Closing Time.

In the beginning it was hard to see the end. Now that the end of my time in U-Thong is literally days away, it seems surreal.

To begin this slow goodbye - Jenny, Elana, and I decided to take our teacher friends out to dinner as a thank you for all that they have done for us since we've been here. They have been super helpful whether it's just stopping to say hi, asking if we needed anything, taking us out to Tesco, or bringing us along on random little adventures. These teachers are people I look forward to seeing maybe not on a daily basis, but at least twice a week. They have made my time in U-Thong that much more enjoyable and wonderful. The girls and I decided to take Nu and Jeab, our coordinators, our lovely friend Tu, Wanchai, and Boa to dinner at Tu's family restaurant (the one I've been to twice before--yum!!!).

Dinner per usual was aroi mak (very delicious)… and per usual, I stuffed myself. It's becoming such a norm it's quite scary. We ate this fried fish with fresh papaya salad on top of it (each time I have it it's even more amazing than the first time), tom yum soup, gang leang soup, fried chicken (staple), and a salty fruit salad. :) And at every dinner, the conversation was a mix of us attempting Thai and the teachers trying to practice their English. It's a messy jumble to an outsider, but it works for us and was filled with smiles and laughter. I've gotten quite comfortable with constantly smiling and being im mak (full). Life get any better?

(L to R) Wanchai, Nu, Jenny, Elana, Tu, and JeaB