Reader submission: Thailand where is that? (part 8)

Now that we had started a relationship and Rash had a daughter, I had to reflect on a goal I had set for myself, namely to discover Asia and travel.

After some time talking together again about her daughter staying with her sister. I told Rash that her daughter should grow up with the mother and that it was also my duty to take care of it. It was agreed that we would first work on a good relationship so that we knew each other well and could offer her daughter a good home and grow up with love together with us. I would then suspend my goal and wait until her daughter was big enough to go to college, then we could start traveling together.

The 100 days approached, her deceased father had to be remembered. Rash had already saved money for this and agreed that she would go alone. I didn't want to meet the rest of the family in that circumstance. She was back within a week and everything went on as usual. Taught Rash to drive because I thought she should have a driver's license and also for the moped. When she had mastered driving, she took the exam for both the moped and the car, and passed both in one day. Have experienced everything up close, driving down is a joke, you learn more at traffic park in Assen for youth in pedal car than over there. Anyway I could teach her further, at least she was now insured if something should happen. It all went very well and so far never had an accident. You already understand we are still together, but the story continues.

Do you remember, she had quit her job, but still had to do something. She used to do some insurance in Khorat, now you pick it up again. She didn't have a license, so get it before you start. She achieved that and now also wanted her own office. In the meantime it also came to light that she still had a considerable student debt, she had to pay it off but had no money for it. So she went into more detail about the debt and the repayment, she could still pay it off interest-free in 5 years, but it was better to do everything at once. As realistic as I am, I simply stated: If I pay that more than 200.000 baht and you say tomorrow: thank you for everything, I will pass. We will do it in 5 years, I will pay something every year and if you earn yourself, you will also pay proportionally. So agreed and so done.

In 2007 she went to the Netherlands for the first time for three months, immediately after a hellish hailstorm on the first day. For Rash of course super, she had never seen. My family and my children accepted her the first time. In the three months of vacation I showed her a lot, even went to France with the camper, great experience for her, she had never experienced. You could tell from her that she was happy and also good friends with my family and my children. My mother was thrilled to have her in the family despite her reservations about Thailand and the women. I sometimes saw entire pages of the Telegraaf about Thai women, now that had suddenly changed into the positive. That was of course very good for me.

Back in Thailand she had to and wanted her own office. I explained to her that she could also do this from home because insurance is a relationship of trust with the customer. But good Thai logic, you can't argue with that. Made a proposal, after having found an office, I pay the rent for a year and the renovation and furnishing. After a year she had to pay for everything herself. You can understand, immediately agree of course. Office ready. She immediately had interns from school in the office so she didn't have to sit there herself and also had time for me. I don't know how she managed all that, but she managed everything.

After a year she started asking, what should I do now? It is not yet possible to pay for everything herself with the proceeds and she now also had to pay for the employees. Then again suggested to work from home. Yes, that was suddenly a good idea. Office lease terminated. I was happy with that because I had worked long enough myself, the insurance industry was about the last thing I did in the Netherlands, now my brother-in-law does. I was also an accountant at large companies on an hourly basis. But everything stopped in 2006. That's why we clicked so well, we could both talk about something substantive.

The relationship was now so good that her daughter lived with us. By now I also considered her my daughter. When she came to live with us, goals were set again, eating together, turning off TV. No chips during the week, only on weekends. It was difficult at first, but after a month it was already ingrained, she turned off the TV herself and asked Dad it's the weekend, can I get chips now? Translated from Thai by Rash, of course.

I am a business-minded person, started many companies in the Netherlands and Turkey and all of them can sell well. So also discussed expansion of business activities with Rash. She was an accountant and so was I, so it had to be possible to make the annual reports for at least the silent company, which contains the houses of the foreigners. Her English improved a bit, everything went well and she tried very hard. She was already general manager of several insurance companies and was now able to have others work for her on her code.

To be continued….

Submitted by Roel