16

16. Ah yes, what a number. I would venture to say that everyone associates something with the number sixteen. For some, it may be a flickering flashback to that "sweet" but in all reality awkward stage of life where you should have been kissed at least once. For others, it could be their date of birth or their lucky number. It could be their sixteenth blog post or the number of years one has been married, but today, in the life of Erin Leigh Seavey, it signifies the number of days until I journey home.

I write this in a stuffy internet cafe in Pai, the hippiest town I've seen in my 22 years - yes, even more hippy than Telluride (I know, I was surprised too). Pai is a mountain haven in Northern Thailand that welcomes people from all walks of life with reggae tunes and friendly smiles. I've seen a lot of dread locks here, and marvel at the people they're attatched to every time. This was a surprise trip for me. I was supposed to be at work this week, but was granted a few days off so that I could make a long-awaited trip up north. If you know me well, you know that I sort of come alive in the mountains. I grew up in the foothills of the Sandias and although I was blessed to travel to all sorts of places as a kid, I always looked forward to the mountain trips the most. There is something serene and soothing about mountains. Maybe it's their towering presence, their sturdy and seemingly unshakable posture, the grandeur of their facade - I'm not sure, but I know I can't really get enough of it.

This morning, my buddies and I set off before sunrise on a nine mile hike. We took rented bikes from our hostel through the tiny town, past thatched roofs and rice fields, to the base of our day's challenge - a pretty hefty mountain. We saw a sign that promised fresh coffee just up the hill a ways, so we willingly obliged in hopes of kickstarting our energy for the trek ahead. The sign led us to a sloping hill sprinkled with more thatched roofs, and ultimately to a laid-back, make-shift, outdoor coffee shop. The man behind the counter welcomely said, "hey, take a seat, stay a while." We sat on tree stumps and ordered our cups of joe while taking it all in. This was none other than a tried and true hippy commune nestled into a picturesque scene. I looked around, trying not to look as much like an outsider as I felt. I saw a few dread-locked couples preparing for their morning chores. They had this incredibly calm way about them - what a contrast to the morning bustle that is so very inescapable in Bangkok. My eyes wandered and met another sign that read: Free Food and Lodging. Volunteer Opportunity - Grow your own Food. Minimum Stay - Two Weeks. Whoah, who could stay here for two weeks?! We relocated to another set of stumps and waited for the fresh morning brew.

Have you ever experienced a moment that makes you consciously stop and try to fit it into a permanent frame within your mind? Well, let me tell you, this was one of those moments. The people there were really living simply. As I sipped possibly the best coffee I've had in months (we only drink instant cofee at work), I tried to imagine myself roaming the very hill I was perched upon with bare feet, a make-up free face, dreads in hair that went down to my waist, and a simple smile dancing across my face - well, needless to say, I had a hard time imagining it :)

With filled tanks and a new appreciation for the endless surprises of life, we sauntered down the hill, our steps adding just another background beat to the reggae music oozing from the coffee stand.

I don't have nearly as much to say about the hike itself, but I will tell you that after three and a half hours up, two and a half hours back (it's always so much quicker on the way down), a nude-colored and absolutely fearless frog, a few thousand humungous Daddy Long Legs, an emerald green dragonfly, and only minimal scratches and bruises, we made it back to our rickety bikes.

As I rode away, I could hardly think of anything other than the early morning scene. Jill Fredston, the author of Rowing to Latitude, wrote, "Travel is ... a way to make a link between features on a map and what is actually there ... the value of travel is not so much in leaving one place or reaching another as in the knowledge that when at last we go home, we will not return to exactly the same point. Travel takes us outside of ourselves and deeper within." One of the reasons I loved Rowing to Latitude was the resonance that came with so much of Fredston's personal insight. I can't really imagine a life without traveling. As I'm quickly nearing the end of a journey of a lifetime, I sometimes try and picture the Erin that sat on the plane that took me from Dallas to Hong Kong and then on to Bangkok. I remember clenching Tiller's hand, my arm stretched across the aisle, and trying to console her with fresh words that came from my brother just days before our grand departure. He too has spent time abroad and has experience with transplanting himself into vastly foreign cultures and societies. He pulled me aside and said something to the likes of, "Now, it would be easy for you to sort of freak out when you get to Bangkok because it's not going to feel familiar. You're going to feel and let's be honest, be, really far from home. But just know this, where you're traveling to has the same sky, same earth, and the people there are just that, people." I vividly remember telling this to Tiller on that plane ride - just as much as I was telling it to myself. Same sky, same earth, just people.

Never has that phrase rung so true with me than in this moment. As I type the concluding lines of this post, I finally feel what my brother told me almost a year ago. I can't help but countdown the remaining days, and as I told you before, I have 16 to go, but even in the midst of a countdown that brings with it more emotion than my body can hold, I am full. Full with the knowledge that I, like Fredston, will not return to the same point when I go home. Life is a constant, moving, organic, cyclical beast, and I know that this fleeting year is a mere speck within that beast we call life. But this year has been a chance for me to see that we really are all just people, roaming the same, wide and wild earth, under the same vast sky.

I literally just finished teaching my very last class - like 5 minutes ago. I can hardly believe it. I have been teaching these wonderfully energetic kids for 9 months, and I will soon have to say goodbye. What a boggling concept. It's amazing how a place so far away can become one's home. Everything about this country that once seemed so oddly foreign has somehow become the norm.



It is not rainy season, but today we had rain for the first time in a long time. Thailand, mind you, is a country that experiences very few seasons. If I had to label them, it would be hot, rainy and hot, hotter, and hottest. So the spontaneous bout of drizzle that appeared this afternoon got me to thinking about seasons. I will soon return to a place that is dictated by four distinct seasons. And, let me tell you, I am SO ready for that. I have forgotten what it is like to not sweat for an entire day - day in and day out ;) But, although I have been living in a part of the world with quite a monotonous weather pattern, my spirit has been experiencing all sorts of climactic changes and transitions in the past 9 months.



I'm reminded of a song by Nichole Nordeman called Every Season, and it seems to be my theme song for today. It talks about the seasons of life and God's sovereign hand in each one. Here's how it goes:



Every evening sky, an invitation To trace the patterned stars

And early in July, a celebration For freedom that is ours

And I notice You In children’s games

In those who watch them from the shade

Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder

You are summer


And even when the trees have just surrendered

To the harvest time

Forfeiting their leaves in late September

And sending us inside

Still I notice You when change begins

And I am braced for colder winds

I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come

You are autumn


And everything in time and under heaven

Finally falls asleep

Wrapped in blankets white, all creation

Shivers underneath

And still I notice you when branches crack

And in my breath on frosted glass

Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter

You are winter


And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced

Teaching us to breathe

What was frozen through is newly purposed

Turning all things green

So it is with You and how You make me new

With every season’s change

And so it will be As You are re-creating me

Summer, autumn, winter, spring

I'm trying to prep myself for the season of change ahead. I have no idea what it will be like to re-integrate myself into a western culture. I am so excited, though, to see what lies ahead and to have the chance to think back on this marked experience. I can't wait to breathe fresh, mountain air, to see the incomparable NM sunsets, to taste green chili, and to be with my family again.

my new love

So, I think it's time to blog again. I'm not even sure many people read this anymore, but it appears as though I'm getting over my two-month-long writer's block, so here goes.

I am happy to announce that I am now a bookworm! I have never been a good reader - ever. As a kid, I always liked the idea of reading, and was drawn to pretty book covers with interesting synopses on their backsides, but reading a book from cover to cover was never my forte. I just didn't like to be alone and I always thought of reading as a solitary and lonesome pasttime. Even in college, I rarely read the assigned literature in its entirety. I became quite good at skimming the pages and zeroing in on the seemingly pertinent information, which probably took more time than actual reading, but what can I say - I was never a true reader until recently. In spite of this, I have always had a bit of a love affair with bookstores. There is something magical about scanning shelf after shelf and reading the bindings that are graced with every imaginable font and title. It's as though I have been distantly flirting with books for many years, and toying with the idea of actually committing to one, yet I have never had the courage to see beyond their covers until now.

This courage to commit began in Bangkok. I find myself with a lot of freetime over here. I only teach a few hours a day, but am required to stay at school from 7:30 AM to 4:00, which leaves me with several elongated gaps, and I do not do well with idle time on my hands. So, a few months ago, I went for a read from the genre cleverly titled "chick flick lit." It was an easy read that caused me to laugh out loud a few times, which was refreshing as I was not in the highest of spirits when I first landed myself on this side of the world. It probably took me a few weeks to finish the book, but I was delighted to have conquered my lifelong fear of book committment. The next couple of books came from the same genre, and although I enjoyed them and was pleased to have successfully continued on my reading journey, I was not feeling as full as I had hoped. I used to think that reading an entire book would be similar to eating a superbly executed Thanksgiving dinner, but after reading a few not-so-mentally-stimulating books, I began to see that there are all kinds of degrees of "full" one can be depending on the type of book one chooses to consume.

Surprisingly, Bangkok has a great selection of English books, which is wonderful because I have been able to actively pursue my bookstore love affair even in Southeast Asia, and I'm getting pretty serious with a bookstore called Kinokuniya. Sometimes I barely get passed the display tables strategically located right by the front entrance. They are chock-full of literature delights and tasty morsels, one of which was a book by the name of Camilla. I picked it up because I was drawn to the wintery illustration on its front cover, and, I've always liked books that have a simple title. Camilla is a novel written by Madeleine L'Engle - the author of the famous children's book, A Wrinkle in Time. It is a coming-of-age book that deals with a fifteen year old girl's initiation into young adulthood through the pain of her parents' marriage troubles and through the exciting, yet startling experience of her first love. The reason I liked this book was not so much for its subject matter as it was for the fascinating means by which L'Engle relayed the story she wanted to tell. The wintery cover of the book complemented my mood while reading it. It felt as though I was peering into Camilla's life through a window shrouded by the drizzle that comes from a rainy day. I loved L'Engle's ability to make me grow alongside the teenage protagonist. I almost understood the despair she felt with her parents' marital problems and I felt the same paradoxical mix of emotions she did concerning her first love. Reading Camilla showed me that a good book can not only bring you into the private emotions of its characters, but it can also transport you into a place that is neither lonesome nor solitary at all. In fact, I became rather bound to Camilla and I wanted so desperately for her to succeed and make it through the trials of entering a new phase in life. I definitely recommend this book :)

Another one of my new favorites is Melissa Bank's, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. I must confess, I truly had been flirting with this book for almost a year. I loved its plaid binding and the quircky image of a girl venturing into the snow - seemingly ready to embark on a grand adventure, yet I never bought it because I didn't want to be let down. The cover led me to believe that it would be a great read, but I was worried that once I actually broke its binding, I would be terribly dissapointed, but thanks to my book guru and dear friend, Vicky (whom I lovingly call Aunt Veecky thanks to the Lindsay Lohan Parent Trap remake), I decided to give the girls' guide a whirl. Bank is one of those writers who just has it. She is witty, raw, real, tender and clever all at once and she has mastered the coming-of-age craft as well. (Are we starting to see a trend here?) Maybe I'm finally coming of age too, lol. The girls' guide is a smattering of vignettes about the main character and her life experiences as an awkward teenager, a successful publisher, a mom, and a lover to a famous and much older man. I love the clarity and transparency Bank writes with. She is not interested in sugar coating or making the reader feel completely comfortable, instead, she allows her characters to develop much like a real person would. Life is messy, and with the mess comes beauty, and I feel this truth resonated within the pages of the girls' guide. I can't wait to read Bank's second novel, The Wonder Spot.

And now, I can share with you my current read. It is different from any book I have ever encountered and unlike my drawn-out flirtation with the previously mentioned book, I did not court this one at all; rather, I stumbled upon it in the travel writing section of Kinokuniya just about a week and a half ago. The cover is a beautiful cerulean blue and it has a picture of a glacier and a kayak with a downplayed, yet aesthetically pleasing white font that reads, Rowing to Latitude by Jill Fredston. It is a memoir-like compilation of Jill and her husband's kayaking adventures around the arctic. I'm only halfway through this delectable read and I am already wishing that it would not end. Fredston's writing is much like rising with the fresh remnants of a beautiful dream. Her storytelling invites me as a distant reader into the kayak with her and I have been offered the amazing view of the arctic. I am travelling alongside Fredston and her husband as they navigate through treacherous icy waters, dodge, then wonder at forty-foot-long humpback whales, scare off massive, tent-attacking grizzlies, and relish in the simple beauty of love. Even if you're not interested in outdoor adventures or the travel writing genre, I recommend this book for its uncanny ability to make you see the world as one huge organism that albeit grandeur, is accessible enough for each one of us to experience a slice of its God-crafted wonders.

OK, so I commend you if you made it all the way through this massive blog, and I thank you for allowing me to expound upon my internal reactions to the books that have spoken into my life as of late.

Speaking of late, it's getting late here and I have three year olds to teach come sunrise! As per usual, I'd love to hear from you!

xoxo

an aussie holiday, then back in the saddle again

Hello! I've been a bad blogger, so I'll have to give you some snippets and highlights from when I last wrote.


I took an 18 day trip to Melbourne, Sydney, the North Island of New Zealand, and Townsville, Australia! It was such a great vacation and it was amazing to have been able to wear a jacket for once. The heat and humidity is still going strong here in Bangkok, so you can imagine that being in a cooler and dryer climate was incredible. I think Melbourne was my favorite city. It reminded me of a mix between Atlanta and Austin with its artsy vibe, cafe/foodie culture and clean city layout. Also, my travel buddy Ashley and I went on a "Savannah Walkabout" about an hour outside of Melbourne in the You Yang Mountains. It was so fun because we had an awesome tourguide with fiery red, curly hair (with a personality to match) that led us into the natural habitat of koalas, emus and kangaroos. We used binoculars to see the adorable koalas slumbering high up in the Eucalyptus trees. We saw a pappa emu guarding his unborn chicks, and we saw tons of kangaroos, some of which were massive! The walkabout was a phenomenal introduction into the beautiful continent of Australia.

Next, we spent a few days in Sydney, which was incredible as well. We took a tour of the Sydney Opera House and learned all about the history of its design and its evolution into a venue that hosts all kinds of events ranging from boxing to opera (of course) to puppet shows to pop concerts - who would've guessed? Sydney was a great city as well because there is just tons to do there. We rode the underground to get most places and the highlight of our Sydney stay was seeing the London Philharmonic Orchestra perform in the S.O.H. It was their debut performance and we had a blast getting dressed up to attend the affair. We also had dessert at a fancy cafe afterward and felt like true Aussie socialites.

After Sydney, we took a dip down to Auckland, New Zealand, which is the biggest city on the North Island. There really isn't much to do in Auckland itself, but we were only there for one night before our three day tour of the Bay of Islands, which took us to the nothernmost tip of the country. The country was just breathtaking and each stop looked like a postcard shot. We got to see where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea converge, ride a bus along a ninety-mile beach, take a boat ride through a massive hole in an island composed entirely of rock, and sample some divine seafood paired with the best white wine I've ever had. Needless to say, we are truly blessed to have gone on such a grand adventure!

We ended our trip on the northeast coast of Australia in a little beach town called Townsville, where we planned on snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, but the waves were too high, so we resorted to touring the local aquarium to see a bit of the reef that way. We were pretty tired by this point in our travels, so we just took it easy in Townsville and took a ferry out to Magnetic Island, which is a low-key island just off of the coast.

I have to admit, Ashley and I shed a couple of tears on our way back to Bangkok - we just weren't quite ready to return to reality! We kept saying, "this plane is taking us home, home....right?" But, sure enough, it landed us back in Bangkok and into the heat that Bangkok is so good at producing.

It's been almost a month since I returned from my holiday and I'm pretty much back in the swing of things. I'm enjoying teaching more this semester because I'm a lot more laid back than I was when I first began. I've learned that the more relaxed and flexible I am, the more fun my students and I have, although, they might be having too much fun sometimes :) Just the other day, I had my five year olds make their own doctor's bags, which required some cutting. I was deeply focused on stapling handles onto about 15 bags and in between my intermittent looks around the classroom, I heard a group of students yelling, "teachah, teachah!" and pointing to a pile of black stuff on the floor in the far corner of the room. I thought, surely no one cut their hair or anything......boy was I wrong. Five year olds are really good at tattling, so they all pointed to the culprit who was just sitting on the floor with scissors-in-hand, and a smirk on a face framed by jagged bangs. My first reaction was to laugh, so unfortunately, any scolding was taken incredibly lightly, but seriously.....it was HILARIOUS! Gotta love kindergarten.

Hopefully I'll have some equally entertaining teaching stories to share with you all in the near future! As for now, I think that's quite enough. Hope you are well and I would love to hear from all of you!!

xoxo

they call me teacha and I call them:

Gotta love Thai nicknames (yes, these would be my students):

I'm thinkin' this is the top 20 list -


Pancake
Disgo
New
Jamebond (note the omission of the letter "s")
Jetty
Name & Nine (little tyrant twins)
Dung
Jam
Term
Pan
Pip
Big & Bike (more twinsies)
Big Boss (yes, when I call roll, I have to say, "Big Boss")
Luk-Pad
Captain
Penny
Aim
Pear

bangkok means....

When I think of Bangkok, I think of:


1. the monsoon-like downpours that faithfully grace each afternoon with their presence

2. an abundance of gelatinous desserts

3. smiles from strangers

4. dirty, dirty "soi dogs" that roam the city streets

5. beautiful fruits in deep hues with funky shapes and textures

6. long days at a slow pace

7. SHOPPING - from outdoor markets to powerhouse malls, shopping is inescapable in this city

8. interesting city layouts - temples rub shoulders with modern, massive structures and sit next to run-down housing, all across the street from a 7/11 and a Starbucks

9. Thai massage parlors every few hundred yards

10. fascinating cuisine - pig's blood, shark fin soup, black bean ice cream, lots of octopus and squid dishes, crispy insects, delightful curry dishes with a kick, green papaya salad (personal fave), mini muffin-like cakes that taste like flowers, coconut milk, and lots more. my taste buds have been slapped on occasion with a new culinary oddity, but they have also been delightfully entertained on my quest to sample eastern flavors.

11. generous people

12. the importance of family

13. mai pen rai - a brilliant Thai phrase, which translates to mean: no worries

14. unimaginably horrendous traffic jams that oftentimes make me want to pull my hair out, but on rare occasion, cause me to take a few deep breaths, pop in my headphones, and reflect

15. cats without tails

tid-bits of the present and snapshots of the future

Hello all!

SO glad it's Friday. I'm sitting in one of the offices at school, safe from the monsoon outside. Man, Bangkok in rainy season is one wet place. Thank you to everyone who responded with so much encouragement from my last blog. I was kind of surprised by how open I was, but I think there's something freeing about sharing what you're really going through. I am excited to keep growing and walking in the freedom of knowing that as a mere human, I don't have to shoot for perfection. I'm going to mess up everyday and that truth is not something to despair over; rather, it should be a reminder of God's mercies that are new every morning.

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As far as life plans go, I have been toying with some interesting options. I was recently reminded of an interest I had a couple of years ago that had somehow been pushed aside. I think it'd be so fun to work in the hospitality industry. First of all, I love working with people, second, I would definitely not mind working in a spa, boutique hotel or resort setting (I mean, who wouldn't right?) and third, I've always dreamt of owing a B&B someday, and going to grad school for hospitality and tourism management would for sure be a solid step toward that goal. Florida International University has a great program that I'm really interested in! Their campus is on Biscayne Bay in northern Miami and the hospitality program helps out with the annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival - that would be so fun to attend! I'll defnintely keep you all posted as I continue to research prospective life plans :)

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On another note, I'm off to Australia and New Zealand in a few short weeks! We get our mid school year break in October, and Ashley and I will be heading down under on Oct. 3rd! We have a really exciting itinerary as we'll be going on a "Savannah Walkabout" in Melbourne where we'll get to see koalas and kangaroos in their natural habitats, we'll be touring the infamous Syndey Opera House, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Townsville, and taking a three-day island tour in Auckland, New Zealand. I am so excited and blessed to be able to go on such a journey! Our itineray is the result of a couple months of planning and researching the cheapest and best means of seeing all that we hope to see. We'll be spending about three to four days at each stop and will be taking a total of 10 flights to get everywhere! We'll definitely be on our toes, but it's going to be a blast! Then, before I know it, my sweet family will be visiting in late December, and I'll be back in the States by March! What a whirlwind this journey east has been so far. My dad lovingly reminded me that although it's important to look ahead, it's just as important to enjoy the present and savor every moment. My pops is a wise man :)



Well...I hope things are just splendid back in the land of the free and I would LOVE to hear from each of you!