Last night I was going on a short walk down our street to get some fresh air and think about some things. As I walked by the tiny strip mall about 100 yards down the road that we allllll frequent, I was called upon to "come to the birthday party".
The owners of this strip mall are all related, more or less, and it consists of a market, an internet cafe, a small shop, a massage parlor, a tourist agency/visa run/bike rental/taxi service "shop" and, at the very end, a phenomenal restaurant called "The Cashew Nut" that most of us eat at.
Everybody at this strip mall is very supportive of the gym as well, and is extremely outgoing and friendly. They are always waving hello, driving us places, helping us with any Thailand questions/issues, and so forth. They even come to the fights sometimes to cheer our gym on. We are all pretty familiar with them and even their kids, and we all see "Pooh", the four year old boy, playing outside and around the shops like daily. But HOW WONDERFUL for them to invite like EVERYBODY to his birthday party! I was just blown away by their generosity, although remembering where I was, it shouldn't have been that surprising to me. I mean, every day when I run or walk by them I am met with a ton of smiles and everybody yelling "Hi Mary!" It's just awesome.
I was hungry and happily pulled up a chair and sat down. Very shortly, more and more gym members and Thais showed up. There was soooo much food it was ridiculous!
Oddly enough, this outstanding show of warmth and generosity reminds me of the few times I've spend on the west and way south sides of Chicago, where "supposedly" white people are NOT supposed to go. Granted, I was always there with musicians I knew, but still, even they didn't love going there, lol! Still, whenever I did show up, there was no cover charge and a free buffet, right in the ghetto. Any white club would charge you to walk in the door, then for every bite you took. But instead I had guests and employees introducing themselves and asking me if they could get me a plate, etc. It seems SOMEtimes, not always, that the less people have, the more generous they can be --- although Nui and the others at this strip mall definitely do alright, especially for Thailand.
Although it was getting darker, here's a picture of "the festivities"!
Bob serving up free ice cream!
Deng, one of our trainers, insisted on posing for a shot.
He was just driving by, going home, and decided to stop in, too!
Getting their grub on...........
Gemma from London, who just arrived this week!
Coolio, living the life, LOL!
This is NUI, who is a bundle of energy and kindness!
She speaks English very well and is the sweetest thing ever.
Some of the Thais sat inside, on the floor.
Pooh and some of his loot! SO HAPPY!
Two of the local massage therapists that work at Su's Massage.
THEY ARE THE BEST, and are sooo friendly!
Mr. Clean - I mean Bob - and "the family". I wish I knew more names and who is related, but on the left
is the doll who ushered me in & runs one of the stores,
then Bob and Nui (on the right).
We all tease Bob because he's soooo
"family-oriented" that he is always down there hanging out with "his Thai family".
Oddly enough, I generally don't pet the dogs here. They are all half-pets,
but generally half (or "more than half") strays. Many seem neglected, but not this
friendly guy, clearly hoping to score some leftovers, lol!
Some things are UNIVERSAL . . . . . . . .
Then he wiped his face with his hands and wiped his hands on his 12 year old sister's back, and she swatted him on the behind. Ah, siblings!
WHAT A RANDOM, FUN TIME!
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