Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Happy Birthday Nada

Tomorrow is Nada's forty-eighth birthday, so we went shopping so I could buy her a present. After visiting several shops, I got her a watch—nothing outlandishly expensive, just a nice, reasonably-priced piece that looks great on her slender wrist.

On our way home, we called into the local market to buy fruit and vegetables. I really enjoy the atmosphere there. It's a very different kind of crowd than at the mall we had just left.

Nada and I are so in love. I think some people we see out and about can sense this as they tend to smile at us. I always attempt to participate in the banter between Nada and the market stall owners. I only know a few words of Thai, but it's enough, along with facial expressions, to appear more than just an arrogant Farang who doesn't even want to try.

Nada is from Isan. They have their own kind of food and I have to admit that I am not a fan. Today, as we walked around the stalls, one in particular got Nada's attention. On the table, there was a sealed bag that contained a bright green fluid, and when my girlfriend saw it, her eyes lit up. She spoke excitedly to the old couple who were selling the stuff, before I said to them in English, "Isan food"...then shook my head and made a horrible face. They laughed (because few Westerners enjoy their cultural cuisine), and then, as we walked away, Nada explained that it was made from trees and just how good for the body it is.

Tomorrow night we are going to celebrate Nada's birthday at the same restaurant we went to for my birthday. It's an all-you-can-eat affair, where they place a small BBQ on the table where you cook your food. There's a vast selection including seafood, pork and chicken...followed by an array of different flavoured ice cream.

It's been almost two months since Nada and I met, although it feels a lot longer than that. We are still adjusting. My snoring sometimes keeps Nada awake, and her lack of English, at times, causes me frustration. I'm taking the time to teach her to be more fluent, even though I think her pronunciation of some words is so cute. And even though I know what she is saying, I understand it is better to try and improve her speech than to be entertained by it.