Hi Gram,
Nattiya and I had a good walk this morning. I tried to run up the stairs that are my challenge but I only got up 83 before I ran out of steam. My previous record was 88, so this was a step backwards for me. Regardless, I keep building muscle and cardio endurance. Life is about the journey, not the destination! Along the walk, we practiced some vocabulary to learn each other’s languages. She does a much better job of learning and pronouncing the English translation than I do with Thai. The pronunciation is harder for me and once get it, only a few minutes pass and I have no recollection. I need to be able to write words out so I can hear them, see them, and speak them but with the different alphabets, it’s hard to write anything. I keep trying, though.

After the walk, I changed out of my sweaty shirt – did I mention that the heat and humidity have returned – and had some breakfast before heading off to Klausfit. It was another good class with challenging exercises and engaging conversation with my classmates. Exhausted and sweating profusely, I headed back to the room for a shower and air conditioning. Refreshed and cooled off, I got a little computer stuff done, then we headed over to join my gym companions for lunch.

Today was a mild (not spicy) plate of chicken, veggies, and rice. The table wasn’t too talkative as I think everyone was tired and ready to just eat and get to napping. Nattiya and I finished our meals, then headed back to the room so I could brush my teeth and head off to the torture chamber. By torture chamber, I of course mean the dentist’s office. With healthcare so affordable here, I’d be silly not to get my teeth cleaned. Nattiya accompanied me for moral support, although I told her that she didn’t have to. We walked in, I filled out the paperwork, and less than three minutes later I was shown to the chair.

They had to numb my gums to dig in a little deep, so by the time I came out of the office I was loopy and really appreciative for my girlfriend to chaperone me back to the hotel. It was only 3/4 mile, but with traffic and my mental state of a 6 year old, it was a challenge that I wasn’t prepared for. We got back to the room and she tucked me into bed to sleep it off a little. When I woke up, we tried (unsuccessfully) to find a movie in one of our languages and subtitles in the other, then settled for some translated conversations and laughter.

Around dinner time, I wowed her with my sandwich-making skills, showing her what, as far as she knows, American food tastes like… Actually, I explained that I make weird sandwiches and American food is more likely to be burgers, pizza, something fried or beer (or likely some combination of all of these). She told me that she liked her sandwich and I wasn’t quite sure if I’d found a fellow weirdo or if she was just being polite. In any case, I really loved mine and it made me feel at home. Since I made dinner, she cleaned up then we hung out and had more engaging confusing funny talks before finally deciding that it was time for sleep.