Tales from Thailand and beyond: June 2012

Monday, June 18, 2012

Birthday....

I missed the stage of life where you write a list of things to do before you turn 30. That means I just have to write 30 things I have done before I was 30...

It is probably good that I missed that stage since most of the things I would have written would not have matched with what I really did:) I tried to think of the weird, crazy, and unique things that I have done...

1. Travel-

Canada
Mexico
Brasil (lived for almost 2 years)

Iguaçu Falls
Rio
Brasilia
Tribal Area

Argentina
Paraguay
Spain
Laos (just an island that didn’t require a visa)
Thailand (lived for 7 months and counting)

Phuket
Doi Inthanon (highest point of Thailand)
Bangkok
Golden Triangle Area (saw Burma…but didn’t step on Burma soil)

Airports only: Amsterdam, Netherlands- Seoul, South Korea
26 States

2. Rode an elephant

3. Had a pet sloth for a few weeks

4. Taught in 3 different continents

5. Been to 4 different continents

6. Worked for the IRS

7. Ran a 5k race in flipflops (32 minutes)

8. Ran a 10k on Christmas Day – about 69 minutes- in Thailand

9. Directed a play, was in a number of productions in High School, College and beyond…

10. Got a bank account in a foreign country

11. 12 years car accident free…then got in two accidents exactly a week apart…

12. Rode on the back of a motorbike

13. Attempted to learn 3 foreign languages… Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai

14. Vikings game in Ill and in MN

15. Twins games in Metrodome and Target field

16. Won season tickets to the Timberwolves

17. Coached basketball to kindergarteners

18. Went to White Sox’s game in Chicago

19. Saw Lambeau field

20. Saw both ends of the Mississippi River

21. Biked from Twin Cities to Taylors Falls and back more times then I can remember…at least 5

22. Slept in a Tipi (twice)

23. Went downhill skiing/ cross country skiing

24. BWCA trips

25. Finished 6 seasons (almost 7) of JAG

26. Never have died my hair

27. Spent Christmas on three different continents (Christmases in MN, Christmas in Brasil, and Christmas in Thailand)

28. Lived in a tribe for a month

29. Victim for Firemen/Police drills

30. Went to the dentist in Brasil and the doctor in Thailand

Maybe I will write a list of things to do before I am 40...before I am 40....

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Awards/End of the year celebration

The last day of school we had an End of the Year Celebration. Our principal is leaving, so most of the classes shared something just for her!

One of the proud kindergarten graduates!

He is ready for 1st grade:)

4th graders should how to label a sentence...
"We thank Mrs. Boland for her incredible work at our school."

Diagramming the sentence...

Students praying for their principal...one from each grade level..

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Staff Dinner...

We had a staff appreciation dinner a few weeks ago at a nice hotel....

My friend, who is in charge of the Agape team at Grace and who I walk up the mountain with every Saturday, and her fiance

My roommate Tami H

Tami S ( I stayed in her room for 6 months while she was gone)
Amy (my roommate for 6 months)
Tami H (my roommate for 6 months)
ME
Tami S, Amy and I will be roommates next year

Don't know why we are so weird....we really did work hard to learn Thai from this amazing lady:)

Jeanette (my roommate for 6 weeks) and Tami

Our neighbors...

1st year staff

The room

Monday, June 4, 2012

Elementary Staff

The Elementary Staff had a special dinner the week before school ended. We had to change tables every 15ish minutes, so that we could talk to different people!

A 3rd grade teacher, librarian, 2nd grade teacher, and 4th grade teacher

Saying good-bye to our principal

The staff for the elementary:)

This is how we feel about the end of the school year...

Or maybe it is how we feel about each other:)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Cute kids, bats, and bugs

One day this week a group of 2nd graders came into the library to read. I just couldn't help but take a picture or two with them all on the beanbags in the corner of the library! Can't wait to teach these kids in 3rd grade!!!

I was just hanging out with my friend before she left for American and then another teaching job in Southeast Asia when we heard a strange noise in her house...

...Mr. Bat had come to visit... He must have fallen and been stunned or his wings were injured because he couldn't fly. It made it a lot easier to remove him from the house. Annalisa quickly ran for the broom and dustpan and I ran for my camera:)

He was out in a matter of minutes!

At Sunday Night Walking Street we could have had our helping of a number of different insects and bugs....I was feeling kind of full so I didn't buy any...