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Well hello my good people, its an early edition of my pulizer nominated blog as it has been quite the eventful week over here in Trang, in fact one of the more eventful weeks of my life truth be told. I have shaken hands with death on a couple of occasions and somehow come out of it grinning in a pretty fortunate manner.
So, let me remind you where I last left off. I had just rented a Winnie the Pooh and Tigger moped and it had been raining non-stop for a couple of days. Well, the rain just kept coming and coming. Indeed, Hat Yai, a tourist town about an hour from here ended up completely submerged thanks to the rain, and I gather over 100 people have died in floods over there. Pretty messy I think you will agree. Now, while things in Trang never got to that level the river Trang did burst its banks and flood all the low lying areas. All the fields that surround the city were submerged and driving back from school on Monday I could see people wading to and from their shacks desperately trying to save their belongings. It was a pretty sad state of affairs and I ran into one old man who had all his belongings he could gather on the side of the road as he was building a new makeshify shelter to live in for the forseeable future. He had next to nothing and no money, so for the last few nights I have been bringing him rice and some water to drink. He speaks no English but his smile and gratitude every time I turn up with a few Baht's worth of food and drink are enough for me to keep coming back and continue the friendship.
Anyway, come Wednesday morning most of the students were unable to make it into school and we had no power, so the director sent us home and closed school until Monday at least, though this may not happen as more rain is predicted this weekend. I still get paid so i am happy! I decided to go back to Cal and Steph's flat which is by a small lake and surrounded by field's to see what it was like. Their whole surroundings were flooded, filed's submerged up to the tops of palm trees. It was nuts, though luckily their home just about avoided any overflow. Of course, what we didnt think of at the time was the fact that these fields were the natural habitat of many animals, which were now headed to the dry spots. While taking pictures at their house of the floods I nearly stepped on the world's biggest scorpion, it was MASSIVE, and I jumped back in horror at the sight of it. Then just before I could change my underwear after that incident I raised my camera and in the corner of my vision spotted a long green moving creature. I dropped my hands to see it without the camera and low and behold this long, evil looking snake lurched from the roof of Cal's flat and launched a strike at my face. I darted back as quick as possible and managed to avoid it's lunge. My heart was beating faster than Michael Flatley's legs as I headed into the flat as quickly as humanly possible. Almost frozen with shock I asked his landlady, a local Thai, what would have happened. She took a look at the snake still arrogantly perched atop of the roof and declared that "it bite - you die." Apparently on eof th emost poisonous snakes in Thailand. I was one lucky punk.
Having survived that rather unsavoury incident we had som efood and a BBQ at their gaff and come the evening when the rain was at its least heaviest for some time I hopped on the moped and headed to my apartment not 5 minutes away. I was going very slowly due to a lack of visibility and som elight surface water. However despite all these precautions by the time I had spotted a rogue tree branch on the road it was too late. I tried to swere to avoid it but clipped the end of it and went skidding down the road off my bike and into a ditch. At the time I was in a bit of shock, unclear as to what had happened. I had a few cuts and scraoes but didnt feel physically too bad. Thankfully though a kindly Thai man pulled up in his pickup and save me a life home with the bike on the back so I didnt have to ride any further. He offered to take me to the hospital but I declined, as despite being slightly shaken by the incident I felt okay, just needed to clean up a few cuts when I got home. For those of youy that are worried, fear not, Winne the Pooh and Tigger remained unscathed, as did the bike in general, just a few minor scrapes.
The following morning I woke up and realised I may have a problem on my hands, it took me roughly 20 minute sto get myself out of bed as my right arm had absolutely no mobility and I was in agony just trying to raise myself. Not good. Eventually I roused myself and asked a Thai friend of mine to take me to the local hospital to have it checked out. The hospital was pretty grim, there had just been a major accident somewhere and I was in a cubicle next to a girl who was badly injure, her legs were pretty mashed and she was howling and screaming throughout. It was horrible disconcerting. Eventually I got some X-rays and they said there was no break but gave me plenty of painkillers and a 40 odd quid bill for my troubles. I was happy as I had feared I had broken my collarbone given the lack of mobility. So having take my painkillers I woke up this morning with better movement in my arm and an optimistic outlook, then the phone rang...
It was the hospital, they asked me to come back in as another doctor had seen the X-rays and thought there was a fracture. I headed in as requested and after further tests and X-rays it was concluded I had indeed got a small fracture of my right scapula, the shoulder bone. They instructed me to continue taking the painkillers but also to wear a kind of shoulder brace for a few weeks to support the affected area. I have only had it on a few hours and so far it doesnt feel to bad but I fear it will get annoying. Lucky we were off school also, as missing days is not ideal when you have just started. Apparently i should be okay to work when we return to school but I may have to adapt my lessons to do as little writing on the whiteboard as possible, given my movement restrictions and my inability to use my left hand to write! as long as I am able to work I am happy, I didnt want to risk losing my job over such an incident that was completely out of control, so I hope the school will be understanding. I am sure they will be as they have been great with me thus far, as long as I can complete my lessons there shouldnt be a problem. I may have to become less of a track-suit manager for the football team though lest risk my health further. Master tactician here I come.
So that brings you up to date, pretty eventful stuff but I am still here and smiling so dont you guys worry your little selves just yet.
Take care my friends, much love. x
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