A million minutes (roughly): Home is a four-letter word

I'm coming home (to the US) in a week for my brother's wedding and for Christmas. Quite honestly, I'm so excited that I can't even let myself think about it lest I get anxious, sweaty, and overcome with the general feeling that I might just jump out of my own skin. It's not pretty.

However, I'm also considerably nervous. I'm starting to like it here. Like really like it. I'm happy. I have a routine, I have friends (even if most of them are between the ages of 5 and 10 years old) and I find myself smiling a lot. And it's genuine.

When I'm content, I've noticed that the world spins madly 'round. The days are flying by and while most of them are without any events of consequence, there have been some over the past month or two that are particularly noteworthy.

Here is the first one: Pen pal project (โครงการเพื่อนทางจดหมาย):

The kids were interested what their pen pals had to say.
They got out their English dictionaries, asked questions,
and were genuinely excited about telling American kids
about their lives - IN ENGLISH!

The class after we finished our letters. I love these kids!

This project was born from a Facebook status I posted. I was looking for a classroom willing to partner with me in an English letter exchange. I was lucky enough to have a high school friend contact me about her son's classroom in my hometown. It's been a godsend.

So far, we've only done one exchange, but it has encouraged my kids to improve their English, which is really amazing.  The project has also opened the door for me to teach at this school a few times a week. I teach English, arts & crafts, and healthy lifestyles, and on days off we get to practice what I preach. The students have started exercising with me at the school on holidays and weekends. We practice bicycle safety, get at least an hour of exercise, play Uno, talk about why drinking water is healthier than Coke, and use English words for directions and colors.

It probably doesn't seem like a huge project to you, but it's a big deal to me, and I think it is to the kids, too.  I know it's outrageous to expect much, but I'm hoping that the encouragement of a healthy lifestyle will sustain itself through these kids and their families. *Fingers crossed* Every little bit helps, right?

But more than anything, it makes me feel useful here, which is a feeling I have struggled to achieve since my arrival, and a feeling that I think alludes a lot of PCVs. I'm assuming these feelings of usefulness have more to do with my change of heart and mood than anything else.

It's going to be hard to leave these kids next week... and then next year for good. But because of them, it's going to be much easier to get on that plane after Christmas and come back...