Many gifts...

It's hard to believe that I've been in Thailand for over a month now!  The days are flying by and I have to remind myself to be still, to find the quiet places in Him to rejuvenate. I have to say that the Thai's slower-paced way of life and their mai pen rai ("don't worry about it") attitude is rather appealing. :)

Inspired by 1,000 Gifts, I've been making a list of moments for which I'm grateful, moments in time that have the Lord's fingerprints all over them and are wrapped in His love. Gifts for His child. Drawing us into His presence.  Some are more serious, some may seem insignificant to others, and some are just funny, but all are from Him. Since being here, I've listed over 100 such specific moments and know that I could include many, many more. How loving, creative, and joyous is our God!

Here's a few from my list: 

-worshipping at a bilingual church, hearing His name praised in Thai and being awed by the fact that His love and truth aren't limited by language or culture

-hiking through the Chiang Mai mountains and all it's vibrant beauty, exploring a whole different part of His incredible creation 

This beautiful waterfall was well worth the sweaty hike.

-laughing with new friends until my stomach hurts

-the privilege of getting to pray with my students as a class!

-hearing my students talk about how the Lord communicates with them and how they've experienced Him in the past

-watching the sun set behind the mountains and reflecting in the flooded rice fields

-recognizing the many talents of the GIS staff and knowing He has brought us all here for such a time as this

Decorating our principal's office for her birthday!

 -enjoying homemade guacamole for the first time since my last Chipotle in the States :) 

-having community-style dinner AT HOME with friends and laughing over language faux pas

-honest conversations about our pasts and how God has brought beauty from ashes

-getting car rides to school instead of riding my bike and arriving with sweat and makeup dripping down my face. haha

Some of my students' self portraits :) 

School is in full swing now as we just finished our second week!  What a joy my students have already been.  I have 11 precious 5^th graders in my homeroom class and I see Anna’s (my teaching partner) 10 students for math, science, and Bible throughout the week.  Among the 21, there are 5 different passport-cultures represented: Thai, Korean, American, British, and Australian.  What a beautiful tapestry of cultures!  It’s been amazing to hear about the different ministries their parents are involved with – each using their gifts and specialties in various ways further His Kingdom.  And 5th graders are definitely inquisitive – there are constantly hands in the air, representing minds full of great questions.  I definitely can’t answer them all, so I’m starting a “What We Wonder” bulletin board that kids can post sticky notes on throughout the day. Thank God for Google! J  

Some of the elementary staff - unplanned purple power the first day!

I absolutely LOVE the staff here at GIS!  I’m humbled to be working with such an incredible group of people.  We in the elementary have been accused of having “too much fun,” but I love that there’s always laughter and an encouraging word around.  It’s been great to enjoy the new experiences of Thailand with this group!

I’ve had a few “I’m-definitely-teaching-in-Thailand” moments this last week:

-As I left to pick up my students from PE (across the bridge on the secondary side), the rain began to pour and the walkway coverings were no match for the wind.  I literally ran through the rain for almost 10 minutes as I searched for my students who had been playing outside and were taken elsewhere when the storm arrived.  As I crossed back over the bridge, I looked up to see an entire 2^nd grade class pressing their noses against the window, watching the storm, pointing at the crazy teacher running through the rain.  After I finally rounded my students up in the class again, the rain was so loud that I could barely hear myself talk…free reading time! J

-Thai culture is very communal.  This apparently even applies to snack time.  It’s inevitable that the Thai students will get out of their seats to walk around the room and share their snack with anyone else who wants some. Very unlike the “MY potato chip bag!” mentality in America.

-At recess the other day, I was approached by a student who wanted to show off his new friend: a gigantic toad!! (picture to come) He caught it in his backyard and wanted to share the excitement with others, so he transported it to school in a bucket.   After making sure he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this wasn’t a poisonous toad, I petted it and thought it was cool… until it almost peed on me.

-On our nature walk during science class yesterday, we were on a hunt for different kinds of leaves.  Students were told they could pick anything off the ground.  Well, I should have been more specific because I was surprised when 3 boys came running towards me shouting excitedly, “Ms. Will, we found one!”…that “one” was a gigantic palm tree branch, taller than the students themselves. (picture to come)

A women we met on one of our hikes. 

            While life in Thailand has been blessed and joyous, there have also been difficulties along the way.  One of the hardest things is definitely the language barrier.  Faith, a new friend and the elementary art teacher, and I will begin tutoring with a native Thai next week!  I’m excited to learn more…in order to communicate with the locals, get to know my maeban better, feel more comfortable at the market, etc. Learning a new language is HARD, and I have a renewed appreciation for what my ESL (English as a Second Language) students are experiencing. 

Miss you, CO!

            I’ve also had moments of homesickness; at times I just want to go to Panera with my family for a strawberry poppyseed chicken salad and then hop over to Starbucks with friends for a Pumpkin Spice latte (the Starbucks here is very expensive and they don’t have the same seasonal drinks!!)…or walk over to my favorite quiet spot at the pond near my parent’s house….or share all the details of the day with people back home (the time difference makes it SO hard to connect with State-side people!)…or be a part of things like Anna, my sister, leaving for her Sr year of college in Chicago (SO PROUD OF YOU, SIS!!!)…or be at HOPE’s first day of school, just to say hi to everyone that became so dear to me and to catch up on summers.  I brought this up in my Bible class last week and was surprised by the strong response I received from students – we bonded over being homesick! J

Through a note from my mom, I was encouraged by the reminder that the Lord is my intimate Guide through this foreign land.  (*Sidenote, I LOVE that our chapel theme for the year is “Following the Good Shepherd”!) And what a steady, caring Guide He has been. What He wants to do in me and through me during this time in Thailand is far greater than I can imagine, far more eternal than momentary homesickness.  And yet, He cares about the homesickness, too, and is there to comfort as only He can. 

And so the adventure continues....

Wow. It's still hard to believe that I'm actually in Thailand!! The last week here has been full of adventure and new experiences. While moving to a new country and getting oriented is no doubt overwhelming, I feel so blessed to be here and am excited for what lies ahead!  The Lord's presence and peace have been felt so intensely.  


The flight here was SO easy. I can't believe I worried about it so much. Sure, lots of things could have gone wrong so I'm slightly justified in that, but there were almost no hiccups...and when there were, God placed friendly helpers in my path. It's funny how there seems to be an instant bond between fellow travelers, especially if you're going internationally; you look confused & someone else looks confused, so there's a short interaction and you're just confused together and somehow figure things out. :) I met some very interesting people along the way & heard some great stories, even got a recommendation for an elephant sanctuary from a retired US teacher who spend half the year in Mexico and half the year in Chiang Mai. 


The last leg of the trip, a 5ish hr plane ride from Seoul to Chiang Mai, I was seated next to a Canadian who was also coming to teach at an international school in Chiang Mai.  It was so much more fun to land in Thailand with someone else who shared the same anticipation and excitement! Then, while standing in line at customs, we began chatting with a women behind us who turned out to be the grandmother of a GIS family!  


Upon arrival to the Chiang Mai airport, I rolled my 4 bags out on a large cart and was welcomed by my name on a sign and six smiling faces!  So grateful.  After 22 hours of flying and layovers in between, I was just giddy to be there.  It was after 12am by the time I exited the airport, so I couldn't really see much. It wasn't until the following day that it hit me - I'm in Thailand!!!!

Some of the gorgeous scenery I get to pass on the way to school!

I was able to overlap a few days with the Williams family whose house I'm staying at.  They were so gracious, the house is beautiful, and their housekeeper, Jen (from a tribal village nearby), is awesome. I went out with them one afternoon to a traditional Thai market; actually reminded me somewhat of the French bric-a-bracs as people just set up their stalls and sell whatever they can! I had my first mango smoothie which was absolutely delicious! So refreshing in the heat. Ate my first real padThai for lunch.

Rubgy, the funny little poodle with a mohawk who won't sit still! My new pet:)

I also spent some time getting oriented with my SIL coordinator, Kimberly. How exciting to hear more details about the work that God is doing here!! Kimberly was extremely helpful in getting me oriented to the city itself, figuring out which stores to go to and how to use the public transportation. The driving here is CRAZY! Someone said it's like a river, though; if there's a blockage in the road, people just meander around it and don't worry about running into the next lane. There really is an ebb and flow to it all, but I think I'll still with riding my bike on the side streets and taking the public songthaews before I venture out on a motorbike :) 

Driving on the left side;) I'll probably become quite well-aquianted with the yellow songthaews. 

The grounds at Grace International School are beautiful!! There's a gorgeous mountain view beyond the playground and it's surrounded by tropical greenery. HOT for sure, but gorgeous:) The upper elementary classrooms are in a stable-like structure, so 4th-6th are all together along with elementary art. I've met so many wonderful people at the school already; everyone is so welcoming and willing to help the newbies get settled. I even met a fellow gluten-free friend who shared some of her precious gluten-free flour with me! :) (Gluten free items can be found here but are super expensive.)  I bought groceries at the beginning of the week but haven't eaten much of it yet; I've had offers for dinner every night and it really is cheaper to eat out! That works for me:) 

The elementary classrooms & playground. 

My classroom!

I've just loved hearing how everyone has ended up in Chiang Mai or at GIS; there are people here from every corner of the world! God's plans are unique to each individual - how awesome to serve such a personal God. 


Living in a new place inevitably calls for making mistakes and laughable moments. Here's a few so far:


1. Everyone gets purified water delivered in massive jugs that sit in metal holders, which supposedly make it easier to pour; well, of course I had to pour it the wrong way and the jug came tumbling out. Jen and the next-door-neighbor's housekeeping came running when the heard the loud kaboom. (Thankfully water is only about 17baht a jug, which is like $.50)


2. I had heard there were geckos that lived on the walls inside the houses here. After a few days I had yet to see one & naively thought I was safe. But no. One skittered with lighting speed across the wall and took cover behind a bulletin board near my bedroom. I let out a shriek. Probably scared the little 1.5 inch fellow, but now he makes clicking noises at night with his friends...most likely laughing at me. 


3. My first venture out by myself was on a bike to the school for a dinner. A few lessons from that: ponchos may keep the rain off, but they make you sweat even more so it's not even worth it; make sure you clarify directions before heading out on your own in a brand new place; it's a good thing to remember that people drive on the LEFT side of the road here; ponchos can get wrapped around bike seats, so you can look like a fool trying to get off the bike; hand motions and gestures for "swing," "slide," and "children" are quite effective if you need to find a playground & don't speak the language; principals who hug you and welcome you with a smiling face even when you look like a wet rat are keepers. ;)




4. Faith and Jessy are two new teachers as well, so we ventured out to Airport Plaza for dinner the other night. After unsuccessfully catching a songthaew (apparently we looked too pathetic standing on the corner, so a friendly Thai women picked us up), we wandered around the food market for at least 30 minutes trying to figure out what the food was. Even after getting a language lesson from one of the vendors on different food vocab, we ended up with some pretty spicy food; so with mouths on fire, we headed for the ice cream shop. Somewhere along the way I ended up with Korean coins, which I unknowingly tried to pay for the ice cream with. I couldn't understand why the cashier looked at me with such an expression until Faith noticed it wasn't Thai baht. We were in tears laughing about it. 

Well, that was probably WAY more details than most of you wanted, but as Anne Shirley said, "If only you knew what I could have said and didn't, you'd give me some credit." :) 


Starting the new teacher orientation tomorrow at GIS and the students come a week from Tuesday. Can't wait to have my classroom filled with 5th graders!!