The end and the beginning

It has been 3 months since I've written. I haven't disappeared into the jungles of Thailand. I've simply been busy teaching my students and loving them more and more each day. This past week is the marker of one year since I have been in Thailand on a Fulbright. We also met the new batch of ETAs coming with ready minds and open hearts to come teach in Thailand. I've met my replacement in the wonderful person of Korin. She is SET UP for success...that's all I have to say. I couldn't have chosen a better person to come and teach at Sawan Anan as a Fulbright ETA. Although I've decided to stay on and teach one more semester (big news!), I can only describe myself this week as having "jai hai" syndrome...translated to "a lost heart," because I cannot deal with the fact that this amazing year of Fulbright has officially come to an end and my fellow sister ETAs are heading off to travel in Southeast Asia before heading back to the homeland. Perhaps I am in denial with all of this, so I've put an invisible barrier between my heart and my head. It has been a very fast year, and the fastest one since college where years seem to be only as long as months. I will reactivate my blog and write as much as I can about these next 5 months in Thailand and my wonderful students and friends. I'll post pictures and write more later.