Bill me a waffle
I walked over to the market this morning to buy some fruit, a waffle, and some produce. Sadly, the produce folks weren’t there today and I can’t read Thai at all, so I can’t even start to guess at what the sign they posted said. Probably something like, “Sorry we missed you. We’ll be back tomorrow.” Usually, if it’s more than one day, you’d see a sign but it would have a date range. Not that I can read Thai (as noted), but I know when I see-
04 Strange Text 2565 - 07 Similar Strange Text 2565.
I get the idea that this person will be gone for a few days. Part of that is the dash in-between two numbers and anything ending 2565 is a give away as well, because that is the year in the Thai calendar. Well, the Buddhist calendar as year zero was the year in which Buddha enlighten someone or went to something or… I can’t remember. Nanny Sa told us about it, but that was early in October, if I had to guess. So, since the sign was just a bunch of text and words on a piece of paper posted at the stand, I can guess they’ll be back tomorrow. I really hope they are; they have great cucs, carrots, and other produce. Besides, I’ve got two beautiful Vietnamese avocados. I found tortillas. Guacamole time! But I’ll need lemon, lime, tomato, and some spicy peppers.
The point of all this rambling is that I got fruit and a waffle for Kiddo this morning and I spoke zero English words.
Pineapple is sap pa rot — sah Pa root
Watermelon is ten moo — Tdangmoo
50 baht - Ha sip baht - Haseep Baht
30 baht - sam sip baht - sahmseep Baht
Chocolate Chip Waffle - choco choco baby - Choco Choco Bay-BE!
Yes, it is all very basic and I probably sound like a frickin Bay-BE myself, but I’m starting to pick little things up and I am proud as hell. I’m 44 with NO base in any Asian language and in a culture and country that doesn’t have an Anglicized alphabet and I have gotten this far without a single lesson outside of the Grandmas at the fruit stand or the nanny giving us little bits here and there.
As for the waffle, J discovered that and got Kiddo hooked. They got waffles a few times. This is all months ago. Then, one day, I was in the market with Kiddo and she saw waffle lady and asked, “Dada, can we get me a waffle!?!” Sure. Homemade waffle from a sweet and tiny little Thai middle aged lady. I’m in! She’s got a cooling rack so the waffles don’t get soggy. She’s got three waffle irons running full speed and full time. She does corn. Onion. Carrot strings. Coconut. Raisin. And then a few that are still unknown. She ALWAYS has a line. And, as Kiddo and I approached, she saw Kiddo and just lit up. Bay-BE! Bay-BE! Thai Word. Thai Word. I shrugged and pointed. She replied - Bay-BE! Bay-BE! Choco Choco! Choco Choco Bay-BE! Now, whenever I go, either alone or with Kiddo and a waffle is purchased, I can literally order choco choco bay-be. Maybe that’s a cheat on no English, but as I walked up today, I heard another Thai person order. The Waffle Lady smiled and said, Noy, choco choco. (No, choco choco). A minute later, I got thru the crowd enough to be seen and she (Waffle Lady) was excited when I got to the booth. Said something to the other Thai woman who had just ordered and pointed. Choco Choco Bay-BE! I have the feeling that Chocolate Chip waffles are now called Choco Choco Bay-BE! at that stand.
We are settling in a bit. Between J and myself, I think we might have about 75 words and 10-15 full sentences. Nanny Beer was telling us that Kiddo is resistant to speaking Thai, but that she can say in Thai, put on your shoes or grab a mask or what do you want to eat and Kiddo can understand and respond. Much like the day with the nail lady we saw when she spoke to Kiddo and Kiddo replied Yes and when I asked what that was all about, “I don’ know Dada, she was talking in Thai.” She knows more than she’s letting on.
But, that is going to be life for the foreseeable future. Moving to somewhere unknown and foreign to us and then settling in. Getting the hang of it. Figuring it out. The nice part is that once you know and accept that, it’s pretty easy to buckle up and just enjoy the rollercoaster ride. We’ve talked about Vietnam, Korea, or Japan next. Maybe renew in BKK for another 2 years. Depends on the market, the money, the offer, the perks, and where we are and want to be or what the Kiddo needs and wants.
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Last night, the Kiddo was fidgety for the first 35-40 min after bed time. Finally, she asked me for her boo-boo buddies for her legs. A few questions later and it seemed like her legs were achy. She had a big day with Nanny Beer playing and with her age, growing pains and all that.
So, I gave her 3cc of Tylenol.
Grab oral syringe, pull 3cc of air, insert into bottle, push 3cc air in, wait for a second for med to settle, redraw 3cc liquid, administer.
On a standard 1, 5, or 10cc oral syringe, depending on the amount, I can draw almost without looking. I double check for safety, but 9 times out of 10, I’m spot on the money.
I always think of one of my old pharmacists named Bill. I thought of him as a colleague. He did, however, take enough interest in me to teach me a thing or two and I always gave a tip o’ the cap to Bill for that.
He saw me struggling with a liquid med pour one day. A few days later, maybe a week, and he and I were on a Sunday open together. One pharm and one tech. It was slow. Bill remembered the liquid med and taught me some tricks and tips and had me practice on the liquid Tylenol because
- It was cheap. Raw cost on that was less than a dollar for a stock bottle.
- We had a massive quantity of it. We could pull from the OTC shelf if we needed.
- It was easy enough to set aside if we did get a rush.
Bill had me practice. He gave me 10 pours. 2.5cc po tid q 10 days. 5cc po qid prn. Things like that. And for those who don’t speak or read Doc and/or Pharmacy….
2.5cc (2.5ml or half teaspoon might also be written) by mouth three times a day for ten days.
5cc by mouth four times daily as needed.
So, as a tech, I needed to pour these right. But I also needed to use some common sense. My pharmacy had 40, 80, 100, 200, 500, 750, and 1000ml bottles to dispense meds.
So, the first RX would go in an 80 bottle.
2.5cc 3 times a day for ten days. 75cc total. (2.5 x 3 x 10 = 75)
“Fill it to the top. Spend the 1 cent on a syringe and just withdraw 5cc, stick the label on it and done. Takes one second.”
For the “spend the 1 cent” he didn’t mean me personally, he meant the pharmacy. The company paid less than a buck for a stock bottle (1000cc or 2500cc usually, depending on the manufacturer) and the insurance will cover plus a $5 copay. Yeah, spend the cent and get it right.
On the second RX though. I can still hear Bill in my head. “Pharmacy is 99% medicine and the remaining 1% is a mix of alchemy and magic.” 5cc 4 times a day. Insurances allow 30 days. 20cc a day times 30. 600. Easy. How to pour that into a 750 bottle? Fill a 100 bottle 6 times? Wasteful. Fill a 500 and 100 and repour. Wasteful. The 750 bottle was graduated per 50s to 250 and then at 500 and 700 and finally 750 at the top fill line. So, it was a bit of magic and finesse and general slickness to it.
500 to 700, half way is 600. So, flat and level surface. Be magic. Hit that imaginary mark. And Bill would double check me with a 500 and 100 bottle. By the end of the day he told me, "You look like you got the magic" as I was nailing my pours.
I started to practice with water and at home. Liquids became second nature. And every time I need to draw some for Kiddo, all I can hear is Bill. That last 1% is a mix of magic and alchemy. Indeed it is.
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