BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG
...is that a knock? What time is it?
I got up and stumbled to the door, thinking I'd missed my alarm or something. But it was still dark outside... I glanced at my phone. It read 3:17am. My roommate Charlayna picked her head up, obviously as confused as I was. I pulled the door open, hearing more commotion the closer to the door that I got. I already couldn't see, having sprung up with no glasses, and was met with a smoky hallway full of dark figures rushing past.
... Well, shit. I was glad I'd actually chosen decent bedclothes last night, but still had to scramble to find some pants. After fumbling around hurriedly in the dark, my hands finally found a skirt and threw it on and began down the stairs with the rest of the panicked throng of people. We were on the 8th floor. The smoke kept getting thicker as we descended, and I had to pull my shirt over my nose while trying to hold another hand across my chest for modesty's sake. I thought I was fine until I had a chance to sit down outside. I wasn't.
I began coughing, I couldn't breathe... It was so frustrating. My asthma hadn't bothered me in 7 years until Greece last year, and yet again abroad it decided to join the party. I started to hyperventilate. I kept coughing and coughing and the more I coughed the less I caught my breath and the more I would hyperventilate and it just became a long cycle of trying so hard to take a deep breath just to start coughing all over again. In through the nose, out through the mo-coughcoughcoughcoughcough. I was shaking so hard both Sean and Chase were on either side trying to help me breathe slowly and steady myself and comfort me through the shock that was starting to set in. Finally, an ambulance came and Ben selflessly came with me, holding my hand through oxygen masks and the Thai EMTs telling me to breathe slowly. Which would have worked if I hadn't kept coughing and wheezing. Oh, and the shock. Ben was so frazzled, trying very hard to find the words for asthma in Heather's Thai phrase book while also trying to hold my hands to warm them and keep me focused on breathing. I'm certain I scared him. He'd grab my head and make me focus on his eyes and breathe with him. My hands were going numb and I was shaking just about the hardest I ever have in my life. My face and hands were turning blue. I was lightheaded and swore sometimes there were two of Ben. I just kept trying to breathe in, breathe out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Just breathe...
We got to the hospital after a very short time, most of which I don't much remember, and I was put on an IV and drip. When I calmed down enough to breathe slowly enough, I was taken in for a chest X-ray. They rolled me in to the ICU and put me back on the oxygen mask and piled blankets on top of me (which I was so much more than grateful for, I was freezing). After a little while, maybe around 430 or 5 Maa Pet (the wife of the Yonok Foundation/Teach Thai director) came to make sure I was ok and took Ben back to the hotel for his belongings and so he could sleep.
Lucky devil. Between the IV, the oxygen mask, and the blood pressure machine along with all the lights and hospital sounds, I again got no sleep. Excepting between 12-3ish. Everyone in the hospital was so very sweet. They would come try to talk to me and were always making sure I was ok. I broke down at one point and started crying and like 5 nurses swarmed me saying "Oh no! What's wrong?! Are you ok? What can we do for you? Please don't cry, you're so pretty!" All I wanted was Mommy and Dad, and they immediately dialed and brought me the phone so I could talk to my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad, I know I woke y'all up being it was after midnight your time!
The director of the hospital came and gave me flowers and made sure I was ok... As far as hospital visits go, this one was almost pleasant. They made sure I ate breakfast and had coffee and juice and water.
Around 12ish, after settling everyone in to our new hotel down the street, Maa Pet came and I was discharged from the hospital. She brought me a change of clothes, I didn't even have any shoes or my glasses or contacts! We went to get something to eat for lunch (I got some delicious, delicious pad Thai and my favorite Thai spice tea), and she brought me to the new hotel and waited for me to change since I still wanted to visit the Thai school with the rest of the group.
The only other downside to the night were Dr. Nirund's assistants. A couple of the girls started calling as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, telling them that I was in an ambulance and the hotel was ON FIRE, to be met with the reaction that our plight wasn't serious enough to wake Dr. Nirund up. Thankfully, we got to Dr. Nirund shortly after and he did not at all feel that way, rushing down to the hotel and sending his wife to the hospital for us. I'm trying not to take it to heart because I didn't talk to the assistants directly (not that I could even talk. I'd try to crack jokes and lose all breath I'd gained; Ben kept shushing me), but that is really discouraging to hear. I'd like to know what the reasoning was, what part was insignificant enough that Dr. Nirund shouldn't have been woken...
The Thai school was a joy and a treasure! Given both my terrifying start to the day and their energetic and eager faces, I totally feel like I got this now! I am far less scared and way more excited. Everyone was so excited and eager to talk to us and ask us questions. Everyone was waving and bowing and smiling.... It was great. Not to even mention the round of applause from my fellow teachers when I rejoined and everyone telling me how glad they were I was alive. Thanks, guys! Me too....
So that was my day. All uphill from there, right? So many things I can now cross off the "I've never...." list. I'm alive and ok and in Thailand, and hopefully this hotel will be fine for the next 4 nights we have left.
The title of this post, btw, means "How are you?" My response this morning, when I could talk, was "Mai sa bai ka!" Not fine. But now, I think I could say "Sa bai dii ka!"
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