I was sent to teach English to Thai kids. Our class became about the interconnection of lives.
We lived in the house of three wonderful Assumption sisters: Sister Deanna- a strong and determined woman who has lived in Thailand for 25 years. She now heads the school there, and she does it amazingly. The students and teachers seem to look up to her, but they also know that she is approachable and genuinely concerned. Sister Myrna- a free-spirited nun who brings joy to the people around her. We immediately felt at home because of her openness and fun-loving attitude. Our daily prayers together were filled with her angelic songs of praise to God, and our meals were filled with her endless stories and laughter. Sister Catalina- a simple and sweet lady. She has embraced the mission of filling everyone with her delicious cooking. She is constantly peeling fruits, marinating food for the next day and preparing all kinds of yummy treats. She has also been there since the beginning of Assumption's Thailand mission, and her humble and true service to others is an inspiration to me.
The Assumption house is located in Thabom, a simple village 3 hours away from the Udon Thani airport. During a walk around the streets of Thabom, we met some interesting people who gave us a working idea about the life and culture in ???? Thailand. There was a hardworking man who showed us the basket he was making for cooking sticky rice, which is eaten with Thai dishes. We also met a nice mother with her 2 children who kept bowing to us and muttering "Sawasdee ka" shyly. We saw a bunch of boys playing football who kept glancing and trying to get our attention as we passed. Perhaps it's because foreigners in their area is always interesting.
Anyway, the teaching experience began as such a challenge. We didn't really have full understanding about their English proficiency level, so when hey stared at us blankly as we tried explaining the rules of the games we prepared, I felt a bit thrown off balance. We had to improvise on the spot when the language barrier would come in the way. We made tons of little skits to explain word meanings. We acted out the word “nice” by hugging each other, the word “race” by having an instant one right there, and the word “determined” by trying several different but equally embarrassing scenes until they finally grasped the meaning.
During our mini graduation, though, I felt so proud as the younger kids introduced themselves by saying their name, age and hobbies. They also sang a cute song that made us all as proud as parents. The older kids read out short essays that they wrote about themselves and also sang a beautiful song. We gave them their diplomas with pride as they said “thank you” in perfect English, and we handed them bracelets from the Philippines also with a similar feeling of pride.
After our Thabom experience, we had 4 days of shopping and temple visits in Bangkok, and now I’m home. I’m back with even greater appreciation for the people around me because I’ve shared the gift of friendship with people I can’t even communicate verbally with! I’ve also gained a deeper sense of gratitude for learning because I’ve witnessed the value of knowing how to communicate, how to deal with people and how to survive independently in unknown territory. I’ve experienced once more the joy of service, and I know that I will always treasure and seek for moments like this when I feel the ultimate power of love within my soul and to all around the universe.
