Little Nugs, Big Hearts #Fulbright in Thailand #HogsAbroad

After a summer away May marked the beginning of a new school year. My oldest students from last semester graduated onto Mattayom 4 elsewhere and Pratom 1 moved up to Pratom 2, meaning that I now teach them once a week. Last semester I developed many friendships with students in Pratom 1 even though I didn’t teach them. We played football, rock paper scissors and a new favorite, down by the banks. They were just as excited as I was that this semester they had moved onto Pratom 2. 

Two students in particular have come to be my new shadows, best friends and biggest cheerleaders.

Meet Mai and Dtan.

These girls are full of pure joy. They are energizer bunny, jumping bean, shining rays of sunshine.

You can frequently find them sitting outside the English learning room with their noses pressed against the glass waving and calling out my name. They rush inside once class is over wanting to dance, read english books or just sit by my side as I finish up grading name tags. 

Once we sat around listening to Frozen in Thai. They knew every word and sang along loudly and proudly. 

When I head to lunch they’ll sit patiently by my side as I eat. Sometimes playing hangman that they learned from observing a competitive game I was challenged to by a group of middle school girls. And they really get a kick out of putting on my glasses making the world around them 3x larger.

They’re fans of all things football and love a good dance party. After school we will dance around the E learning room to Legally Blonde, Hairspray or other upbeat jams that happen to pop up on shuffle. Mai’s favorite song is “Omigod You Guys” from Legally Blonde. She dances around crazily and then stops, grabs her face and says “Omigod you guys” every time the chorus comes around. 

If I was was new to school and in Pratom 2 these girls would easily be my posse. They’re two among the many of new nugget friends I’ve had the privilege of spending my days with. 

Everyday I look around at all of these beautiful faces. Smiling up at me with pure excitement and not a speck of worry in their eyes. They’re learning about the big world around them, making mistakes and learning from them. Unconditionally loving their peers that surround them and running around in their creative world of a playground with pure childlike wonder. They aren’t scared to fail and are quick to try new things. 

I’m thankful that this year has shown me the beauty of young minds. The freedom in letting go, playing well and just loving others. 

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Read more from Amy about her 2 years as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Thailand at: https://sameamebutdifferent.wordpress.com/

Interested in learning more yourself? Join us for an info meeting on Wednesday, August 24, from 4:30-6pm in Gearhart Hall 102 to learn more about eligibility and the application process.