July 2012
34 posts
600 million. →
half of india’s population, more than a sixth of the worlds population, is without power. a result of the country’s energy crisis.
now please take a moment to know how fortunate you are to even be able to read this.
i’m not sure why it took my so long to see waste land, but i’m glad i finally did. tonight i am humbled by humanity.
there are times that walk from you like some...
grade eight.
me: dee dee is my nickname, easier for you to pronounce, but do you remember my full name?
students: beyonce!
jack of all trades.
this semester i teach english at an all boys school, grades 7-9. i also teach a bunch of dudes in grade twelve, who happen to be seminarians, but won’t end up priests [trust me]. then there’s two grade sevens in the co-ed english program. i teach them geography. i tutor a sixteen year old girl conversational english on tuesdays and today i will start teaching one new student every...
three years of geography in english, two full lessons about climate this week, a whole section on graphs [including climate graphs] this term.
mid worksheet……
“teacha. what’s climate?”
i stood there in silence, the only reaction i had.
december seventeenth.
my boss just handed me my plane ticket home. see you in five months, america.
since living in thailand i’ve become a pretty frugal person. perhaps borderline ridiculous? i have been successful, for the most part, at keeping my neurotic behavior to myself. that is until today.
a sandwich bag is not ready to be thrown out until at least five uses and/or the entire inside is covered in peanut butter making it not worth the mess. i will wear the same running clothes for...
“if more young western people traveled and saw the world they’d understand the love that exists everywhere.”
had a great conversation tonight with a kind man from ghana. one that reminded me of why i’m here. sometimes you just need that.
how upsetting. →
glad to have had breakfast, three coffees, and lunch with margaret via skype. :]
happy saturday!
eleven weeks to go.
today was a good teaching day. it’s been two months as an all boys high school teacher and i already feel an attachment to my students growing. they’re insane and it’s not as if thai kids have the best behavior. in fact, it’s terrible. but there’s something about having a classroom full of boys. even on their worst day i can easily let go of my frustration with them....
“i don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to...”
– bill cosby
the simple life.
a menial task in america is usually a production in thailand; often exhausting, sometimes back breaking, and always inconvenient. just last week i found myself on my apartment floor battling a hot plate and eggs. ”eggs! how easy? i should just make eggs for dinner. scrambled eggs and toast it is!” my famous last words before the hour long war began.
round one. eggs in a rice...
tonight i am grateful for five mile runs, peanut butter banana sandwiches, emails from margaret, and vietnamese tea.
today i let my twelfth grade boys listen to music while doing their writing assignments. they work their butts off, they deserve it. if anything it helped. they were focused and bobbing along while happily writing about their families, dreams, and feelings. below is their playlist.
lucky - jason mraz & colbie caillat
call me maybe - carly rae jepsen
payphone - maroon 5
believe - justin...
“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only...”
– Francis Bacon Sr. (via papercrushed)
letting go. →
happy birthday, america!
with love, from thailand.
