New Adventures...: June 2015

I like Thailand! I'm basically fluent now ;) okay well this week had flown by, once again! Has been filled with days of showing off our school to a grant board, Wai Kru, games, and playing outside with the kids. I somehow have been able to get up at 5:20am (although not always with a smile, if you see my snapchats you'll see what I mean) and run on the track to catch the sunrise and escape the heat for a little while (our low is 27-29 so 70s 80s at this hour). Sometimes music is involved and sometimes my breath keeps me focused. Once showered and all clean, I climb back into bed and sleep before I need to actually start my day. I normally don't need a mini nap, but I have been staying up so late reading my book. I finished the one I bought in Bangkok and just finished my first John Grisham novel, amazing! My friend had a book in English (can't get them in northern Thailand except Chiang Mai) so I decided to give it a try. Found myself going to my room to read at lunch! Okay so I didn't have to teach much this past week. Oh Thailand! My prathom 6 kids had a field trip so no class, Tuesday was spent preparing for the big event on Wednesday. No class on Wednesday due to big event and Thursday was Wai Kru. Now what is Wai Kru?! It's a day that the students thank the teachers at the highest level of Wai, which is how they would Wai the king/Buddha. But on Wai Kru they Wai us that way :) and they sing this beautiful song and please don't ask me to spell it. I will put a link in when I upload the videos. Just know it's a beautiful song and I am still not tired of it. It was a beautiful ceremony and couldn't help but be proud of what I'm doing here in Thailand, I know some people think it's just all play out here (don't get me wrong, I have a lot of fun), but I do work hard for my students and slowly leaning how to become a better and effective teacher. Every day is a new adventure and I never know what will happen and the mystery is exciting. I didn't think I would get to know my students since I have 700 this term, but I'm starting to learn about each one! I recognize most of their faces (I don't even attempt with names since each Thai person has a name and then a nickname). Playing football with the kids after school has helped me with the kids too, plus it's just way too much fun scrimmaging with them. The director said I play well, had no idea he was watching! I still tense up around the director, hes a very important person (second level of Wai when addressing him) and I am too scared to try to speak my poor Thai around him haha. One day! Okay so the school has been painted and new artwork for the children and the meeting hall has been transformed to show off the finest of Baan Mae Chan's students' work. Friday was a normal day of teaching and then we were welcomed with some rain to fall asleep to! Oh and Friday was my last day tutoring Un! I almost cried! (Ok I did have some tears, but was able to hide them). We got noodles and I gave her my handmade card since she likes handmade crafts. Made a bucket list for her and explained what a bucket list was. Put "visit Paris" on it because I really want her to see what else this beautiful world has to offer. It's very Thai culture to not encourage travel because Thai's believe that Thailand is the only thing that matters. Honestly it's a great country, never had a war, it has money, and breathless beauty. But Un needs to see what else the world has to show her! So I'm hoping she does venture there after she graduates. She in return gave me the most beautiful gifts! Two beautiful drawings of her and I (I will post them once I get them framed). Her nickname is Luna (moon) and I'm Dao (star) so she drew herself on a moon holding a bag of pineapple (I always show up munching on fruit) and she drew me on a star. It's so cute! And to top it off her family got me a beautiful purple necklace and then she got me real pearl earrings she bought in Phuket a couple years ago. I was speechless and gave her such a big hug! I probably scared her a little since Thai people don't hug...haha. But she hugged me back and we took some photos and then parted ways. She is an amazing person and I'm so happy she's following her dreams :)

Needless to say Friday was spent exploring the market and dinner with friends and then crawled into bed and read my book while listening to the rain before I fell asleep. I got to sleep in and not wake up to an alarm clock! What a beautiful way to wake up! Haha. I did some laundry and started a new book and then headed to Chiang Rai to see the girls. I arrived at the cafe just in time to escape the huge rainfall! My friends weren't as lucky and they came in a bit wet...hehe. We had a delicious lunch and then (I didn't encourage this, but I definitely didn't object to it) we all decide to get massages :) I have a problem, but hey- it could be a worse addiction! After we checked into our hostel and just relaxed a bit. I turned on the news for the first time in probably a month and omg! Way to go America! Gay marriage legal in all 50 states! Proud to be American! And Obama singing at the funeral. And the USA beat China to advance to the semi finals in the women's World Cup. Lots of exciting things going on! Listened to some about the whole Greece in eternal debt and now might be out of the EU, but changed the channel because well, I can only handle do much. And then what happened in Tunisia, so sad. My heart is heavy for the victims and their families. Thailand is such a bubble. I have little concept of time and little knowledge of the outside world. I know days of the weeks due to having classes, but dates are beyond me. However now I'm concerned about dates because my parents arrive soon! Okay well my friends and I went for dinner and walked around a bit before settling for some coconuts action. They're so sweet to us, hard not to visit. Then Bethel and I headed to Peace Bar and made some new friends and ended up listening/playing guitar till wee hours of the morning. Met a guy from holland and when he told me he was from Amsterdam I couldn't help but giggle. Maybe a date at the holland restaurant is in order, who knows. My friends said that they should just give me a passport already- Oye. Sunday was met with squinty eyes and khao soi was how we battled our Sunday. Have a lazy afternoon at the cafe before we hopped on our van and headed back to our homes. I napped the way to my town, two hour nap once I got home, and now I'm hoping I am tired enough to sleep!

I skyped my parents and we are all so excited for their trip! Last minute packing and whatnot since they leave on Tuesday! Can't wait to see them in Chiang Mai. I have started my Australian application, but won't finish it until I renew my passport in August. Starting to feel a bit scared about next year, lots and lots of changes - all good, but the unknown is always a bit scary at first, but then quickly turns to exciting and life changing :) I bought my plane tickets for Vietnam and the Philippines for summer next year. AirAsia is having a huge sale and so I will spend about a month in Vietnam and then fly to Manila to explore all 7,000 islands! I can't wait to meet Emily's family and get to experience their culture. My Filipino family here...no words. They are the most amazing people I have ever met! They make me laugh uncontrollably, they hold me when I need to cry, are always there when I need any sort of advice on anything (teaching, Thailand, relationships, etc), and they feed me haha. So really they keep me alive :) and in theory after the Philippines then onward to Melbourne! May 1st is the theoretical move date, but who knows. I'm more scared of having to pack up my life into a backpack and then maybe ship stuff to Australia, I have nested quite comfortably here and my wardrobe is expanding exponentially...oh well! My parents arrive this week and I get to have dinner with them on Friday! I will activate my fb back when they get here so family and friends can see their photos. Then I'm off to California! A few days in Santa Cruz befor flying to my parents and then the wedding happens and then time with family and friends before coming back home to Thailand. Renew passport in August and book my October holiday in September. My BFF from Scotland is meeting me in Thailand so we are doing the east islands together and Bali (and no I won't bail on this trip this time!). Want to make it back to Chiang Mai for the northern lantern festival (Yi Peng), but have to figure out dates. That's the festival where over 10,000 lanterns get released into the heavens at CMU. My friends and I went to it last year and it truly was breathtaking. We all lit our own lanterns (despite the struggles with the trees) try successfully soared towards the stars. The pic is one of my cover photos on facebook, it's unreal! School term begins again in November! Thinking Myanmar for Christmas (hot air balloon over the ruins) and then preparing for summer and Australia. But in no rush at all! Who knows, maybe I decide to stay in Thailand another year! My good friend wants me to meet her in Brazil for carnival for her birthday February 2017 and then backpack South America for 6 months before moving to England. She offered me a place to stay in England once she's settled as well. So maybe work in Oz for 9 months then hop over to South America and finish seeing the rest of the continent (plus I can get my Peruvian passport) in 2017 and then move to Europe after? I have no desire on moving back to California, I love my state and my family and friends, but the world is so big and vast and full of mystery that I want to seek out. So maybe that's my 3 year plan, but who knows! That's what makes life so exciting. Without taking a leap of faith, how am I supposed to grow as a person? To take chances. Falling in love with strangers. Having my heart broken, but still putting myself out there. Meeting amazing people. Trying exotic foods. Stamps filling the pages in my passport. My bank account dwindling down to nothing, but my adventures overflowing and my soul ever so growing. My friends keep asking me when I plan to settle down, get married, have kids, but a house, etc. it's not that that life isn't something I want, it's just not what I need right now. I am young and independent and this is my time to experience the world. I used to think I would be married by 25, first child at 27, and the second by 29. I could have had a marriage at a young age, but I would have been quite unhappy. Having at child at my age right now is the last thing on my mind. Have we met!? What excites me and ignites my passion is falling in love with a new place, meeting new cultures, keeping an open mind, and staying present. I battle with this at times, my mind fantasizes about new destinations and new people I haven't met before. It's healthy to think of the future, but to remember that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. The universe works in mysterious ways and although I am not religious, I believe in the universe. Everything happens for a reason and everything has been cultivated to bring me to this exact moment. Lying on my bed trying to escape the heat while typing up this very long lengthy and sporadic blog entry. I have readers all over the world, it makes me smile that you want to read what is going on in my crazy chaotic life. I need to get ready for bed so I will leave you with some photos of the week. I pulled them off my phone so not the edited ones...check my IG (cailinjs) for those ones :)

Until next time! (And next time my parents will be here😍)

Marching band - they didn't want their photos taken. Too bad! :)