A friend like you & The night of…..

Let me introduce you some people. Cindy, Sandy, Pearl and Nok. These are all stranger to me. I have never met them; know them before until we first met them in Boston. Oh except Nok, I met her once or twice before here.

You know what ….. Sometime a totally strangers could become the best friends you could ever get. A hard and desperate time will turn strangers to friends that you will never forget for the rest of your life.

Cindy…. mind you แต่แม่มันน่ะเรียกมันว่า ไอ้เตย
Sandy… hu hu I just know that กระเหรื่ยง น่ะ มีชื่อ แซนดี้ ด้วย แต่ที่เขามันน่ะเรียกมันว่า ไอ้ ตุ๊ก หึ หึ ไม่รู้แม่งแปลยังไงเป็นแซนดี้
Pearl ....... ไอ้นี่น่ะพอให้อภัย Ple and Pearl is quite similar. However, มึงจะเปลี่ยนทำไมว่ะกูว่าฝรั่งเค้าก็ออกเสียง เปิ้ลได้กันทั้งประเทศ

Me?! Well… of course I’ve got myself an American name too. But hey hey I didn’t want it at first place but because of the stupid guy couldn’t get my name “Yui” on the phone. I told him my name is Yui. But he keeping saying “Louise” So be it I was Louise then…


Ok where was I? Oh ok... We need to talk to our Linda.

We got back to the hostel and found out that it wasn’t only us that got a problem with our job. Some of them also were having problem too. We got together once again. Now that it wasn’t only apartment that wasn’t ready but also our job. So why do we paid $ 2000 for again?

We tried our best to reach that Linda. Finally I got to talk to her on the phone. I told her I think we got a problem here. Guess what she said … Oh don’t worry. There is no problem…. I said “hey I got no job and place to stay and you still saying there is no problem?” Ahh… and she mad at me back. She said don’t you rise up your voice to me like that. Then she hanged up the phone. What a sweet chubby Linda.

In all of the students I was the one who can speak the most English. Of course I was in the Stated for a year before. It‘s not that I am clever or anything. I think I was the only one from Ram. U. All of them are from very popular universities.

Linda came to the guest house at night that night. And I was more than ready to fight. Since I know how to say in English so I can whatever I want to say in mind and that wasn’t pleased Linda. I don’t really remember what did I say but she got quite mad and say that she didn’t want to talk to me anymore. The problem still wasn’t set. That night she took 2 girls that will be working on the other said of the city. It was 11 pm. First we didn’t want her to take them away. But still she got them and leaves anyway.

The next morning we tried to contact the stupid agency but we couldn’t. We got no job and we could not stay here for forever it cost us $ 30 a night. And we’re earning $ 0 an hour. Nope we can’t stay here.

I made a call to one Thai temple in Boston telling them the problem we had and asking for place to sleep. I remember quite well what the muck said to me
He said “ตายห่าแล้วอีหนู มากันได้ยังเนี่ย ตายห่าแล้วลูกกู จะทำยังไงดี มานอนที่นี่มันก็ได้อยู่แต่ว่ามันไกลมากน่ะ อีหนูเอ๊ยมึงกลับไทยไปเถอะลูก”
ให้ตายเหอะ หลวงตาน่ารักมาก He really cared and worried for us. But we can’t get back! This was a point of no return…

This night was the night

Well I don’t really remember much what we did that day. But I do remember that night and I guess all of us did.

As I told you my problem wasn’t set. That night Linda came again. This time I was hiding. We all knew that Linda didn’t really appreciate my English skill.

Okay it was quite hard for me to hide in the back. I finally came in front and telling Linda what I want. Okay I might be quite aggressive and loud sometime. I think I told Linda that this wasn’t what we paid for. You promised us that we will get an apartment and job which is $8 / hour.

Ah…. My Linda didn’t like what she heard from me. She told me that actually she didn’t have to do this wasn’t her job to taking care of us. Well….. what did we pay $2000 for again?
So, we did fight………. Anyway, it wasn’t long. Everything end when Linda couldn’t stand any more she was about to leave. And I gave her farewell

“Fuck you” ………….. I haven’t never ever used this kind of words to anyone before. However I spoke it fluently. And I’m sure I was pronouns it correctly.

Yeah….. and she left us at 11.30 at night time. There were about 20 Thai students.

The guest house owner came out and asking what was going on. I told him everything. He said I told you, right that do not trust this woman. I told him that she left us and we got no money. He asked what you mean you got no money. No one going to sleep here for free. If you got no money then you have to move out. Ahhh… what a sweet thing for him to said to us. He even said I don’t believed you don’t have money someone must have credit card. You can’t come all the way here with no money. Actually he was right. We did have some money to pay for another night but I didn’t feel like it. I asked the others what we should do. I said I wanted to leave this place. I didn’t like him and I don’t want to pay him another night. The others also though so.

So we left at the middle of the night in early April and it was raining. There was about 10 Thai came with me. Some stay at the guest house. We were walking out on the street thinking of where to sleep tonight. Good thing we could store our belonging at that guesthouse with some that stay in guest house.

We were going to that apartment of Thai that came before us. I can tell you those moments I won’t forget for the rest of my life. Walking on the street when it’s raining at the middle of the night. You know what normal people can’t have this kind of experience. No they couldn’t….it‘s too expensive. For god sake I paid $ 2000 to get this! See you can’t…………

Welcome to Boston

There were about 30 Thai students came the same flight as me. Of course one of those was Another Yui, one of my best friends. (Sorry Yui that I call you Another Yui.) She was the only one I knew. Actually she was the one who told me all about this program. It was good to have her coming at the same flight. Yet, we were going to separated at LA. She was going to RI. And I was going to Boston.

Well before we could get to LA. Of course we would have to stop at Taiwan for a few hours since we were flying with EVA air. (Mind you, but I don’t like this Airline) Do you remember SARS? It was really big problem and in trend at that time. Everyone on the airplane, Taiwan airport was wearing the mask for protection. I did it too. My aunt bought me like a dozen. Well why not…? I wanted to get to Stated safe and sound of course.

We got to LA. quite late at night. And we had to take another flight to Boston. I think A Yui had already gone to another flight to New Port, RI.

Guess what happened!?!? They said there was a bomb in the Air port! Jackpot baby… In all those days before I came they could have set the bomb but why this day the day was at the Air port.

Guess what!? Yeah…. We missed the flight. The police was everywhere. They were closing down the Air port. We couldn’t get from this side to the other. That why we missed the flight. About 20 Thai students were left out side of the Airport, not knowing where to go. Sad ? Scare ? … Well… not exactly …. We were more exciting.

Anyway, after couple hours pass they found out that there was no bomb in the air port. Thank you who ever calls to the polish said that there was bomb in the airport. We missed our flight to Boston.

However, the world is not so cold to us. We finally got flight to Boston just that we would have to transit at ……where??... Well I don’t remember…Anyway, we got to Boston the next morning safe and sound.

Boston

All the way from BKK to Boston. I haven’t made myself a friend yet. I was a little bit lonely. But never mind I was ok.

Let me introduce you A Linda. The woman that was going to take care of us, getting us to the apartment, introduce us a job. But……. I should have known that no one going to take care of you as good as you’re taking care of yourself.

We got to Boston just to found out that the apartment that the agency promised us was not ready for us to move it yet. So this sweet Linda put us into guest house which cost us $30 a night per person and 4 people in one room. (We normally would have to pay about $ 100 / week for apartment and this was out of our budget) Thanks to Linda she was just as sweet as lemon to us. Ok let me tell you a bit more about this sweet Linda, you know what she good at …well no no not just good you know what she best at …talking ….. She did all the talking but none of them that she could do it. No no don’t think I am mean…. I mean what I said… come with me and I shall show you what I saw.

My job in Boston was in a tour company. This was what I picked from Bangkok. I wanted to train in this business. After we put all the things in guest house and all of us head us to that apartment that some Thai student were there. There were already some Thais coming before us. They already got an apartment. It was small with one bed room and one small living room with no furniture. We gathered together telling them that we didn’t have apartment yet and we were staying in the guesthouse.

After the chit chatting I went to my work place with some of Thais that was going to work in the tour company too.

Ok .. my job was to stand in one small booth try to sell the city tour to tourist. We would get $8 / hour + commission.

But where we got there the condition was changed. They won’t pay us the hour. Only if we could sell the tour ticket which we would get like $4 / adult and $3 / child. No this wasn’t fair. We can’t survive with just this little money. The boss sent us on the city tour. But we were more worried more than we could enjoy the sigh seeing tour. When we finished the tour we all desired that we will need to talk to out sweet Linda. This wasn’t what we paid $2000 for.

And that where all the story begins ……………….

The beginning of the journey

Work and Travel Program at the beginning

What is work and travel Program? Ok let me tell you about it. It’s the program for Universities student to get a chance to go and having some working experience in the Stated. Actually this is jus for 2nd and 3rd year student during summer vacation that mean you can only stay in the Stated for 2-4 months. At the time I was already in my last year in Universities. However, I got to go anyway. That time I though I was luck. ……4 months after that I realized I was mistake.

Since I was about to finished my study so I don’t need to come back from the new term that start in June. I could stay as long as the VISA allowed which they say you can stay up to 4 months work and 1 month travel. Ok…. 4 months work !? $8 / hour, 6 hours/ Day, 6 Days / Week, 4 week / month. Then I could have made over $4000. That’s a lot of money, isn’t it! Of course I went for it without 2nd through.

Man… I should have know that life is not that easy……..

After I paid over $2000 for the program fee, the stupid agency able to get me just 2 months VISA.

$8 / hours , 6 hours / A day , 6 Days / A week , 4 weeks / A month , and I only got 2 months. That mean I could only made $ 2000.

No….. life is not that easy……

Of course…. I was really mad. I stormed into that lying agency… just to find out that in the brochure it did say you would get to work in the Stated for 2-4 months. But it didn’t say that every one would get 4 months VISA. To made it worst… I can’t refund my money.

Go or not go I’d already paid $2000
If I go then I could at less get $2000. If not go then $2000 is gone with the wind.

Well….. Do I have choice?

I flew to Boston on 31 March 2003