Welcome Home: Nan, Thailand

Life is awesome in Nan, Thailand. I just want to start by stating that fact. Since, I arrived last Tuesday everything has been a whirlwind. I have moved into my, by Thai standards, amazing house, and I can now say I am finally settled in. My roommate, Tricia, is great! She lived and taught in Nan for the previous school year and decided to stay for another year. So, she knows the lay of land here in Nan, and has been beyond helpful answering all my dumb Farang (Thai word for foreigner) questions. Nan is a smallish town, but there are so many things going on. Every street corner has a some type of delicious food spot or cute little shop. The weekends bring the night markets where streets are closed starting at sunset, and the entire town walks the streets buying the latest Thai attire or getting a to die for coconut milk ice cream. The people are friendly and the lifestyle is laid back. I am really digging the vibes that's for sure :)

Bahn kohng chan (My house in Thai) 

The Nan River that runs through my backyard

Wat Don Kaew right across the street from my house

It's easy for me to forget sometimes that I am not here to only eat delicious food and see beautiful things, but I also have a job, Srisawatwittayarkarn School, aka Srisawat, is the school where I am teaching. The school is a secondary school, which is the equivalent to middle and high school combined. There are three other American English teachers in the same school, all female, and all awesome people.  The administration at Srisawat is great, but minus the morning greeting of "Sawatdee Kha" I don't have to deal with the higher ups much. I spend most of my time in the classroom or in the English department office, which consists of the western teachers and the Thai teachers that are teaching English as well. See, the way the English programs are set up in Thai schools the students have a teacher that is That but understands the English language well enough to teach them basic vocabulary and grammar. On top of that, the students spend one or two hours a week with a western native English speaking teacher to building pronunciation and conversational speaking skills, that is where us Americans come in. It is our job to encourage Thai students to listen to and speak the English language. The schools here are very laid back, and I am free to do whatever I would like to with my students as long as they are getting practice with English. The opportunities are endless...

I have not even been in Nan for a week yet, but I know I am where I am supposed to be. Change is always a challenge, but this is so worth it. Good vibes coming at you from Nan!