| June 5, 2006
Dear Friends in the United States and all the world,
In March, we said goodbye to our graduating seniors. In April
and May, we listened to auditions of hopeful incoming students,
and now, June 5, we start our new academic year at Payap University.
I will be teaching an oboe student, three flute students, and
perhaps a couple of beginning bassoonists. This semester I will
have two lecture courses, “Introduction to Music Therapy”
for juniors and seniors and intensive English for our new graduate
students. This is the first year that the music department has
had a curriculum for graduate students. It should be an exciting
year. The university has a new president, and several of the administrative
positions have changed. Each semester I will be teaching courses
that I have never taught before—to graduate students. Several
of my former students are now full-time or part-time staff in
our music department. One has a Ph.D.—and is my supervisor
in the graduate program.
Adventures in paradise
On January 27, I awoke at 2:30 a.m. thinking that I heard rats
skittering around in the kitchen. It was not the first time that
rats have visited my old wonderful wooden home. Annoyed and determined
to scare the rats away and secure whatever food had been left
out, I jumped out of bed and headed, without glasses, to the top
of the stairway. From there I could see that a man was standing
at the kitchen entryway, looking in my pantry. In shock and sleepy
stupor, I called out (in Thai), “Who’s in the house?”
The intruder backed away from the pantry with a surprised “Umph!”
and I suddenly realized that I didn’t really want to confront
a rat his size.
I ran back to the bedroom and slammed the door, regretting mightily
that I had never repaired its lock. As I called police on the
phone, I could still hear the guy rattling something downstairs.
He must have left while I talked to the police. Then I called
neighbors and the campus guards. The guards were sleeping and
did not hear their phone, but my neighbors awoke to discover that
their houses had also been broken into.
We were missing purses, wallets, credit cards, jewelry, passports,
and other IDs. In most cases, the thieves had been in our bedrooms
as we slept. The thieves had picked our door locks and broken
the sliding bolts. Most of us had damaged doors after the thieves
left. Some households had damaged cars. The police arrived in
about 15 minutes. They were very helpful, but the identity of
our intruder(s) remains a mystery to this day.
New occupant
Since the night of the burglary, I have not slept quite so easily
as in the past. I have considered some security measures, but
most depend on electricity, and my electric box is in a very vulnerable
situation across the street from my house. Street vendors have
used it to supply themselves with electricity in the past, so
I suspect that thieves could easily cut my electricity if they
find alarms interfering with their work. So, I am opting for a
fuzzier type of protection, specifically a puppy who promises
me he will grow up to be an excellent burglar alarm. My neighbors,
however, hope that he will only bark at burglars and not at every
two- or- four-legged creature that passes our houses.
His name is Vivaldi, and he is now three and a half months old.
His mother is a golden retriever, and his father is unknown. He
has a mottled coat of colors, causing most of my Thai friends
to call him “Tiger.” He has a sweet, friendly personality
and enjoys meeting my friends and students. I obtained Vivaldi
on the day after Easter, and since then we have been attending
obedience classes. He passed with flying colors. Now it is up
to me to remind him, as he grows, that I am the top dog who calls
the shots in this household. It has been great having a dog again.
Prayers
- Payap University in starting a new year with a new president.
- Chiang Mai—for no flooding this year (the river is already
high, and the rains have been coming down since mid-April).
- Good health for me and my family in the United States.
- No more rats in the night
Thanks!
Annette George
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
122 |
