embassy crap

Yesterday we had quite the adventure when I had to go to the cdn embassy after school. My diploma has only my first and last names on it, but my pasport has my middle name as well, so I had to go to consular services to get them to write a letter saying that I am one and the same person despite the name difference. So Ji and I caught cab after school and the driver didn't seem to quite know where we were going precisely, but I had a map and the address off of the website (hand drawn) so I thought we'd be ok. It was on Rama IV road, between Sathorn and Rajdamri roads, across from Lumpini Park. So we went along and we turned onto Rama, and got down to 1100, and I was still looking for 990 when the driver turned onto Sathorn. Then he started asking various embassy guards, 'do you know where the cdn embassy is?' And I'm like, "It's on Rama 9, I told you, that's the address'. But he kept asking and asking. I made him turn around, then he went the wrong way again, going to Rajdamri and asking dumb motorcycle taxi guys where to go, when I knew ALL ALONG that they wouldn't know where it was because it's in a big office building on the 15th floor not in a regular embassy...

So he keeps going following their directions and I'm getting more and more desperate because we're going to end up being late despite me having alloted 2 1/2 hours to get there just in case, and he keeps going, and I get him to turn around again, and he stops motorbike taxi men again, and they tell him what I know to be the wrong info AGAIN, and I'm like almost ready to cry, and I say (in Thai) "I just want to go to Rama 9, why won't you go there????". Finally, I have to get Ji out of the car and I know we'll just walk 2 very long blocks and we'll finally find the building, and halfway there I realize that my problem is that I've been saying Rama 9, when it's Rama IV. Rama FOUR. Goddamned Roman Numerals!!!! So, ok, bad on my part. But when we were on the ONLY Rama Street between Sathorn and Rajdamri and across from Lumpini Park, WHY IN GOD'S NAME WOULDN'T THE TAXI DRIVER JUST KEEP GOING AND TRYING TO GET TO NUMBER 990 LIKE I KEPT SAYING????????

At the embassy they tried to tell me consular services was shut, but I was having none of it. In the end they caved into my sweaty, husband-less, bedraggled-spawn mewlings and took my papers and today I picked up the letter -- and had to pay 40$ for it. Damned embassy!!! Ah well, it's good to know where the stupid place is, and we got to have a fancy coffee and fancy iced chocolate milk as a reward after all our troubles.

This week has been fun at school as we're doing a unit on food, so I've gotten the kids all wrapped up in creating a pretend restaurant (we've got a fridge, menus, food, etc, all homemade), and today we made a pretend market and they had a super fun time, especially with playing money changer with me. They are a good bunch of kids and as I keep saying things get better as I figure out the tricks for keeping them entertained and attentive. Next is working on 'be polite to the other kids and don't grab when you want something.' [Bangkok-25-January-2005]