My last day at Sa-Nguan Ying was definitely a toughie. My M1 and M2 students had absolutely amazed me with their presentations while the M3 students were amazing hosts and helpers throughout the whole process. As we were packing up to leave, it really started to hit us that this was the last time some of us were going to see the kids. The boys attacked Jared with hugs playful punches. One of the boys who was a bit of a challenge for me (he's a sleeper) came up to me telling me not to cry and to smile. It was such a sweet gesture and i asked if I could give him a hug. Thais aren't too fond of crying, so I tried hard to pull it together. But, if any of you truly know me, that's quite a challenging task.
Some of my M3 girls had taught me a phrase about a month ago, but I was nervous to say it, hoping it wasn't actually something mean. But after asking around, Chi-wit thi dee (ชีวิตคีตี) is a solid phrase. It means "It's a good life." One of the students was always the most adorable, and she would walk around with a bright smile on her face and declare that phrase. It became our thing, and that's how we started to end class. But on Sunday, that was the last phrase I heard from the kids, and I absolutely lost it emotionally. It's amazing how much they have taught me about loving my life and appreciating what I have.
Even though leaving Sa-Nguan Ying was difficult, I must say that I was quite ready for a vacation. And what better way to celebrate the end of the school year than with a trip to the beach?! Because our school didn't have many long breaks, I wasn't able to go down to Krabi and Phuket, two of the most popular places in Thailand. On Monday, I paid my last rent, cleared out my room, bid farewell to Yoo Dee Mee Suk (my apartment building) and all of Suphanburi, and hit the road towards the airport. The flight was simple, but it definitely was an odd feeling knowing that it'll be a long time before I see Suphanburi again.
The next couple of days consisted of sunburns, beach-bummed tourists, the most radiant sunsets, music, amazing Mexican food, making friends both locally and internationally, and having such a magical time on the beaches.
Krabi is attached to the mainland, and we stayed in Ao Nang beach at a little bungalow run by one of the nicest guys: Nui. These bungalows were quite basic: mosquito nets, non-flushing toilets (you pour water in them to "flush." This is typical in Thailand), cows and roosters walking around the property, and cool showers. It may sound odd, but I absolutely loved this place. The first night, we taught Nui how to play Blackjack and we stayed up to swap stories of life. When I went to bed, there was a little jumper friend on top of my mosquito net. Not exactly sure where that little frog went to, but he was gone in the morning.
We took long-tail boats to check out the other beaches (specifically Railay Beach), and we ended up bumping into monkeys, amazing shops, and unbelievably clear water. There's really not much to say except that I was in awe of the beauty of this little corner of the world. We all got ambitious and didn't apply as much sunscreen as we should've, leaving us red as lobstahs. Later that night we attended a Thai Cooking Class where I learned how to make my favorite dish: Panang Gui (Chicken with panang curry). Our teacher, Yok, was amazing and so kind. We left the Thai Charm Cooking School with our bellies full and our hearts happy.
We left Krabi for the amazing island of Koh Phi Phi Don. This island is pretty famous since the movie The Beach was filmed there. The popularity of this movie attracts a lot of tourists which means that the island is changing quite a bit. There was a lot of construction (and sometimes the not-so-pleasant smells that comes with it) but I'm sure the center of all the hubbub will eventually become more magnificent and extravagant than it already is. The island was definitely a bit touristy, but we had an amazing time. I must say that Koh Phi Phi is one of my top favorite places I've seen in the world, mainly due to the spectacular scenery. Our hostel was practically on the beach, there were amazing shops full of your typical souvenirs and other handicrafts, a large variety of restaurants, and hands down the most beautiful scenery thus far. We met some fun and outgoing people, danced along the beach, snorkeled in turquoise waters, and island hopped. My favorite part of the half-day tour we took was sitting on the back of the boat next to our wonderful boat driver and watching the sunset. The sky was a soft lavender with ribbons of blue and pink streaking across the sky. The silhouette of the long-boats that are traditional in Thailand spotted along the ocean, making for an absolutely majestic view.
Our final day of our vacation was in Phuket. Part of me would've felt silly for traveling all the way to Thailand and NOT have gone to Phuket, famous for it's glorious beaches, tourist vibes, and layback feeling. Maybe it was the area of Phuket that we stayed in, but I wasn't completely in awe. We stayed on Kata Beach and at a funky little hostel called Fin Hostel. The beach was nice, but once you've swam in crystal clear waters, it's hard to go back to "regular" beaches. I'm satisfied that I was able to see Phuket, but I'll probably head back to the islands before I go back to Phuket.
My work visa expires on March 15, which means that I absolutely must leave Thailand on or before that date. So, today on March 14, I am on my way to Singapore. When am I ever going to have a chance to visit this small yet extravagant city/country again? I figured I might as well visit while I had the opportunity.
So let the travels continue! 1 week down, 7 weeks to go of my 2 month backpacking journey.
"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal." -Elbert Hubbard
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This is my final night in Suphanburi, Thailand. The time here has flown by so quickly, and it's unbelievable that my time in Thailand is coming to an end. To be honest, I have gone back and forth about whether or not to renew my contract and just stay here. But I've decided to fly home (at the beginning of May) mainly to plan my next big adventure. This weekend wasn't dedicated to escaping to the islands, roaming around the mountains, or exploring the numerous wats (temples) around Suphanburi. It wasn't dedicated to trying new cuisines, meeting new friends, or being engulfed in the Thai culture. No, this weekend was dedicated to presentations... Yup. Presentations. At the end of each semester there is a giant Presentation Competition in which the students create a large presentation and present on the "Big Stage." We help them with grammar, spelling, pronunciation, their Keynotes, iMovies and Pages documents. This semester, my 7th and 8th graders were the ones who were to perform. The 7th graders had to present their Asia Country Projects (I've now heard these presentations on repeat since the end of December...) while my 8th graders had to present "How to be a Good Citizen of Thailand." With this project, the students had to create a blog, Facebook page, Keynote, iMovie and poster. So much to look at and grade it was absolutely crazy! This week ended up being long and tedious, listening to all of the presentations on repeat, fixing the pronunciations of "kilOmeters" rather than "kiloMEters," and fixing all the grammar mistakes on the movies. All of us were kind of dreading this weekend, but I couldn't have asked for a better send off weekend with my students. I was simply blown away by the talent of my students! The movies were creative and entertaining, the information was perfect, and the speeches were informative and engaging. I'm so proud of my students. One of the 8th grade groups of boys almost brought me to tears with their movie and their message of how littering truly affects our world. I was completely impressed by how hard our students worked to improve their presentations and bring their personality to these projects. They made us laugh, cry, and smile from ear to ear. Afterwards, they all asked us how we did and thanked us graciously for our help. Thai students are the most grateful (even if they can get absolutely out of control). Even though I reflect back on my time here just about every day, I won't write my reflection now. I'm sitting in Katrina's room with everyone around me (Chelsea, Jared, Josie, Mike, Jade and Katrina), and we've done snail/salmon masks, watched silly videos, helped each other pack for our travels, and did yoga. It's been a wave of emotions throughout the day today. Today started on a huge high when my supervisor played jazz early in the morning, a low when I had to bid my students a final farewell, and now I'm hitting that medium point where I'm just completely satisfied. All I can say for now is: Thank you, Thailand.
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