My very first thanksgiving.

This week I celebrated my very first thanksgiving - in Thailand of all places!

On Thursday we had school and so instead of rice and chicken for lunch, we had rice, chicken (which we pretended was turkey) AND mashed potatoes mixed with gravy! Yum, yum, yum. Though I'm sure the majority of our kids would have preferred just normal rice mixed in with some fish sauce, they all tried the new foreigner food. Some liked it, some hated it and some questioned why on earth we were eating baby food. Nevertheless, it was a fun meal time and it reminded us all of the family we have become.

On Friday we had the day off school and an evening celebration at our boss' house. The day consisted of a long lie and mashed potato making! While I am not a huge fan of the photo, I would just like to share the amount of potatoes peeled, cut, boiled and mashed!

The smell of potatoes still lingers on my hands..I'm sure of it!

We arrived and helped to set up and serve and of course enjoy a DELICIOUS thanksgiving meal! Turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, hot cider, stuffing, pumpkin pie and of course, mashed potatoes! So scrumptious!

Then we all sang songs together, with our Thai staff and friends, and talked and laughed and played with some adorable children.

 Room mate Brittany, myself and the 4th Grade Thai teacher Nida. :)

 Feeding the most adorable little girl the whole of my cherry pie. Talk about sacrifice!

Such sweeties!

Though I am not American, nor do I celebrate thanksgiving on a yearly basis, I most definitely have a lot to be thankful for. 

Only in Thailand..

'Is that mouse poop, gheko poop or poop bugs..?' whilst looking in the cupboard.


Having to call our boss and see if we can come over and use his shower because we have no running water for the weekend. 


Using ridiculous amounts of rubber bands to hold the tap down because when the water eventually came back on..we discovered the tap was broken and then proceeded to brake it further by mistake. 


'I feel itchy..can you check my head for lice again?' (thankfully there were none..but it's a very high possibility)


'How are you today teacher?'
'I am good thank you, and you?'
'I am fine thank you, and you?'
It can be a bit of a vicious circle...


People are freezing in 20 degree weather. And I even where a jumper..I'm not quite sure how it's possible to feel cold in this country, but it has happened.


Setting Chinese lanterns off next to some old monks who catch a tree on fire, and almost catch us on fire. At the same time as killing themselves laughing because they've attached sparklers on the end of the lanterns and that is why everything is going up in flames. Definite trouble makers. 


Is the answer 'tall' given when the question is - 'Who is God?'


Does my science lesson consist of 'pretend to be a monkey, now pretend to be a tree, now pretend to be a pencil' and do 1st graders constantly tell me everything is beautiful because that is one of the only adjectives they know. It is good for self-esteem though...in the moments when their tact is not letting them down!

Pretending to be a tree.

These are not moments of significance, nor do I have much to say about them. But these are the moments in my days where I am reminded that I am far away from home, and that the best things to do in these situations is to laugh it off. 

'Sometimes working in a Third World country makes me feel like I am emptying the ocean with an eyedropper. And just when I have about half a cup full of water it rains. More orphaned children from the north migrate to where I live, more abandoned and dead babies are found, more people are infected with HIV. It is enough to discourage even the most enthusiastic and passionate person. And yet the discouragement only lasts a moment and God tells me to keep going. That He loves me. That He loves these people. That He will never leave or forsake any of us, not one. That my work is important to Him.' - Katie Davis

This I can relate to. Our school has 29 kids. 29 beautiful, precious and unique individuals. But some days it doesn't seem enough for me. I think of the rest of the kids in this city, in this country and in our world. The billions of orphans and abandoned children. The billions in need. And I am tricked into believing that 29 kids just isn't enough. But the truth is - statistics are just statistics and numbers will always just be numbers. But lives can change. There is worth in effecting one life. It's not my job to save the world and it is not my job to meet it's needs. It is my deep privilege to make a difference.
Yes - some days I am a little overwhelmed by what I see, read or hear. But I would like to assure you that I am fine. I am learning and growing through these overwhelming truths - but it has never been too much to handle.
I think back to the individuals who have made a difference in my life - and they were never seeking to make a difference to the most amount of people possible. They were concerned for me. They loved me. They paid attention to an individual. And so that is what I am to do for these kids. I am to see them as individuals. As one person. And work to love that one child.