Walking home from school on Thursday, I was thinking of my babies back in Atlanta. How much I miss pouring my heart into them, how my arms feel empty without them. An unexplainable, instinctual source of boundless love that used to flow freely, but is now searching for an outlet. A small, old man sitting … Continue reading Guidance and gratitude
Field Trippin’
On Thursday, my second graders and I went on a field trip to Pattaya. We visited the Million Years Stone Park, where we saw million year old petrified wood, impressive bonsai trees, intricately carved boulders, and a crocodile show that had my students unnerved, on the edge of their seats. Promptly after we left the … Continue reading Field Trippin’
Teacha Jos
After seven days of teaching and seven weeks of living here, I have come to the conclusion that Thailand is chronically labile. Amorphous. There is no use trying to predict or resist anything that happens here. Because everything changes all the time. Any attempts to become accustomed to a schedule will be squashed. All expectations … Continue reading Teacha Jos
A Realization of Differences
My first week in Chonburi can be likened to a neatly organized and nicely decorated house being ravaged by the unrelenting winds of a tornado, from the inside out. My eagerly anticipated confrontation with culture shock is finally upon me, and in full force. In a place like Chonburi, where tourism is sparse and farangs … Continue reading A Realization of Differences
Last Day in Ban Phe
Today I say goodbye to living life out of a backpack, my bare apartment and the people of Ban Phe. For the past two weeks I have gotten to know and grown close with 15 awesome teachers and 100 dynamic kids. All of us teaching each other. At the primary school in Rayong, we teachers … Continue reading Last Day in Ban Phe
Anuban Chonburi
We found out our teaching placements today! I will be in a primary school in Chonburi, a town 100km east of Bangkok, with Mel and three other girls from my program. At Anuban Chonburi, I will be teaching kindergarten English and 1st grade English and Science. The little ones require performance and patience and constant … Continue reading Anuban Chonburi
Bangkok Arts and Culture Center
Last Saturday, Mel and I spent all day running up and down the nine spiraling stories of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center. This place blew our minds! They had live music, real coffee, tons of little shops selling handmade recycled crafts, and an overwhelming collection of local Thai art, both traditional and modern. AND, … Continue reading Bangkok Arts and Culture Center
Now I am
feeling like a jellyfish floating in the Gulf of Thailand. Waxing, waning with the waves. A sweet relief. Like pieces of flotsam not wanting to wash ashore, shipwrecked passengers not wanting to be rescued. As I sway, I am safe. I escape. My oscillation is my refuge. On the beach, tumbling Thai acrobats entertain sun … Continue reading Now I am
Ban Phe Boot Camp
My TEFL teacher training has curbed my momentum and put an abrupt end to mine and Mel's backpacking honeymoon. We have been in Ban Phe, a small beach town off the Gulf of Thailand, since Sunday night. We've been working long 10-hour days (7am-5pm) and using our evenings to plan for our lesson the next … Continue reading Ban Phe Boot Camp
Wat Phan Tao
This temple in Chiang Mai is, hands down, my favorite I've seen thus far. Old, elegantly crafted teak pillars, temple bells, wooden Buddhas, antique cabinets, ceramics, and mosaics. Clinking of coins dropping into tin bowls, sounds of reverence. Sunlight streaming in through the windows, weaving between golden banners and dancing across the floor, off the … Continue reading Wat Phan Tao
Joc Cousteau 