I have been around the world several times in my lifetime, met thousands upon thousands of people and as sure as I’m sitting here typing this, Brian D. is the strangest individual that I have ever met. Not just a little stranger, but far and away stranger. In fact, I was never able to carry on any resemblance for a conversation with him, in which I could, walked away knowing what had just been said.
However, I must be fair. His strangeness could have been because of his close encounters of a third kind and him living in a different plane that the rest of us. Also, apparently over the years he has made tremendous progress in his Buddhist studies and was far above us mere mortals. He was continually explaining this to anyone who would listen, but they all gave up listening within minutes as no one had any idea what he was talking about. But again that may have been our fault as we didn’t speak alien languages.
Sadly to say, he was another American, who was probably in his early to mid fifties. He was from the state of Alaska but never talked about his past and I only know this as I once saw a copy of his college diploma, which he left out on a desk. Was it real? I assume so, but no one ever knows. I have no idea what he did for a real job before he ran away to Thailand. Or did he ever have a real job. He had been in Thailand for quite some time and I believe he was one of those that went from school to school, year after year, his contract never being renewed.
He had a Thai wife and lived near the school. No children with the Thai wife though he had a house full of relatives almost all the time as I recall. There was also an adult Thai male that was often living with him and his wife. I often wondered to myself who this man really was. I once saw him riding a motorcycle with Brians wife as the passenger. She wasn’t holding on to him, as one would, a cousin.
At some point he finally got on the nerves of everyone at the main school but rather than fire him before the end of the school year, he was moved to one of our branch schools. There he was assigned to teach one of the lower grade levels, first or second. Even though we had a course book and a teacher’s book that helps you lay out your classes step by step he for some reason didn’t feel the need to follow such guidelines. He devised lessons that were for college level students rather than elementary school kids just starting out in English. No one had any idea as to what he was teaching or what he was even saying.
Every day, yes every day, for more that two months the head teacher informed him to stop with the lessons and follow the book, that no one could follow this lessons. He just didn’t get it, and continued on with what ever was going on in his mind. Day, after day, after day. It was like he had no short time memory and yesterdays never occurred.
During the last month of the school years, he was informed that his contract would terminated on the last day of the school year and that a new contract would not be forthcoming. Then for a full month, he would ask almost daily if his new contract was ready for signature. Again, day after day he was told that February 28 would be his last day and the reasons why.
February 28th rolls around and at the end of the workday what does he say? I’ll see you at the end of the two-week holiday. He still didn’t get it. He was then led to the office and after some discussion he left ranting and raving. This still didn’t end it. He went to the owner’s home still pleading ignorance of what had gone wrong. Even his wife got involved and many harsh words ended up being spoken. He even attempted to assassinate the school and head teacher in the ajarn.com forum. Some of what he wrote to them may have been true, but he also left a lot of the story untold. Anyway, he finally disappeared from the scene.
About a year ago one of our teachers was visiting their family in Burma. While there he ran into an old aquaintace who owns a school in Rangoon. During their discussions it was learned that Brian was then working in Burma. I guess he finally used up his welcome in Thailand.
That’s my Brian story and I’m sticking to it. Again I welcome comments of anyone in agreement or disagreement. Next issued: Matthew the Computer Geek.
2 comments:
Boy this comment process is a pain in the ass... slow.. are you suggesting that Brian's wife was intimate with other man??
From a psychotherapy perspective, a question. In regards to your profile: Of all the pictures of yourself you must have, or could take, why did you choose a picture of you in your brother, Tom's woodworking shop located on Collier's Hill in rural Louisiana.
Your blog is great, a treat to read, thanks for the effort.
Often in Thailand, unsuspecting westerners form relationships with women who have Thai husbands. These men are passed off as brothers, cousins, etc. This is not an uncommon scam. See the Teakdoor Foum, they often have postings about this. Was this the case with Brian? Don't know, just looked suspicious.
The photo: Three reasons, I like the picture, I don't really have that many pictures of myself where I am smiling and this one was contained in "My Documents" and easy to transport over to the blog. A skill which I have not fully mastered.
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