One week in Thailand: My Heart is Full

I have now been in Thailand one week. So much has happened.

I was blessed to spend the weekend with an amazing family who has lived here for a while. It was refreshing to be around a family with younger kids. We spent the weekend hanging out, eating good food, watching American movies and TV shows, and going to church.

Riding in the truck

The boy loves his 8 baht McDonald's Ice Cream Cone! ($1 USD is about 35 baht so these cones are about a quarter!)

At the Night Bazaar

 Something that has helped me through this first week has been finding as many familiar things as I can in a foreign land. People might have different opinions on how to adapt to a new culture. Some might think it's necessary to totally jump in and do everything the locals do in order to adjust. While I want to honor the culture, I have found it helpful to get excited about little things like watching American movies and shows, eating pizza, decorating my room with things from the US, and playing board games with friends. These things are so refreshing and help me be up for adventure when I am adjusting to a new culture, instead of constantly being bombarded with new things 24/7.

I mentioned decorating/setting up my room... here are a few pictures :)

The mat was here already... notice the colors (hint, green and gold)

Finding creative ways hang my scarves, couldn't leave home without good ol' BU

some of my favorite books from home... choosing which books to bring was so hard!! 

My desk with Baylor Bear :)

My bed with my Baylor t-shirt blanket... it's like I brought a lot of Baylor stuff or something.

 Another thing that has been such a huge blessing here has been the community. I live in a neighborhood that is set up like a little grid (kind of like a gated community in the states except it has one street down the middle with about 6 or so streets that branch off on the right and left). What's cool is that so far I know families from 6 houses in this little neighborhood and every house is no very far. It is the perfect set up for community! There are families from the school as well as other faring (foreigners) and locals. I am looking forward to meeting more of my Thai neighbors as I see them and learn more Thai.

5 of us got together last night to play Ticket to Ride

 The experiences I have had and the people I have been with have made my heart so full this past week. But I think what has filled me up even more is realizing what I get to do. For one, where I work is absolutely beautiful.

This is the view outside the music room

Today we had our first day of new teacher orientation and it was such a blessing. I love the heart and vision of this school. I love that this school values community and family- not just between the teachers but also between the students and their families. Some people might not be comfortable with those boundaries- but it is how I grew up and it is how I thrive. I love that I get to be friends with parents and have relationships with students outside of school. Here we are encouraged to invest in these kids well and be open about our lives. We are encouraged to ask for help and be as creative as possible. 

It is a great community and I truly feel blessed that God has brought such a good fit for me. I will say this over and over again, but thanks to those of you who continue to pray and give to make all of this possible- as someone said to me this weekend, "Here, you truly have the opportunity to impact nations."