Second Blog, 8 months in...yikes.

I had good intentions to blog during my time in Thailand but life and traveling and no computer got in the way a bit. Hopefully this can make up for 6 months of no updates.

It has truly been a whirlwind. To think that I have only three months left in Thailand is hard to comprehend, to know that I have only four weeks of teaching left is unfathomable yet completely exhilarating. Teaching Thai university student has been a challenge, a delight, and a study in culture all wrapped into one. Perhaps the most important thing I have learned is that I am not cut out for teaching. I believe you either have it or you don't and I am amongst the latter group. I lesson I am grateful to have learned.

Let me fill you in a bit on my travels and adventures. At the end of the first semester, three of my friends and myself went to Vietnam and Cambodia for three weeks. We traveled by bus all the way from the north of Vietnam to the south and into Cambodia. We saw beautiful sights, climbed a mountain, spent literal days on buses and witnessed some of the world's most amazing sights such as Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I experienced so much it would be impossible to detail it all here but let me just say I will never be the same and this earth we live on is so utterly vast and full of things to learn about, it is truly awesome. Apart from Vietnam and Cambodia, my traveling has been limited to Bangkok and the nearby island of Koh Samet. Discovering Bangkok could take a lifetime. It has so many little neighborhoods, markets, temples, etc. that will be left unseen by me when I return home.

I was lucky enough to get to have my mom come to visit me for two weeks over Christmas. It was her first trip abroad and seeing Thailand through her eyes reminded me how special this place is and how much I have learned about it thus far. We had an amazing time together and it sparked a love of travel in her which was a gift in itself.

In two months my friend Jessica is coming to visit me directly followed by my friend Micky which is directly followed by my dad's visit. It will be the first trip out of the United States for all three of them and I cannot wait to share Thailand with them. I will be returning back home when my dad leaves on April 26th.

I have settled into a bit of a routine with teaching and my local neighborhood and Bangkok truly feel like my home now. I think that because of this I am finally starting to become restless to get back to my original home in Portland. Just yesterday my friend Chloe asked me via skype if I thought Thailand had changed me, my answer to her wraps this up:

"Ummm. I don't think it changed me in the ways I was expecting it to, but definitely has shown me that I have taken a lot for granted in terms of family and friends. It has shown me that I don't need to go searching for adventures, that I have the tools to be happy at home...deep I know:) But it is a lesson that I am thankful for learning and I really think this is the only place that could have shown me that."

I have loved Thailand and for the rest of my life I can say I lived in Asia and reflect back on my experiences here. Saying that, I am eager to get back home to those people I love most and begin a new chapter in my life, a little more well-traveled, a bit wiser and drastically more appreciative of being in the company of people who truly know me and a world I understand.

I can't end this blog and this summarization of the past six months without mentioning my family here in Thailand, Danielle and Christina. I came to Thailand with no guarantees, the only thing I knew for sure was that I would be teaching English at a university. It's amazing to me how God works to weave lives together to make it possible for people to meet people who otherwise would never come into contact with one another. This can be said for Danielle and Christina. They are two of the most sincere and unique people I have ever met who have unlimited potential and full, happy lives ahead of them. They were best friends before coming to Thailand and have been kind enough to let me into their circle. When my grandfather passed away in October they were the only comfort I had and without them there is no doubt I would have stayed home when I returned to Oregon for my grandpa's memorial. I wrote in my journal of profound thoughts recently that living within walking distance of good friends is as essential as water:) I utterly believe this to be true. As a naturally reserved individual (to say the least:)) they have shown me that having a community environment which provides support, acceptance, love, understanding, humor and fun is something that I will never allow myself to live without again.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Jen