soiboy

Two of my favorites to spend a few days at a time with when I'm in Thailand have very different stories in this regard. #1 is the eldest child in her family, and the only son. Her father can't accept her, but at least her mother and high-school aged sister do talk with her regularly. Even with this semi-estrangement she feels a huge responsibility to send money to her family since they are very poor, even if that means that she has no savings of her own and therefore little chance of a future out of "the business" (which she doesn't really like) unless she makes some changes. #2 is the youngest of five children in a family that at least has a little bit of money. Her older siblings are all married with children and gainfully employed. Thus, there is little pressure on her to fulfill any particular role in the family so she is basically free to be who she is. She visits home regularly to go to temple with her mother and to cook for her family (she's a really good cook!). So, yes, the circumstances of each girl's family really have an impact on how they are viewed.

"Lucy" is the name of the one in the black dress in the 6th pic on p. 1 (on the left), and the 6th, 10th, 11th, 16th, and 17th pics on p. 2. She's a sweetie, speaks enough English to get by, is uninhibited, and very versitile. There, I finally have something to offer the forum!