Two Weeks!

I can't believe that I leave this place in two weeks from today. 2011 has really flown by for me. I started the year off on January 1st flying across the ocean to Thailand with no idea what God had in store for this time. I had high hopes of helping every child at Baan Nam Jai develop an intrinsic love for reading that would propel them forward into a lifetime of reading. I also came expecting things to go nothing as I expect, and that's exactly what happened. Although I did get to work with the kids on their reading a bit and they have really enjoyed reading the various books that were donated and brought over, my main job here has been helping take care of our baby boy who was born on January 25th and came to Baan Nam Jai on January 27th. Then, two days later I met a man named Sumu who came to Baan Nam Jai as the last stop on his short-term mission's trip with his church back in Melbourne. Even upon that first day of meeting him I could tell this was no ordinary meeting. I have been honored to get to know his heart over these past several months and am so thankful that I am going to be visiting him in two short weeks. These past four months have been full of blessings. I've been blessed to spend time with the kids here again, blessed to get to watch this precious baby boy named Non, blessed with plenty of time to do homework, catch up with friends, and spend time with the Lord, and to top it all off I got to meet an incredible man with a heart of gold named Sumu. All the while I was able to pursue my minor in literacy this semester! What an incredible few months... thank You, Lord.

Moment in History

I remember it like it was yesterday. We had just moved into our new house a week before, and we hadn’t even set up the TV in our living room yet. I drove to school and headed to my first period World History class. As I walked through the cafeteria it still smelled of the breakfast that some of the students would eat before class--every school cafeteria that I’ve been to has that same stale, pseudo-food smell. Immediately I noticed something different in the air: a sadness, a fret. Students were all around, either sitting in tables in hushed clusters or standing, staring. Staring up. What are they staring at? I looked up to find what seemed like a scene from a movie, but it was live. It was happening right now. On the television I watched in shock and horror as a huge jet barreled into the side of the World Trade Center tower. What had happened to the other tower? Is this a second plane? Two planes had struck the world trade center? Surely this is a mistake. Surely the scene will change and I will see Tom Cruise scaling the tower to save his fiancee before she crumbles to the ground with the rest of the tower. Surely this is a joke. A prank. How could this be happening? Who did this? Did someone do this on purpose or was it an accident? TWO accidents? The answers to my questions were becoming obvious, but I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe that someone would do this horrific act on purpose. I continued on to my first period class in shock, knowing that this moment would forever be lodged in my memory and in the history of our nation. I proceeded to World History as we watched history unfold before our very eyes.

Love

Yesterday I spent some time at a coffee shop (surprise, surprise) with a Thai friend of mine who I haven't spent much time with this stay. I actually met her in Montana as she was on the DTS (Discipleship Training School) before mine, and when she returned from outreach she stayed in my room for a week. Anyway, we had a lovely time catching up. She told me about how she met her husband, a Thai man who had lived in Australia for 17 years. She met him in Perth by accident and they were an answer to each other's prayers. They continued to have a long-distance relationship for six months until he came to Chiang Rai to do his DTS, spend time with her, and then they were married this past December. They have a beautiful story of God moving in their relationship, learning to open up, and becoming best friends. Her story was an encouragement to me in my relationship with Sumu, and as I think about how God has put us in one another's lives and spoken to us in a wide variety of ways I am increasingly certain every day that he's my guy for good. The biggest obstacle is the distance, but obviously it's possible to survive the thousands of miles of separation for a time; my friend and her husband sure did!

To-Do: Blog ✔

Today half of the kids just left for the beach for five days, and then the rest of the kids will head off next Tuesday. That makes for a very "sabai" house for two weeks with only six children here at a time (between two houses). I really think it's God's provision that this happens to be my last two weeks of school, as well. A nice, peaceful environment to get LOTS of stuff done!

Speaking of getting lots of stuff done, today is one of those days where I was having a hard time getting motivated this morning, partially because I was feeling overwhelmed at the amount of stuff I need to get done, so I did what I often do in such a predicament: make a to-do list. It's amazing what a to-do list can do for motivation. I LOVE checking things off of lists! I guess it's the type-A in me coming out to play (though I think I'm predominantly type-B). Already I have several things checked off my list, this blog being one of them. I'm so thankful for productive days!

One thing I am most excited about getting checked off my list today is getting a dress made. There is a brilliant local dressmaker who has made dresses for many of the ladies here (and for GREAT deals), and since I'll be going on some hot dates in a few weeks I figured I'd need at least one really nice dress, so I'm dropping the material off today. I can't wait. I've never had a dress tailor-made before! That reminds me of the Colbie Caillat song "Tailor Made". Now I've got the tune running through my head. I think I'll wrap this blog up and put on some Colbie Caillat as I clean my room (another check on my to-do list). Cheers!

Money Festival

Yesterday as I was walking through the mall, headed to the export shop to buy some new clothes to wear in Australia (gotta look cute for my man), there was a ridiculously loud celebration going on in the center of the mall: a money festival. It was put on by one of the Thai banks, and there were booths and prizes and displays celebrating the love of money. There were even signs promoting the love of money. Something about the whole scene struck a dissonant chord with me. It brought the scripture to mind:

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. -I Timothy 6:7-10

I was struck by the emptiness of such a celebration. It grieves my heart that a country is so blinded that this seems like a worthy celebration. It reminds me of the Israelites who so quickly strayed from the Lord and followed idols, even when they were hearing His voice on a daily basis. Then again I wonder: how often am I guilty of the very same thing? I may not make a show of it for all to see, but I am humbled by the thought that I, too, often have empty idols in my heart that I need to daily surrender to God. If the idols of your heart were put on display in the form of a festival, what would it look like?

Wan Yute!

Wan Yute=day off. What a beautiful thing a day off is. Granted, it's not TRULY a day off as I have loads of homework, but at least I don't have anywhere to be against my own free will. :) I am just settling in to an afternoon at the coffees shop. It's a full house here with friends coming for lunch, so I'm not sure how soon I'll actually be able to get any real work done. Oh well; I always welcome a friendly conversation. After all, I'll only be in Chiang Rai for 3+ more weeks. I can't even believe it. My time here really is drawing to a close. This has been the best time of getting to know new people as well as reconnect with old friends, serving God all along the way by working with these precious children.

Especially toward these last few weeks I'm really feeling the crunch of homework and keeping up with my commitments here. I've had plenty of semesters where the crunch is on towards the end; this semester is no different. Somehow I always manage to get by, so I will hang on to recollections of past semesters where I finished well to be my comfort.

Different times in my life are more reflective than others. Generally in times of transition I become more reflective. I have been in one of those states lately...mainly in this past week. I can't help but ponder this time in Thailand, my upcoming time in Australia, finishing school, and embarking on whatever adventures God has next for me. Those who read this might get tired of my reflections, but that's just where my head's at right now. Sorry! :)

Also, here's a video a friend and I put together after our week with the kids. Enjoy!

I Survived Songkran!

It was a very full week last week with watching the kids for seven days straight, but it is over now (mostly). Now I have three days of baby duty with a house all to ourselves as the rest of the boys are camping. Hopefully this means I can focus and get some real work done on my homework!

Today I left the baby with the "maebaan" (housekeeper) and headed "bai teaw" (out for fun) with Crystal for some coffee shop homework time, chicken salad, and massages, then proceeded to go to the mall where I got four new cute shirts for my trip to Australia (two of them will be nice teacher shirts as well)!

I leave Thailand in less than four weeks now. Where has the time gone, seriously?? I can't believe I've already been here for nearly four months. It feels like I just got here but at the same time it feels as if I never left Thailand in the first place (two years ago). I hope and pray with all my heart that the Lord brings me back to this place in the future, but for now I must finish my studies and figure out where to go after that! I have a strong feeling it'll involve the Land Down Under one way or another... :)

Five days down, two to go!

We're approaching the end of our week with the boys. They have been doing mostly good this week, though yesterday only one boy came out ahead as far as behavior is concerned. Oh well; today is a new day. We'll be going out for moogata tonight.

Pictured here are the three other ladies that I'm spending the week watching the kids with: next to me taking the picture is Crystal, and on the other side of the table is Kyndra (right) and Joanna (left). We are enjoying a night of moogata, which is basically a barbecue over hot coals where you cook your own meats and veggies. This place costs about $3 per person for all you can eat meat and veggies, as well as coconut ice cream and other desserts to finish off the night. How can they afford to stay open?!

Today we'll be purchasing our own meats and veggies for moogata and heading up to the village of one of our nannies: Mew. It should be a fun time for the kids. They always seem to enjoy going out for a visit to peoples' villages. I guess I'm supposed to be taking the baby, but I don't know if I REALLY want to... will it be more trouble than it's worth bringing him along? I guess we'll see how we go at that time. I kind of want to stay home and get some homework hammered out... this week has been stressful in the homework realm as my free time has been severely lacking. Oh well...hopefully I'll get everything done that I need to do!

Hats off to Moms

We're nearly halfway through the week already! My how times flies when you're having fun/chasing boys around all day. Today I snuck away for a few hours to enjoy a nice latte and work on some homework. I feel for moms who work, take care of their kids, AND are working on their degree. How do you do it?! This week I'm getting a strong dose of motherhood as the rest of the staff is gone and we're basically acting as "mom" and "mum" for a week. I find it SO challenging to focus on homework long enough to get anything done. My hat goes off to you moms who are studying... I guess that's why God gave women the gift of multi-tasking, eh?

Even though these last couple years of studying have been full on with work and school, I really have had it quite easy being single because I only have to worry about myself. But, I am definitely in the minority in the PACE program as the majority of the women in this cohort are working and taking care of kids (or grandkids) AS WELL AS doing the PACE program. There should really be some sort of special award for moms who can pull this off. I guess the real reward is the degree at the end. Keep up the good work ladies... we're so close to that final reward!

Pool Day

This week is a big holiday week for Thais as they celebrate their traditional New Year: Songkran. Last time I was in Thailand during Songkran I was in for a pleasant surprise. Songkran is basically a country-wide water fight for a week. Friends and families will station themselves along roadways and throw water on passersby. I was in Chiang Mai for Songkran three years ago and it is quite a party there. Around the center of the city there is an ancient wall (well, pieces of wall) in a square with a moat around it, and it is the perfect spot for playing Songkran. My friends and I grabbed buckets, tied string to the handle, and would lower our buckets into the moat to collect water for our throwing pleasure. We were basically soaked through and through for about five days solid. During the hottest month of the year in a tropical climate, this was a very welcome relief from the heat.

At the children's home here, the leadership decided to give all of the Thai staff the week off to celebrate Songkran with their families, so that left four of us foreign girls in charge of the kids all week long. Crystal and I are in the boy's house with five rambunctious boys ages 5-10 and of course baby Non who is know 2.5 months old, while Kyndra and Joanna are in the girls' house with six girls ages 7-15.

To start off Songkran, we decided to take the kids to the pool for the day yesterday. We dropped the baby off with G'no and Moi, a lovely couple who adore Non, and took the rest of the eleven children out to lunch and then to the pool.

We really had a fantastic day for the most part. There was only one scare: some of the older kids were playing at the deep end and going off the slide and one of the younger girls decided to go play with them. She went off the slide but didn't have a floatie and was struggling to stay above water. Just before this, I had decided to make my way over to that end of the pool so they would have some supervision, but my pace quickened as I saw this girl struggling. Thankfully when I got to her she was just fine and didn't seem to have inhaled any water, but she was quite frightened. There was no need for a lecture; she knew now not to go to the deep end without an adult or a floatie.

Besides that scare, the rest of the day at the pool went off famously. All four of us enjoyed having that time to play with the kids in the pool for hours on end. When we returned home EVERYONE, nannies and children, were tuckered out. The boys didn't even fight Crystal when she put them to bed earlier than usual. They needed their sleep, and so did we!

Friday of Pampering

So, Crystal (another one of the volunteers here) and I decided to treat ourselves to some pampering this weekend. We headed down to the brand new mall (SO exciting, seriously. We now have Starbucks!), got ourselves two Caramel Macchiatos for the price of one, and headed down to the waxing shop to get our legs waxed. We had been growing out our leg hairs in anticipation of this day, and I was good and ready to be rid of my leg hairs by the time we got there. This was my FIRST EVER experience getting my legs waxed, and what an experience it was. I've always been curious whether getting my legs waxed or getting a tattoo would be more painful. Even though it has been two years since I got my tattoo, I think I can still say with confidence that the waxing was definitely more painful. But, it was cheap! All we had to do was buy the wax, and they did below the knees for free. Not a bad deal. We took the wax home and continued to work on my legs that evening.

After the painful waxing experience, we decided to continue pampering ourselves with a pedicure. They pampered our feet famously, and I'm loving looking at my toes right now.

While we were at the mall, I bought the appropriate ingredients for BROWNIES, as we were going to have some girls over that night and make our famous brownies and watch an old favorite movie together ("Dan in Real Life"). Since it was a day of pampering, I went all out and bought a bottle of wine as well.

When we finally got back to the house after grabbing some quick food at the mall (WAY better than mall food back home--trust me), our two friends had let themselves in and were waiting patiently for our arrival. We all proceeded to make our favorite brownies, sans a recipe as the internet was being uncooperative. They turned out AMAZING. I don't know if it was the Australian chocolate or what, but in my opinion they were the best batch yet. This brownie recipe is fool-proof. Kiah, one of the girls who came over, and I have made it many different ways and left it in the oven for far too long at times, but still they turn out great. I don't know how. They are magical. If you want the recipe, you can find it here: http://www.godiva.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?id=461 (Sorry I don't know how to do the hyperlink thing as of yet).

After the brownies were in the oven we settled into an old favorite movie, "Dan in Real Life," and enjoyed it like it was the first time watching it. I don't know what it is about that movie, but I absolutely love it, every single time. I remember now why Kiah and I watched it so many times when I was in Thailand before. :)

Of course a girl's movie night wouldn't be complete without a nice bottle of wine (and by nice I mean the cheapest one I could find), so we busted open our wine and enjoyed the movie to its fullest. Of course, some of us enjoyed it more than others, as I was undergoing more torture of leg waxing, and Crystal was enjoying inflicting pain on me FAR too much. All in all, it was a lovely evening, and I'm so thankful for the friends here who I can enjoy times like that with.

In exactly one hour I will begin a full on week with four of us farang (white) staff watching eleven rambunctious children and one hopefully not-so-fussy baby. I think the pampering was very much called for, as this will be a long week!

Moments to Remember

There are so many little moments to treasure throughout the day, and often if I don't stop to write them down, they will be gone forever. So, I will take a moment to write down the latest moments to remember.

A few minutes ago as I'm sitting on the front porch watching the kids and doing my homework, I asked Josiah (5) if he would throw his trash away and go wash his spoon. His response was, "Can I achoo first?" I didn't respond initially because I wasn't sure what he said. Then he walked over to the yard, stood facing the sun, and waited about ten seconds until his sneeze came. Then he proceeded to pick up his spoon and trash and do as I asked. It made me laugh; what five-year-old thinks to go stare at the sun to make himself sneeze? This one, apparently. :)

This morning P'Aphae, the head nanny of the boy's house, made some coffee for us. I grabbed the creamer, sugar, and a cup, proceeded to fill it with glorious caffeine, and started reaching for the baby's formula to add to my coffee. Thankfully I was awake enough to realize what I was doing and quickly corrected myself before I had a nutritious, formula-filled cup of coffee.

Two nights ago when I showed up to the boy's house for my regular night shift with the baby, the nannies and kids were sitting around a bowl of what looked like roots, peeling and eating them. They asked me to join them and told me they were eating sweet potatoes. Of course I agreed as I always enjoy a new social/culinary experience. It was so nice; us nannies were all at ease and enjoying the company of the three eldest boys before bed as we peeled sweet potatoes, ate them, and laughed and joked together. Most of the conversation was in Thai, and although I didn't catch everything, the spirit of the moment was easy to interpret, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Baby Non has gotten into the habit of conversing with me after his 4am feeds. He is 2.5 months old now and has really begun to enjoy the sound of his own voice. It is really quite adorable when he decides to chat it up, although I really wish he would choose a better time than 4am.

Reflections

I'm starting to realize how quickly my time here is drawing to a close. I only have 5.5 weeks until I head to Australia, then back home. It has felt so normal to be here during this time. It makes me wonder--will it feel normal to be back in the U.S., or will I feel a bit out of place? Although it was really good to be back home for the two years between my Thailand adventures, I never really felt like I truly settled in or that I was even supposed to. I certainly don't want to take this time I'm back home for granted, though, because I don't know how long after graduation I'll actually be in the country.

I've never really felt like I was supposed to live in the U.S. long-term. It's funny; in some ways, I've felt more at home in a foreign culture than in my home culture. I look forward with anticipation to what God has in the future. With graduation comes a whole new plethora of possibilities... which door will I choose? Where will He lead? I pray that He guides me as clearly as He has up until this point. He made it clear I'm supposed to be here in Thailand for this semester. He made it clear that He brought Sumu into my life for a reason. He made it clear that I should go to Australia in May, and He's made it clear that I am to complete this degree through LCSC. I have no reason to believe that He will not bring clarity in this next phase of life in His perfect timing.

Monday

Today is Monday, and it has been a very productive day so far. This makes me think that this is going to be a good, productive week. It's always nice to start Monday off on the right foot.

To start, off, my ankle is feeling much better, so I went on a bike ride up to the local waterfall (15 minutes there, 15 minutes back) with my friend Crystal. There's something about starting the day off with a bike ride that makes me so happy (I know, I should choose a better word than "happy" here, but nothing else seems quite right). Even last summer when I would often ride my bike between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls (about an hour ride), I was always glad that I took the time to ride my bike and always felt better and my mind clearer because of it.

Next, I came home and had some Seattle's Best Cinnabon coffee and homemade granola. What a perfectly lovely way to start the day.

After a bit of thinking and planning what I would do with my reading group today (three kids whose literacy is still emerging), I met up with them and had a great lesson which doubled as a fulfillment of an assignment for my Emergent Literacy class. :) Last week the kids went to an English camp where they learned about Jonah and the Whale, so today we read the story in a great book I brought over for the kids, full of silly rhymes, and then I had them draw puppets and retell the story one at a time. They were all surprisingly engaged for the entire lesson! I planned to do a letter bingo game with them because I figure this would go quickly, but they seemed to really enjoy it. I love it when a lesson goes better than expected.

Every day, Monday through Friday--unless something else is planned--I've been doing reading groups at ten and open kindy at eleven. The kids have really been enjoying coming up to the office and playing in the kindy room. The best part about it is I don't have to do much--they find things to play with, make, build, etc., and I simply get to hang out with them. So, after reading group with the three kids, most of the other kids came up and played for a while. I love watching the kids get creative and make various things solely based on their imaginations. It reminds me of when I was a kid; give me a piece of cardboard and some art supplies, and I was a happy camper.

After this we had our weekly Monday meeting with all the staff. I announced my departure date (May 14th), and told everyone that I was going to Australia to visit my "fan" (Thai for boyfriend/girlfriend). One of the Thai staff, Moi, who understands a fair amount of English but will never speak it, responded, "bai tee Australia gap pat lom, luh?" Translation: "You're going to Australia with the fan (the kind that blows air on you), huh?" haha. I got a good laugh out of this. I love those moments when humor traverses language barriers and we are able to share a genuine laugh together.