The Beginning of the End

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!