United Flight 882- somewhere between Tokyo and Chicago
Welp folks, today is the day. 404 days later and I’m heading back to the US of A. I don’t quite understand how I’ve been here that long, but at the same time my life here feels so normal that America seems distant and foreign.
It’s incredible how just two flights can
carry you between completely different worlds. America is so different
in every way I’m afraid this past year will feel like a dream. My return
home has been a distant concept all year. Sometimes I wished for the
comfort of Kansas and other times I wished that my time in Bowin would
stretch just a little longer.
This has been a year of change. I’ve been
stretched, challenged and rode a roller coaster of extreme highs and
deep lows. I’ve learned immensely from the people in my community and
from the 21 brilliant other ETAs.
There are things I won’t miss- the random
waves of horrid smells, not being able to drink tap water, cold
showers, creepy insects, weird illnesses etc. However in some strange
way many of the things I thought I’d never get used to I’m going to
miss. Among the ETAs, we joke about how most of the time we have no idea
whats going on at school, with fellow teachers, surprise field trips or
pop up festivals in town. At first this tested my organized, planner
personality. However, it started to become something I enjoyed. Having
no expectations allowed for me to be pleasantly surprised- there was a
such a sense of freedom in that.
And of course I’m going to miss the
obvious things- papaya salad, $6 massages, the fruit lady, scuba diving
on the weekend, my fellow ETAs and Buddhist holidays. I’m going to miss
the beaches and the stunning beauty that is Asia. But mostly I’m going
to miss the people. My host teachers, friends and beautiful students.
Everyday, without fail, my students reenforced my purpose for being in
Thailand. My primary goal this year was simple- at the end of the day I
wanted my students to feel loved and supported. And the incredible thing
was that they did the same for me. They helped me, cheered me up,
respected me and most of all we had fun together. They would press their
faces against the English Learning Room door waving, wanting to come
play. We had incredible dance parties, watched/played football,
celebrated festivals and much more. Each day was an unexpected
adventure!
It’s really the simple interactions with
my students that I never want to forget. During recess young students
would spot me from across campus, one of them would yell “TEACHA AMY!!!”
and a group of 20+ little nuggets would come running full speed, arms
open, encircling me in the biggest group hug imagineable, their little
smiling faces looking up at me in excitement. Students bravely and
eagerly sharing with me new english phrases they’d learned. “Teacha, I
am from America!” Bonding over Justin Bieber and convincing them he was
my brother, taking endless amounts of selfies, students teaching me and
then quizzing me later on words they taught me to write in Thai.
I’m going to miss all 800 of their little
faces more than I can even describe. How can I love them so much after
just one year? I’m headed to America but know I’ll be back soon. I want
to come back and see my students grow up.
–
So yes, I’ve changed this year. How Asian
Amy is different from American Amy I’m still not quite sure. I guess
I’m going to have to figure out how the two blend.
But no worries, I’m still the same Ame, but maybe just a little different….
Classroom Rules:
Speak English, Listen, Be Kind, Have Fun!
-
Read more from Amy during her year as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Thailand at: https://sameamebutdifferent.wordpress.com/
For more information about the Fulbright Grant Opportunities, check out http://eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-programs
