Girl Time

Today was spectacular, the kind of day I want to remember forever. There was nothing really special about it except for the way I spent it.

I should have had regular classes today but for some reason many of my classes were fairly empty. Perhaps it was a result of yesterday being "science day" (many students went on long field trips) or maybe it was because another teacher decided they needed my students to do something else for them like stuff envelops or clean their office (this happens all the time!) but my classes that typically have 40 students in them only had about 7...and they were all girls. Thus I didn't want to "waste" one of my lesson plans when I would just have to reteach it the next class. Instead I opted to have some girl time with my students....

The most memorable moment today was with one group of my 10th grade girls. We were listening to American pop music and I was teaching them some of the lyrics when they starting demanding to dance. You know me, I love a dance party, how could I refuse? The girls jumped up and closed all the shutters so no one could see inside the windows, a few girls stood in front of the classroom doors, holding them closed to protect us from prying eyes. They asked for a favorite pop song (Nobody, by the Wonder Girls) and we all just danced. They laughed at my American dance moves and tried to copy them. They screamed in excitement when I busted out my Thai moves and swarmed around me to show me proper Thai dance hand movements.Too soon our class time was over and the students walked out humming, smiling and giggling with one another.

In my last class of the day today the few girls that came sat around teaching me Thai pop songs and talking to me about boys and broken hearts. They gossiped about who had a boyfriend, who was single and who was secretly in love with my little brother. They asked me questions about America and my life there and asked to look at pictures of my family, friends and home.

It felt great to just relax and be with my students today, to let them be themselves. I am so filled with love for them and these kind of moments are the ones I will remember alwaysnand make me smile no matter how far from them I am .