2009

Chan chue Ploy ka!

Alright so first I will start with the day and through that I will tell you what that means.

I woke up this morning at 4 something and couldn’t fall back to sleep. I laid there and laid there and then my alarm went off at 6 and I was like “Ugh, I totally need to get some more sleep!” I got up and got ready for the day as usual. At breakfast I talked with my family about my nickname. Ploy was the only one I could remember so that is the one I went with. We left for school at normal time and arrived there at normal time, but I didn’t go to school right away.

I went to the doctor this morning. I have an infection of my baby toe. The hospital is so different here. First when you walk in you have to stop at this little stand and get a mask to cover your face so you can’t spread germs. Then you go to a counter and they take your hospital card. Since I didn’t have a card I had to fill out a form. It was funny to watch the lady behind the counter try and do the math to figure out when I was born. I eventually did the math for her, it was simpler. After that I went up stairs with my host mom to her office. I am now going to describe what the hospital looks like on the inside. It is white cement walls with hard plastic chairs in various places to sit. There are some doors here and there and then in the middle is some escalators to take you to the second floor. The floor is tile. The hospital is not warm and friendly like ours. They also don’t have many computers, most everything is paper. Now back to my experience.

When the doctor was taking patients I went downstairs with my host mom. We got my little book and went to weigh me, I couldn’t avoid it. Then they took my blood pressure using one of those machines that are usually at the stores. I then had to go and sit with this nurse at a desk and she used this like laser thing to take my temperature (it didn’t even have to touch me). She asked some basic questions like where the problem was and how long I’d had it. I then went and sat by the doctors door and waited. When they told me to go in I was expecting something like in America, but it was a small room with paneling for walls, tile floor, and only a bed and a desk. I sat down in a chair as indicated by the doctor, handed him my book and then took off my sock and shoe. He then shined a flashlight on my toe, asked if it itched, how long I had it, and then said I had an infection. He then wrote out my list of meds (yes ‘LIST of meds’) and gave it to my host mom. We then went and to the pharmacy which was on the opposite side of the large room. My host mom paid for the meds, took the list and gave it to one of the pharmacists and then pressed a button on a machine to get me a number. She was too impatient to wait for the 10 people ahead of us so she went in back and did it herself. I now have to take two pills at breakfast, one at dinner, and one before bed and put on a cream twice a day.

After the doctor I went to school where third period had just started. Fourth period is English (which is taught in Thai). On my way one of the girls from class grabbed me and dragged me into class so I had to throw my shoes down right next to the door. After class my shoes were gone! We found a spare pair of shoes in the hall, but they were way too small. I wore the shoes anyway so that I could go to lunch. When we got to the cafeteria Mo asked the kids in our class if they had my shoes. No one knew anything so we went and got our food. Just as we were heading back to our table someone came and gave me my shoes. Apparently one of the girls had left her shoes on the first floor and forgotten that that is what she did so she took mine thinking they were hers. After lunch I took and put the other shoes back where I found them. For lunch I ate those spicy noodles I had the other day, but this time I finished them and my lips were normal before five minutes had passed!

After lunch we had social study. During class I worked on writing my name. I wrote it 85 times today because at the doctor they needed me to write it and I couldn’t (and everyone here writes it wrong), so I decided it was time I master it. After social study was health. We had a different teacher this week and I don’t know why. They watched some movies on drugs and alcohol and then she let us go early. I then went to the English Corner for my Thai lesson with Gayoon. It turns out Gayoon isn’t giving me a lesson anymore the new girl is. I had a lot of fun working on the next six letters today. I know you don’t care what they are but this is my journal so I’m going to say them. They are Ngaw Ngu, Jaw Jing, Chaw Ching, Chaw Chang, Saw Sue, Chaw Chu. I then had to show my skills by writing them all as she said them, not in order. Then she quizzed me. I really wish I would have done the homework, it would have helped so much. I guess I will do it tonight!

After school I sat and waited as usual. Mike was supposed to meet Eddie, one of the American teachers, but “forgot” and went to the hospital so when my host mom came she had to talk to Gayoon about him. After they finished we ran some errands. Meow and I went to pick up the pictures and then we started back to the car, but then we decided to go and look at video cameras. The cheapest camera was smaller than dad’s and was about $350!!! There is no way I’m buying one here, it would be cheaper to have mom buy me one and send it, then I would save like $200 or more! When we went back to the car my host mom was waiting and then we got some treats for a snack. We then went to a small children’s clinic (it was like a shop front with a little room off to the side. It looked nothing like ANYTHING we have in the US. We went there so Meow could get her Hep A vaccination. After that we headed home.

I quick changed and then Meow and I went to the 7/11 so I could take out some money and then we were going to steal one of the Logatone flags, but they already threw them out. I wanted to go yesterday but it was raining. I was disappointed! After that we came back to the house and messed with pictures, she wanted some of mine and I wanted some of hers. Then we had dinner where I learned that some foods shouldn’t be mixed like Thai food and yogurt covered cranberries your stomach doesn’t like that combination! Now I’m blogging and loading pics to facebook. Then I’m going to write some letters and head to bed because tomorrow they want to leave 40 minutes early for school and I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.

More pics for those not on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=123049&id=535566988&l=e1d1832aa3

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=122045&id=535566988&l=3f7102e229


Till tomorrow,

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