🐘 Novelty November in Thailand

Letter 239

Sawadee ka fellow learn-it-all 👋

Greetings from Chiang Rai, Thailand

I’ve been dipping into nostalgia lately.

A year ago, I was surfing glassy waves at Diamond Head with whales spouting, mailing out Hawaiian books I co-authored, and navigating a $4,291.23 hospital bill from an anxiety attack. Somewhere between packaging books and my annual twelve-hour walk, I found moments of pure joy. Fast forward to now, I’m motorbiking through Thailand, eating squid for breakfast, and painting my nails red and green to teach my students colors.

Is this what adulting looks like?

I would say reflection has been one of the most important practices in my adult life. To show you what that looks like, we’re jumping into it today.

Now, let’s dive into letter 239 from a learn-it-all. Enjoy!

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🌟Quote to inspire

“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.”

— Robert H. Schuller, American Christian Televangelist

(I almost didn’t write this week but then I read this and now you’re receiving this in your inbox. Needless to say, inspiring quotes are my love language. <3)

❓Question to think about

What happened in November?!

🖊️Writing

A whole lot of novelty.

I have a new job.

I teach English as a second language to Thai students in grades 7 to 12. On Mondays, I wear yellow, and on Thursdays, I wear purple. Most days, it’s fun. I’ve let go of many stresses that I wasn’t a competent teacher by reframing my intention to get my Thai students jazzed about English enough to want to learn more.

I shouldn’t pass judgment, but it’s nature to do that, so here goes for my spread of classes: I love my 12th and 7th graders. Next up are the 8th and 11th graders, with my 10th graders bringing up the rear. The main challenge is teaching reading to 10th graders—many students aren't too interested, especially at 2:30 PM on a Wednesday in a non-air-conditioned classroom. I can't blame them.

One Thursday afternoon, I went on a field trip with my 7th-grade English for Science and Technology class. We started class 20 minutes late since, after visiting three classrooms, the only available classroom was a cold chemistry lab room. The finicky TV screen refuses to connect with my Macbook, so on most days, I am good friends with the two technologists who speak a zip of English.

I have a new home.

In that home, I have a new roommate, laundry, two plugs, AC, a mini-fridge, and hundreds of gecko pets. I also have a cute little black Honda 110cc motorbike.

I have fun weekend adventures.

I share intimate moments with gentle giants that eat buckets and buckets of bananas with their strong slurf of a nose-suction cup that leaves slobbery kisses that I now miss.

I pick shiny red Arabica coffee beans off of a farm, grind up beans, and make pour-overs as a barista next to the coffee-obsessed owner, Billie. Then I go and gallivant around a field of bulbous hydrangeas.

I feel magic as I let go of the lanterns into the sky to release my prayer and blessings.

I have new hobbies, some old ones.

🥊 Muay Thai

🛤️Track running at the stadium

🎾 Tennis with coworkers

🏊🏻‍♀️ Swimming

🎶 Ukulele

🎨 Created

• A list of 100 things I’m grateful for in place of celebrating Thanksgiving the traditional way

• Reflections from the high and lows in Thailand after two weeks

• A day in the life of an English teacher in Thailand

• A birthday song for my friend Liv. My favorite verse: “No pasa nada she says with a smile. Adapting to chaos in her own style.”

• A birthday discussion for vulnerable conversation amongst new girlfriends

• Friendship bracelets in the dark on my four bus to Chiang Mai on a Friday

  

  21st-century friend making: woven friendship bracelets, Group chat, Spotify blend playlist, Splitwise/ Venmo name exchange, Birthday calendar sharing, Apple shared album, family photo phone pass around, and Find my Friends locations shared

• Journal presents for my co-teachers on orientation week

• Slides daily and lesson plans with objectives using the template “students will be able to…”

• Games of hangman, Kahoot quizzes, Slido word clouds, and Blooket competitions

• A weekly running plan with support from Mitch

• A letter to my past self

  “I happen to be listening to “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada blasting on the speaker at the Stadium as I run. “You make me rise when I fall.” This was my favorite song at summer swim meets because I knew the words, and I could jump up and down when the tempo increased. Now, I’m passing shirtless, short Thai men shout at each other in excitement as they dribble down the field. They’re playing football, not soccer, because I am a broad living abroad in Thailand. Jeez, life is so unpredictable.”

🆕 New things I consumed

🇹🇼Taiwan tea (instead of Tai tea, it’s less sweet)

🩸Pork blood soup (not as scary as it sounds)

🔎Observations

• It took me way too long to get used to putting my used TP in the trash instead of the toilet 🚮 (Thailand has pipes that don’t take in TP like US pipes)

• Kids falling asleep in my reading class. On the flip side, I was infinitely grateful when they were awake during the weird foods around the world game.

• The love language tendency of my polite Thai friend is more gifts or foods than physical touch, like in Hawai’i with hugs or handholding.

• I find myself talking in slow, simple, broken English and need to talk to English-speaking friends to not feel dumb anymore

• It feels good to have sillies with friends.

• Saipin’s priceless quote: “It’s your problem if you do not understand what i’m saying.“

Things to improve on in December:

• Recording myself speaking my 30 Thai vocab I wrote down to improve with feedback

• Reading instead of watching so much on my new Thailand Netflix account ( K-drama has been getting to me)

• Planning out my midterms to make them super simple and clear

• Presence

📸Photos of the Month Shared Above

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I appreciate you reading this!

If ideas resonated, I’d love you to press the heart button, leave a comment, reply to this email, or reach me at vermetjl@gmail.com.

Keep on learning 😁

Mahalo 🌺

Jen

Ps - in case you missed my reflection on last month, here’s 💖 My Extraordinary October

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