At the moment, my life is a blur of work and babies. I have a chance to look up every now and then and in between a sprinkle of nights out and the occasional drink too many, I realise that a month or so can go past where I don’t see people I often saw two or three times every week for years.
I’m not quite sure where the time goes, but I do know that a fair bit of my time (usually when working on something incredibly boring) is spent in front of the TV being sucked into some of the UK’s trashiest reality shows. I know deep down I should be watching more high-brow programmes, but the minute I see an advert for X Factor, Big Brother or something equally as awful I’m hooked and spend the next few weeks of my life watching random strange people desperate for their 15 minutes of fame make fools of themselves on national TV.
Perhaps I should get a hobby, but I wouldn’t know what to do. I’ve tried baking – not really my forte, I can’t draw, and while knitting is currently a big thing in the UK, I can’t get past the vision of an old lady sitting in her rocking chair with sagging stockings knitting scarves.
Chiang Mai has so much going on all the time and its fair share of drama and gossip. I’m sure there’s enough material for its very own Big Brother, which would make great viewing! But one thing that I’ve noticed over the last few months is there are actually very few facilities, groups and activities for families with young babies.
We spent years working with elephants, but Ella’s just a bit young to go riding off into the jungle and as much as Chas tries to encourage it, she’s just not that into rugby, so Saturdays watching sport at the Irish Pub are out of the question. There are only so many shopping trips she can handle and while weekends away are great, it’s just not practical to disappear into the sunset every Friday night.
Even something as simple as a walk is difficult. We have to run the gauntlet of street dogs, avoid the judgmental looks and comments of strangers and once we actually make it out onto the street, have to watch for wayward drivers who don’t seem to notice that people do actually walk occasionally.
I suppose I’m used to everything being on my doorstep and being arranged for me, but it’s time to make my own fun. So, I’m calling on all mothers – let’s get together, give our babies some playmates and watch them grow up into little people.
We’ve chosen to leave our family and friends in the UK and elsewhere, to set up a life in Thailand and so it’s up to us to make the best of it. I’m a great one for sitting and moaning, but I think it’s time that I started to look at what a fantastic life Ella will have here (if she can ignore the constant sniff kisses from random strangers) and the opportunities she’ll have that her friends and family back in the UK will never be able to experience.
[Ed. If you are interested in joining Rachel with some baby activities, please send an email to Citylife at info@ chiangmaicitylife.com and we will forward it to her.]