Hi,
Aside from a little culture shock, our first day back was rather productive. A lot has happened around town in the last seven months. A interesting building trend has been observed.
Note: Lisa is having problems with her phone, so if you want to reach her, use my number: (310) 494-1179.
A few of you seem to be in the musical spirit of the season. Maybe these lines will help you remember.
"They know that Santa's on his way, he's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. And ev'ry mother's child is gonna spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly..." Hint: The title is three words and they're pretty obvious (and simple).
Driving on the correct side of the road is the easy part of the transition from Thailand to America. What goes on inside the car is an entirely different matter. The hands get used to making certain moves almost automatically. When preparing to turn to the right, if you're a good driver the hand knows to move the turn signal to the proper position. In Thailand, with the steering column on the right side of the car, my right hand knows to move the lever to the proper position before a turn. In America, with the column on the left side of the car, my right hand still want to activate the lever, which is, in fact, the wiper lever. Today I turned on the wipers numerous times while attempting to signal my turns. It just takes a few days to retrain the brain and the hand. When we return to Thailand, the same thing will happen all over again, in reverse. What fun.
We have decided that when shopping for groceries and essentials, it's best not to get stuck on the price. Otherwise many things would be left on the shelf. The new motto is: If you need it, buy it. Knowing it's more expensive than what we're used to paying, only leads to aggravation.
In Europe and Asia the concept of the 'Shop House' is not new. The business is on the street level and living quarters are two to three floors above. We've been noticing a lot of building in Culver City, and the Westside in general, where there are businesses on the street level and apartments above. It's not quite the same thing, but it's different than what we have known as 'normal'. In some older parts of the city (like downtown), this concept is in place, probably due to the influence of other cultures. Life goes on and old becomes 'new'. Hmm.
Last Friday, at the wedding, we experienced something we had never seen before. After the tea ceremony, family and close friends were invited to the bride and groom's hotel room. The couple knelt on the floor and received advice from their elders. There were lots of giggles and laughs, though I think in a more traditional setting it might have been more serious. Then we went to lunch in a large area by the pool. In the evening there was dinner for 300 in the grand ballroom. It began with some live entertainment, followed by a video of the bride and groom talking about their courtship. Then they were introduced and a family friend talked about them, in Thai. We don't know what he said but the audience got a big kick out of many of his comments. The couple then lit candles by a giant cake, and took a long sword and made a symbolic cut of the cake. We were told in advance that this was a 'two outfit' affair. The morning was more traditional dress, and the evening turned out to be the fashion statement segment. There was everything from fancy party clothes to a few guys in casual chic T-shirts and jeans with a sport jacket. This was our second wedding reception and we were the only foreigners there, aside from the step-father of the bride. We felt honored to be included.
Today's photos show the bride and groom with their parents and relatives, and the bedroom scene.
Have a Happy Tuesday.
Peace,
Danny
become the house
you live in."
~Hafiz
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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