Momma said there'd be days like this.

Tally-ho! Well it’s official, we are all moved into our new pad, and to put things lightly—it’s taking some getting used to, to say the least. Is it weird to be home sick for a home you lived in for two weeks? To make things a little clearer for those of you on the other side of the world—enjoy these here lists.

Pros about the new school:

•  So nice getting an extra hour of sleep because we don’t have to ride our bikes to school in the morning, we’re already here!
• Lesson planning is easy peasy because everything we need is just right down stairs.
•  The country surrounding the school is absolutely breath taking.
• We all get to sleep in the same room! Can you say slumber party every night?
• We all get our own beds.
• We got to finally unpack all of our junk after two weeks, and put pictures up on the walls! It’s already starting to feel a bit more like home.
• The school was modeled after Hogwarts—what more can even be said?

Cons about the new school:

• There are SO MANY BUGS. Bug zapping with electric zapper is quickly becoming one of our very favorite pass-times. You wouldn’t believe the firework show that one single moth gives on that baby!
• It is about a 15 minute bike ride from town. Not terrible, no. But when you are used to the outdoor market and 3 delicious smoothie shops within 5 minutes—it takes some getting used to.
• Five girls—all in the same room.
• Three of the Thai teachers now live with us here at the school, which is great for us! Except the separate kitchen house is still being built, sooo they come and go as they please to and fro our room with the sink, food items and table.
• There are four grand showers. That only one of us can use at a time because there are not any shower curtains yet…
• The only two adult toilets in the upstairs bathroom…are side by side, that’s it. No stalls, no walls….we could full on have a face to face discussion while going to the bathroom. Awesome.
• I have to dowse myself with a heavy layer of bug spray each night before bed. And that’s AFTER covering all of my previous bites with calamine.
•  No internet for a few days—you’ve never seen five girls so bummed.

All and all, I think we are all missing the clinic house just a bit. It was so nice to have sweet little Granny cooking for us each day, and eating dinner with “mom” and “dad”, Tang and Tong once in a while. But this is our new home now, and we’re going to make the best of it! I put my pictures from home up tonight, right next to my bed, it's starting to feel homey again already. 

Flashback

Sooo...I just found this document that I wrote on the flight from Seoul to Bangkok.

It was the semi beginning of my Thai adventures, so I feel like it's kiiinda important to document on here.

Well here I am! “Blogging the heck out of my trip” like I have been instructed to do by everyone back home. Right now, I am sitting on our connecting flight from Seoul to Bangkok, three and a half hours in with three more to go! It’s Tuesday here…which is weird. It hurts my head to think about how many times we have gone forward, backwards…and forwards again in time within the last 24 hours. And it’s weird to say “24” hours because I am not even sure what that means anymore! Could be way more, could be way less…who knows.

It seriously seems like eons ago that I was at the SLC airport meeting the group, checking-in, and excitedly waiting for our flight to LAX. And now here I am X amount of hours later…on the other side of the world!! Have I mentioned how cool this experience is? Because it is, really cool.

The flight to LAX wasn’t bad at all, though we were all starving marvin, and trying our very hardest to stay awake because we were all pooped! When we got to LAX…it was a joke. Hahaha we had to ask directions to get to our connecting gate like 15 different times, and probably walked 5 miles getting there. Let’s put it this way, we had a 2.5 hour layover, and made it to our gate—foodless…about 15 minutes before boarding. When we finally got through the gates, this bus thing took us to our GIANORMOUS plane. Two stories and all. We settled in, popped our sleeping aids, and tried our very best to sleep the flight away. It was a little bit difficult to get comfortable, but we were so tired I don’t think we really cared. Poor Angie did not sleep at all, but she DID get two more packs of peanuts and pretzels than we did. Hahaha. About 3am LA time, they started serving this ridiculously spicy food called “bitmap”. I happened to wake up right before they came around and Shayla was still asleep next to me, so I woke her up thinking this was not something she would want to miss out on. Funniest 15 minutes…evvvver. We were so groggy and SO confused as to why they were serving us DINNER at 3am. We happened to be going through a bit of terbulance at that point to…so needless to say, we did not eat much. We slept on and off, and soon enough—we landed in Seoul!

Our layover in Seoul was really painless. We took advantage of the high-tech bathrooms, and moving side-walk type things. Went through security for the 3^rd and last time…and headed to our gate where we were all excited to find out there was free wi-fi. It was a sight to be seen….5 American white girls, glued to their laptops. What can ya do? Guess we miss home a little bit—no matter how tough we try to act tough.

Well, about 3 more hours until we touch down in Bangkok! And 4 more hours after that…we will be in Phichit!! ….I can’t wait to shower. And brush my teeth. And stretch these long gams. 

Charmed life.

I feel so blessed that it's unreal. Literally, unreal. I sometimes have to pinch myself a bazillion times a day to remind myself that this is for real, for real! I was going to title this blog post "Blessed" but then I heard this song by Joy Williams called "Charmed life" and it basically said everything I want to say in this post. 

But I will say it anyways, for your viewing pleasure. 

It's crazy how happy I am right now. 

I like to think that I am a pretty happy person normally.

But being in gorgeous Thailand, LIVING here, being with great roomies, 

having an amazing host family and native coordinator, watching these tiny kids pick everything up so    quickly, experiencing incredible humidity alll day long just to have it downpour at night, $1 ammmazing smoothies just 3 minutes away. Delicious food galore, incredibly friendly people all over our little Phitchit, and this place feeling like home since day one, even the itchy mesquito bites and tiny ants that get into everything, makes me realize how truly blessed and lucky I am to be here.

I'm living a charmed life.

Now, what you all really want to see. 

Scenes from the week! 

The pool area at "Mom and Dads" Garden home. 

This place is soo big and beautiful. We are so spoiled. 

Looking real classy in our helmets. 

This one pretty much speaks for itself I'd say.. 

First day of teaching and I'm already making room in my suitcase for these kids. 

Mew and Phuvit. Both little stinkers, but both two of my favorites. 

Kaow Tung. He's a favorite of all of us teachers. So sweet and when he gets excited he does the funniest little wiggle dance while he giggles and laughs. And that HAIR...you can't ignore those beautiful locks. 

Home sweet home/school sweet school. We move in tomorrow! 

Things I've Learned While In Thailand--Part One.

1. Thai food is the best thing that will ever happen to me. I don't think I have ever eaten so many vegetables and so much food, for so cheap! They say you loose weight here...but we are 98% sure we are going to be gaining weight. 
2. Americans could seriously use some hospitality lessons from these Thai people. They are all so welcoming and friendly. It seems like we are always being invited into shops, given free food and they try so hard to communicate with us and help us in any way that they can.
3. Ants will get into anything and everything. Bug spay in Thailand is essential. 
4. Being on the other side of the world, in a completely different country, doing completely different things never really sets in. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself to be reminded that this is indeed real life. Though sometimes it does hit you as you ride your bike through dirty Phichit streets, and it's awesome. 
5. My skin is confused. It can't decide if the humidity is amazing or terrible. My hair on the other hand--loves it. I guess we will see... 

Two more days until we get to start teaching!

Can't wait to get my hands on those tiny Thai tots. 

In the most un-creepy way possible, of course. 

Picture Vomit.

There is really no way I could sit here and write all my spastic thoughts right now. 

All I can say is that Thailand is amazing.
After almost one whole week..

It's everything I ever thought, and soo much more. 

Marci, Myself, Shayla and Angee--ready to get this show on the road!

So this was our first meal of our 14 hour flight. It's called "Bitmap" and they have it in either chicken or beef..unfortunately they were out of chicken. I just happened to wake up right before it came around...at 3am. So I woke Shayla up next to me cause I thought for sure she would not want to miss our first meal! 

hahahah, baddd idea. We were soo groggy from our sleeping pills and Shayla just kept saying over and over again "Why are they feeding us at 3am? I'm so confused, why are we eating at 3am?" Hilarious. And it happened to be very turbulant at this point in the flight...needless to say, we did not eat much.. bleh. 

Annd this was our second meal. 

We could have "Continental" or Korean Porage. 

At this point, we were starving..soo...we went with the continental--familiar and trustworthy. 

Waiting for our next flight in Korea! ...a little less glamorous, but happy none-the-less!

Dianna is our head teacher, she is always taking the pictures and never in them. 

After what felt like a bazillion hour flight, which was really only 6, 

we landed in Bangkok! Stood in the customs line for an eternity, collected our bags..

and felt a bit like Harry Potter as we strolled off with our luggage.

Our poor, poor driver. He somehow managed to fit 15+ bags into our little van all by himself. 

We also noted, that our van was fully equipped with Karaoke and a wonderful feet smell...bleh.

Our first Thai sunset! Not a very good picture, but it was kind of cool to experience none-the-less. 

Just some sights from our 4+ hour drive through Bangkok and north to Phichit! 

Everything is super colorful and almost tacky looking. The cities are filthy, but I love it!!

This is a tiny bit of our house! I didn't take a lot of pictures, because we wont be here for long.

But this is Marci and I's room, it's kinda small and wooden...and filled with ants--but it's home!

We also discovered today some mystery cocoon on our window... that has been broken.

Sooo we are hoping there is not some mystery creature roaming around our room..but there probably is...

And that top picture, is the view from our little room balcony! It's cool cause it overlooks all of these roofs

And cats..there are always lots of cats below the balcony too. Which is always fun. I love me some kitties. 

Our first day here Tang (our native coordinator) took us all around Phichit for a little tour. 

She also took us to this delicious duck soup place. Mom has been trying to get me to eat duck for years at no avail... finally I succumbed to it and it was soo yummy! Maybe because it has been good all along..maybe because I was eating duck in Thailand, who knows. But those brown jello-ee looking things..

Yeah, that's another story. Tang made us take a bite of it before she would tell us what it was. So like good sports we did--and then she decides to tell us that it is indeed "congealed duck blood." It might have not been so bad, but once she said congealed, and blood in the same sentence....It was all over. 

Then to make up for the horrific blood experience..

she took us to this little smoothie shop that is nothing short of amazing. 

We discover new smoothie shops every day...

which we have a love/hate relationship with because $1 smoothies add up, vuury quickly. 

And thiiisss ladies and gents...is where we will be teaching/LIVING for the next 4 months!!

Tang just built this school and it is literally still being built..workers everywhere.

And the school opens Tuesday. So, we will see how that goes. 

But it is absolutely beautiful. Supposedly, it was supposed to be modeled after "hogwarts" 

But Tang said it ended up looking more like a church. Seriously, it is gorgeous.
More pictures to come on this blessed place. Ahh we can't wait to move in. 

Bridge right by our house that allows us to walk over the Muddy "Nam" river.

And takes us to the train station that takes us to church!

Our bikes + baskets

Our mode of transportation.

Surely the way, IF we die...in which we will die. 

My Phichit street! Right outside the clinic/our house. 

Clearly, exercise is very important to Thai people...

there is equipment everywhere. Parks, side of the road...you name it. 

s

We love going to this open air market and have already been there three times. 

They have tons of fruits, veggies, meat (that stinks beyond belief) and all sorts of other treasures. 

The best part we have discovered so far is A) The 7-11 across the street..

and B) The amazing tiny glazed doughnuts for like 20 cents. Mmm..

Did I mention I love Thailand?

Because I do :)

Thailand--no this is not a dream!

I'm here! I'm here I'm here! 

Annnd it still hasn't really sunk in yet. 

Okay, it kind of has. Because as I sit here writing this.. 

I'm sweating to death, and there is a busy Phichit street just under our kitchen window, 

thus allowing me to hear all of the passing moterbikes/tuktuks... etc. 

And it's is AWESOME. 

I love Thailand already :]

Buttttt I'm not going to really blog, yet.
Because I think i'm going to do a weekly blog post.
Annnd I'd rather go for a bike ride around town.
Stay tuned!

Saying goodbye is hard to do.

Well folks...

 The goodbyes have been said to my favorite St. George families. 

The last supper has been had....twice. 

Dinners/lunches/sleepovers with friends have happened almost every night. 

Tears have been shed. 

Fights  disagreements may or may not have happened. 

The bags have been packed after much dispair. 

Bathroom/Room cleaned and organized. 

It's time for this girl to get outta here! 

But i'd be lying if I said, 

I didn't miss my family like crazy already :/ 

A liiiitle bit of craziness.

ONE WEEK 

One measssly little week until I leave St. George. 

One week + 2 days until I leave for Thailand 

Here's a little peak at what my madness of a room looks like lately. 

The gray bin I have been tossing things I need to take with me

for the last X amount of months. 

My beautiful Suitcases all tagged, and ready to be filled! 

Final flight itinerary printed and ready to go! 

And heree is the beginnings of my packing list. 

This week has been a bit nutso with working evvvery day

but it's still be a killer slow week!? Whaaa? 

I guess that means i'm excited?  

Yes, I guess so! 

Documentation

Tonight.
On the Eve of Christmas. 

The funniest conversation ever took place between my 11 year old niece and I. 

it went a little something like so... 

Hailey: " Come sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want for Christmas!"

*Pats her lap ever so Ho-Ho-Ho-ee* 

Me: "Ummmm.....I want my boyfriend home from his mission!!" 

*Santa/Hailey...scowls* 

Hailey: "I'm sorry...I can't do that" 

Me: "But your SANTA!!" 

Hailey: "Yeah, and Santa works for Jesus" 

Holy cow. I love my family. 

Happy Christmas errbody!  

LESS than 2 weeks.

Until I leave my family, my bed, my own room,

my bathroom, my friends, my quaint little city,

my puppy, my Utah and all my comforts.

For this.

Where I will be spending my time,

teaching these adorable kids.

Spending some time lounging on beaches like so.

Having adventures similar to this one.

Eating food as yummy such as this.

Probably attempting to kill a few of these.

kjfalksdjfal;skdjfasd;lfa I can't believe it's here already.

And as my Christmas present to you..

I promise, no more countdowns to my trip!!

Until the actual day of departure...

no more Thailand talk.

Lucky ducks!

Merry Christmas!