Nanta and her daughter Ann come to America!


On April 6, 2008 Nanta flew in an airplane for the first time in her life, and came to America. The next day her daughter, Ann, took HER first airplane ride and came to America too!

Our first day sightseeing, it was COLD and Nanta had never put on gloves before, but she figured it out!
two pictures show Nanta in a parking lot with one glove on, and the other hand in a glove with the fingers going into random parts of the glove.  She looks like she is puzzled and concentrating two pictures show Nanta in a parking lot with one glove on, and the other hand in a glove with the fingers going into random parts of the glove.  She looks like she is puzzled and concentrating Nanta stands in the parking lot with both gloves on, with a big smile.  She wears a coat and is holding a long cane.

Nanta and Anne are lucky to come when the cherry trees blossom!
Photo shows Dona, Nanta and Ann in front of water with a branch of cherry blossons hanging over and behind them.  On the other side of the water is land with short buildings, behind which the tall, slender Washington Monument can be seen.  Ann is holding Nanta's arm and Nanta is holding a white cane. Nanta is standing with a railing to her right, water on the other side of the railing, and a cherry blossom arching over her toward the water.  Ann is hugging her from behind, and Nanta is reaching her cane up to touch the cherry tree branch. Dona, Ann and Nanta stand in front of the railing with water behind them.  Cherry tree blossoms hang over behind them, and on the other side of the water is the Jefferson Memorial. Nanta and Ann stand in front of a cherry tree, with a street visible behind them and in the distance is the Washington Monument.  Ann has one arm around Nanta and with the other hand holds up two fingrs in the 'V for victory' sign.

We visited the Jefferson Memorial and learned about our third President, then we sat on the marble steps of the Jefferson Memorial to listen to a performance of steel drum music.
Photo shows the inside of the Jefferson Memorial, which has many columns surrounding a statue of Jefferson standing about 20-30 feet tall.  Ann and Nanta are standing in front of one of the columns. Photo shows Ann standing in front of the statue of Jefferson. Photo shows Nanta and Ann sitting on marble steps leading up to the columns, the statue of Jefferson is visible behind the columns.  Three other people are sitting on other parts of the stairs and one person is leaning against a column.

The music was performed by students of a teacher from Trinidad, and Nanta got to try it herself.
A young, dark-skinned teenage girl wearing a scarf around her head and a black shiny jacket is smiling and holding a drumstick in front of her steel drum.  The drum has a concave steel top (looks like a large, shallow bowl) with a diameter about 2 feet across.  To her right, Nanta is holding the other drumstick and leaning in to touch the drum. To the girl's left is Ann with her hands folded and smiling while watching Nanta. The student has her hand on Nanta's hand and is showing her how to hit the drum. Nanta has one hand on the metal inside the drum and the other is hitting it with a drumstick -- the student is guiding her hand. Nanta is reaching all the way to the middle of the drum with both hands.

After a long day, we relaxed around the kitchen table [bottom left]. A week later, they stayed in New York City, graciously hosted by Sara Tsutsumi (second from left in the photo below).
Nanta, Ann and Dona are sitting at a kitchen table.  Dona is eating a salad, Nanta's and Anns' dishes are empty.  Nanta is leaning over to say something to Dona. Ann, Nanta, Sarah and Dona sit on the couch, smiling at the camera.

Ann's last weekend in America

We left New York Friday, and Ann had to return home to Bangkok the following Sunday to get back to work. Her last weekend in America was a busy one! It started with a Mexican dinner after the long drive from New York City Friday night.
Ann, Nanta and Dona sit in a booth -- on the wall behind them is a drawing of Mexican singers. Nanta wears a huge sombrero (hat with a large brim) and stands with Ann in front of the counter with the woman manager smiling.

Saturday we went to the Naval Academy ...
Ann stands in the museum surrounded by flagpoles with the American flag. Remaning photos all show Ann or Nanta and Ann posing in front of the Naval Academy with cadets (students from the Academy).  In one of the photos, a cadet hugs Ann. Remaning photos all show Ann or Nanta and Ann posing in front of the Naval Academy with cadets (students from the Academy).  In one of the photos, a cadet hugs Ann. Remaning photos all show Ann or Nanta and Ann posing in front of the Naval Academy with cadets (students from the Academy).  In one of the photos, a cadet hugs Ann. Remaning photos all show Ann or Nanta and Ann posing in front of the Naval Academy with cadets (students from the Academy).  In one of the photos, a cadet hugs Ann.

... and walked through Annapolis, checking out some of the quaint, historic doorways.
Nanta and Ann stand in front of a fence of a charmng yellow home with flowers on the fence. Photos show Nanta standing on small porches in front of two homes, feeling the knockers and designs on the doors.  One is shaped like an anchor, one shaped like a pineapple, and one is a design of flowers.

At the little Annapolis harbor, Nanta enjoyed seeing the life-size statue of Alex Haley surrounded by children listening to his stories (some of the children she discovered were real!). Nanta had read Haley's book "Roots" about his ancestor Kunta Kinte.
4 photos show life-sized statues on a plaza, one is of Haley sitting on a wall reading a book, there are 3 other statures of children listening to him.  One child statue lies on his stomach looking up at Haley, two others are sitting down.  Standing on Haley's lap and on one of the child statues is a real child. 4 photos show life-sized statues on a plaza, one is of Haley sitting on a wall reading a book, there are 3 other statures of children listening to him.  One child statue lies on his stomach looking up at Haley, two others are sitting down.  Standing on Haley's lap and on one of the child statues is a real child. 4 photos show life-sized statues on a plaza, one is of Haley sitting on a wall reading a book, there are 3 other statures of children listening to him.  One child statue lies on his stomach looking up at Haley, two others are sitting down.  Standing on Haley's lap and on one of the child statues is a real child. 4 photos show life-sized statues on a plaza, one is of Haley sitting on a wall reading a book, there are 3 other statures of children listening to him.  One child statue lies on his stomach looking up at Haley, two others are sitting down.  Standing on Haley's lap and on one of the child statues is a real child.

We went for a few minutes to see the Chesapeake Bay beach. Nanta flew a kite for the first time in her life when we asked if she could hold someone's kite, and we saw the Chesapeake Bay bridge (in the water behind Ann and Nanta in the second photo). The bridge is four miles long.
3 photos show Nanta with her arms raised, holding the string of a colorful kite flying above her. 3 photos show Nanta with her arms raised, holding the string of a colorful kite flying above her. 3 photos show Nanta with her arms raised, holding the string of a colorful kite flying above her. Ann hugs Nanta from behind her.  They are standing on the beach.  Barely visible on the other side of the water is a long bridge. Photo shows Nanta's shoes full of sand -- she is holding one of them.  the shoes are designed with two circles on the toes,and a feathered border around the entire shoe, from toes to heel and back.







We ended the evening at one of our favorite Indian restaurants, and took a picture with the owner Kumar. During their visit here, Nanta and Ann had tried many ethnic foods for the first time -- Indian, Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern -- and loved them all.

Nanta is standing and smiling while a woman with a security uniform holds a wand in front of her, grinning at the camera. Behind Nanta is another security guard, smiling.



The next day, Ann flew home to Thailand, and Nanta flew to visit Margery Obed in Michigan for a week (Nanta had roomed with Margery when Margery was in Thailand in the Peace Corps). Her adventures included a friendly frisk-down at the airport security when the pins in her hair set off the metal detector.


After returning from Michigan, Nanta visited with some of Dona's friends who are blind -- Cecilia Warren, Penny Reeder and Jane and Pat Sheehan.

In Cecilia's kitchen, Nanta stands between Patrick and Cecelia with their arms around each other and smiling.  Patrick's shoulders are taller than Nanta's head.




Cecilia (shown here with her son Patrick -- her mother is in the background with Cecilia's guide dog) took Nanta for a day in Annapolis. They first had English tea and crab cakes, then went on a tour boat through Annapolis Harbor.

Then Nanta went to visit Penny and her family. Penny teaches blind people, and Nanta got to observe one of her lessons, then went to the "White Cane Shop and More" and saw lots of gadgets adapted for blind people.

photo shows Nanta smiling and standing next to a world globe that is about 3 feet in diameter, mounted on a pedestal so the top is about 5 feet from the floor.  The land features of the globe, including mountains, are raised so they can be felt, and Nanta has her hand on the globe with her first fingertip on Maryland.





Lastly Nanta visited Pat and Jane Sheehan. Pat and his friend took Nanta for a tour of the National Library of Congress (where she touched a tactile globe of the world for the first time in her life!) and visited the gift shops at the Smithsonian.


Nanta's last weekend in America

Nanta's last weekend was a busy one. Saturday morning found her still at the home of Jane and Pat Sheehan. Pat, Nanta and Dona looked at some accessible pedestrian signals in the area.

Nanta and Dona then went to McDonald's so Dona could get some milk for her breakfast, and they explored the maze and rode down the slide.
6 photos show Nanta inside colorful round tubes, crawling on her hands and knees.  When she reaches the tubular slide, she turns around and puts her feet into the slide and goes down, laughing. 6 photos show Nanta inside colorful round tubes, crawling on her hands and knees.  When she reaches the tubular slide, she turns around and puts her feet into the slide and goes down, laughing. 6 photos show Nanta inside colorful round tubes, crawling on her hands and knees.  When she reaches the tubular slide, she turns around and puts her feet into the slide and goes down, laughing. 6 photos show Nanta inside colorful round tubes, crawling on her hands and knees.  When she reaches the tubular slide, she turns around and puts her feet into the slide and goes down, laughing. 6 photos show Nanta inside colorful round tubes, crawling on her hands and knees.  When she reaches the tubular slide, she turns around and puts her feet into the slide and goes down, laughing.

Saturday afternoon, at the picnic of the Metro Washington Association of the Deaf-Blind, Nanta learned some sign language. Blaise Delahoussaye, who is deaf-blind, used many ways to teach her the meaning of the sign for "yes," including printing letters in her hand (she knows English braille but doesn't recognize all the English letters), and showing her what it means to shake her head "yes" and "no" (she had never realized that people move their head up and down and sideways to mean "yes" and "no").

Below, Blaise signs "nice to meet you" while Nanta reads it with her hands ...
2 photos show Blaise, who is tall, bending forward, with Nanta's hands on top of his.  He signs 'nice' (one hand on top of the other) and 'you' (pointing to Nanta). 2 photos show Blaise, who is tall, bending forward, with Nanta's hands on top of his.  He signs 'nice' (one hand on top of the other) and 'you' (pointing to Nanta).

... and Nanta signs "Nice to meet you" while Blaise reads it with his hands.
2 photos show Nanta doing the same signs, but Blaise's hands are on Nanta's hands. 2 photos show Nanta doing the same signs, but Blaise's hands are on Nanta's hands.

Blaise hand is waving 'bye!' while Nanta's hand is on his.




Blaise signs "good bye!"


The next morning, Nanta and Dona brought their breakfast to the beach by Chesapeake Bay. On their way to the water, they met a man with a metal detector. He said that he is part of a group that comes to the beach a few times a year -- they hide a lot of coins in the sand, then find them with the metal detector -- he found about $75 worth of coins today. When Nanta tried it, she heard some metal, reached down and found -- her cane!
3 photos show Nanta and a man standing on a path.  Nanta is holding the metal detector (looks like a long stick with a round plate on the bottom).  The middle photo shows her bending down to reach under the plate, and the 3rd photo shows her picking up her folded cane. 3 photos show Nanta and a man standing on a path.  Nanta is holding the metal detector (looks like a long stick with a round plate on the bottom).  The middle photo shows her bending down to reach under the plate, and the 3rd photo shows her picking up her folded cane. 3 photos show Nanta and a man standing on a path.  Nanta is holding the metal detector (looks like a long stick with a round plate on the bottom).  The middle photo shows her bending down to reach under the plate, and the 3rd photo shows her picking up her folded cane.

[Left, below] Other people pass by with their metal detectors. [Right, below] Nanta and Dona sit by the beach.
3 men, each carrying a metal detector and some baskets and bags, are walking along the path toward Nanta and the man. Dona and Nanta are sitting in the sun on beach chairs and smiling.  Dona is holding an umbrella to give her shade and is wearing short pants and a long-sleeved shirt, Nanta is wearing a jacket and long pants.

Nanta goes wading for the first time since she was a little girl. As we stood in the water, another man with a metal detector passed by, collecting treasures along the bottom of the water.
2 photos show Nanta standing in the water with her pants rolled up to her knees.  The water is making little waves, and is covering her ankles. 2 photos show Nanta standing in the water with her pants rolled up to her knees.  The water is making little waves, and is covering her ankles. 2 photos show Nanta still standing in the water.  A man is standing deeper in the water and talking with her.  He is wearing a 'wet suit' (covering his body for warmth) and the water is above his knees.  He wears headphones *to hear the metal detector) and has a metal detector with a hose, and a little floating raft to hold his treasure. 2 photos show Nanta still standing in the water.  A man is standing deeper in the water and talking with her.  He is wearing a 'wet suit' (covering his body for warmth) and the water is above his knees.  He wears headphones *to hear the metal detector) and has a metal detector with a hose, and a little floating raft to hold his treasure.

Nanta could hear two families enjoy the water near where we sat in our chairs -- the closer family was from the Middle East and the other family was from China. Dona described to Nanta how the two fathers played with their daughters.
3 photos show an Arab man sitting in the shallow water, and deeper in the water is a Chinese man squatting.  Each man is with a little girl about 2-3 years old.  The Arab girl first stands behind her father, then sits on his lap.  The Chinese father is holding the girl and pulling her through the water. 3 photos show an Arab man sitting in the shallow water, and deeper in the water is a Chinese man squatting.  Each man is with a little girl about 2-3 years old.  The Arab girl first stands behind her father, then sits on his lap.  The Chinese father is holding the girl and pulling her through the water. 3 photos show an Arab man sitting in the shallow water, and deeper in the water is a Chinese man squatting.  Each man is with a little girl about 2-3 years old.  The Arab girl first stands behind her father, then sits on his lap.  The Chinese father is holding the girl and pulling her through the water. An Arab woman is in the water up to her knees, holding up a long skirt and taking pictures of the Arab man and his little girl.  Beyond them, in deeper water, the Chinese man is carrying the little girl on his shoulders, with another little child coming into the water.  Much deeper, another Chinese man is standing in the water up to his waist.

In the afternoon, Dona's husband Fred, son Paul and Paul's wife Jomania went with Nanta and Dona to Baltimore and ate crabs at Obrykie's restaurant in "Little Italy."
Photo shows a one-story brick building with a sign above some double doors saying 'Obrycki's'. Seated around a table, which is coverd with brown paper, are Paul, Jomania, Dona, Nanta and Fred.  On the table is a pitcher of beer and lots of empty crab shells. Fred and Paul are holding up crabs (they are about a foot wide, from the end of one pincher to the other).

After dinner, we walked to a street that was blocked off to celebrate Cinco de Mayo ("Fifth of May" -- Independence Day for Mexico). A crowd gethered around a stage in the middle of the street with music and dancing. We tried to talk with some of them but they spoke no English, only Spanish.

Baltimore is well-known for the little stairways in front of its homes, where people sit in the warm evenings to get fresh air and chat with neighbors. Paul and Jomania, Nanta and Dona sat on some of the steps, and later talked with one of the residents [far right]. She said that the homes that have steps are the ones that have a basement, because the floors of those homes are raised above street level. She showed Nanta how the marble steps are caulked together and explained how they are cleaned with "power washing." She sometimes goes to her neighbors around the corner and sits on their steps to visit.
2 photos show Paul and Jomania sitting on about 3 brick steps in front of one door, and about 5 feet away Nanta and Dona are sitting on another set of steps in front of another door. Further down the block are about 4 more sets of steps leading up to doors (each set has about 4 steps).  The houses are connected and 2-3 stories tall. 2 photos show Paul and Jomania sitting on about 3 brick steps in front of one door, and about 5 feet away Nanta and Dona are sitting on another set of steps in front of another door. Further down the block are about 4 more sets of steps leading up to doors (each set has about 4 steps).  The houses are connected and 2-3 stories tall. A woman is standing in front of her door on top of a set of 3 white marble steps, smiling at the camera.  Nanta and Dona are on the sidewalk, and Dona is talking to the woman.  Along the wall, about 10 feet away is another door, with only one short step in front of it, and the wall extends for the rest of the block, with rows of houses all connected together ('row houses')

Paul and Jomania have a car that is a convertible, which means that the top of the car can come off. Nanta got to feel the top come off, then Paul drove her around the block before we went home.
Paul sits in the car while the top of the car is rising up (it is hinged at the back).  Nanta is standing beside the car with her arm extended toward the top (it just went beyond her reach). 2 photos show Nanta inside the car and taking a ride -- she is waving in the first photo. 2 photos show Nanta inside the car and taking a ride -- she is waving in the first photo.

Nanta and her daughter Ann got to experience America in very special ways, meeting people and seeing how they live. We're very grateful to the people who hosted them, and shared a part of their lives and homes.

Return to "Visiting Nanta Rattanagoses in Thailand"
Return to home page