I loved being in Thailand, for the most part. I will admit by the end I was ready to be around people who could understand me and whom I could understand. I feel so terrible thinking, let alone writing that down, but I am human. And I am committed to laying it all out for other families journeying down this path.
What makes me feel terrible is the fact that Jet is now in that situation. And he can't go get on a plane back to what is familiar. Frankly, the poor kid can't even tell anyone if he wants to!!
He hears us talking, alot. We are a talkative family. And he is understanding more and more. But I do remember how tiring it was trying to understand and be understood. I had an end in sight, I knew my uncomfortableness was short term. I also had my husband with me who did understand me (even if he doesn't want to ;))
I wonder what Jet is thinking. I wonder if he is tired of not being understood or of understanding us. I see him at times trying to say something to me, if I don't understand the first time, he is reluctant to keep trying. I was NOT good at understanding Thai's in Thailand at all. Papa could understand them much better than me. Papa has gone back to work though. So Jet is stuck with me. He doesn't get mad, I just feel bad.
It makes me appreciate his resilience and determination even more.
I learned a few things today!
1) A shopping trip is a wonderful opportunity for English lessons! We went to Walmart and I believe I heard my favorite Thai-accented Mama about 100 times as Jet wanted to know the name of everything! We have stayed close to home so this was our first adventure out in the overloaded America we are. I notice alot more myself, like the fact one whole aisle is dedicated to pens and notebooks. Do we truly NEED that many choices? Shameful, IMO.
2) I so totally have no idea what I was thinking when I went to the grocery store with 3 children!! For our first real outing, with a HUGE list for groceries and another list for the other side of the store!! I had not been to the store since well before we went to Thailand and since I have been sick since we returned, Papa had gone to the store. Add in the "100 times Mama" and I am EXHAUSTED tonight. And I will not be doing that again anytime soon!
3) Jet has a big issue with holding Peanut's hand! I knew it was a problem before, but he has never really liked holding anyone's hand. I have seen him hold Bug's hand recently on his own, though. So today I needed him to hold Peanut's hand in the store. Bug is a dreamer and I wasn't sure I could count on him to pay enough attention to me and Jet. Jet was not being cooperative and I was letting him know how important it was. He was in tears over it. Obviously something we need to try and figure out, a much bigger deal than we thought.
Things are going well. I am finally almost over my cold and will be posting more frequently! I promise!
4 comments:
Hi, your post about the hand holding got me thinking about an article i read ages ago, that talks about that. I have just googled and found the link it is
http://www.thailandlife.com/all-about-thailand/interview-with-a-mother.html
its about halfway down the article.
So it sounds like it may be part of thai culture/customs - there are a few websites about cultural differences on the web so maybe have a read it might help explain it.
Gem
Grocery Cart rules with our 4 girls... The two youngest ones (and in your case this would be Bug and Jet) need to hold on to the cart - one on each side - the older two do whatever I require of them which is no arguing, and go get things. Peanut is now the designated runner because you are too tired - you will get over it, I promise, you just have very little stamina yet. Your job is to steer and point at things you need and pick out the meat and to pay with your debit card - which my kids now squabble over who gets to swipe it. DO NOT go to the do-it-yourself line unless you are by yourself because then they will fight over who gets to swipe the barcodes and talk loudly about how easy this job is that monkeys could do it, and embarass you. OH, I forgot, you pick out the ice cream because you don't want to go home with 3 different flavors, and again, your tired, so you're going to eat it more anyway. I am confident that language will come, quickly. Keep posting. Love reading. Kelly
Megan,
Ha! That story reminds me of one of my first outings with Jacob. He came home just days before Laurel's 5th birthday, and then his was just days after hers. He could not walk yet, so any outing was a big deal! So... we were getting ready for Laurel's birthday party, and went to the party store for plates, cups, napkins, party favors, etc... I had to put Jacob in the big basket of the cart b/c he was too big for the seat, and could not walk. He did NOT appreciate that I wouldn't/couldn't just let him buy everything he saw! I couldn't explain that it was Laurel's birthday, and his would be coming. He didn't speak English yet, and he didn't know what a birthday party consisted of! He threw a major tantrum that day in that store. I'm sure people thought I was insane... Oh, those were the days!
It will get easier!! Sounds like things are going very well. Before you know it, Jet will be fluent in English! It goes so quickly!
megan - when i read your post i wondered about the hand holding thing, because it was a big adjustment for us. and the cultural training starts very early.
i was also curious if jet wais at all - i would thank that would be one of those deeply ingrained things.
Post a Comment