Reader submission: Corona between the rice fields (5)

Life in our village continues quietly, no corona reports. The rules have been expanded somewhat, for example, the main entrance to the village is now guarded. Everyone who wants to go to the village will receive a temperature check and hand gel on their hands. Although the check is limited. Working hours are from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and 13.00 p.m. to 17.00 p.m., but to the eye, the village is now protected against corona invaders.

The talk of the day in the village is not corona, but the question have you already received the 5.000 baht? And secondly, can you still buy liquor somewhere? The three small shops in the village are sold out, no more alcohol for sale. The stock is exhausted and no new stock is being supplied. Not a problem for me personally.

When I was at Big C in Khon Kaen a few days ago and needed medicine, I was waiting behind a lady at the cash register at an appropriate distance. This Thai lady costs six bottles of Alsoff alcohol of 70% ethanol, 450 ml content. Which is normally used for the disinfection of a wound. Later I thought, what can you do with so many liters of ethanol? Then a light went on in me. There is a solution for every problem.

That's how I found a solution for my guilt. There has been a one-time collection in the village and food packages have been distributed. That was it. Giving help usually gives a good feeling if you know where it ends up. To hold on to that feeling, a solution came from an unexpected angle. The local hospital, actually more of an outpatient clinic, is about five km from our village. When my wife and I drove back on the moped, we met an old woman with her son. We drove on and after a km I thought something is wrong and I stopped. Asked my wife, why is she walking there? She's coming back from the hospital, my wife says, and she doesn't have 20 baht for the tuk tuk round trip. I turned around and drove back to the two people, gave the woman 100 baht.

In a further conversation with my wife it turns out that the old woman is blind. The son is mentally disabled and they are cared for at home by a twelve-year-old girl next door. The female with her son live in a yard with two other families. Due to the loss of help from family, due to corona, all three now depend on the neighborhood for a little help. And we joined that. Every week we give a small package of food. Give immediate help and then see the faces when they receive the food. It makes me happy.

My wife is a bit more careful with giving than I am. Now it so happens that we have a lot of mangoes in the garden. My wife sells them for 20 baht a bag. When I had put three bags aside, my wife asked: “what are you going to do with those mangoes?”. Oh, take it to the three families. Yes, she says, I will get 60 baht from you. I give her 100 baht and still waiting for my 40 baht change….

Greetings from Pete