Dust Off Your Giggler And Read This Book!

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	• A Broad Abroad In Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles Dodie Cross Four Ways West/Cross Publications, 2007 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Broad Abroad in Thailand

Living abroad in Thailand is not always all it is said to be as author Dodie Cross quickly realized. The result of her near year-long adventure? A "laugh out loud must-read memoir" called A Broad Aboard in Thailand An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles.

When newly widowed Dodie first met and became involved with Dick, she had no idea what lay in store for her. When Dick is offered an incredible job opportunity in Thailand, there is no question that Dodie wanted to go along. Pushed into a quick marriage, the two soon set off for lands unknown.

Their first experiences in Thailand were luxurious. If only the same could be said for the rest of her stay. Dick and Dodie are soon moved into a new company-owned home and begin to realize very quickly that this wonderful opportunity came with some serious strings attached.

Dodie is fortunate to find many allies and friends. Faithful Pon, Dodie's live-in housekeeper and friend very quickly earned a place in Dodie's heart, as did the "beautiful orphans" Dodie considered herself fortunate to work with at the Pattaya Orphanage. The ladies from the Pattaya International Ladies' Club (PILC) also played a large part in comforting Dodie and helping her to keep her sanity but at the same time were part of an on-going problem Dodie had with the boss' wife, Mrs. Anorexia or Mrs. A for short (named changed to protect the guilty).

While the area and the friends Dodie made would endear Thailand to her forever, problems followed her almost from the beginning of this fateful journey. The primary problem Dodie faced was Dick. Dick suffered from an addiction and had, at times some extreme issues. This would be a large part of their undoing. Competing with Dick for "problem of the trip" was the insufferable control freak Mrs. A. While not an employee of The Company, Mrs. A issued many rules regarding nearly every aspect of the lives - both public and private - of the employees and their wives. To cross Mrs. A or to break one of her and her husband's rules was to earn an instant trip back to the States. Unfortunately for Dodie, she and Mrs. A were at cross purposes almost constantly. Medical problems, a near fatal accident and probably countless blunders in dealing with the Thai people all plague Dodie as well.

This memoir, though thick, is very difficult to put down. Dodie Cross has achieved a great accomplishment: her readers will feel an almost immediate connection to her. They will feel her anxiety, her stresses, her amusement and most certainly with groan along with her at the mere thought of Mrs. A. Mrs. Cross is to be applauded for this outstanding book.

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Dust Off Your Giggler And Read This Book!

A Broad Abroad In Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles
Reading this book was like having your best friend return from an extended experience abroad and having her share this period of her life with you. It's fresh and alive, and you feel as if the author is talking to you and only you. As good friends do, she tells you everything, knowing full well that she can trust you and that you will understand, and that you will love her no matter how her story ends. She shares the humor, the anger, the frustration, the disappointment, the health hurdles and the corporate politics involved in her own personal life as well as the sounds, the smells, the language, the culture, and the natural beauty of Thailand. When I finished reading this book, I felt as if I had been there with her. She's a wonderful story-teller! Get her book, put on your jammies and curl up on the couch for a delightful few hours of laughs.

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What a trip!

What a trip...sorry to say it's over! Reminds me of when I was a kid and our family went to the drive-in theatre. They would give us a sucker as we drove in. I would taste it and lick it and plan to make it last the entire evening... but I always found myself chomping down before the cartoon was over...way too soon! It happened with this book too. I wanted to read a chapter at a time and savor it but found myself flipping to the next chapter and finishing...way too soon! I was entertained and enlightened, what more could I ask...except, where are we going next?

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Adventures and misadventures in Thailand

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (12/07)

"A Broad Abroad in Thailand" promised to be a book that I could relate to in several ways. Being an expat myself, I always find what other expats have to say about their new countries fascinating; I've always considered myself a broad and I absolutely adore Thailand. So at a first glance I found it hard to imagine that the book could live up to my expectations...

Having read a fair number of books about expat life and experiences, I mostly found them quite imbalanced and superficial. Granted, most of the authors were rather young, but in the majority of cases I was just not overly impressed by them. Dodie Cross' "A Broad Abroad in Thailand" is definitely an exception. The author never tries to hide the fact that she was no spring chicken when she headed to the Land of Smiles, which certainly gives an interesting spin to her observations. We get to learn more about orphanages and healthcare than we do about beach parties and bars, which in my opinion is a nice improvement. Ms. Cross also nicely balances the funny-to-hilarious misadventures with more serious issues and her `who-could-ever-understand-those-habits' moments with her obvious admiration and respect of Thailand, its culture and its people.

Ms. Cross' memoir begins with a hasty marriage to a golf instructor, which is needed in order for her to be able to accompany him to his new position in Thailand. Although she is not totally certain that marrying Dick (and oh, what an appropriate name for him!) is such a great idea, she decides to go forward with it. Their move to a new country is very eventful - as those moves tend to be... Very soon she is battling not only a badly cracking marriage to a sex addict, but also countless rules and regulations imposed by the wife of Dick's boss, the overpowering Ms. Anorexia. Ms. Cross would rather get to know her new country and meet the people, but all such attempts are considered by Ms. Anorexia as against the rules. Then along comes the near-fatal accident on the infamous Sukhumvit Highway - which truly is at least as bad as described by Ms. Cross as well as a bladder surgery with unexpected results. Dick is not thrilled by Dodie's restored virginity, the boss is not thrilled by Dick and Ms. Anorexia is just generally not thrilled with anything, particularly not with Dodie. Such is the sorry state of affairs overall, which will only lead to more trouble. You will, however, have to read the book for yourself to learn how Dodie resolves the situation.

Having seen that Ms. Cross has also lived in New Orleans among other places, I will definitely keep an eye out for a book about those experiences. According to the little addendum, she is already working on one about her life in Iran, so I can only hope that the New Orleans one will be next. As for "A Broad Abroad in Thailand," I found it well written and very enjoyable. If you need something to brighten your day, just read one of the funnier chapters, maybe the one about mastering the use of Thai toilets or the joys of buying underwear in a strange country. You will feel so grateful that you do not have to deal with any of this that your day will immediately improve. Great read for expats, expats-to-be, wanna-be- expats, travelers and just about anybody else with a sense of humor.

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She takes on her life ride in Thailand

Reviewed by Claire Vath

Subtitled: An Ex-Pat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles

In the early 1990s, middle-aged, twice-widowed Dodie Cross had a whirlwind romance with a pony-tailed golf instructor named Dick, and soon found herself married and living in Pattaya Beach, Thailand. Her fateful trip left her with many life lessons--and her new, marvelous memoir, A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Ex-Pat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles.

The Thai job Dick was offered sounded too good to be true. Nevertheless, Dodi and Dick packed up their lives in the United States, had a quickie Vegas wedding and boarded a plane to "the land of smiles."

While initially reeling over the culture shock and stomach cramps, Dodie quickly begins to acquaint herself with Thai traditions, the language, sights, smells . . . and what Dodie refers to as the "ubiquitous Eastern toilet"--essentially a hole in the floor.

The couple moves into an expansive company house, rife with luxury. But the too-good-to-be-true façade is just that. Dodie soon finds her husband's sexuality overwhelming. Dick's boss, "Mr. JB" (Jelly Belly) and his wife "Mrs. A" (Anorexia)--as Dodie refers to them--govern the company wives with an iron fist, restricting many activities, which Dodie finds absurd.

Instead, Dodie fills her days secretly socializing with ex-pats outside the company and volunteering her time to write a newsletter and work with Thai orphans.

But things come to a peak when Dodie has surgery to repair her bladder. Dick is frustrated by her inability for sex; Mrs. A reprimands Dodie for her "rebellious" behavior; and the doctor revirginizes Dodie while she's under anesthesia--a fairly common practice, she's told as she undergoes an episiotomy.

In the end, Dodie's rebellion and Dick's job misgivings lead to Dick's career demise. Dodie realizes she doesn't love him, his anger or his sexual addiction. However, the friendships she's made, customs she's learned and the culture she's embraced make it difficult to leave Thailand.

Dodie Cross' memoir is an unbelievably wild anecdotal ride. Her wit, wisdom and writing style belong to the Erma Bombeck school of humor. This broad will have you laughing until you cry--all the while wishing you were in Thailand with her.

Armchair Interview says: This author tells a good story-hers!

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reviews: 1, page 2, 3

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