This past weekend we, the Thailand WorldTeach Volunteers, had our mid-service meetings. This means our teaching is officially half way through. I have been in Thailand a full five months and have been teaching in Chok Amnuay for 4 of them. Mostly the meetings were to recap the past five months and to get lesson plan suggestions from fellow volunteers and give feedback on how to improve the program for next year.
Last week with the meeting approaching and many schools having their last week of teaching I began reflecting on where I have come since October when I first arrived. It took my roommate Plair leaving to go work down south for two months for me to really look back on my life from when I first got here. I would like to take you back to the afternoon of October 7th 2010, Thailand time of course. I was on my way to visit Chok Amnuay for the first time. It seems like my visit was a whirl wind. I remember getting out of the car upon my arrival and being swarmed by teachers and students shuffling me and my fellow volunteers Zach, Ben and Peter into the library meeting room, now my office, where we had a brief introduction. After chatting with my teachers and having a tour of the school we visited my house. I had two options of housing: living with a host family or in a house owned by a family who would live next door and their 18 year old daughter would sleep in the house with me. Previously to October 7th Jes, my field director, and I had confirmed that I would live with the host family. On October 7th that plan had changed without warning to either Jes or myself and I was touring the house I would live in with the 18 year old.
Flashing forward to last week March 1st 2011. I got home from school later than I usually do to find Plair, my 18 year old roommate, packing up one of her friend’s cars. The pieces of previous confusing conversations came together in my mind. Plair was leaving to go down south to work for the two months of summer break. I was sad to see her go and immediately once I set my school bags inside I walked over to wish her well and hug her good-bye for 2 months. I felt sad to say good-bye and felt if I wasn’t around a bunch of Thai people who never show much emotion that I would have cried at her departure. It got me thinking back to October 7th and how I was a little uneasy about a then 17 year old living with me when her mother, Mah and 5 year old nephew, Gamon, would sleep in the house next to us. She seemed so young and uncomfortable with the idea of having to sleep with me, which made me a little skeptical of the living situation as well. It took Plair leaving for me to reflect back on that first impression I had of living with her.
As it turns out I love where I live and the relationships I have built with Plair, Mah and Gamon. They are wonderful people and I love them as my own family. I love living with Plair and talking in the evenings about silly things or teaching each other our native languages. She isn’t a typical 18 year old. She is mature, driven, loving and never questions the chores she is assigned around the house. Her day usually begins around 5 or 5:30 in the morning where she will get ready for school and help to make breakfast and prep things for dinner if needed. She catches the sawng taw truck to school and returns home around 4:00. Once she gets home she is put on dinner and dishes duty. She gets things prepped for dinner and then heads to the wash bucket to wash all the dishes from the night before and from that day. Once dishes are complete she finishes making dinner and then enjoys it with her mother and nephew. After dinner she does a few more chores, gets ready for bed and comes over to my house where we hang out for a little bit. After talking she goes to her room and does her homework before going to bed around 9:00. In her free time she likes to read books, the only Thai person I know who reads for fun, or study Chinese. Plair, a poor village girl, is one of the most driven and hard working Thai people, for that matter 18 year olds, I know and is the most perfect housemate.
Watching her get into the truck last Tuesday and waving good-bye to her as she stared directly at me and no one else made me scared for the day in September where I will say good-bye. Not just for 2 months but for an unknown amount of time. I dread that day!
I have come a long way since October. I am no longer exhausted to try to speak Thai, rather I crave to speak it. I went from being skeptical of living with an 18 year old to finding it enjoyable to giggle awkwardly and gossip with her about random things. I now enjoy my bus rides to NKP instead of dreading how far out I live compared to the other volunteers and I feel lucky to have the most rural placement. I was skeptical of going to the markets and buying food but now am sad when I don’t get to go and buy tasty ahan (food). I began by knowing no Thai people now I consider the Thai’s I know to be family, leaving me with 4 families to make up for the one giant one I left back home. Seeing how quickly mid-service came when back in October it seemed like ages away, I am dreading September 28th 2011. I think about leaving the people I love and not knowing when I will see them again and I begin to peddle backwards trying to make time slow down. Whenever I am not around either of my families I miss them dearly and can’t wait to get to see them. So although I am excited for 2 months of vacation and traveling around Thailand I am also sad to be leaving Chok Amnuay- my village of luck and comfort as it is directly translated.Mah, Plair and Gamon are the ones who provide me with a safe and comfortable place to live and give me company when I return from school.
PA Gai, Phe Toy, Donah, Owen and __________ are the first family I had and the ones that took me under their wing and made me feel welcomed in Thailand and the ones that continue to include me as a family member even now that PA Gai is no longer my principal.
Paw Kit, Mah Nee and Naa Tak is my family that keeps me well fed and the ones to blame for my weight gain. They not only feed me but make sure I am comfortable at all time living in Chok Amnuay and making sure I feel a part of the community.
Last but not least Phe Nok. The best sister one could ever ask for and the only Thai who I don’t have to be careful about licking my fingers in front of or wearing my tank top or not hiding my feet when I sit on the floor or teasing in a playful way. She is also my weekend entertainer and the first Thai to give me a hug on the day I met her. Not to mention our birthdays are less than a week apart.
My summer break is officially starting this Friday March 11th and going to May 26th. Not sure how much I will be in touch between those dates so have a wonderful 2 months to everyone back home!
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