Six-month-review!

Today is exactly six months since I left a freezing cold UK for Thailand. I can still remember walking through Departures at Heathrow airport with a feeling of total disbelief at what I was doing! In our pre-departure training, it was suggested that it would take about six months to get settled into the placement and feel that things were really beginning to take shape, and I would say that was spot on, both on the work front and at a personal level.

In the first couple of months in Mae Sot, when I was seriously questioning whether I might have over-estimated my capacity for dealing with the change and challenge I had set myself, and the project seemed to be falling to pieces, I could hardly imagine staying here for two years. Now that I am settled in my lovely little house, with some good friendships developing, and enjoying the positive challenges of the project, I cannot believe that a quarter of my placement has gone already. Whereas before I was wishing the days away, now I find myself wanting to slow time right down, because I know that the next 18 months will just fly by, and I will be shivering at Heathrow again before I know it! It seems like the perfect opportunity to put into practice something that I have been trying to do for years, but have never been any good at - living for the present moment without dwelling on the past or fretting about the future. (Having said that, I had a dream just the other night about being back in the UK with no job - not an unrealistic prospect and clearly on my mind already!!)

So, things to take the time to appreciate:

• getting to know people from so many different backgrounds
• the opportunity to travel to new and fascinating places
• being able to develop my own project and work agenda
• learning so much from friendly and supportive colleagues
• the joy of working with small children without actually being responsible for them!
• a totally different pace of life
• never feeling cold
• the time to read books at a pace I have not managed in years
• the satisfaction of challenges overcome (yes, I actually quite enjoy riding my motorbike now!)
• the chance to make a difference - however small

Thank you to family and friends who have kept in touch with emails, blog comments, Facebook, Skype calls, cards and emergency clothes parcels! I have really appreciated the contact and support  from folks "back home"!