Coming to a Close

It is February 1st and all I can think about is how it is the start of Black History Month. Okay, well maybe that is not all I am thinking about. It is more like a passing thought. This month is my last month in Uttaradit. I can't exactly say that the time here has flown, but at least the second term went speedily and I think I have gotten the full experience that Uttaradit has to offer.

Now, what some of you may know, and if you don't I am so sorry because I thought I had told everyone, is that I was offered a contract with the British International School in Lampang teaching science. This is a great opportunity that I am very excited about and I have decided to accept the offer. I adore the school. The class sizes are much smaller than what I have taught all this year and they are even smaller than the classes in the states. The rooms are creatively decorated with various forms of child artwork, crafts and ideas. Classes are taught in English, since it is an international school, and a lot of the staff are farang. And the best part is that I will be teaching science! I will be starting next month and am very excited.

So my time in Uttaradit is coming to a close, but my time in Thailand has not yet ended. I have only agreed to a one year contract and after that, who knows? I still very much intend to get a Masters in Education in the future. That much I know but beyond that is anyone's guess. Right now, I am focusing on moving (which would make this the 8th time I have moved in 4 years). My only comment: this year is much easier since I don't have as much stuff! Plus, I am going to be moving via bus (as in checking my two suitcases into the bottom of the bus and traveling to Lampang). I still need to buy another suitcase, but I want to wait until I start packing since I don't know how much room I will need. Some of the stuff I brought over here has been used up and there are certain things, like my dishes, that I plan to bring with me to Lampang so I am not sure how everything will pack up yet.

So here I am talking about moving when I have yet to tell you about my apartment. I don't have one set in stone (I know that is gasp-worthy) but I am solidifying my new apartment next Saturday when I go to Lampang. I had previously planned on taking over one of my American friend's apartment after he left to go back to America, but it was too difficult to contact the landlady. But now I am looking at a place (and there are four of them, so don't worry that all four will suddenly be gone in a week), that sounds absolutely awesome. 2 bedrooms, a living room annnnnnd A KITCHEN!!! Oven and stove. That's right! I can cook again! And it also has a laundry machine, as if the kitchen wasn't enough. So yes, I am totally jumping all over that. The previous place I was looking at did have a fireman pole as the fire escape route, but kitchen beats fireman pole, especially when the two places were the same price and the other place was a one room deal.

So I know this post is mainly about what will happen instead of what has been happening, but well, everything here has been pretty normal. The Chinese New Year lasted three days and wasn't the biggest deal here. I mean, it was celebrated with a multitude of lanterns and fireworks, but no huge festivals and we still had to work (which is the biggest indicator of this not being a big deal, since on the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year you are not supposed to work or else that means you will work hard every day of the next year). But yeah, classes as normal. Only four more weeks! And I am sooo going to miss all 900 of my kids.

Before I go, I just have to do the "no more" list for when I go to Lampang. After reading this, you will understand why I am so excited for my move. Okay here it is: No more cold showers. No more metal springs sticking out of my mattress shredding my sheets and causing my metal allergy to be very apparent. No more laundry lady and waiting for 2 weeks for my clothes. No more eating cold food because I only have a fridge and no microwave. No more astroturf for a floor. No more four flights of stairs every time I leave my apartment. No more walking 15 minutes to a 7-11. No more super loud concerts happening right next door. But also, no more walking 10 minutes to school. No more dinners with my friends who live here. No more of my adorable children and English department staff. No more people who know my order whenever I walk in. No more man who says hello to me every morning on his Hello Kitty bike. Oh my, so many 'no more's. Let's see what replaces them, shall we?