Sadly, our time in Southeast Asia is drawing to
a close. We’ll finish our time with IJM Thailand in late June, which means that
we only have a little more than three months left here in Chiang Mai. This is
an incredibly bittersweet time for our family since we’ve made lots of good
friends in our two years in Thailand. I try not to think about how little time
we have left because I tear up every time.
Even
without counting the days, we can tell that this season is coming to an end.
Some of our good friends left last week, and we won’t be in Thailand when they
come back from their furlough. We’ve certainly missed all the interns who have
left IJM since we’ve been here, but this is the first family (with kids who are
friends with our kids) who have left. We went to church together and were both
part of the same homeschool group, so we saw each other often. We’re going to
miss them a lot!
 |
| E and her first friend in Thailand |
The homeschool co-op that our family is part of
only has three weeks left. This has been our first homeschooling experience,
and the co-op group has been integral to it. E especially appreciates being
able to see her friends consistently every week and being able to learn about
topics outside of her regular curriculum.
E and B
joined a soccer camp for the months of January, February, and March. There are
now just two sessions left, and although this particular camp runs a few times
every year, we won’t be here when the next one goes. None of us knew much about
soccer before we came to Thailand, but the kids have really enjoyed learning
about the sport and playing with other kids.
 |
| B doing some footwork |
We’re also starting to think about what things
we’ll take back to the US with us, and what items need to be sold or given away
here. We will “only” take ten suitcases back, which is what we brought with us,
but it’s surprising how much stuff you can acquire in just two years! Even with
taking several items back with us during our furlough last summer, there will
be A LOT that won’t fit under our weight limit. We are thankful that my mom and
youngest sister will be visiting at the end of March and have agreed to let us
send some things back with them. Still, sorting through our belongings reminds
us of how little time we have left.
The
final way that we are planning for the end is related to my work. I’ve been
counting how many classes each of my groups have left, trying to decide which
topics are the most essential, and which ones will need to be passed over.
Every teacher can relate to that nearing-the-end-of-the-school-year feeling.
It’s both exciting and sad to realize that my time with the staff is nearly
over. Over the last few weeks I’ve reminded different staff members that I’m
leaving in June, usually whenever they refer to a future event that I won’t be
present for. Every time they say, “Two years goes so fast!” I couldn’t agree
more.
Even
though we are sad about leaving Thailand, we can’t be happier to have had the
chance to join this team for the last two years. We’ve made deeper connections
than we ever thought possible, both with co-workers and expats, and are going
to miss everyone tremendously. But, we knew from the very beginning that this
assignment was going to be temporary, so we are trying to look upon our
remaining months with appreciation instead of sadness.
E and I
had a girls’ day last week, and she remarked how fast this second year was
going and how soon we would be going back to the US. I asked if she regretted
coming to Thailand (since, in all honesty, it has caused her a lot of heartache
over the loss of friends both in the US and Chiang Mai), and she replied with
an emphatic “no”. We both agreed that we are happier to have met and loved all
these people than to have never have begun this adventure. Here’s to eating
lots of Thai food and making incredible memories for the next three months!
