It's the last day of school... kind of. Something different here in Thailand is the school timeline. Classes have ended. The students are currently taking their last final. But all of the students will be back next week to help the teachers clean the school before it closes for the summer. It's a funny ritual, as I feel like the school always looks about the same... it just has a thick coating of dust after bpit-term (closed term). The students are tired but also happy and relieved to be done with their tests. They're visibly excited at the prospect of summer break, though I think all of us are weary of the impending hot season. And I feel satisfied. I feel happy to be done with the semester. I feel grateful for the success I found here - with my coteacher and our students - this school year. I feel comfortable and adjusted to my life here in my community. And I feel glad to be past my mid-service crisis dip. I've assigned one student homework over the break. His name is Film, and he once told me he loves to read, so I bought him a Thai copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - my favorite book at his age and my favorite series to this day. I've never seen a kid so excited to read a book, but I'm really just hoping to suck another person into the fandom. I think he's going to love it. I really really hope so. I don't have any immediate plans. Next week, I'll attend the 9th grade graduation ceremony, and the following week, I'll be going on a trip to the beach with my school. Other than that, I'll be hanging out around my community. I'm hoping to spend some time caving in Mae Hong Son before Songkran Festival in April, and I'm hoping to spend the festival in Chiang Mai with my fellow volunteers! After that, I'll have mid-service conference to look forward to, and - FINALLY - a visit from my dad! Right now, everything feels settled. It's time for a break - well-deserved by all - and I'm ready for it. I'm ready for lazy summer days - albeit, spent in a puddle of my own sweat - and time for reading, studying, and planning. Summer is here. Year 1 of my Peace Corps service is over. I've made it, and I can't believe how fast it went. And I can't believe how normal life here has become. It's exactly what I wanted. And I'm happy to be here. I'm finally happy again.
