What If YOU Did It?

The other day we were sitting in a faculty meeting and the school director was talking about some of the hiring challenges they've had. I thought... I know a lot of teachers. Any of you want to come and do this?

This job would be perfect for either a young single teacher, a teaching couple (I don't know many of those), or a teacher whose spouse could work remotely. Tuition at the school is covered for one child per teacher, so if you're a teaching couple, two kids. I can't honestly say it would be worth it otherwise; tuition is pricey. All contracts at our school are for one year. It's worth a thought! My god, especially if you're young and single. And an elementary teacher. I could walk you through the whole thing.

Why not?

We've started back up again, but just the teachers for now. We go back a full 8 school days before the kids, and 95% of that time is free to set up our rooms. I love it. It forces me to get in and work, and also clearly defines the summer so I don't have to give school a thought until I physically step back into it. I'm not simultaneously freaked out and bewildered like I was this time last year, I was moved to a new room that's way better than what I had, I have some new ideas, and I know exactly what to expect. It's going to be a great year.

I had this moment today of overwhelming happiness. I had just been to the market and had several nice interactions with people. I had a bowl of khao soi.

A local dish; noodles in coconut curry. I could eat it every single day.

I was driving around town and the sky was doing dramatic rainy things in every direction, spilling dark clouds over the mountains here, a sheet of rain over there, bright sunbeams peeking out over there. It was just beautiful. I thought to myself, I have a year of experience behind me, and a year ahead. One year to learn, one year to practice what I've learned*. It's an incredibly sweet spot. I have to strike a balance between appreciating the silence and beauty, and trying not to panic that I only have 11 more months of it. I mean, this is the view out my window right now.

This is my view when I do yoga.

*I've learned to slow down, mostly my brain. I can't say I'm an expert, but I am sleeping like a champ now. However, if I'm gonna talk about things I've learned in a year, my Thai language skills still suck.

I keep meaning to put this somewhere, so here is as good as any. We have these birds outside our house that make the funniest sound. Woop-woop-woop-woop. I call it the Three Stooges bird. It sounds like Curly. I finally looked it up today! Thank you Internet, it's called the Greater Coucal. We see them everywhere. They're gorgeous. But this sound... man, it is the soundtrack to our house, that's for sure. The one in this video sounds a little slower, a little less Curly than the ones around us.

I'll finish this post with a funny story. Today I went to buy some plants for my classroom. I went to a small garden shop where a scruffy old woman was napping on top of stacked bags of soil. (Workplace naps are a common sight here-- having had my share of boring jobs, I love it.) This same woman would later help me load my car, where I would discover that-- surprise!-- she actually smelled great, like fresh sugar cookies. I know.  ???  Anyway, I asked the other employee where the indoor plants were. She showed me this collection of huge, gorgeous, healthy plants. I picked out a few and asked her how much. She said "35 baht." I let out a shocked gasp, because that is one dollar. These plants would easily run $15-20 at Home Depot. She immediately said, "30 baht!" As if I was gasping because they were expensive! Oh, Thailand.