Memories to Keep

I had a very emotional morning visiting about 10 students at their homes and meeting their families. I'll write about it later after it sinks in more.

Until then, here are a couple things I want to jot down so I don't forget:

1) The VP of Education of Khon Kean was very kind and said that I was his "daughter" and took me to all these places (announcing to everyone that I was his daughter). My favorite was this beautiful temple in the mountains where young artist monks live. The mountains were breathtaking and the monks were blasting this beautiful Thai buddhist music (I don't know how to explain what it sounded like). I wonder where I can find that music.



2) My whole school planted trees together! I think I posed for a lot of photos pretending to plant trees and didn't really plant all that many trees... And then there is this photo of me being really silly next to the principal.



3) This is me and some of my favorite students! I'm really stoked that the students are warming up to me. Well, I think they're realizing that I'm a non-threatening goofball. I can't believe I'm leaving so soon! I'm going to really miss not hearing "I love you teacher Sewon Ka!" everyday. As Mike warned me, these students really steal your heart!


4) We went to this beautiful garden next to some library and this little girl followed me around. P Wan says she thought I was a celebrity! Well, I'm quite good at non-verbal communication now so I taught the little girl how to give high fives and I think she really liked giving high fives.



5) I would like to just say that P Wan is one amazing little lady and I'm such a big fan of her. She calls me "my little sister Sewon" and she brings me little surprises like frappucinos (I have no idea where she found that in rural Thailand!) or desserts and says "Su Su!" Thanks to her I can have conversations with everyone even though I can only speak Thai in simple sentences or words (well, at least I can put together sentences now!!). She is always full of energy and ideas for adventures. She also cooks really delicious Thai food and taught me how to make a couple essential dishes including som tam (essential for real Thais) and pad thai (essential for the farang like meee). She is also stylish and finds all the coolest things for me to wear (like a beautiful Lao silk skirt). And she is just so much fun to be around. Her dream is to be a fully billingual traveling storyteller and study children's literature. I hope she comes to D.C. sometimes soon so I can spoil her with delicious ice cream, fresh coffee, second hand/antique shops, e-street cinema, and spicy Korean restaurants...


I am counting the days until (not in any particular order) I can give my family a big hug, eat all the Korean food (I want some hot spicy soft tofu soup and kimchi and jjambong and kalguksu), eat at all the greasy chain restaurants (namely this particular bowtie mushroom pasta at the Cheesecake factory and a big hamburger at Three Guys), eat falafel and pizza in DC, try out American Thai food/make snobby comments about the lack of somtam, wear bootyshorts, speak English at a normal pace (with my usual slangs and expressions added), drive my car, watch television I can understand, watch movies not dubbed in Thai, and see my Taurin again (finally). And then move to Williamsburg, celebrate 4th of July with a bang (with courtney on skype on the table), and ace all my summer class courses (I hate science I hate science I hate science but I think I'm good at Physics). Et cetera. Et cetera.

BUT STILL I'm going to be soooo sad about leaving Wiang Wong Kot!