ISB NETWORK NEWS Volume 47 April 2006 HM King Bhumiphol Adulyadej By Mom Bongkojpriya (Betty) Yugala (
[email protected]) On the second day after my arrival in Thailand, back in April 1966, I was taken to Hua Hin to be presented to His Majesty as a new member of the royal family. My husband’s aunt had prepared the traditional flowers and incense that I had to present to His Majesty as a gesture of loyalty, and I was prepped on the protocol. Although so nervous that I hardly could take it all in, I remember the scene at Klaikangwol (“Far From Worries”) Palace, very vividly. Feeling very close to worry and very nervous at the time, I thought the palace was inaccurately named. We all prostrated ourselves in front of him, and with my relatives’ help, I handed the traditional items to HM, along with a few albums of Jazz music that I had purchased back in the States, and had prepared for the occasion. Looking intently at me, he asked my husband, in Thai, of course, whether I could speak the language. But, being able to at least understand what was being said, I blurted, “Not yet, Your Majesty”. He smiled, laughed and commented that I would learn fast. But I wondered, at first, whether he had really accepted me, because in my youth and ignorance I felt uncomfortable when he made it a point not to speak to me in English, one of the languages he speaks fluently. It took me a long time to realize that by speaking to me only in Thai, he was showing his acceptance of me as a new member of the family.