My teammates and I have been living and doing ministry here in Thailand for two weeks now and we are so happy! We live in a little 3-bedroom house across the street from the school where we teach, and our pretty little home is equipped with orange floor tiles and lots of windows. My days are filled with walks between home and school, english lessons, journaling, eating strange thai food, hugs from sweet girls who call me “teacher lucy,” and lots of green tea. In the evenings we like to go on bike rides, watch the sunset, do HIIT as a team (yikes), and walk to the restaurant next door for pad thai. Each day looks a little different because we operate on a rotating teaching schedule, but I have found a lot of peace and simplicity in my life here in Mai Ai. Here’s what a typical day in my life looks like:
6am: I share a room with two other girls, and since our home has no furniture, we sleep on our sleeping pads with our sleeping bags (yes I do sometimes miss my tempurpedic mattress but thankfully our bodies adjust to our circumstances and I got used to my sleeping pad after about a week). We wake up around 6-7am to the sound of roosters crowing and the restaurant next door loudly banging pots and pans in preparation for breakfast.
7am: Here in Thailand, it is custom for some teachers to stand outside the school in the morning and greet incoming students. When greeting someone, men say “Sawatdee-krap” and women say “Sawatdee-kah.” This is paired with a “wai,” which is when you bring your palms together under your chin and do a little bow. Every morning, a few of us go out and welcome our students to school. It’s my my favorite thing in the world when the older kids stop their motorbikes, get off, put the kickstand down, take of their helmet, wai to us, then get back on their bikes to go park them. The emphasis on respect in this culture, especially for your elders, is refreshing and wonderful.
8am: Classes are 50 minutes long and I usually teach 3-5 times per day. During my time off I read, listen to podcasts, go on walks, journal, and sometimes blog. My teammate Maggie and I teach the secondary students, which is grades 6-9. Most of these kids know so much english vocabulary but have very little grammar knowledge or speaking skills. These days I am thankful for the rigorous english grammar program at my high school that left me in angry-tears more than once. Sometimes I have to learn the lesson from Kru Dang before I go teach the class (I mean, do you know why we say “easier” instead of “more easy”?). Anyways, I absolutely adore this age group and could see myself being a real-life middle school english teacher some day. My students are so sweet and kind and eager to learn.
11:30am: The school cooks our team lunch every day. It’s always some variety of rice, vegetables, soup, and fried stuff. We never know what to expect but we always try everything!
3pm: We walk home, work out, eat dinner, have team time, and sometimes walk to the store to buy fresh coconuts and ice cream. We’re all in bed by 9pm (can’t wait for college) unless we decide to watch a movie or have a dance-off.
If you have any questions or you’d like to know more about my ministry, please comment below and I will get in touch with you! also please be praying for me as I’m currently fasting from social media, sugar, and caffeine!!!! As always, thank you so much to my donors who sent me here to Thailand where I can pursue my dreams and tell strangers about Jesus. LOVE & BLESSINGS.
