Re-adjusting

I have been back for almost two weeks now and it has not been easy. I think most people go through this but I am no expert on the subject. What can I say, my trip to America really spoiled me. I got used to all of the comforts of home and the ease in which we live. People spoke English, I was not misunderstood, relationships were easy, getting around was easy and many more things like that.  I was very happy to have a variety of food to eat, pizza, hamburgers, Jamaican food, Chipotle, and many other good things! Although I love Thailand, it is not my home country or culture and at this point things are starting to wear on me. I am finding that I have less patience with being misunderstood and at times even hearing Thai makes me annoyed. I am bothered that I do not have easy access to things. Returning to a "basic" lifestyle has been hard too. My toilet doesn't flush, I have to pour water down it. Since returning home for some reason the water that serviced my pipes is brown.... and I must shower and wash my clothes in it, we really don't have any other choice. So now we brush our teeth, wash our face and cook with bottled water.  I did not have ANY asian food while I was home and that was for a reason. Everyday we eat rice or noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now that I am back, I have totally lost my appetite. I do not want any Thai food. Doris will ask if I want to go out to eat and I just can't do it. So what have I been eating?  Tuna fish, bread, crackers and pasta. I'm sure this will wear off soon, but for now, I'm not interested. Yesterday all I had was a bagel in the morning and by dinner still had no interest in going out to eat. It is now the beginning of rainy season here in Umphang and I knew it was coming, but living in it is a different story. When it rains, it pours! So now, life is dictated by the rain. Going out in general and doing laundry all depend on when it will rain. It's not something that you really want to be out in and considering that I ride a motorbike, it is not ideal to be driving during a heavy down pour. What I did not know was that many bugs accompany the rains and I do not do well with bugs! We live in a good house, meaning cement and not wood (so no holes) and screens in the door and all windows. Ideally we should be virtually bug free! Not so much. There are so many bugs in the house now! We have no idea how they are getting in but they are.

I do not hate it here and I hope no one takes it that way, I am just being honest about how I feel at the moment. I know that these feelings will pass (at least I hope that they do!) and I will be OK. On a more positive note, the place is absolutely gorgeous! It is so green and alive! Also, the kids didn't forget who we were! It took them a while to warm up to us initially, but we had such a wonderful greeting from them! I really missed them. I am currently in Mae Sot doing an English Camp Training for English teachers. They have paid to put us up in a nice hotel for 4 days, so I cannot complain. I will tell you more about the English Camp in another post.