Thailand Tribute #1: Students

Wang Yang P. 1 & 2

Pla Pak Noi P. 1 & 2

Wang Yang P. 3

Pla Pak Noi P. 3 & 4

Wang Yang P. 4 & 5

Pla Pak Noi P. 5

Wang Yang P. 6

Pla Pak Noi P. 6

Goodbyes came faster and hit me harder than I thought they ever would. The past week has been a whirlwind of string tying ceremonies, dinner parties, and hugs. I still find it hard to believe that I will no longer go to my schools every day, and that by Tuesday morning I will be in Kuala Lumpur to start my backpacking trip in Malaysia. Despite all the heartache I’ve felt, and will continue to feel for some time when I think of my students, I am also leaving with a very full and happy heart. It has been an honor to teach these students for a year; they have filled my life with so much joy and happiness, at times I didn’t know what to do with it. The last few days at my schools were wonderful and we celebrated with lots of dancing and laughter. I only hope I was able to leave them with even a portion of the love they gave me.

Thailand Tribute #2: WorldTeach Family

Last night together in Nakhon Phanom

Dear fabulous friends,

We met for the first time last October at LAX, but by the time we landed in Taipei to catch our connecting flight to Bangkok, we had already bonded in a way that only people moving abroad together for a year do. We were each others main source of support throughout much of orientation and by the time we began teaching in November it was impossible to imagine a Thailand without our group of ten plus field director.

We’ve been with each other through all the joys and triumphs that come with living abroad, as well as the heartaches, the uncertainties and the frustrations. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve danced, and we’ve traveled; there is no memory I am taking with me that doesn’t include at least one of you.

I am anticipating that our lives will continue to cross more frequently than we think, if not because of our gravitation towards international work and education, then because of our ardent love for travel, adventure, and the unknown. Thank you so much for all you have given me this past year and I cannot wait to see where our next chapters take us.

Much love and chok dee,

Bai-Khao

“I love leaf rice”

Among the many love notes and warm greetings I received from my students the first week back, this one was my favorite. It is a direct translation of my Thai nickname, Bai Khao. It was a wonderful first week of teaching after two months of vacation; I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be a teacher in the village schools but falling back into a routine felt natural. However, I was exhausted by the end of each day and found myself crashing by 9:00pm on Wednesday–a record early bedtime for me! I do feel somewhat more prepared to teach English after a semester of experience and I am looking forward to making adjustments to my teaching style to better fit the needs of my classes.

Other than teaching, I’m keeping busy practicing yoga in the morning and getting back into aerobic dance in the evenings. I have some lesson planning to do before tomorrow so please excuse the short post. I’ve uploaded some favorite pictures from my backpacking trip so hopefully you’ll have time to take a look. Oh yes, and in good Thai fashion, I already have my first shortened work week of the semester since there’s a national holiday on Friday–Cheers!