Isabella's Musings After the First Month! 9/3/2024

This month has been very full. It started off with touching down in Chiang Mai with plenty of time before school started, 4 whole days. The first few days were a mix of trying to show my siblings around Thailand while getting over jet lag and figuring out where to find the supplies to stock our new house. Overall, I’d say we did pretty well, though it took a hot minute to find toothpaste that wasn’t salt flavored.

My first day of school was incredibly overwhelming no matter how prepared I tried to be, but something that stuck out to me was immediately being sought out by a group of girls in my grade and invited to sit with them at lunch. I’ve heard that missionary kids tend to form relationships quickly because you aren’t sure how long someone is going to stick around. I’d also heard multiple accounts of how friendly and welcoming the community at Grace, my current school, was. However, I had my own set-in-stone idea that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends showing up so late. I’m so relieved to say that isn’t the case. I immediately felt very welcomed and sought out, and it made me eager to properly plug in and get involved at Grace. I’ve been able to join several clubs, including a prayer club, a chapel singing team, and art club. I think my faith is being strengthened by being around so many people my age that speak openly and often about God. Overall, it’s just an amazing environment to be a part of.

As a US citizen I’m required to take a form of US History. I find it a little ironic that the first time I learn about the history of America is in Thailand, but I’m learning nonetheless. My Thai class is hands down my favorite class, even if my pronunciation is atrocious for now. I’ve been mainly focused on getting back into the school rhythm and signing up for extracurriculars, but I’ve also been talking with my friends from home. I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve gotten to make here, but I’ll admit it’s weird to hear about the school year starting up without being a part of it. I’ve had a lot of people point out how odd it is to move junior year, and I thought the same thing. When I made the choice to stay at my old school last year it was kind of unofficially decided and I was certain that I would be staying at that school for the rest of my high school term. God definitely threw a bit of a curve ball there. My family jokes that we live our lives in four year increments, since we usually only live somewhere around that time frame, and I guess it’s especially true in this case. There’s definitely a level of comfort-ability I’ve felt during this past month simply from having a familiarity with moving.

However, I attribute the lack of anxiety and peace I’ve felt about this whole move to God. I’ve always been very enthusiastic about seeing other countries and exploring different cultures, but being here comes with a sense of excitement about finally setting something in motion and following God’s will. If something isn’t in my face all the time I tend to forget about it despite my best intentions. Here, I’ve been presented with so many opportunities to get involved and reach in order to deepen my relationships. Like I said earlier, the people I’ve met seem very intentional about building relationships with whatever time they have, and that’s a skill I want to develop and take away from this. My first month can best be recapped as a month of goodbyes, new faces, new environment, and a budding addiction to Thai tea. I have found so many wonderful things and have lots of hope for the future. Thanks for reading. Sa wad dee kha!

-Isabella