Jabba

Warning ... some politically incorrect musings ahead

Thavorn's family is visiting us during the school break. Thavorn has 2 children from her first relationship. A 9 year old girl named Thai (original) and an eight year old boy named Dun. Her momma has a name but I never remember it so I refer to her as moma (because she has raised the 2 children for the past 4 years) or Jabba. Asians don't have this phobia about weight and will often ask you how much you weigh as often as how old are you. I nicknamed Jabba after the Star Wars character as she is about 5 feet and 125 kilos.

Rural poor Thais do not have furniture in their houses. Rich (oxymoron) rural Thais, if there are any, probably have furniture. Rural Thais do everything on the floor from preparing food, conversing, eating, sleeping, etc. If they are not too poor, the floor will be tiled ... if not ... then bare concrete.

When the family stays with us they eat on the floor and in the case of Jabba, also sleep on the floor. That means that I have to take a circuitous route to the toilet, fridge, etc.  The children sleep on the double couches we have.

During this visit, Jabba, Thai, and Dun had the first baths of their life and are now addicted and have a bath every day. Back in the village, there is no bath or shower, simply a cistern out back and a bucket to dip, get water and pour  ... I can assure you that it is quite chilly during the winter months and still definitely a wake me up in the summer.

Jabba is not very mobile so she spends her typical day eating, sleeping, watching TV, and ordering the two children to do her bidding ... which involves running downstairs at 11 am and 3 pm when the Dickie Dee ice cream cart comes by. Over the years I have discovered that overweight people are overweight because they eat more calories than they burn. We really ought to stress Mathematics more in our schools.

I think I previously mentioned there are 2 school on our soi (street) and that 50% of the students attending those schools are overweight. There must be 20 junk food carts outside the school on the street waiting for lunch hour and school to be over. There is no shortage of poom puis (Thai for chubby) kids lined up waiting to fill their stomachs with junk before going home for supper. I have been tempted to stop in and ask the principal why he/she puts up with the situation or even realize that they have a problem?

Jabba does seem to truly enjoy Jaidan (hard not to) and that is a blessing. However, my goal in her life is to get her to talk (as in no shouting) more softly at all times.

You are probably wondering (if you have an inquisitive mind) why I am not worried that Jabba will see this posting. Most Thais can not read or write English and in the case of Jabba, she is illiterate and can not read or write Thai as well. In Jabba's generation it was quite common to pull children out of school as soon as they were of use in the rice paddies.That was usually about grade 4.

I don't really try to communicate much with Jabba and get Thavorn to translate my thoughts and concerns. Normally Jabba would be in a position of respect and I would wei (hands clasped in a prayer position) when meeting her but I am older than she is and also of higher social standing (if I was not a farang). Regardless, she probably feels slighted. But then again we farangs are unfathomable to most Thais.

A standard joke with Thavorn and I occurs when she makes fun of farangs ... I respond back ... 'Why Thais not go moon?' Inquisitiveness and initiative are areas that I find lacking in Thais. They, however are addicted to lottery tickets. Nuff said.

However, I do find Thais have an ability to enjoy life that we farangs are lacking. It has to do with living in the moment.

TTYL