Chompu.

I've never liked paying for doing laundry. It's like throwing away money just because I was lazy. Laziness < money. It's how I felt when I was studying in China--I handwashed clothes every day before I showered and went to bed. It was a routine that I proudly stood by, and I enjoyed it. I planned on doing the same thing in Thailand, but after an entire day of teaching, I really never feel like doing anything except settle down in a tanktop, shorts, with a glass of something cool (no guava lemonade, unfortunately), and either a book, my kindle, or my laptop.

However, after being in Thailand, paying for laundry isn't that big of a deal. Pom, Not, Foam, and Pit are so welcoming. Laundry takes about an hour. I put my laundry in, and I sit down with them, and we start teaching each other languages. Foam is in fourth grade--she's learning English and Chinese on top of her normal Thai lessons. Her pronunciation is great, but she's unwilling to chat with me in English, but that's okay--she's stuck with me for 9 more months ;) The family teaches me Thai, and I teach them English (with the occasional Chinese!) They always have friends and family dropping by their place, so I meet a lot more Thai people that way.

We were discussing different foods (in our broken languages!), and N, L, and I were given nicknames. My nickname is Chompu (rose apple). L is Malee (jasmine). N is Naagao (intelligent). They offered to take us to a market about 30 minutes away from our town, and they did.

Before that, a group of us went to Mae La Mao, and I went ATVing, rafting, and jetskiing for the first time, all in one day. Money and time well-spent! However, during our trip from Mae La Mao to Mae Sot, I've discovered my distaste for the idea of marriage and having children. I don't mind being the fun aunt, but when it comes down to it, I don't want to get married or have children. If my biological clock begins to tick, I want to adopt. There are plenty of children who need love--I can't be selfish and say that I want my "own" children.

Mae Sot was great, the couple of hours we spent there. The food is amazing. I haven't had samosa in such a long time, so the trip there was definitely a highlight after an hour car ride with two babies demanding attention and screaming into my eardrums.

Something drastically changed my livelihood in Thailand, and I now have no significant ties in America. I had talked to G as the exchange was happening, and I was upset. Not only because everything was different but because I felt that I was alone in Thailand. There are friends here that are barely acquaintances, and I didn't feel comfortable crying into the shoulder of any one of them. I discovered today that the one thing I can count on in Thailand is my group of friends. The ones back home and the ones that I've connected with in Thailand. Even the ones I thought were mere acquaintances were patient with me and were willing to listen to me talk and tell me that it's not shameful to cry, that I'm not a ****ty person, and that they were there.

So thank you, Grace, Micha, Christine, Micah, Shannon, Sam S., Ashley M., and Dan, for helping me through a time where I thought I wouldn't have anyone. I couldn't be more grateful than I am now.

Hopefully the next entry will be a lot happier. Chompu out! :)