Poppy field

Accurate

Bernd had taken me to many places.  Sometime the small road cut through the fields which full of wild flowers or sweet ‘Tea Rose’.  I am searching for Tea Rose to grow at my house until now.  They were so sweet fragrant.  Claudia said there were to make tea and their fruits were to make jam.  It must be such a sweet fragrant jam.
The yellow flowers might be in pea species but the red looks more like opium.  Bernd told me that they were poppies.  The name in German was Die Mohnblume .  Claudia said they made people sleepy.

Opa really like to tease me.  He proudly gave me his cherry wine.  He said it was so strong that I would sleep in the air.  His wine was really good.  I also felt easy with him.  He reminded me of my own father who had just passed away.

The trip to Friedrichshafen which was on the south border of 3 countries., was so lovely.  I did not realize how far it was for both sides of the road were very beautiful.  All the fields I saw was exactly be rectangle and while one of the whole rectangle was green, the other one was all yellow and the other one was all gold.  The wheat in each rectangle ripped in the same time.  It seemed to me that everything there was very accurate.

I went to Germany like a blind.  Unlike later that I could check for the detail of each country before going there.  Bernd was talking about black forest but I did not know whether I was there or not..

We were halfway in the evening and needed to rest in a hotel in the middle of the field.  It was s small hill and the hotel was almost on the top.  In my country, this kind of hotel would never survive.  This was another memorable place.  We went for a walk on the hill.  The sound of children’s happy screaming and laugh.. the tall grass and its flowers.. everything was very impressive.  It was quite warm, rather hot up there.

We looked at the beautiful sunset while mothers led their children back to the hotel.  As soon as the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped, and it was very fast.  From being sweating in the sun a moment ago, I was shivering.  

That night, I looked out of the room windows.  The sky was very clear like a well clean mirror and the stars were so bright and close.  An I saw the full moon.  It was large, bright and very round.  Thinking of the field I saw in the day time. 

It seemed to me that everything there was very accurate, even the moon was rounder.

The other thing I was very impressed was the breakfast in the dork color wood room.  The bright light came from the glass windows that had white lace curtains.  On the shelf under the windows were all kinds of beautiful bread, cheeses, fruits and large jar of white and inviting milk.  That was the most beautiful and classic breakfast I have every seen.

Excited

The temperature was higher and higher while we heading south.  There were very nice stops for drivers to wash their face with nice ice cool water from the tap, and food and other refreshments.  It was so nice.  Malaysia also had this kind of stops but not in Thailand.  I envy them for awhile before realizing that we have the same thing in the gas station, private one, not from the government, and they were not worse.  Some were even better.

DARC had kindly reserved two large rooms of a traditional hotel for us.  There were pictures of many famous people and groups that used to stay there.  All I remember now, is the Red Arrow. I did not know what they were then but the way they dressed and the airplanes were interesting. 

The room looked great, very large but very warm.  It had 2 very small windows that there were no ventilation.  There was no air-con because it was only a few weeks the they could enjoy this warm weather.  The temperature was near 40 degree, hotter than the hottest day in BKK then.  No air-con, no fan, no wind, but thick blanket on the bed, I could not imagine how in would be in the bed time.

The convention was really large.  I met many hams friends that used to come to Thailand or met on the air.  I also met the Atlantic hams from Kumi Republic.  Each booth was so interesting that the time of that day was over before we could see the famous radio brands like Yaesu or Icom.

There was welcome party for DARC guests in the evening.  I had prepared a gift for DARC but did not know when I would have a chance to give or how.  It was a small traditional Thai style house with Crushcraft A4S Yaki antenna on the top, turned its direction from Bkk to Germany at the 330 degree. 

It was a large room about 300 guests.  Most of them seemed to know each other and DARC people very well. I saw on Japanese guy as the only Asian friend among the Farangs.

Then it was the time for presenting the gifts.  Each association was waiting in line.  The worst was that each of them said something to Dr. Elgering, the DARC president.  I looked at Bernd..

“My Goodness!  What am I going to say? I did not prepare to say anything ”
“Anything” Bernd said.  “Whatever you’d like to say.  May be you just thank DARC.”

The line was shorter and shorter.. and I was more and more excited.  The only good thing was that there was no microphone, not many listeners.  Then I was startled with a voice that suddenly came out from the microphone in the hand of the man just in front of me.  It was obviously that they knew each other well and gave a very nice and warm speech..
‘Oh.. What am I to say?’  I worried and was very excited.

A big hand crapping and the microphone was handed to me.  The room was suddenly very quiet when people saw the only Asian lady in the line. 

Sure they must be thinking ‘What is she going to say.. Will she be able to speak an understood language?’

I looked at Dr. Ellgering, then the rest of the people.  All eyes were fixed at me.

“Doctor Ellgering, ladies and gentle men, I could see that I am the only only one that come from South East Asia, I am so excited that I am almost forget my English.  May I speak Thai?”

The room was quiet for a moment, then a roar of laugh.  I was laughing too.

“My gift was handmade, and fragile.  It was difficult to bring it along, and more difficult to hand it to DARC president with my shaking hands.  This is the first time I give a present to a man first.”

They laughed again.

“Especially when his beautiful wife is just sitting behind him.”

A long laugh.. Mrs. Ellgering was laughing the most.

My excitement had gone then.  I told them my impression seeing how DARC work for the members and how each officer paid attention to their work.

“Members did their parts by being faithful members. Officers took their parts of doing the best for their duty.  District committees did their best to serve the members.  

The head, the heart that supporting, making DARC run is the roll of the leader that I could see how well Dr. Ellgering has done his part”

When I walked to the line, no one knew me.  When I walked back, people from every table came to greet me with enjoyable faces.

How relieve I was that finally I could 'Say Something."

It’s The French

The next day in the convention I visited the Ausland  section.  It was the booth of each country’s association.  It was interesting to see how they manage the ham radio in their counties.  I also spent a long time there.

Came to the Fresh association, there were a few men in white shirt, black pants and red tie standing there, about 3 or 4 of them.  When I walked by, one of them suddenly kissed my cheeks.  I was very angry.  It was not the way of greeting.  Some people there shouting to me, ‘slap him, slap him.”  Too bad I did not know what slap meant.

Bernd was also angry.  He face was red with anger.  The rest of them opened their arms trying to catch me.. I walked closer to them and got under their arms and walked away.  Bernd had told this to some of organizer but we did not wait to see.. just left them.

There was a party at night that anyone could buy tickets to join.  I met those guys again there and they were angry at me.  They looked at me hard and look away, walked closer and lift their chins, passed by.

I looked at them and busted out laughing.. It was very funny to see those men acted like ladies.

We sat with the Kumi hams.  They asked me one by one to dance.. until my legs was tired of jumping.. hi hi.  The Kumi people told me that they like dancing because it could warm them up.  They said,

“Thida, you must come visiting us.  It is not so cold in our country.  It is only about 40 degree in summer..” paused and added, “under zero.  But you don’t have to worry.  If you like swimming, we could cut the ice for you.  It was only 2 metres thick. 

You would only be a sweet ice cream there.” 

They were nice. However, it was difficult to keep the contact at that time.

The Fountain of Ganeve

We had half day on the third day to see the equipments sections and we could not finish visiting all the 9 buildings.  I did not even see the flea market.  We needed to leave early because Bernd would like to fulfill my dream visiting ITU.

Bernd told me ahead to prepare the visa to HB9 land.  It was difficult.  The Thai lady officer in the embassy was very strict.  She asked for the exact in and out date, which I was not sure.  She was so rude, making herself look powerful, but I finally got the visa.

We took the furry across the lake until we got p from the furry that we realized that they did not come to collect money from us.

Finally, I was in Switzerland, the famous land of beauty, strict, direct and accurate people, cheese and dairy products.  At the border, Bernd put his German passport on the front of the car.  The officer took a glance and waved us get going.

My mouth opened.  What about my visa, my very difficult to get visa.  Nobody even asked for it.

Bernd had to stop to do something so I walked around taking pictures.  Opps!! There was some water that a shop threw to the road, just in front of me.  Some wasted papers danced in the wind on the road.. I was surprised to see that.

There was a books stand.  I took a look at the covers of the books.  An old man came out of the shop with duster and dust the books I was looking at.  It was so like the scene in Doraemon comic when the book seller did not want the kids to just read and not buy.  I laughed and waled back to the car.

Right in the middle of Geneve, in front of all the international buildings, in the bushes along the path way, there were also soft drink bottles, paper, tissues, chocolate wrappings and so on.  that was not what I expected to see in this strict people land.

We asked the way at one guard booth.  One of them said we had to go to the next gate which was about half a km away.  We walked there and the gate was close for lunch and would open in the next 2 hours.  The guy told us that we could wait and find something to eat by getting through the gate that we had just passed.

We had to walk back for another half km..  When passing the gate I asked him why he did not inform me that the gate would open in the next 2 hours.  He looked at me surprisingly..

“You did not ask about that.”

Ok, we had found the real accurate Swiss.

We finally met Philippe, the secretary of some section in ITU who was taking care of the ITU club station.  He had explained about the amateur issues in the ITU and had issued me a license for operating at the 4U1ITU.  I was only be in the room, did not operate.

In the late afternoon, or was it already evening I was not sure because the sun was still bright and hot.  We went to the Geneve lake window shopping.  Bernd said that the products there was suitable for the person who had too much money and did not know what to do with it.  hi hi

I bought a Swiss Knife for my husband, nothing else.  I did not think of buying her famous watch.  I was afraid to get the one that was so accurate like the guard.

Then I saw the fountain of Ganeve.  It was so high, so strong, so powerful against the strong wind.  The water was blown very far, about 2 km. from the fountain but she stood tall, still, not even a little sway.  I was very impressed.

We then got on the walk way to the fountain house in the lake.  Right at the point underneath to fountain, it was time to stop the engine.  The engine sound was suddenly quiet.  We looked at each other in puzzle and looked up.  Tons of water was falling down.  I jump out, Bernd Jump in and he got wet all over.  We laughed like children.

It was no fun later when the sun down and the temperature quickly dropped down and he was still not dried enough. 

We went to a department store before leaving Geneve on the next day.  I asked Bernd I did not see the chocolate.  He pointed at the corner.. Wow.. The whole area were full of all kinds of chocolate.. Then I asked about the cheese, he led me to another corner where about 100 metres long shelve of cheese, too many kinds for me to imagine it could be.

Lovely family

On the way back, Bernd called Claudia and got pale of the news she told.  He refused to tell me.  I could see that he was quite uneasy.

He told me later that he did not told Claudia that he would bring me as far as Geneve, just to visit Hans-Jurge somewhere which was closer than Geneve.  And Hans-Jurge happened to call to his house so Claudia was angry.  He had to prove that he was trustful again, which still did not know what Claudia would say.

I was sorry.  There were many things on her loads for my arriving.  I asked Bernd for the reason, he said, he would like to fulfill my dream, but Geneve was far and he did not want Claudia to get worry.  They never lied to each other before.
I was more sorry for the problem that would never happen if not because of my visiting.

But Claudia was so nice to me still.  They brought me to a castle, that the water would run down on time to each place and be the fountain at the lake down hill.  From a bright sunny day it suddenly rained.  I had never seen such a heavy rain and strong lightening and thunder.  Bernd was with his family at one corner.  I was with a few ladies at another corner.  An old lady next to me was so scared of each thunder, which made the whole world became pink with its flash.  

I held her in my arms. She looked up to me with thank and shyly talked to me in German. 
Since we did not understand each other anyway so I talked to her in Thai, telling her not to scare.

The rain and thunders had gone as suddenly as when it came.  Hot bright sun shone on the wet grass as if nothing had happened.  We found later that Art’s antenna was stroked and fell on the ground.  That was the reason DARC’s insurance program was highly accepted.

Bernd and Claudia saw me off at the train station to München.  Robert, DL9MDZ would be waiting at the other end.

In our communication later, Bernd told me about Claudia’s comment.  They went to the funeral of a friend, who was passed away overnight.  Claudia said that it was so suddenly.  One should be prepared for that.  They then promised to tell each other every night before going to sleep, how they loved each other..  This was so lovely.

The other thing that I learned from them was that, Claudia who was the house wife only, was considered as she earned half of the income.  It was expensive to hire someone to do the house work, and no one would care of little Frank better than his mother.

I really like that.  If a husband looked at family matter that way, there would not be such a word like  ‘I am earning the money for you to use’ that always hurts the wife.

This lovely family did educate me.

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