Reader submission: It will all work out, won't it?!

In 2017 I met my Pha in the Netherlands. She was officially in transit from Sweden to Thailand. A friend had pointed out to her that she could easily make a stopover in the Netherlands with a Schengen visa. I knew that friend personally from my working visits to that country.

She called me to ask if I could pick up her friend from Schiphol and take her to an address in the Netherlands. That was no problem for me. During the arrival at Schiphol, the puzzle started: where should she go? A note with two telephone numbers was something, but both were not available.

There you are with a strange lady in a strange country for her. It was now 19.00 pm so time for dinner and Studio sport. After some insistence, she accompanied me to my home where I prepared a delicious meal and watched the sport at my leisure. Called several times to no avail with the two numbers but still no answer.

Finally at about 23.00 pm we got in touch with a Thai lady who said that she had already expected her guest the night before. It was no problem that I could still bring her so late. That evening itself we had a nice introduction and I realized that she was very unsure where she would end up. I told her that if she didn't like it I would pick her up and make everything right so she could travel on to Thailand.

The next morning it was about 10.00 am that she called me to ask if I wanted to pick her up because of the not so pleasant atmosphere in the house. I picked her up and discussed that I would see what was possible for a return flight. It wasn't easy, but in hindsight it would change my life forever.

She decided to stay longer with me as her visa took a few weeks longer. After her departure I went on holiday to Thailand for 3 weeks at the end of that year. It tasted like more and so there was soon a follow-up visit from her to the Netherlands. We decided to continue together.

Participation in the Dutch course with Hans Toussaint gave her the opportunity to come to the Netherlands for a longer period of time. Here she did the official integration for 3 years, with the end result being a Dutch passport and therefore a resident with all rights and obligations.

In the meantime I was aware that she had a daughter, then 11 years old. This remained with the family as usual in Thailand. Adda grew up as a Thai teenager who, just like the European ones, was not always easy, but gradually she started to develop herself, with the result that she has now started her own business with our help in Jomtien.

At the Chayapruck in Jomtien she started a wax shop where ladies and gentlemen can undergo their beauty treatment. At the same time, her building housed a bicycle rental under the name Venture Bike. This shop became available and was purchased at her request. Now she is the captain there with the help of a mechanic and an intern who serve their customers excellently every day. She does renting and selling bicycles as if she has been doing it for years.

It is striking that she now also realizes that knowledge of the English language will get you further. Although she wasn't convinced of that 6 years ago.

Adolescents grow up and hopefully often a surprise will come out. Anyway, it worked out fine for us. We have been together for 12 years now and look forward to a bright future.

Submitted by Josh

To rent a bike, contact Venture Bike Shop Pattaya, Phone: 0846868338