What's your favorite snack?? Please share in the comments

I forgot to say that a treat not less than the chocolate today was...

bamboo worms from the north!! Here they're still alive as they're getting fried

yes, my first reaction was probably similar to yours... But that was two years ago before I tried them!!  Salty and crunchy, yum yum! Chips fall short of it's taste.  They're quite expensive though. But we get to munch on them when some of our workers return from visiting their village in the north.

Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my hun :)

The last gastronomical reason to be missing home is gone.  I made chocolate today!!  We started baking with the kids on Sundays a few months ago.  After I finally got over my fear of doing something more than dishes in the kitchen.  And  man do we have fun and enjoy the "fruit" (umm a "cake".. a "cookie"??) of our hands!

This one was so easy and obvious and made great chocolate!  For those who's interested, here's the recipe for what originally was called "Truffles" in Kathleen's awesome cook book:

1 cup chocolate chips

2 T butter

1/4 cup milk

Melt it together and chill for 4 hrs or more. Roll into small balls.  Cover in chopped nuts or coconut.. make sure they're still "chilled" ... and enjoooooy :)))

My Epic Fail

Today our school celebrated the end of the term by holding a Sport Day. It is a traditional annual event for all Thai schools and colleges. We'd been preparing for a whole month marching and chanting every morning.

And  so today three teams of our little  students, parents and teachers competed in a numerous competitions at the central stadium.  Five of my boys were in different teams.  Luca and I were on a green team. 

It was so nice to see all my students and their parents before leaving.   When I look at them together I love finding resemblamces between their faces.  And because I know the kids first, it usually goes like "oh, you look like your son! " or "Wow, you've got your girl's smile!"   Maybe  I'll live to see a child whose eyes I have... 

So there was this one competition where parents had to run with the kids on their backs.  Dads are usually good at it.  One dad carried his twin boys and won!!  I so wanted Luca to experience that, too..  But we don't have a dad.  And Kathleen, the mom, is too small to carry the big boy.  Since my back hadn't been hurting for a while I decided to ignore  the old  spine injury.  I wanted my Luca to know that he and I, we're a team.  Not because I'm his teacher from the same color team. But because I'm his sister and I can carry him.  

the moment before the epic fail!

Actually I was determined to win.  Or so was the plan at the start.  So we ran.   Running with my little buddy in the back was a bit more difficult than fooling around at home. So after the first few moves, in slow motion I saw the floor coming closer as I was thinking: "Man, we're gonna fall!!" The next thing I know: I hit the floor and see my kid rolling off my back...  Someone ran to help us asking if we're fine. Laughing, I got up, grabbed Luca and holding him close, finished the race.  At the end I hugged him checking to see if he's all right.

Sensing the growing embarrassment I decided to press the "whatever" button in my head.  Surely I'd be the only person worrying about that.   I told Luca I was sorry.  And that I wanted to show him that he can trust me, so we'd run at home the next day.  But he hugged me and said: "No, P' Galina! I'm afraid. I will fall"...

When the games were over I had just enough energy to get home and crash in to my bed.  I woke up in the evening to a hurting spine and a sorrowful heart.  Realising it was the last day with my little students was sad as it is.  But also I kept on thinking "I failed Luca.. I failed Luca..."  

Then I thought that with all the cameras on, we made it to an epic fail pics collection.  And as some of the images of that meme I'd seen on  the web  stood up in my exhausted brain, I started laughing...  Maybe I'm losing it.  I don't know. So  I'm off to get a massage  now.  Hopefully it'll fix my spine which got screwed after the epic fail.  As my friend Lisa loves to quote : "It's all fun and games until someone gets poked in the eye".  Yeap.

hold me close...

Today was the last day of the term at the school. Little sleep and two weeks of skipping lunch must be the way of emotional defence during this time of goodbyes.  Yesterday I gave each of my students a photo of the two of us and cookies which I baked for them (yeah, I've taken the risk :))   It was a good fun!


And I was handling it well living every moment of their precious hugs .... until some of them would stay in my embrace  a little longer. That's when another long hug would come to my memory and I'd almost lose it...


The kids prayed for me to travel safe to Bangkok, to study  well and come back soon.  And I believe with them that the prayer will be answered.

"Father, please, hold me close to your heart during this time of goodbyes and upcoming separation with those I love... You've brought me through that before, so I believe You will do so this time, too.  Help me to stay in your embrace. There's no other place for me to go..."

Gezelligheid

My friend Becky has shared an article on her facebook page about ... what do they call it?-- Gezelliheid!

Quoted from wikipedia: Gezelliheid (Dutch pronunciation: [ɣəzɛlɪɣhɛit]) is a Dutch abstract noun (adjective form gezellig) which, depending on context, can be translated as cosy, fun, quaint, or nice atmosphere, but can also connote belonging, time spent with loved ones, the fact of seeing a friend after a long absence, or general togetherness. The word is considered to be an example of untranslatability, and is one of the hardest words to translate to English.Some consider the word to encompass the heart of Dutch culture.

I guess that's the word to describe some of the most precious Gezelliheid I had  tonight with my boys. At the end of a frustrating day (for both me with some stuff happen and the kids with their bunch of tests on one day) we were working through six chapters of their Thai reading text book for tomorrow's test. 

One of the boys had gotten a bleeding cut on his chin- crushed in a bathroom, another one had run into a rope and burned his leg, the other one was having a stomach ache, you name it.  But we still had to read about "Baibok and Baibua", two little elephants and their friend Pupaa, a boy who looks after them.  Tired and complaining about their awees, my boys cuddled on my laps...

"เด็กเด็กรักไบใบก. ไบใบกรักเด็กเด็ก... "

กะลีนารักเด็กเด็ก...

The last week of high fashion. For now.

-Kelly it's the last  week when I have to wear my uniform.- I said to my roommate holding the hangers with  this professionally looking but unsuitable for the heat, old fashioned outfit.

--So how does it feel? Are you excited?- asked Kelly smiling. Boy, she surely knew what I thought of my collection of four jackets of purple, pink and white, each designed for a different day of the week according to Thai tradition. 

-It's sad. I mean I'm trying not to think about it. 

Yeah, why does a change often come so sudden? Sometimes work days seem endless. Routine doesn't let us enjoy the work we're doing. And then one morning-- oops! It's the last timeI come to the office streaming the motorbike into the parking lot five minutes before the lesson starts. The last time I say to my dear little ones "Good morning children!" and hear their choral response: "Good morning teacher!" as we all sit on the classroom floor in a circle (yes, me -and them- still wearing a super hot uniform).

After I'd told my little students that I was going to go study in Bangkok and thus would be teacing them for only another two weeks they said it's "mai ok" (not ok).  But then they added that they knew what to do if they miss me. They're going to pray.

And with my kids at Home of Joy we decided to do push ups every time we start missing each other.  I bet my guns are going to boost by the time I'm back...

Dancing in the rain.

The rainy season is still going on. There's a risk of flooding every now and then, esp. in the north of Thailand.  And beach holidays are screwed up for many people.   But for us, the good thing about this season is the fun of our life we're having dancing in the rain!

 

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about dancing in the rain".