Loving the simple things of living in the now!

6-28-11    3 months to go let the tears begin and more lifelong stories be written.

Just yesterday I opened my facebook and found a new feed from my fellow volunteer Amanda saying “exactly 2 months until I go home” because some people have to get home to a job or grad school. It makes me sad as this reality gets closer and closer each day. For me my 3 month marker day passed 2 days ago, not that I’m counting. I feel fortunate that I get another month of time in this beautiful country.

That doesn’t mean I don’t already feel rushed for time. I am stressing about how I am going to accomplish all I want to while here in Thailand. This includes both lessons I still want to teach as well as places I want to go with my Thai friends. I have felt this pressure ever since coming home from my summer break but even more so after hearing Amanda put the 2 month post up. In some ways I thank Amanda for doing this because it has forced me to live more in the present!

I love my students so much and can’t bear the thought of leaving them in a few short months. I worry about who will teach them next year or even if they will have a volunteer next year. I pray that another volunteer is placed here. I got a bit of good news today from Heather last week when she came to observe me. My new principal, PA Surisat, asked the head of the English department for all schools in Nakhon Phanom if I would be staying in Chok Amnuay another year. This made me consider staying another year but I know when the time comes to go home in 3 months I will be ready no matter how sad I will be. It also gives me hope for Chok Amnuay School that at least my new principal still wants an English speaking volunteer. If NKP had snow I would be here for another year but these 100 degree days with only a fan are killing me and I really don’t think I could survive another year with no snow.

So from here on out I am vowing to myself that when my students are driving me crazy because they aren’t listening I will take a deep breathe and get through the day knowing I will miss them and their craziness when I return home. And when I get so frustrated with them I want to scream I will smile knowing that they are making me a more patient person and testing my strength as a teacher.

So to all my students “I love each and every one of you and wish Mary Poppins’ bag was a real bag because I would buy it, put you all in it and take you home with me!”

Some of my feel good moments the past few weeks:

Afraid to give flowers to teachers on teacher day

Power outage = candle burning too low = fire in the bathroom

Early morning sunrise on the garden

afternoon of making friendship bracelets

Now that's what I call team work!!! Tallent too!

My daily hello from my silly students. . . silly/sneaky= words of the week

Pros already

Successfully made pasta in my electric wok! I won't have to eat pb&j every day now

Silly kids. . . notice the cigaret on the right mask. Boys will be boys at Chok Amnuay School!