"A day in the life of………"

Dear editors,

I have a proposal for a new section. Maybe it would be nice if readers or employees of Thailandblog just describe a day of their life in Thailand. Preferably a recent day. It doesn't have to be exciting or excessive. Personally, I'm quite curious how a farang spends his days in Thailand.

I think this will yield some nice articles. If the editors don't like it, that's fine with me too, then my writing can go straight into the trash. I would, however, like to receive a response.
I would like to call the section: “A day in the life of…….”

And of course I start with “A day in the life of…… Jacobus”

Last Sunday I arrived in Bangkok, after having stayed in the Netherlands for 3 months. My partner will pick me up from Suvarnabhumi airport. We don't go straight to our house in Prachin Buri, but linger in Bangkok for a while. But we will be home on Tuesday.
“Have you had my car repaired yet?” I ask her. “Yes,” she says, “the battery was empty, that's why it didn't start, the workshop just down the street charged it and put it back.”

The next day, Wednesday, Pam leaves the house early because she has to go to some meeting in Chonburi for work. And she doesn't come home in the evening either, because the next day she has to go to her office in Bangkok. So she stays overnight in a hotel somewhere.
Then I have time to settle in comfortably. Unpack the suitcase, tidy everything up, do some shopping, fix a leaking sink. In the afternoon I get into my car (an old Toyota Corolla from 2009, but still in good condition) and turn the key to start it. Nothing, nothing at all. There isn't even a light on my dashboard, the starter motor doesn't kick.

Damn, is my first gut reaction. I call Pam, luckily she answers right away. “He's not doing it,” I shout into the phone. “What doesn't it do?” My car of course. “Wait,” Pam says, “I'll arrange something,” and she closes. She always arranges everything and is very good at it. A little later I get a call from Ann, a good friend of ours. “Pam just called me and you need a new battery. I'll be with you in about 2 hours.” Uhhhh….. is all I can say.

But about 2 hours later a car stops in front of my door and Ann and her daughter Pim get out. Kind regards, because I haven't seen them for 3 months. Pim opens the trunk and tries to lift out the new battery that they just bought. I come to the rescue and take over from her.
I had already opened the hood and I placed the battery next to the car. Then I rummage around in my toolbox. “Key No. 10,” says Ann. And she stands next to me, smiling, with key no. 10 in her hand.

And indeed, No. 10 fits all the nuts that need to be loosened to loosen the cables and remove the bracket. I install the new battery and start the engine. Walk like a jerk.

Thais are often so helpful, practical and effective.

*****

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