Back to Normal November

Last month was Remember Nhu’s 10 year celebration and fall break for our children. It was a month full of activities, visitors, and hopefully some relaxation. During school breaks, if it's possible, students go back home to their villages to spend time with family and friends. It’s a great opportunity for our children to share their experiences and testimonies. Through word of mouth, children in these villages who are at risk could find protection with us.

Now that November is here, life is back to normal. Students are back in school, Saturday’s mornings are filled with English classes and other extracurricular activities and the traveling library visits different homes during the week. Last Saturday was the first English camp since the end of September and I was so excited at how many students showed up!

Walking into my classroom, students were seated and waiting patiently for class to begin. Since there was a month break, we reviewed basic conversations learned during our previous classes. Of course my students were shy and it took a little encouragement to get them to share, but once one student shared others wanted to prove they could converse as well. Thai students love a healthy competition. After conversation practice, we played plenty of board and card games. As I walked around facilitating, I was in awe at how much English my students were using, unprompted by the interns and myself. The students were so eager to practice their English they didn’t wait around for us to initiate conversation. Students were laughing with and at each other and helping each other with pronunciation. It’s moments like these that make my entire week.

I also visited some of the homes during the week, bringing the library books with me. The moment the children see the Leap Frog pens they get all hyped up. Some of the children were using the pens to quiz themselves and each other on vocabulary words. Others just enjoyed a story being read to them, even if it was in a foreign language. It’s a sweet feeling, spending time with these children, listening to them laugh and argue with each other. These homes truly feel like homes. The relationships they have with each other are endearing and familial. They work together, play together, eat together, sleep together, and depend on one another. It’s a bond that I have the privilege of being a part of. When I enter any of the homes and hear my name being called out, I’m overcome with love and homesickness because they don’t see me as a ship passing through the night but as a cog in the machine of their daily lives. There is a sense of safety and trust that can only be built with time that I will always carry in my heart. It’s no wonder anyone who comes to visit our homes in Thailand falls in deep love with the children, community, and culture here. How can you not be captured by these faces?

(Pretending to be dinosaurs)

(Learning about SnapChat)

This week was Loy Krathong, the lantern festival, where one pays respect to the goddess of the water. We drove downtown to people watch as locals and tourists set sail lantern boats in the river and paper lanterns in the sky. Watching the orange glow of the lanterns float up and disappear into the deep hue of the purple sky was spectacular, just like the last three Loy Krathongs I had the opportunity to witness.

                                     

(Yes, this is a Pikachu lantern.)

As the month continues, we’ll be blessing the Thai staff with our annual Thanksgiving lunch. Unfortunately, turkey prices have sky rocketed (almost $120 for a small turkey!) and this will be my first Thanksgiving without any turkey. I am deeply heartbroken but there will be sweet potato casseroles and green bean casseroles, so not all hope is lost. And well, right after Thanksgiving, Christmas will be right around the corner, then 2017, and before I know it my birthday, then Easter, and summer. And just like that life moves on so quickly.