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The Nine-Day
Pregnancy of a Single, Middle-Aged Associate Professor
It is quite similar
to drawing a picture. Sometimes we insert certain things that are
not real.
It may be the light, maybe the shadows; or a tree is added to the
landscape we are drawing that is not really in front of our eyes.
We do this to achieve a better sense of balance. It is not different
at all.
'Tong', as a noun means 'pregnancy'; as a verb it means 'being pregnant'.
If the pregnancy does not manifest itself inside the 'tong' (meaning
'belly'),
but outside the belly, wouldn't it then be difficult to achieve
a sense of balance?
Maybe it is because 'tong I means the creation
of new life, a growing new life. That makes the issue very important.
Besides this, 'tong' also concerns matters of love, sexual desire,
fashionable notions about continuation of the family name in certain
cultures,
and the wondrous joy that comes with it. 'Tong' is further associated
with strong bonds, and with coincidence.
'Tong' may have many more meanings. In some cultures,
'the one who is pregnant and the one who makes pregnant', have very
different statuses.
In that case, one may wonder how those two people could have met
at the point that is called becoming pregnant .
Being of the gender that has the
ability to become pregnant, and having to face many different conditions,
a woman with the status of Associate Professor, single, and coming
of an age where pregnancy is no longer desirable, this is a pregnancy
in the context of art, taking up a period of nine days.
One year later she travels from
Chiang Mai to settle some affairs in Bangkok. There she meets her
former advisor. He asks her: "How is your baby?" On seeing
her puzzled expression, he elaborates:
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