It Wasn't Dengue!

It's a beautiful day.

Let me set the soundtrack for this day, the first song that came on my shuffle this morning when I walked out of the house in search of coffee and noodles.

Allow me also to set the tone for this post... It is Saturday today, and I am finally feeling myself.  On Tuesday, however, I thought I had dengue fever.  A coworker had told me that I was looking quite tired on Tuesday, and sure enough, I was.  After work, I went into my strange borrowed apartment and settled in to watch Mr Holland's Opus, an old favorite that happened to be on cable.

About half way through the movie (when he starts teaching driving school and the big parade reveals that his son is deaf), I started getting the chills that felt like a big fever was coming round.  It was not pleasant.  It reminded me of when I realized I had dengue back in Cambodia.  Shivering, teary-eyed, I went and had the doorman call me a taxi so I could get a blood test at the hospital.  I'm not prone to believing I have illnesses, but it is rainy season, and I had seen a tiger mosquito in my house the week prior, so I was mighty nervous.

The taxi man didn't quite know how to handle my unkempt appearance, or the fact that I didn't have the comfort clothes that I may usually have had.  In fact, I was wearing my school dress still, a brown frock, with my bright sarong pants beneath it, and a blanket on top to handle my feverishness.  However, we made it to the hospital, and the staff anxiously tried to understand my limited Thai amidst my chattering lips.

The blood test told me that I didn't have dengue (thank the Lord), and they prescribed me some medicine to take that would ease the pain and kill any other flu symptoms that I may have had.  I managed to make it through the week, thanks in great part to my coworkers who kept me in Reese's cups and distracting chatter, and even made it to a staff BBQ at a friend's house on Friday.

I had never really believed in the 24 hour flu, until this week, when I had it.

Fast forward to this morning.

Sheaf of mail, all bills and important things.

I had a ton of errands to run this morning, because when I got back to my apartment, I found a stack of mail from bill time.  There's things to do to get ready for summer, for my month back in the US.  I've got to get to packing up, and doing laundry, and setting up my home for my absence.

One piece of mail that I got, I couldn't read.  At all.  However, a little detective work, and I realized that there was a package at the post office for my house.  My detective work consisted of me looking at the little logo, and realizing that the map on the back was for this far off errand.

Detective work required. I do see that I owe 120 baht.

In order for me to go to the post office, where all the packages arrive, I typically take the songtaew down Ramkanghaeng, this big long road in the city, then take a moto to my destination.  It's usually an adventure, because it feels like it is in the middle of nowhere.  You drive down all these mixed up roads, and all of a sudden, this post office appears as if by magic.  Since the place is actually two buildings, you can't even go in the main entrance.  You have to go back around the corner, and enter this secreted away building with a sliding door to retrieve your package.

Post office logo. Importante.

I was enjoying my new musical playlists though, as I took this journey today.  I ate my noodles with my favorite noodle ladies, and a local even mentioned as I was paying that she sees me here every week.  "You must really like these noodles," she said.  I do.  They are the most garlicky noodles in the city.

I walked up to the bank on the way towards the bus stop where I catch the songtaew, determined to take in the collection of .25 baht and .50 baht coins that I had collected, things that I get as change from 7/11 when I pay my bills but cannot actually spend anywhere.  No one will take them, and I had a years' worth collected from various forays into the city.  The clerk, who recognized me, of course, asked me how much I had, picked out the Hong Kong cent and the Singapore cent from the mix, and gave me a 20 baht bill for my trouble, after she counted the whole mess.

I caught the songtaew, and even attempted to grab a taxi, wanting a brief respite from the heat.  He told me to grab a moto because the mess of roads wasn't something he wanted to deal with.  It wasn't a big deal, because he only took 20 baht instead of the 40 that the meter said I owed.

I walked across the bridge to the moto stand by the pagoda, and was lucky enough to land a female moto driver.  The moto stands here are amazingly well-organized, and they take turns for fares.  Whenever I am lucky enough to have a female driver, I always tip.  I try to support them in this male-dominated business whenever possible.  Khun Ann, the school staff's favorite taxi driver, is the same woman who brought me home from the eye surgery, and I trust her with my safety.

So, this very petite woman and I go flying through the city, all the way to the post office.  I step in, put my paper on the counter, and wait for my turn.  The woman behind the counter calls my house number, and I step up.  However, she keeps asking for another person.  I begin to fear that I have come to collect something that isn't mine.  Luckily, the man next to me can speak both languages far better than myself, and I let him know that I'm a renter, and that this is the owner of the home.  There's some conversation that I don't really understand, and he thinks about a translation for me.  I say, "She has to come get it herself." And he says, "Yes!"  No problem.  I grab the paper, get back on my moto, and get back to my village.  As I leave, another customer gives me a paper I dropped, very nice of them, and exit with several "Ka pun kas" on the way.

On the way home in the songtaew, I was standing on the back (where I quite like to be, since I can see everything), and yet another nice person tries to stand up and give me his seat.  It is a beautiful day in Bangkok today.  I politely decline, trying to explain with my remedial Thai and a bright smile that I like this place on the transit, and he sat back down with another smile.

Just then, this song came on, and I was unable to help myself from bobbing back and forth to the rhythm while riding through the city.  Fair warning: the video is a bit more risque than the song itself.

I was really feeling that burst of post-illness energy, and was able to make it to the other post office, where I mailed some letters, and the market, for some Rizza foods for summer, before I came on back home.  I even tried to pick up a dress at the tailor's, but she told me she had to go get some extra fabric to fix the momentous tear in the back.  So, another week before that is ready!

The rainy season has begun, bringing a more pleasant temperature to Thailand.  I don't have dengue and I finally feel myself again, and this day was too beautiful to not share.  I think I may need to see my favorite massage ladies today to celebrate the loveliness of the day, and the fact that I'll be setting food in my homeland in less than two weeks.