Other students have been cleaning the school grounds, practicing in the marching band and building floats for the parade. It’s so cool to see how everyone is working together towards one big goal.
Sadly, the end of the semester means that my Reach the World journey is coming to an end, too. It’s been so much fun to reconnect with all of you in Northfield over the past few weeks! I especially enjoyed our video calls and all of the awesome questions that you all asked. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for what video games my students are playing and what new snacks they recommend to me.
If I’ve learned anything so far from teaching in Thailand, it’s to have fun and not take life too seriously. In Thai, there’s a phrase that people use all the time: sabai sabai. It’s basically the Thai version of "hakuna matata". And while there are no singing lions or warthogs here, you will often hear people telling you to have “no worries.” You had a flat tire so you missed your first class today? Sabai sabai. Classes are cancelled all afternoon so the students can practice dance? Sabai sabai. Having grown up in the American education system, I think there was a lot of stress around school. Here, I’m learning to take things slower and enjoy the ride. Maybe you can try it, too. Next time you’re feeling stressed, just remember: sabai sabai!
Don’t worry, this isn’t a forever goodbye, either. If you want to keep following along on my journey, you can find me on Instagram, @teacherrosethailand. I’ll still be here in Thailand until the end of October, but I definitely plan to visit Northfield again after my return to the U.S. Until then, léeo jee gan–– see you later!
