Walking to the market in Sangkhlaburi one day I noticed a dog following a man about 10 feet in front of me. Not seeming like a hostel dog it was quite a surprise when this dog took a nice bite of the man's calf. As soon as the man regained his senses he headed over to the ditch, grabbing many stones, as many as he could hold in his arm. What followed was the pelting of a dog! Wow. The dog tried running off but the man followed the dog into someone's back yard and all that could be heard were rocks, and quiet groaning and whimpering from a dog.
So, you know what you do when something like this happens? You stand in the middle of the road like a retard in a daze until you realize: oh, I was on my way to the market. Start walking, pay no attention.
First a little background:
My name is Laura Fisher
I've been volunteering at an orphanage for over a
month
I've been volunterring at a pharmacists in the evenings
(taking blood pressure and temperatures)
I arrived at the orphanage late in the afternoon after a full day of teaching. Jenny, the other volunteer comes up to me, "hey, I've got something really funny but kind of disgusting news. So Didi came up to me, and asked me about these rumors. Supposedly everyone is talking about how your sleeping with the pharmacist. Yeah, anyways, so you should go talk to Didi."
Laura: Hi Didi, I talked to Jenny, should we have a talk?
Didi: Yes, sooner versus later.
Laura: So I heard about these rumors. How do you
think they started? What should I do?
Didi: These rumors must be VERY big, because I am
always the last to hear of them. This is not good at all.
Laura: I don't know what could've happened, I was volunteering at the pharmacy, but just taking blood pressure and temperatures.
Didi: Well, they say you sleep with the pharmacist, a police officer, the last I heard was over 7 men.
Laura: (ummmm...) Well, that's definitely NOT true. What should I do? I'll definitely stop going to the pharmacy. Why do you think these started?
Didi: Maybe it is the way you dress
Laura: (Pointing at my clothes) Didi, this is how I dress everyday, more modestly than the other volunteers, even Jenny will vouch for that.
Didi: Maybe your clothes are too tights.
Laura: I don't think so.
Didi: Maybe it is that way you look, men want to make story with you.
Laura: Oh, well I won't go to the pharmacists anymore, other than that I don't think there's anything I can do.
Didi: Well you know, these kinds of mistakes reflect on the orphanage. When we do something good we are praised, when someone makes a mistake we are looked down on. If the rumors haven't died down in a day or two we're going to have to ask you to leave.
Haha - what a freaking joke! I went and talked to my lady Doctor friend in town, she went and got the pharmacist, and talked to Didi. Dr. May said, "I would take all 7 except no one will tell us who theother six are, haha." I guess I've been allowed to stay now, how generous of them?? Yep, if I wasn't already planning on leaving in two weeks, this event definitely would've made me think in that direction. I'm not impressed at all by the women that run this place, did I mention that? - NOT impressed.
Walk, walk, walking down the one road in town again... This time it's mid-day on the weekend. CRASH!! Turning around I see a motorcycle skidding on the ground, and a bicycle. Aside from the crash everything was silent... then as soon as the debris had settled that loudest screaming and crying started. Two men were riding on the motorbike (early 20's), and one teenage boy on a small bicycle. Jenny says: "Oh my god, where are their heads Laura?" Me, looking around, says: "What are you talking about?" No one in this town wears a helmet, so I guess that is a logical thought to have. Once I counted three heads I walked the 20 feet to the "scene." The driver of the motorbike was fine, walking around, looking a little jittery. I headed over to the teenage boy in the middle of the road while people start accumulating: the crash scene audience is what I would call them. I tell one lady to get on her motorbike and go to the hospital, I tell another lady to call the hospital -- even after translations the women just look at me blankly. Jenny stood on the side of the road saying: "What should I do?! What should I do?!" I told her to get some cloth. Fortunately a truck came along to take the two men to the hospital before I had time to use any cloth... thank goodness! The guy in the middle of the road had a broken nose with plenty of blood decorating his entire face, along with a huge gash on his shin which seemed deep enough to have chipped the bone. He was not a happy camper, twisting his body every which way and making enough noise to somehow draw 20+ people into the streets to observe. One other Thai lady was on the scene looking at the passenger on the motorbike who was on the side of the gravel road. I walked over there after checking out the first guy -- and holy cow! This one was worse! He also had a broken nose, but in addition he had abrasions all over his face -- so, basically a bloody mess (I found out later that he lost vision in one of his eyes). As though having one's face fully mangled wasn't enough he also had road burn all along his legs - AND a broken arm, in which the bone was exposed, and blood was squirting in the most un-natural way about 4 feet straight up into the air. YIKES!
So, the two men hopped out of the truck, put these guys in the back, and drove off to the hospital. I watched the truck drive off, kicked the debris off the main road, and then turned in the direction of the house to go on my merry way. I was definitely marked by this accident, but it didn't stop my legs from working which seemed to happen to everyone else because they just stood there - seemingly frozen. "Jenny! Jenny! Let's go."
This was experience was GREAT for me, because I'm a nursing student. Although I wasn't able to do anything useful other than stare at the injured men in amazement and make sure they were alive -- it was helpful to learn that blood and screaming didn't make me pass out or freeze. Maybe a career in the ER?
Mina is 7 years old, and has turned out to be one of my favorites...
A little girl came walking into the room I was resting in. She sat down on the floor and put a bowl of green (un-ripe) bannanas by my side. Staring at me she finally said: "Why are you so white? The rest of us aren't white. Maybe that's why you're so sick, because you're white." She looked at me a little longer and then got up and left.
Haha, nothing like being a minority.