A Broad Abroad in Thailand follows the adventures
of this newlywed expat as she tries to settle into her new home
and a life full of challenges she could not have foreseen.
Her troubles begin soon after her arrival in this exotic land:
from the eastern squat toilet that she must learn to use, to the
auto accident on the deadly Sukhumvit Highway that should have taken
her life, to the final insultbladder surgery performed by an inscrutable
Thai doctor who decided to surgically restore her virginity, and
an intolerant nurse who is after her with a vengeanceand an enema
tube. To complicate matters further, she leaves the hospital A.M.A.
(Against Medical Advice) and has to be medevac'd back to the States
with her catheter tube swaying in the breeze. As if that's not enough
to slow down even the most determined of women, she has to deal
with her husband's insatiable testosterone level-a textbook case
of sexual fixation.
Interwoven throughout the fabric of her day-to-day life is an undercurrent
of absolute control and jealousy perpetrated by a most unlikely
source: the boss' wife, Mrs. Anorexia, who manipulates the wives
of the employees with her need to govern every aspect of their livesfrom
shopping, to entertainment, to friends.
In the end, it's her unflagging sense of humor that sees her through
all obstacles: from the first pitfalls and pratfalls in her new
land, through times of seemingly insurmountable problems.
Excerpt from Chapter:
I know that sex is a big part of the human condition, but sometimes
I wondered: if there were no sex forthcoming, would men even come
around? Would they even call us, cuddle with us, hold the door for
us, pull out the chair for us, put the toilet seat down for us?
I doubt it. I think the Almighty realized this in Her infinite wisdom
and came up with the solution. I can see it being planned: "Alright,"
She'd say, "they're as different as seaweed and sorghum so
I've got to find something that might make them tolerate each other.
Oh, I've got it..."
