Thoughts From the Land of Smiles

Well, I hope that last blog quenched your thirst for awhile. You see, when reading blogs published by Michael and Summer, it is best to take on the attributes of a camel. You must drink not only for today, but for the future, as you do not know when the next time you find water will be. Well, your patience has paid off. Here is the next update in the saga.

When we left off, we had just returned from a fabulous trip to Krabi. Now, the fun and games are over, and the hard work begins again. -sigh- I guess we knew it was coming whether we wanted it to or not. The new school year started the week before last week. It's really quite strange to have our friends at home finishing school for the summer and graduating, and we are just starting a new year here. It all seems backwards. The crazy thing is... I can't decide anymore which way is backwards. I don't know if we are backwards here or if you are backwards there. It's interesting what we can grow accustomed to so quickly.

Upon beginning this new school year, I came to find out that I am teaching 20 classes/week. Summer is teaching the same. However, Instead of having me teach only the Mathayom (grades 7-12), I have been assigned four Pratom (grades 1-6) classes as well. I have P-2 and P-3 twice a week each. Oi vey! How am I going to teach little ones? I'm not qualified for this! Of course, neither is Summer, but she seems to be doing alright despite occassional grumblings about devil classes and hellish children. So, with a hesitant and trembling heart, I approached a new experience. Now, normally I am excited about new experiences, but quite frankly, young children in large numbers scare me. Well, I am in the midst of my second week teaching them. I always had respect for those who teach young children. I never tried to slight the fact that their job is hard, but now I have an even more profound respect for those who do it. I'm glad I got my degree in Secondary Education.

It is good to get back into the grind of every day life here. During the holiday, there was never really a routine. At times it was great, and at other times, it drove one nuts! We are finding ourselves tired and in need of rest on the weekends again. I don't think we have ever gone through a typical day in the lives of Michael and Summer in Thailand. Well, are you lucky today! Here it is:

Somewhere between 6:00-7:00 - Wake up (Summer always seems to wake up before I do)
6:00-7:30 - Get ready for the day (We usually eat breakfast at home)
7:30 - Staff worship at the school
8:00ish - First period classes start (The class can start anywhere from 8-8:15... it really depends on the day)
8:00-12:20 - The first 5 periods of the day
12:20-1:20 - Lunch
1:20-3:00 - The last 2 periods of the day
After 3:00 - We go home/go to the market/check internet/read/do house chores/play games/go get some coffee/plan for the next day/watch computer television/etc. (This occurs from the time we get out of school until the time we go to bed-- every day is a little bit different)
4:00 - Occassionally, we have a few students who come to our house for tutoring at this time
5:00 - We usually eat at the cafeteria, but sometimes, we go to a restaurant or cook for ourselves
10:00ish - Go to bed

So, that's a typical day for us. It's really not too exciting except for the fact that things can change at any moment, and our expected 4 classes can turn into 6 or none at all for one reason or another. It takes a lot of flexibility, patience, and understanding. It really is a good thing Summer and I are so flexible. It is not easy for uptight people or people who are only able to stick to a strict schedule.

On another note, the rainy season rocks! It is so pleasant. The temperature is perfect-- not too hot, not too cold. The rain has made everything a wonderful green, and contrasted with the red dirt and rock, it is absolutely beautiful! We have found that some advice our friends (who were here before us) gave us is absolutely true. We will ruin any clothes that we wear here. We try to be careful, but when you are walking and there is red mud, it always finds a way to creep onto your clothes and stain them. It doesn't help that we have a dog that loves to go play with other dogs and get wet and muddy, then proceeds to become really excited when she sees us, running full speed toward us and planting her paws on our khaki pants. She really is a great dog, though. She has gotten to the point where anywhere we go is where she wants to go. So, we often have her grace us with her presence at staff worship, in class, or in the cafeteria. She's definitely a campus dog.

Well, we've been here for 5 months already. Can you believe it!?! We are almost half way through our stay here. We miss our friends and family terribly, but love it here at the same time. It's a tough combination. Last night some homesickness pangs set in. They haven't been too strong and frequent, but they definiely do exist. We recently found out that two of our really good friends are engaged (congratulations Deb and Johnny!), and on top of that, my best friend Mike got married (congratulations Mike and Emily), my cousin graduated from high school (congratulations Elyse), my brother is about to graduate from WWU (congratulations Matt), and we are missing it all. Oh, and the icing on the cake is that we are almost out of peanut butter. :-( So, it is a challenge at times, but we still love it here, we are glad we have the opportunity to serve, gain friends, learn, and grow, and we will see you all again soon. Thanks for tuning into a somewhat long outpouring of thoughts. We cherish your comments and emails as well as your prayers.

Love, S&M... er... M&S