“What’s normal for the spider is chaos for the fly” – by teacher Taylor

As I’m wrapping up my last few weeks in Phuket, I find myself often thinking, what will it be like when my life is “normal” again?

When I don’t walk around barefoot most of the day and can’t walk to the beach that’s five minutes away, how will I cope? I’m trading in my year and half island life for the busy city and big skyscrapers. Though it will be a great change of pace, will I ever consider it the norm?

I plan to keep on teaching, but here in Thailand I receive at least five hugs and kisses to start my morning, how could I be so silly to give that up? Will my future students like to play in my hair or give me treats just because? Or make me cards, draw pictures I hang up above my desk. I’m already feeling nostalgic for hearing “Teeeacher” 100 times a day or practicing my “Thainglish” when I pretend I know what the students say. How often do you get loved by people with names like Watermelon, Pancake, and Kitty? It’s funny as first timers in school can become overwhelmed by the chaos but for me, this is completely normal. Being in two places at once and having boogers being wiped on my skirts, all in a day’s work, I remind myself.

I won’t know what to do when schedules are more structure and I’m not living life by the “mai pen rai” mantra. I’ve adjusted and become accustomed to small town living that only has two street lights and where in almost every shop people know your name. It’s been cozy, it’s felt like home, and now it’s time to close this chapter to enter the chaotic city life. There will never be a place like this, people like I’ve met, and students that will forever be a part of me.

From all of my heart, thank you Thailand, thank you PHBGTU, and an even bigger thanks to my little monsters.