Letter Cutting
The Thai Baan Association has been busy preparing for a major event that’s supposed to take place in two weeks (you’ll have to wait for the Week 24 Report to read more about that), which also means that I’ve been given special tasks to do when I’m not teaching. This week, one of those tasks was to cut out letters for some signs. On paper, this job sounds easy enough, and I suppose the actual cutting was easy. However, I had initially failed to consider the sheer volume of letters that needed to be cut. I had to cut out hundreds of letters over the course of two days, which easily took up the better part of eight hours.
Now, these weren’t eight hours of on-and-off cutting, but rather eight hours of me sitting down, craft knife in hand, diligently cutting. When I first realized the breadth of this task, I became a little disheartened. However, I eventually got into a rhythm and quite enjoyed the experience. It was a sort of calming meditation that gave my mind plenty of time to run free without feeling guilty about being idle. A few hours in, I decided to try listening to an audiobook. I chose a work of fiction that had a very low priority on my reading list and quickly became absorbed into another world. Before I knew it, I had run out of paper and was finished with my mundane task, and I was actually a little disappointed.
With the sands of my time here in Thailand quickly running out, I’ve started to better take notice of all the little moments and experiences that I’d previously let fade into background noise. In turn, I’m starting to find joy in the simplest of things and am becoming content with my “less exciting” days here. Even little tasks like watering the garden, moving debris, and sorting rice become enjoyable with an adjusted mindset and perspective. I’ve also applied this new outlook to my leisurely activities. Going on long walks around the farm and trying to memorize the turns of the river provide much-needed solace from the hustle and bustle of teaching and, in a lot of ways, are just as fulfilling. Once Stateside, I’m obviously going to remember my flagship adventures of temple exploring, buffalo herding, and harvesting rice, but I also want to make sure I remember and cherish the simple, unexciting moments that fill up the majority of the day. It’s unreliable what thoughts arise from a knife and paper.
Bug Chaos
On Thursday evening, I sat down for dinner like I always do. About midway through my meal, I couldn’t help but notice a few bugs circling and landing on my plate. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but these particular bugs looked quite different from the mosquitoes and flies that I was used to. I brushed them aside and continued eating until I felt a tickle go down my neck. By this point, I was starting to get a little annoyed, so I stood up, turned around, and was met with the most startling swarm of bugs I’ve ever seen. There were hundreds of them, perhaps thousands, flying around the room and circling the lights. There was like a hazy mist of bugs preventing me from seeing clearly, and those were just the ones in the air. Once my attention was drawn, I noticed that they were also all over the floor. A sort of switch flipped in my brain. I grabbed my plate and immediately ran outside.
I’ve never really been scared of or disgusted by insects before, so this was a new experience for me. At first, I was trying to remember if I’d accidentally crossed the Israelites or summoned the Thai Candyman, but after I thought about it, I realized the warming weather was probably to blame. While eating my dinner on the picnic table, I collected my wits and decided to lure the bugs out by turning the outside light on. This plan worked flawlessly, and one big cloud of insects swarmed the outside light. I used this time to do a closer inspection of the intruders and discovered that they were termites, the perfect bug to have inside a completely wooden building. I suppose one positive thing about this whole encounter was that some geckos noticed the all-you-can-eat buffet taking place under the shelter. Normally the big geckos run away from people, so it was nice to get to see some of them up close, especially since they were stuffing their bellies full with termites. I suppose, in a way, their assistance makes me an organic termite exterminator.
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