in the land of smiles.: missing home

so i left exactly one month ago. some days it seems like i've been here for waaaay longer than a month, but then at other times it seems like time is flying by.

today my first class didn't go exactly as i had hoped. i had a lot of stuff i needed the kids to get through, but assembly went long so my 30 minute class turned into a 10 minute class...needless to say i got barely anything done. frustrating.

today is one of those days where i just keep thinking about all the things that i'm missing back home...friends, family...cheese, mexican food, whole wheat bread, in n out. even though i miss all these things, im really happy to be here and so happy i decided to do this. i love all the new adventures, i love the new people, the food, and just being in a new place.

so instead of going on and on about the things that i miss, im going to list the things that make me happy about being in thailand:

1. counting how many people can fit onto a motor bike. thais like to fit their entire family (dog included) onto one motorbike. it's ridiculous. so far the most people i've seen on one bike is 5. and a dog. its pretty impressive/highly dangerous/entertaining to watch.

2. the town drunk. at the bar/shop where we get beers some days after school, there is this little old lady who we've been told is the town drunk. she's always verrrrrry happy to see us and hugs us and tells us how beautiful we are. it makes me feel better that on days when i'm feeling pretty haggard, the town drunk still thinks im pretty.

3. fruit. so much fresh fruit here. my favorite is pineapple. i could eat it all day. i can't wait for it to be mango season.

4. riding on the back of a motorcycle taxi. i know i've said it before, but this will always be my favorite form of transportation.

5. oops. oops is the name of one of my students. he's the cutest thing and the only thing he ever says to me is "bye bye teecha"....even if i have just entered the classroom to start a lesson, oops always greets me with "bye bye teecha". the other day oops pooped his pants in class. oh oops.

love you all and miss you!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

-Jeremiah 29:11