Nothing New....

My mom told me that I needed to blog again and update everyone but there really is nothing new on the home front! I am working hard on my lessons and getting into the swing of things with teaching. I get paid in 2 days which is a HUGE blessing (we get paid monthly so this is my first paycheck) and I start Thai lessons tomorrow. Two hours every week I will be learning Thai from a Thai woman who is certified to teach Thai to foreigners. I have never too gifted at picking up languages so I hope that I am able to pick it up quickly and make the most of it! We will see how I do! :) 
   I also joined a gym today. It is nice and offers a lot of fun classes. I joined with two other teachers so it will be fun going there with them and getting to know them better there! Also it is another great way to make relationships and maybe learn a little more Thai! :)
   Thank you all! 

my birthday and wai kru

                                            a cake from a student-how cute is that???

So Thursday was my birthday and Wai Kru! Wai Kru is a day where the students show their appreciation for their teachers by giving them flowers. Eventhough it is only after a week of school, it is still a fun day to spend with all the students. It was also my birthday which was fun because it only added to the day! My roommates made it really special for me too! They made me birthday muffins (a Green tradition) and carrot cake (my absolute favorite!)! It was a special day! Thank you all for your birthday wishes as well! I felt loved! :)

Meet Grade 3!

I would like to introduce you to my grade 3 class! As you can see, we have a lot of boys! AND my students have not mastered the art of equal lines but that is okay because it is still the beginning of the year! :)

My Classroom is Lived in!

My students have come and gone and my first day as a teacher in Thailand is complete! :) They were so excited to come in the classroom this morning! They were lined up at 8:00 to come in and school doesn't start until 8:30! They truly love to learn! They are a talkative little bunch which is not common in this type of school environment so even though it can be a challenge it is also a blessing! I have 3 great new students in the class this year, Nenna, Fuji and Mos. Mos does not speak much English but Fuji certainly does and Nenna falls somewhere in the middle! Thank you for all your prayers today! :)

My students come tomorrow!!!!

Tomorrow is the first day of school! I have spent all weekend and week getting my classroom ready for the kids to come! I wanted to post some pictures so you could better picture where I am going to be ministering all year long! Enjoy!
P.S. I have a fish theme! :)

                                                               view from the door

                                                                      reading corner

                                        my desk and student work bulletin board

   view from the back of the student's desks; the green bulletin board is more covered now, not a most recent picture

view from the side door

If you think of it...

So I have a prayer request for all of you! In August, we had planned on doing a girls retreat with some of the Burmese refugee girls. We were going to take them to a nice hotel, play games with them, do their nails and hair, have dance parties, and have a big pizza party at the end of it. We also were going to make it kind of like a church retreat and have worship and workshops and things. My roommate from last year, Eunice, was the head of the planning and I was going to come alongside and support her in whatever area she needed. WELL, Eunice is stuck in a hospital in Maryland, with no end in sight of when she will be returning to Thailand. She had a surgery in March that she is now having complications from. Please pray for her quick recovery!

However, that means that I have now taken up the responsibility of planning this girls retreat on top of getting my classroom ready for school. There is a lot that needs to be done, and there are people from the States coming to join us on this retreat who have already bought their tickets, so we cannot postpone it. Please pray for wisdom, diligence, and time management! I have never planned anything like this before and I really want it to be a special time for these girls. Also, we have no funding for this trip and the girls have no way of paying for it. On Sunday, I am meeting with the pastor to see if our church here in Thailand can sponsor at least a portion of the trip.

So in summary, please pray for a quick and complete recovery for Eunice, wisdom, diligence, and time management for myself, and that God would provide the funds for these girls! Thank you! :)

Pictures of Thailand floating market and crocodile farm

Week One Down...

So week one of orientation is officially complete! I have not been able to get into my room yet because they are currently holding summer school in there so I have done all of my bulletin boards, name tags, and planned out the first day. Life has been good here so far! I am completely moved into my room and I have made connections with the other new teachers. I am so excited though because one of my roommates comes tonight! I will not have to be in this big house by myself any longer!

Tomorrow we are taking a little "field trip" to the floating market and the crocodile farm. In Thailand, their value of life is not as high as in the states so I am sure we will be holding, petting, and who knows what else with the crocodiles tomorrow. It should be an interesting day! :)

Side Note: I have been able to reconnect with some old friends from last year, and they remember me! Even some of the hawkers on the street recognized me and asked me when I had come back. It is nice to see everyone again!

Please pray that everything would come together with my classroom so I will not feel stressed or unprepared for my first day. I have 25 students-the largest class in the school. They have capped it though so at least I will not get a class any larger than that! :)