Kanchanaburi

As I walk from the guesthouse out the gardened oasis of Apple's, I am met by some pedicab drivers that always want to take me somewhere, but my usual destination is the internet or 7-11 which is not far so now they know me and usually just smile. Next, is the woman who has her gate open daily and sells bunches of small bananas and green mangoes. Next, a fruit stand with tables of rambutan, dragon fruit, mangosteen, and pineapples. New fruits for me (except pineapples!)in this land of warmth! Some bars (a line of small bars have spouted up over the last few years and reach a block or two from the guesthouse). In the evening, the bar girls are dressed for the evening and hanging out at the tables close to the road. Next, 7-11 and internet. Other than the grounds of the guesthouse and a walk around to town, this is my usual route if I am out.
The day starts with the songs of the of the bird that has a nest just outside my door and in the rafters of the roof outside my room. First, my exercises for the back ( I had problems before I left and it flared up a few weeks ago, so I am diligent about it each day). Then a quick shower and a walk through the garden to the restaurant where I always see Apple, who is there from 7 a.m. to 10 at night each day and runs the restaurant. We talk each day about any number of subjects and she is the consistent person in my life at Apple's Guesthouse. She is Apple 2... as the owner is also named Apple! She is married with one young son of a little over a year. I met him last night for a brief visit as her mother brought him over after a doctor's visit. She knows English well and helps interpret for my students. Apple always has picked flowers from the grounds of the guesthouse and beautifully arranged them in the bowls of water. I tried it out once, but her designs are always much more beautiful! Most days start with a relaxed breakfast of whatever I fancy from the menu for that day... eggs, pancake (they are famous for their pancakes), or toast, and some ice coffee. Yui, a playful and fun loving 16 year old, is my first student of the day usually. She ran away from school a while ago, as in Thai schools the bamboo switch can still be used and school can be quite intimidating. Yui lives and works at the guesthouse from early in the morning till later in the evening with an afternoon break. She was shy and unsure at first, but now she regularly is sneaking up behind me and scaring me with a "boo" and a laugh and yelling out "Hello, teacher" from many corners of the guesthouse. She is learning more and more English and I smile when I hear the tries come from her with increasing confidence. Mod, an young man of 18, and such a hard worker, had to leave to go back and work with his family. He will be working the sugarcane and pineapple fields and hopes to be able to go back to school to continue learning about motorcycle mechanics next year.
I also am helping the owner write text for their website. Not that I am an expert!! but the correctness and grammar is what is needed, so I do my best. I have also worked at the "front desk" with May, a 22 year old student working to get his degree in tourism, and have worked on speaking with him in English to answer guest's questions.
I met a young woman here at the guesthouse , Jessica,who is a doctor in England and is doing an internship at a hospital in Bangkok. We spent some enjoyable dinners and just seemed to have lots to talk about on the path of our lives. She hopes to get out here again so I hope to spend some more time with her.
I am learning more Thai than I ever have in all my time in Thailand. Yui laughs at my tries,but gives me a "thumbs up" for trying!! Two flower names I learned are poo-ta-lak-sa (the red flower for Father's Day--and here that means for a day for the King), and the white one called lee-law-a-dee, which has soft lovely white petals and a wonderful scent as I walk by the tree of flowers each day.
And so.. my second week here continues... the sun is shining at the moment, but the rains are coming again.. (it is the rainy season after all!). That means a little cooler, but the mosquitoes are relentless after the rain. The wind is cooler as the rains near. The woman who does massage at the guesthouse also wants to learn English, so I get a massage later and work on her with those all important phrases of "ly down, please" and "sit up, please"... a great trade for me!!