Farewell My Lovely

December 2, 2016

Our American Ford expat numbers seem to be dwindling.  Don't get me wrong – Ford Thailand still has many expat workers, not just from America, but from all over the world.  Australia has a huge presence here, with some of them on their second or third stint.  But a core group of Americans who arrived around the same time we did, or who knew each other from Dearborn operations, is definitely shrinking.

Being part of an expat community means a routine of going-away parties for people repatriating to their home countries.  Two of the families we've come to know will be heading home for the holidays and staying there.  A small golf outing and dinner was held for the small group of Ford co-workers.  This was the first time Tim had pulled out his golf clubs in a couple of years, and he was looking forward to it.

As luck would have it, I read about a Motown/Soul band playing in Pattaya that same night.  I knew Tim wouldn't be keen to go, so this was an opportunity to go enjoy the music myself.  My ever-ready friend, Mika, agreed to meet me at Dicey Reilly's Bar and Grill once her awesome husband got home from work to stay with their little one.

I was stepping a bit outside my comfort zone, going to a new bar for the first time, but the crowd was pretty tame.  It looked like a few tables of families, including little ones, and a table of young Thai ladies that gave the impression of a bachelorette party. The music was just starting when I arrived, and I grabbed a little table for two.  Inner Soul Band is made up of a female lead singer, keyboards, drums, and a trombone – an interesting, but fun addition.  I asked the waiter where they were from, and he went and asked someone; he came back and said they were from the UK.  But as soon as I heard them speak, I knew they were Americans.

Mika arrived soon after I did, and we enjoyed our rare night out.  We had to sit side-by-side to hear one another, but we both clearly enjoyed chair dancing.  The band played some stuff I didn't recognize, but when they brought out the Motown, it didn't take us long to join a small group out on the “dance floor,” a little space in front of the band.  Of course, you know I had to bust out some line moves to Stevie Wonder, and the Thai girls all tried to follow.  (I'd love to see the pictures in your head right now).  Tim came by after his dinner, and took some pictures of the festivities.  Lucky for me, you can't see much!  The band got our emails and promised to let us know where they'd be playing next.

The following Monday was a holiday in Thailand for the King's Birthday/Father's Day.  I understand this will be the last time Rama IX's birthday will be a holiday.  Next year, the new king, Rama X, will have his birthday become the new Father's Day – I think it's July 28th.   I watched some of the ceremony on TV, which preempted regular programming.  It has been a tradition for the king to present gifts to others on his birthday.  It used to be to certain infirm or elderly of the community, but has recently become older members of the royal staff.  At first that meant any staff older than the king, but as he grew older, it became anyone older than sixty years old.  The elderly are treated with great respect in Thai culture, something I benefit from myself from time to time.  In addition, every Buddhist ceremony seems to include the presentation of new robes and food to monks.  Interestingly, this particular ceremony had Vietnamese and Chinese monks come to confer blessings on the king.

The Vietnamese monks with their distinctive ceremonial fans - the
Thai monks generally have a more teardrop-shaped fan

It was one of the first official ceremonies for the new king.  He arrived on a red carpet led by the royal guards.  His subjects, all seated on the ground with palms together, chanted, “Song Bpra Ja Ruean (Long Live the King.)”  After the brief ceremony, he retreated on the red carpet to his waiting cream-colored Rolls Royce.

Monday night, Tim left for Chennai, India on a work trip.  When he arrived, the city was at a standstill, because a beloved chief minister of the Tamil Nadu region had suddenly passed away.  She was tremendously popular, a champion for the poor, and built a strong reputation in a traditionally male-dominated society.  Tim had to wait some time for a driver to bring him to his hotel.  On Tuesday, everything was shut down, and Tim had to work from his hotel room.

Thousands flooded the streets for Jayalalithaa's funeral procession

The Chennai city's streets were flooded in a different way just a few days later, when a tropical cyclone hit the region.  (Luckily, Tim had already returned to Thailand.)  The same area was hit just last year around this same time with terrible flooding.  (Link  to Nat Geo documentary about the 2015 flood.)  The citizens of Chennai have had more than their share of suffering.

Thursday was my opportunity to say good-bye to our departing fellow expats – five of us got together for lunch at the Wooden Box, one of the few places in Pattaya with really nice, fresh salads.  (Much of their greens are grown hydroponically, right there on the premises.)  The departing ladies commiserated about the complications of repatriation, and I took careful mental notes, which will most certainly be forgotten when my time comes.