Tae Yoon: Life from 2006-2021

it's been awhile since i've explored new parts of bangkok, and i woke up this morning determined to do something about it.

i did some research online and found out that the neilson hays library was having a used book sale today---what luck! i've been meaning to check out this library for some time now, and was excited to finally go and hopefully come home with a few good books as well.

the neilson hays library was first established by a group of western women who were living in bangkok around the 1870's (i can't even imagine these women living in what was most likely all jungle and swampland back then, it's pretty interesting to think about). so within this group of women, there was someone named jennie neilson hays, who was married to a prominent doctor in town. jennie passed away in 1920, and in order to house all the books that she and her women's group had amassed, her husband built this library in honor of her.

i was so fortunate because the weather was nothing short of amazing today, and it felt nice to get lost and walk along unfamiliar streets. after asking numerous people for directions, all of whom had no idea that a library of this manner even existed in bangkok, i finally found my way and arrived at the library dripping with sweat.

the people running the book sale and library were all very nice, and i ended up buying a book about kenya (because i hope to go there once in my lifetime), along with a copy of 100 years of solitude by gabriel garcía márquez, at ฿50 each. after checking out the sale, i decided to cool off and have a fresh coconut juice at the library's cafe. i sat there and relaxed by reading for about an hour or so, and then went inside the main building of the library to peruse in its air conditioning.

today was a really great sunday.