[WertyNtont]

The Thai people are not so disconnected from death as are, say, Americans. They don't just cart the body away, keeping as many people from seeing as possible, and then the next time you see them they are all embalmed and made up like a Hollywood actor. When my father-in-law was dying, he was attended to by family members old and young. When he died, family members handled the body and prepared it for transport. The casket was open and people poured coconut water over it (again old and young alike). My brother-in-law video taped the whole thing, even capturing his dying words. It is so much more personal and connected than the sterile procedures used in America. I will do everything within my power to ensure that I die at home in Thailand, surrounded by family and friends. I am totally repulsed by the idea of dying in a hospital or nursing home, surrounded by undereducated and underpaid strangers.