Beginning of the End and the Challenge

This month, April, is officially my last month of volunteering abroad.  I have just purchased my one way ticket home on the 27th!  It feels a little good, knowing that I have Chop't salad and Chipotle waiting for me in New York, but of course it also feels a little sad and surreal to actually have these months, this goal I've had for years, finally come to an end.

This week I have been planning my final mini trips and holidays, and will be going to Chiang Mai for Songkran weekend.  This holiday is the Thai new year I believe when everyone gangs up with their friends to form teams and have a massive water fight with everyone.  I will probably be wearing my bathing suit and carry nothing with me the entire time.  Finally, the last hurrah will be the full moon party in Ko Phangan, where I will be meeting up with two other volunteers from Isara and one of their sisters.  I am suuuuper excited for both of these things, needless to say. From Ko Phangan I will be heading directly to the airport, a trip that should take a little under a day via ferry, bus, and train.

But enough of all of that future stuff.  This week, the volunteers at Isara, minus a few decided to go on the 150 baht challenge, where we spend only 150 baht a day for 10 days, today being the last day.  I'm not really sure why we decided to do this, there is no political meaning behind it.  I know I did it as a mini challenge for myself. An exercise in self control, and it certainly reminded me that I actually need very little. To be honest it's really not that hard to live off of about 5 bucks a day here... A delicious pad thai costs a mere 35 baht after all... Tonight we will be celebrating the end of our "ascetic lives" by going to Udon Thani, a larger town about an hour or two away.. where I hear there's things such as sushi! Something I haven't had in ages!... The Mekong probably isn't the greatest place to eat raw fish from...

Besides that the temperature has gone up what seems to be 10 fold if that's possible. I honestly don't think I could be sweating more if I were sitting in a sauna! Sleep is more or less out of the question, and although my one lone fan helps a little bit, I still can't help but wake up in a pool of sweat probably about 4 times a night.  I hear the temperature is about 110/50 degrees, but I am honestly trying to ignore the figures... I don't want to know.  The ants however, seem to thrive in it, and I am also trying to ignore the fact that I think I may have ants in my bed.  I may have killed most of them with this spray but who knows.. they are microscopic... maybe I should just put one of the hundred lizards and geckos in there are let him go to town... Couldn't hurt...

Finally, in regards to teaching, it's been getting better and better. I notice now that I'm really beginning to understand how each kid learns, what they do and don't like, and possibly even communicate with them better.  I am sometimes hard on them, but to be honest I am here to teach, not to be their friend. These volunteer opportunities of mine were meant to be jobs for me, not excuses for vacation, and this is why I act more seriously. Other volunteers feel differently, but that's great! I think a balance in that regard is really important.  In addition, I think I have successfully learned my students names... You would think remembering names like BMW, Boat, Pee, Dream, Fun and Phonelink would be easy.. but honestly it can get quite confusing!  Also something really great that I've come to accept and appreciate is that unlike in Slumdog Millionaire, your shoes will not be stolen when you take them off outside a store or house as is the custom in some places, including Isara.  I have finally stopped worrying about my flip flops disappearing, and have started to enjoy being barefooted with everyone :)

Sadly this week two volunteers who I have been living with will be leaving at the end of this week... Sheena and Tiffany you shall be sorely missed! and I'm not really sure how I'll teach my class without Sheena... She's the good cop, I'm the bad cop.. Still, I look forward to meeting up with you both in Chiang Mai and Ko Phangan, and hopefully when we are all back in North America too!