Home Sweet Thailand

Sa wa dtee Kha!


Heading back to Thailand was bittersweet. Saying goodbye to everyone was tough, but I am happy to be back. Seeing my students after two months was nice. Being greeted by their smiling faces as well as Erika and the staff was so nice. They were quite the welcoming party.  


Upon returning, Erika and I made a trip to the market that's about 10 mins away. The lady who I typically buy fruit from was happy to see me. She and I attempted to have a conversation in Thai. It was fun. She said she hadn't seen me in a while and I told her I went home to America. Simple conversation, but exciting when you're trying to learn the language and be part of the culture. 


It has been nice to see familiar faces around the village. The smiles and nods make me feel at home. Perhaps the familiarity of the geckos, mosquitos, power outages and the town crier are not appreciated as much as the people. However, all these things make up Mae Sa Luang, which add to its charm. Our house has the same smells as when I left, which I have to get used to on top of the lack of water pressure and taking shower 2-3 times a day being necessity.


Other than fighting jet lag combined with the heat and humidity, which leaves me with this compelling urge to sleep, things seem to be "normal." This week Erika and I have been organizing, cleaning and getting odds and ends ready for school. The first day isn't until the 14th of June, but there is much to be done before hand. Before Legacy starts, I have two more papers to finish and then this semesters classes will be over and I'll start my new ones in July at the APU Campus in Azusa. 


For those of you who have been worried about the political situation here in Thailand, everything seems okay where we are. When I came back from the airport, nothing had changed too much since I'd left except that there were more police and military stationed places. Things have calmed down in Chiang Mai and seem to be improving in Bangkok. Thailand could still use your prayers for this situation. 


That's all the news for this week. Nothing too terribly exciting, but that's what's going on here. Thank you to my wonderful family and fantastic friends who made my visiting home so great and hard to leave. I'll miss all of you a ton, but I'll be back in July for school so hopefully I'll see  some of your smiling faces before I head back to Thailand. 


Please continue to pray for Legacy- the teachers, staff, students, the Sextons, and the work that is being done as we are preparing for our new school year. 


Lots of Love,
Lainy J.