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Showing posts from August, 2007

Things I am looking forward to in the U.S., Part I

I think this will be a new (and short-lived) series for my blog. It will probably sound like I don't like it here, which is not true. I do like Thailand. Sometimes I love Thailand and wish we weren't going home. And at other times, I wish we were leaving tomorrow. One of the things I am really, really looking forward to in the U.S. is hot water. We have a little electric hot water heater in the upstairs shower, but that's the only hot water in the house. And unless it's a warm day, the water doesn't get that hot. In the cool season, the water barely gets past lukewarm, and the house is 60 degrees. Not fun, especially for little kids. I'm really looking forward to a long hot shower on a chilly evening, or soaking in a tub full of hot water. And then there's the hot water from the tap. The only time I wash dishes in hot water is when I boil it on the stove. It's going to be so nice to just turn on a tap and get hot water to wash dishes. (Even better, we mi

College in Thailand

I'm almost done with my first (and, for the immediate future, last) semester of teaching college. I like it. It suits me far better than teaching kindergarten. I am fascinated by the English language, and the process of learning language, and I love the challenge of trying to help others master it. Or at least learn to pronounce words ending in "l." I have realized that there is an entirely different expectation of college students here. I felt, as a college student, that I was an adult, and most of my instructors treated me as one. College students here are still treated like children most of the time. My boss addresses the students as "children" even though I have several students in their early 20s. They don't schedule their own classes; you pick a major, and the university tells you what you will take and when. They don't get homework, unless it's reading, because they "won't do it anyway." It's frustrating to be trying to finis

I've been tagged!

My sister Erin tagged me. . .so here goes. 4 Jobs I've Had Server Executive Assistant Test Development Coordinator English teacher 4 Movies I Love: Armageddon What Dreams May Come The Princess Bride Beauty and the Beast 4 Places I've Lived: Maryland Provo, Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Thailand 4 TV Shows I Love: Grey's Anatomy The West Wing (we've been watching it on DVD) Lost House 4 Things that Make Me Happy: My family Good books Baking Traveling 4 Books I Love: The Shadow of the Wind Ender's Game The Bonesetter's Daughter Harry Potter 4 Foods I Love cheesecake chocolate chip cookies chicken fettucine alfredo baked ziti 4 Vacations I Love: The Beach Visiting Family anywhere I can get a massage anywhere Trea has fun I'd Rather Be: sleeping 2 People to tag: Ariana John

It's Official

We're coming home in October. We have tickets and today John told his boss. We wanted to give plenty of notice, since it's not easy finding farang teachers. I will tell my boss this afternoon. I'm a little overwhelmed by the idea of having to totally re-establish a household, but excited too. John's parents are coming and we are going to travel with them for ten days before heading back to the U.S. We will be staying with them for the holidays, and using that time to figure out where we want to settle. I'm going to try to blog a lot in the next couple of months so I can get in all my thoughts about Thailand, but I doubt I'll be able to get it all down. Also, check out John's blog for a link to our family snapshots online. Lots of cute ones!

Growing up

Trea is pretty much potty trained. I say "pretty much" because she's had one accident (in the middle of a tirade) in the last week or so, and she wears underwear all day. She's still wearing a pull up for naps and at night, mostly because we co-sleep and can't deal with the idea of nighttime accidents getting all four of us up! She's growing up so fast. . . .