What is the name of the village that you are moving to? What is the nearest big city? How long have you known Som?
It looks like your scar is healing up okay. I’m glad that the new medicine that you are taking is working well. Let’s hope it continues.
It’s looking like the sale of the 4 lots will probably go through at a sales price of $20,000. Cross your fingers. We will have to finance it, though. I am not sure what the down payment will be yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.
I’m glad that you are feeling better and that you are excited about moving in with Som. Be kind to her and always treat her with respect.
Love, Bruce

Reply: I don’t know the village name, it’s 6km towards Udon Tani from Nong Khai where I’ve been living, we’ll shop in Nong Khai for city stuff and in the village open markets for food, etc. Som was the first person I met in Nong Khai other than the school I taught at briefly. She is 22, from Laos, has parents and three young brothers living there and is returning from a visit tomorrow. She heard that I liked her and moved into my apartment when I was in the hospital the first time and has been caring for me since then. She brought up the idea of marriage and we were thinking of moving to Laos and living near her family but she’s gotten the idea of opening a beauty parlor here in Thailand and her bringing in some income which I like since I’m not quite making it here with the hospital payments, or even before that….
As far as treating Som kind and with respect, there is no question, first I really care for her and second, she grew up hard in two poor countries and had to make her own living, she’s tough and won’t put up with any disrespect, She wears the pants in the relationship, we do what she wants usually.
Last week we went to a sculpture park with 100’s of Buddah and related statues and we ran into a vendor who asked how the French girl was that I had been there with before and Som was upset that I’d been there with some other girl. I gave her a kiss and said that I’d never kissed anyone there before. She turned away but I saw she was smiling and so was everyone else watching us. I hope it works out, I’m pretty happy.
My vertigo is good today, I have brain damage for sure and have been controlling the vertigo with medication and various positioning techniques but sometimes I have episodes where I lose the ability to speak and use my hands, they’re short and scarey but they go away soon. The longest was 1-2 hours and the shortest was minutes. Not being able to speak is pretty weird, I can’t think of the word much less speak it. The hospital ran every diagnostic test they could, ekg, x-ray, blood sugar, you name it. They advised me not to hurt my head again, after all I did have a sword enter my brain and there is damage of some type up there. I guess overall I’m on the plus side, happy and only slightly debilitated.
Hope the land sale goes through and I really appreciate all the work you’ve done to get it going and thanks for what all you have done for me since Mom’s passing………..Dave&Som