Part II of IV
I was out of breath and soaking wet by the time I got to the
When the next afternoon. Songkran
festivities raged up and down the strip; small Thai boys and girls with squirt
guns and buckets full of water, their parents and grandparents manning the
hoses, and countless tourists with giant tubs of ice water lined the streets,
drenching every single person who passed.
Trucks turned into armored defense machines, patrolling the streets with
SuperSoaker-wielding partiers in the back.
Literally, no one is safe during Songkran — whether you are a child, a
teenager, an adult, or the oldest person in the world, stepping out of your
house is giving every person on the street full permission to dump water all
over you.
When the next afternoon. Songkran
festivities raged up and down the strip; small Thai boys and girls with squirt
guns and buckets full of water, their parents and grandparents manning the
hoses, and countless tourists with giant tubs of ice water lined the streets,
drenching every single person who passed.
Trucks turned into armored defense machines, patrolling the streets with
SuperSoaker-wielding partiers in the back.
Literally, no one is safe during Songkran — whether you are a child, a
teenager, an adult, or the oldest person in the world, stepping out of your
house is giving every person on the street full permission to dump water all
over you.
Basically, it’s every six-year-old boy’s dream holiday and
I’m going to start advocating that we incorporate the country-wide water fight
model into our Fourth of July celebrations.
Greater Kalamazoo Area/Richland Parade goers: Consider yourself warned. The Fourth of July 2013 is going to get wet.
I’m going to start advocating that we incorporate the country-wide water fight
model into our Fourth of July celebrations.
Greater Kalamazoo Area/Richland Parade goers: Consider yourself warned. The Fourth of July 2013 is going to get wet.
So Brit and I encountered our first full day of Songkran and
we showed up at the When, dripping water and laughing. Pim stood in the entrance of the bar with a
group of white tourists and a massive locker full of icy water. Suddenly, it felt like we had walked in on a
party that we weren’t invited to — the tourists were jolly and tipsy, but Pim’s
demeanor changed when she saw us. We
smiled anyway and ducked into the bar, looking for Thum. She was sitting on a couch near the back and
she jumped up and hugged us right away when she saw us… but that was it. “I so drunk last night,� she said after a
minute and then pursed her lips. “I feel
sick today.� She stood next to us in
silence, staring in the opposite direction.
we showed up at the When, dripping water and laughing. Pim stood in the entrance of the bar with a
group of white tourists and a massive locker full of icy water. Suddenly, it felt like we had walked in on a
party that we weren’t invited to — the tourists were jolly and tipsy, but Pim’s
demeanor changed when she saw us. We
smiled anyway and ducked into the bar, looking for Thum. She was sitting on a couch near the back and
she jumped up and hugged us right away when she saw us… but that was it. “I so drunk last night,� she said after a
minute and then pursed her lips. “I feel
sick today.� She stood next to us in
silence, staring in the opposite direction.
Brit and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do from
there. Not keen on just jumping in with
the other tourist revelers under Pim’s reproachful watch, we tried to talk to Thum. She gave brief, strange responses to anything
we said, but basically ignored us; after a few minutes I said, “If you’re not feeling
well, we could come back later?�
Instantly she turned to look at us, relief written all over her face.
there. Not keen on just jumping in with
the other tourist revelers under Pim’s reproachful watch, we tried to talk to Thum. She gave brief, strange responses to anything
we said, but basically ignored us; after a few minutes I said, “If you’re not feeling
well, we could come back later?�
Instantly she turned to look at us, relief written all over her face.
“Yeah, okay!� she said, already retreating towards the back
of the bar. “My head… maybe later…� I watched her walk back towards her couch and
only then did I notice the Australian man behind the bar, wearing a black
halter top dress. Between his sidelong
glances in our direction, the drunken foreigners pouring cold water down my
back as I passed on my way out, and Pim’s hard exterior towards us, I left the
bar sad and confused.
of the bar. “My head… maybe later…� I watched her walk back towards her couch and
only then did I notice the Australian man behind the bar, wearing a black
halter top dress. Between his sidelong
glances in our direction, the drunken foreigners pouring cold water down my
back as I passed on my way out, and Pim’s hard exterior towards us, I left the
bar sad and confused.
“That was bizarre,�
Brit said as we walked away.
Brit said as we walked away.
“I mean, people said it was a tough bar… there is definitely a lot of stuff going on
there,� I said.
there,� I said.
“Why do you think Thum was like that, though? She was so sweet and open with us last
night.�
night.�
“Honestly, I think she was embarrassed about everything she
told us last night,� I said. “And maybe
she didn’t think we would show up… It was totally weird, though. It made me uncomfortable.�
told us last night,� I said. “And maybe
she didn’t think we would show up… It was totally weird, though. It made me uncomfortable.�
The two of us wandered around the city for a while, unsure
of our next move. Songkran parties were
everywhere and we weren’t sure if we should kill time and go back to the Why
that afternoon or to give it some more time.
We did not have peace about going
back to the bar that day, so after an hour or two, we headed home. That
was awkward and weird, Jesus, I kept thinking. What
are You doing there?
of our next move. Songkran parties were
everywhere and we weren’t sure if we should kill time and go back to the Why
that afternoon or to give it some more time.
We did not have peace about going
back to the bar that day, so after an hour or two, we headed home. That
was awkward and weird, Jesus, I kept thinking. What
are You doing there?
Still, there was something about Thum that made me want to
go back. She had a youthful, expressive
face and wide eyes that reminded me of my girlfriends at home; I just couldn’t
stop thinking about her life. Did she
talk to her parents? Why did she come to
Chiang Mai? Was she close with her
sister? Did she want to get out of the
bar scene? What kind of stuff was she
stuck in?
go back. She had a youthful, expressive
face and wide eyes that reminded me of my girlfriends at home; I just couldn’t
stop thinking about her life. Did she
talk to her parents? Why did she come to
Chiang Mai? Was she close with her
sister? Did she want to get out of the
bar scene? What kind of stuff was she
stuck in?
Neither of us felt like we should go back immediately after
Songkran, so a few days passed before Brit and I went back to the When. When we
finally stopped back in, Thum was not there.
Pim got our drinks and we played pool with one of the other girls who
worked in the bar, but Thum never came.
Pim acted differently, more pleasantly, when her sister was not there,
which was nice, but Brittany and I had both felt such an instant connection to Thum…
I wondered if I had made up the entire thing about “feeling led� towards the
When.
Songkran, so a few days passed before Brit and I went back to the When. When we
finally stopped back in, Thum was not there.
Pim got our drinks and we played pool with one of the other girls who
worked in the bar, but Thum never came.
Pim acted differently, more pleasantly, when her sister was not there,
which was nice, but Brittany and I had both felt such an instant connection to Thum…
I wondered if I had made up the entire thing about “feeling led� towards the
When.
The next afternoon, we decided that we would go in and sit
down one more time. One more soda water
with lime, twenty more minutes of praying, and then we would leave the bar and
be done with it. Certainly not what I
had envisioned for the When or for Thum, but our time there had been so dry
after that first night… it seemed like a
closed case.
down one more time. One more soda water
with lime, twenty more minutes of praying, and then we would leave the bar and
be done with it. Certainly not what I
had envisioned for the When or for Thum, but our time there had been so dry
after that first night… it seemed like a
closed case.
The Spirit had other plans.
As we finished our drinks that afternoon and talked about
which bar to hit next, Pim looked at us and I think that she actually saw us
for the first time.
which bar to hit next, Pim looked at us and I think that she actually saw us
for the first time.
“So how long you in Chiang Mai?� she asked, unexpectedly
planting herself at our table.
planting herself at our table.
“A few weeks,� Brit said carefully, taken aback by Pim’s
sudden interest in us. “We’re just
touring here.�
sudden interest in us. “We’re just
touring here.�
“Yeah, Chiang Mai is good,� Pim said. “Crazy with Songkran! You have fun at Songkran?�
“Yeah,� Brit said.
“It was crazy… we don’t have anything like that in America. Did you have fun?� Pim wrinkled her nose.
“It was crazy… we don’t have anything like that in America. Did you have fun?� Pim wrinkled her nose.
“Everybody drunk,� she said.
“I don’t like that. Drinking too
much is stupid. Like my sister, Thum —
you know Thum?�
“I don’t like that. Drinking too
much is stupid. Like my sister, Thum —
you know Thum?�
“We do,� I said. “We
met her a couple times. Where is she?�
met her a couple times. Where is she?�
“Don’t know,� Pim said.
“She gave away drinks at the bar without telling me and has her friends
here. I say, ‘No more.’ No good.�
She looked away, then noticed our empty glasses. “Another drink?� she asked.
Brit and I looked at each other — we had been ready to leave, but there
suddenly seemed like an opportunity here.
“She gave away drinks at the bar without telling me and has her friends
here. I say, ‘No more.’ No good.�
She looked away, then noticed our empty glasses. “Another drink?� she asked.
Brit and I looked at each other — we had been ready to leave, but there
suddenly seemed like an opportunity here.
“Sure,� I replied.
“Can we buy you a drink also?�
Pim’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she smiled at us warmly.
“Can we buy you a drink also?�
Pim’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she smiled at us warmly.
“Thank you,� she said sincerely, half bowing her head as she
got up to get the drinks. She came back
with three drinks and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she settled into her
seat. She told us she was thirty-seven,
but she looked younger than that. Her
smile was bright and her hair went past the middle of her back, shiny and
healthy-looking. I asked her how she
kept it so healthy and she got very excited.
“My friend does treatment. You
want? I go on Saturday. You come Saturday and I’ll take you. 100 baht okay?�
got up to get the drinks. She came back
with three drinks and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she settled into her
seat. She told us she was thirty-seven,
but she looked younger than that. Her
smile was bright and her hair went past the middle of her back, shiny and
healthy-looking. I asked her how she
kept it so healthy and she got very excited.
“My friend does treatment. You
want? I go on Saturday. You come Saturday and I’ll take you. 100 baht okay?�
It seemed completely out of character from what I knew of
Pim, but I immediately said yes. Our
whole team had been praying for an opportunity in the When and now Pim
literally handed us her time — plus a $3 deep conditioning hair treatment. Sounded perfect to me.
Pim, but I immediately said yes. Our
whole team had been praying for an opportunity in the When and now Pim
literally handed us her time — plus a $3 deep conditioning hair treatment. Sounded perfect to me.
Jesus! I prayed
that night. You’ve got to be kidding me — You are so good. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Make a way, Jesus… come and make a way with
Pim where there seems to be no way.
that night. You’ve got to be kidding me — You are so good. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Make a way, Jesus… come and make a way with
Pim where there seems to be no way.
