Kenneth tells of shipping his car to Nakhon and the terrible burning he experienced because of the heat. Margaret managed to drive safely and recalls the only time he nearly had an accident.
Miss McCague, who ran the school in the basement at the house where the Landons lived, was apparently suffering from colitis and appendicitis. Dr. McDaniel was away, so she had to go to Bangkok.
Insane people in Siam were not confined; they freely wandered in the town. There was a woman who had gone insane and used to dress at times like a Siamese and at other times like a foreigner. She insisted Margaret was her daughter and she would come…
Margaret reads a letter giving her first impressions of Nakhon. She recalls the temples, the prison, and returns to their first morning in the town, spending time with all the missionaries. In many ways the area reminded the Landons of Michigan.…
The McDaniels began to care for a large number of lepers at a leprosy asylum outside the town of Nakhon. Lepers were excluded from society and so he could not get a piece of land close by. Dr. McCain, another missionary, had successfully done a…
Margaret describes their arrival in Nakon Sri Tamarat, how the missionaries welcomed them, and tells about the history behind the name of the town. The Landons describe the city, its religious culture, and the beginning of the desire of the Siamese…
The Landons rode the train to the Nakhon Sri Tamarat station, where they planned to serve for three years. Margaret describes details about the train and the trip, how they met Dr. McDaniel from Nakhon Sri Tamarat, and their arrival in the town. They…
The climate in Bangkok was hard on the Landons, causing their blood pressure to decrease. Kenneth comments that even today if he were to go back to Bangkok he would lose about one pound a day until he levels off at about 130 pounds after about twenty…
After the vacation the Landons returned to Bangkok and began to prepare to move. Everybody started to entertain them, having in mind that they would soon be gone. There was quite a "confab" as to where they were going to go, but the Landons did not…
The Landons began to attend school commencements. Once they attended a commencement ceremony and were so exhausted that they had to leave before it was done. They were told later that the ceremony did not end until 1:30 a.m.
The whole year in Siam was filled with holidays, to the amazement of the Landons. The Thai enjoyed holidays and had incorporated foreign holidays into their calendar. They could stop working and have a wonderful time. They just loved Christmas, not…
Margaret and Kenneth witnessed a cremation ceremony. The actual cremation usually took place only after a couple of months or a year or several years. It was costly to afford the cremation, so many families could not get enough money for it until a…
There were several New Year celebration in Siam. First the foreign New Year on January 1, then the Chinese New Year in February, and finally the Indian New Year celebration in March. The Indians had a grand time with their celebration. It lasted two…
Margaret finds her record of the story of McKenzie wanting to serve Prince Damrong the # 1 tea. She gives the exact prices for each kind of tea that McKenzie's boy had found. In the end McKenzie bought a half pound of the best tea that was available.…
Margaret reads a letter in which she tells about Ah Chuan's baby, who seemed ill at the time when a baby in the same home had just died. Ah Chuan was concerned that his own baby might die of the same illness as the other baby. She also tells of Ah…
The Landons inadvertently paid their servants more than necessary. By the time they left the town, one of their servants, Ah Sim, owned three shops on the marketplace. She hadn't owned any when she came to the Landons.
Kenneth and Margaret tell about Ah Chuan, their houseworker's baby. Chuan and his wife had already lost a first baby, so the Landons recommended that they see Miss Christiansen. The wife thus received pre-natal care and delivered a healthy baby.
Margaret tells about the furniture they owned. Kenneth tells of the way the Chinese made the furniture beautiful by rubbing it and polishing the finish to a gloss.
Margaret played in a singles tennis match and lost the game. In the doubles she played with Dr.Theobald and played well, but they didn't win. The Landons talk about their misfortune buying some furniture. It cost them everything they had because of…
White elephants (as well as white cows and white monkeys) have always been venerated in Asia. Margaret describes the white elephant festival. Large crowds would go out in procession for this festival. The first time the Landons joined the crowd they…
The Thai loved festivals. The King's birthday, November 8, was a great celebration that lasted three days. They had built a 150 foot mountain that was believed to be the center of the world.
The Landons tell about Albert and Kenneth laying out a tennis court behind the two houses. Margaret talks about Dr. Theobald preaching on Sunday. They also tell of the operation that James had to remove his arm.
The Landons adjusted to the Thai culture very quickly. The Seigles and the Landon's teacher were all very helpful in their adjustment. The language teacher gave a great deal of her time taking them on culture tours in the city, teaching them the…
Kenneth and Margaret scored very high for their language exam. Their teacher said they were the best students she ever had. Mrs. Welsh wrote them saying that she had been praying for their language study (she was still a friend to them at the time). …