I am currently sitting in BioLab2 waiting for my students. They told me to come Tuesday evening at 6pm to teach them more about the lesson they learned last week. Some of my students have very clear visions for their future and that includes being good at English. They are dedicating more of their time to come back to the science building at night to continue to listen and to learn. The only problem is that they didn't know how to say "thirty" so they omit it. As a result I have a half hour to catch y'all up on my life before the students get here. Here's a bit of what I have been thinking lately.

In my country…
     It is SO weird to say things like "In America, we do this" or have a student or teacher say "…what do you call this in your country?" At Lock Haven there were many, many exchange students so I would hear "well, in my country…" often, but the thought of being the one to say those words never crossed my mind.
     Jimmy and Jennifer both traveled to Europe when they were in high school, while I thought it sounded fun and exotic, I never really had the urge and I have no memories of ever being bit by the travel bug…or even sensing the bug anywhere close to me. It wasn't until Kyle and I thought about what we were going to do in the future that I thought about going abroad. The moments that evoked thought about this topic most was when I would talk to the four girls I knew this summer about their experience in the Peace Corps. It sounded riveting to immerse yourself in and truly learn another culture. So, I did it!
     Another odd realization is each morning when we get to school, I walk with the other teachers and Kyle and Monique will say bye when we reach the "Foreign Language Department." Weird! English…a foreign language? Me, a foreigner? It's all still unreal to think about.

Dirty or clean?
     When I got my assignment here in Chiang Rai we were given a list of accommodations. Included in that list was a "washing machine." Well, I am not sure if they were referring to the two large buckets sitting in the vacant downstairs room, but there is no washing machine in our house (or to use on our campus).
     I have always been funny about laundry, I like to wear something once and if I sweat in it a tiny bit I toss it in the laundry (I am becoming more ashamed of this as the days go on). Here, it has been a little different. Although I brought a lot of teaching clothes, when we first arrived in the country the Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, passed away. As a result the nation would mourn for 30 days only wearing black, white and gray. None of the teaching clothes I brought with me are black, white or gray forcing me to buy a new wardrobe. Knowing that this was only temporary, I only bought about three outfits worth of clothes that I planned on rotating for the next 30 days. Last week I wore the same shirt THREE times. 
     Is it really dirty? No, if its not underwear, its never really dirty; unless you want to wash it by hand or ride your bike a few miles to the washing machines. 

Eating for energy
     This is something that I have never really experienced before. Upon getting to Thailand where the food is much…different than America I realized that the difference between Thailand and America is that here they eat for energy. This is not to say that they do not enjoy what they are eating, but the main purpose for eating is to gain energy. In America I found myself eating when I was bored, eating when I was sitting on the couch watching a movie, when I turned on the Food Network…all the time. I would eat just to eat, or because "I wanted to." This is kind of a hard one to explain, but truly eating for energy is a new concept that I like.

Routines…things I "cannot live without!"
     There were many times when I would sit in the comfort of my Johnson City home thinking, goodness I really hope they have (insert luxury here) in Thailand! I thought about my specific face moisturizer, my daily snack of rice cakes, my diet coke at lunch. I thought of everything that was routine and comfortable and I thought about how I would possibly be able to do without these comforts and routines in Thailand.
     When you get here you only have what's in your suitcase. While the thought of not being able to pack enough rice cakes for five months made me a little uncomfortable, you realize how quickly you adjust and find new comforts that work in your new country. Saltines may turn into fried banana chips (not equivalent in calories) and your daily diet coke may turn into Northern Thailand's rich, unbelievable coffee. Everything else is changing, so why wouldn't your comforts?
     Turns out the things you thought you couldn't live without, they change...and it's quite a freeing experience to not "need" them anymore.

There is much, much more but the students have arrived! More later.

Miss ya, love ya, Meg