Cinderella

Seven more weeks. Thats it. Thats all the time I have left as a teacher here in Thailand. I can hardly believe that my time here has blown by so rapidly. It seems like just a yesterday I was embarking on this journey, worried about how long a year really is.

I was sitting at my desk this past weekend trying to map out some TEFL hours on my calender when the sudden realization of how little time I have left hit me like a kick to the chest. I have consequently turned into a giant sponge, hungrily trying to absorb each moment, each smile, each unique day into my memory. I am carrying my camera around with me everywhere I go and taking every opportunity possible to spend extra time with my students. I find myself getting teary about silly little things like a heard of buffalo in the street, a rice paddy tractor ambling down the road, or village children running to their friends yelling "Farang! Farang!" to alert them to my presence. Aspects of everyday life that I had become accustomed to and taken for granted now stand out, illuminated, reminders of how precious this time, this place and this experience truly are.

I feel a little like Cinderella, trying desperately to get as much out of the ball as possible before the clock strikes midnight and life goes back to normal. Yet for me there will be no glass slipper but a lifetime of memories and suitcase full of keepsakes.