I heard that

Happy Monday and I don’t normally post Mondays, but today is different.  Kiddo and I were busy all morning.  We needed to play and have fun, but her little hands and feet were just like claws, so she’s getting toes and fingers done.  In Brewer Colors as well.  I love her so much!!!!!

As you can see, she’s just chillin and watching a Thai daytime talk show type thing.  Thai Ellen.  News and talk.  Quips and hahas.  Cooking segments are on now.  She’s twice called to me because, “Look, just like we eat at restaurant” or “Dada.  Dada.  I ate that at Green Day.”  The staff speaks a little English so they are cracking up.  Another woman getting her feet done speaks better English and is translating for the staff as well and they are so amused at her little comments and that she recognizes the food.  

That, her hearing and knowing some of what is going on and recognizing things got my mind going.  J and I watched a show on Netflix last night.  We wanted something like Somebody Feed Phil (it’s fun and funny and cute, watch it) since a new season is coming and we settled on Midnight Asia about night life in some Asian cities.  We started with Bangkok, obviously.  But, in watching, we recognized a lot of what was being shown.  Oh, we’ve been there.  Wait, I know where that is, we’ve walked past it.  Oh, that looks good… We should go there one night.  

Then, in one part, as we saw a segment on Baan Tepa and we paused it so I could get a glass of water and use to bathroom, but we were joking that Chef Tam (owner and two Michelin Star chef) would greet her guests with Sawadee Ka.  Upon restarting it, the show showed her greeting her guests with a Sawadee Ka.  And I just needed to pause again and cry.  Not bad crying, mind you.  But, we recognized the language.  The custom.  What was said.  And it was just joy.  Not, oh, that’s hi and I got nothing else.  We are picking some of this up.  Recognizing our city.  Knowing parts of the show as not something we should see or that we want to see, but actually KNOWING where these places are, what to do, how to act, and what is being said.  I could point these places to you on a map.  Give you directions there, not only by Grab, but I could get you to these places from our front for via cab, Grab, or the BTS Trains.  From major intersections in downtown Bangkok, I could give you directions.

This is home.

Maybe not forever, but for now.  And in the 9ish months that we’ve been here, we’ve learned that much and become that comfortable.  Learned enough language and culture, at least passively, that we can negotiate to a level that we can navigate and possibly go to these places.  

One segment was on the street food and a certain alley and soi where there is a huge nightlife and night scene and market and the guy talking about his stand and area and his most expensive item.  It was 80 baht.  And the food looked good and he had his own spice blend and dip sauces, but my thought was, $2.50.  Hells nah!  I can get that same thing at Green Day 5/60 baht.  So, we are becoming agile there as well.  Not that I wouldn’t try the other, that area is near Asiatique (where we took Kiddo for Songkran) and J and I hope to get to explore that one of these days, but we can make the comparisons and know pricing.  

So, it’s a feeling of place.  Even if I will never fully belong or acclimate, even if I never become fluent and fluid in the language, it really just made me feel that I have a place here.  That I’ve, that we’ve carved out a tiny space for ourselves.

Kiddo will never be the same.  Her learning and capacity for understanding culture and accepting foreign language will forever be different.  If nothing else comes of this adventure.  If I die, if J and I divorce, if J is abducted by aliens…. Whatever, it will be a win for me because of the time and understanding Kiddo has gained.  As for J and myself, we got the same.  Understanding.  Acceptance.  And the ability to handle spice.  Cuz some of the food is no joke.  When we got here, I had a few things that I needed to tap out on.  It was too much.  I ate around the chilis.  Now, I just eat.  In fact, while watching the show, I had some skewers from the place across the street.  I used to leave the grilled peppers on the skewer about half the time.  Last night, I couldn’t wait for the mouth fire.

All of this from a silly little Netflix show.

Let’s go, Kiddo.  There’s a whole world to explore and we’ve not seen 1% of it yet.  As for you, J… Let’s go and get a Reservation at Baan Tepa.  What a magical experience it looks to be.  

PS.  Who ordered Kiddo with the groceries.