Hi everyone,
I would like to tell you about my drinking at early age. In Thailand they didn’t have the liquor law like in America. The legal age in U.S. is 21 yrs. old. Papa’ gave me some money to buy a bottle of whiskey in the neighborhood. I was only seven years old. They sold it to me. When I was four years old, I was running late for my school bus that morning. Mama’ was calling me because the school bus had arrived. Hurry up the school bus is waiting, she said. I ran to her to say goodbye and I grabbed her drink. I drank it in one swallow and ran to catch the school bus. Next thing I know, my Mama’ ran after me and checked to see if I am o.k. or not. She told the teacher on the bus to keep an eye on me because I just drank her whole glass of whiskey. Mama’ always drank a glass of Chinese tea with her meal. But this morning she felt like she needed a shot of whiskey. I tell you what all the teachers at my school kept asking me how I felt all day.
Bangkok is one of the best entertaining cities in the world. Most of the military service men decided to stay in Bangkok instead of coming home to U.S.. They really like the easy life and fun time. Thai people always smile and are happy. Americans call Thailand the land of smiles. Thai people always Sanook ( means Happy Fun in Thai ). There are many night clubs, massage parlors and bars in Bangkok. It is very easy for Thai teenagers to get in because there is no one to check their i.d.. It is a very bad influence for Thai teenagers, but it is one of the big tourism businesses of Thailand. Some foreign businesses prefer to have a business conference in Bangkok. I know because one of my brothers always partied a lot with his friends. I will tell you more about Bangkok and other cities in Thailand later. Let me tell you more about my drinking at an early age. One day when I was eleven years old, I went with my Papa’ to the U.S. commercial liner. He went to see the captain and first engineer to have them sign the invoice. The captain gave my Papa’ two cases of beer for a job well done. My Papa’ accepted with delight and told me to take them home. Papa’ told me to put some beer in refrigerator to keep them cold and to have them some day when he comes home from work. Three weeks later, he asked me to get some beer from the refrigerator. ” What beers are you talking about?” I asked. He said that we got them from the U.S. ship a few week ago. That is the beer, well they are gone, I said. What do you mean gone? I told him that I drank them all. He was shocked and told me not to do it again. I told him that I just wanted to try it first to see what it tasted like. The next thing I knew, I finished them all. He told me that it is o.k. to try it when Mama’ or him is there. He didn’t want me to get into trouble and to get hooked on it. That is my drinking story at an early age. I will tell you about Thailand later on. Goodbye for now.
Mana
Hi everyone,
I love and respect my Papa’ ( father or dad ) a lot. When I was a little boy and woke up in the middle of the night. I saw my Papa’ at his desk using English to Chinese dictionary to read his English book. My Papa’ had completed only third grade. My grandparents had eleven children and my Papa’ was the fifth child. My grandfather was a carpenter and he did not make much money to feed his family. My Papa’ ran away from home when he was eleven years old, so that his brothers and sisters would have more to eat. Maybe that is why my Papa’ sent me over here to have a better education. I will have a good life later on. He ran away from home to my grandfather’s ( my Mama’ s dad ) shipyard. My grandfather had a kind heart, he took care of a lot of the runaway children. He put them to work as a trainee to learn how to be a welder, carpenter, lathe operator, mechanic, etc. He provided a dormitory for them to sleep and had an old cook to prepare meals for them. They learned and earned some money. My Papa’ was one of them. He was the most hard working and aggressive boy. He didn’t learn just one skill. When he completed the training to be a mechanic, he asked to go to another department to learn another skill. All the children moved on to be promoted to be the master of the skill they had learned because they made more money. My Papa’ wanted to stay on as a trainee to learn the other skills. Many years went by, he finished all the training in every department. My grandfather had been observing my Papa’ all along. My grandfather knew that my Papa’ was a hard worker, intelligent, had a nice personality, and cared for his family. My grandfather promoted him to be the manager of the shipyard. The English book that he read at night was about how to repair the commercial liner or ship. He tried to keep himself up with the new tech.
One day when I was a little boy, Papa’ came home from work. He saw me watching our new black and white television with rabbit ears. He asked me if I finished my homework? Yes sir, I told him. Did you do all your chores around the house? Yes sir, I did. You don’t have anything else to do? No sir. In that case, you follow me to the ship yard. When we got to the ship yard, he told me to walk around the place. I did as he told. I got back to him. He asked me what I would like to be a welder, a mechanic or whatever I like to work after school. Well Papa’, you didn’t tell me that, please let me walk again one more round. After I finished my observation in every department, I decided to be a welder. Papa’, I would like to learn how to be a welder, it looked interesting to put two pieces of metal to become one. You will report to the welding foreman that you are going to start working there tomorrow as a trainee. I tell you what. It is not easy at all in the beginning. I burned my eyes because my welding hood did not cover my eyes fast enough. You have to have a good coordination of your neck and your hand. Before you stroke the welding rod, you need to snap your head to bring your welding hood down. It took me a few days to accomplish it, but that caused my eyes to burn and start watering. It hurt very bad, so don’t watch the welding without a welding hood.
I was the youngest ever at the shipyard. There is one incident I would like to share with you. One morning the house phone rang at 2 a.m., Papa’ woke me up and told me to get dressed to go to work. He told me that two ships had an accident by head on collision. One of them was a Panamanian ship severely damaged. I went with Papa’ on that ship. The head of the ship had a big hole but only a small boy like me could go to it easier. They put the big steel plate to seal the head of the ship with me inside to weld by myself. Outside, they got three welders to weld. It took 3 days and 2 nights to finish the job with no sleep. Papa’ told all of his staff at the shipyard that if my son can perform this kind of job, you all can do it too. Papa’ was very proud of me.
Well I better say goodbye for now. I will tell you some more later next time.
Mana
