Tuesday, February 24, 2009

home from thailand

Thailand. It's a place I always wanted to go but just didn't see how I would get there. And then there I was... walking the white sandy beaches, getting a massage in the shade of a palm tree, drinking thai ice tea, watching the old white guys holding hands with young beautiful thai girls...that was something i could just not get over; the amount of prostitution and human trafficing was just frightening. People travelling from all over the world to this amazing place while the local women and men in the country are controlled and abused by sex trade. That was a hard thing to really wrap my head around.
Coming home to Kyrgyzstan, I breathed this huge sigh of relief. I really missed my home... not home- california, not home- new hampshire, but home- karkaol. This realization opened my eyes to what I have created here, where my heart and dedication is focused. I went to the university today to figure out my schedule and get ready for classes to start next week. I'm working two days a week with teachers on new methodology, assisting teaching the 4th and 5th year teaching methods classes, starting a FTOK club (future teachers of Kyrgyzstan), team teaching a beginner English club for university teachers who want to learn English, and creating open office hours for teacher support. I am really excited about the direction my job is taking. It feels like I will be able to make a bigger impact than what I was doing last semester. But that's the whole idea; growing, changing, and adjusting goals as you learn. Going away and relaxing in a different place helped me get some much needed motivation and perspective.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Katie,
I thought it was about time I left a message for you! We miss you all the time, but I get the feeling this is right for you, so that's good enough for me! We went up to the lake last week and it was a big moment when we saw a snow mobile on the lake (really peaceful!) All our love, Auntie Nan and the crew