They didn’t warn me about the class fires:

Day 4: Today, a kid with a mischievous grin strolled into class holding a lit match. Another kid with an aerosol can rushed in after him. Kid two sprayed kid one and lit him up, backpack and all. Kid one sprinted in a frenzy around the room and out the door. He did not come back to class that day.

Some day later: Today, I walked into a classroom full of students in addition to about 20 lit candles all across the desks, chairs, and ledges. As soon as I extinguished one, a few more mysteriously appeared. The class just watched me and laughed. I gave up after a couple of minutes.

Yet another day: Today, an electrical box exploded next door and the classroom was on fire. The attempts to put it out only created more fire. All three extinguishers on Floor 3 were expired.

Day 120. My only expectation was that my final day would end in flames, but by some grace I did not encounter a fire in my classroom today. It doesn’t mean there wasn’t one; it just wasn’t in my classroom.

These were far from the only instances of fire in my classroom, just the highlights. I can’t quite wrap my head around how Saensuk School has not yet burned to the ground.

A Long, Strange Trip

You’d think after 4+ months, life would settle down and daily expectations would consolidate into a simple checklist. Thailand, however, kept me engaged and on my toes for just about every second of the journey. From classroom fires to mystery foods to spontaneous days off, you just never knew what tomorrow would bring. And while not every moment was enjoyable, there were many life lessons and points of self-discovery. Here are some random ones I noted:

• I can now tolerate—and sometimes even enjoy—peanuts and spicy food.
• Motorcycles, which I still consider a high risk, are also fun and liberating.
• I really enjoy writing both personally and publicly.
• Smiles can make all the difference in your day and in others’.
• You can stay fit and relatively strong without a gym.
• However, not having my tribe—aka CrossFit community—has made me feel a bit lost at times.
• There are a lot of people, both young and old, that have no clue what they are doing or where they are going and it’s perfectly okay.
• Those you meet and travel with are what make the experience.
• Kids are jerks.
• Kids are awesome.
• There are A LOT of people in this world.
• Social media knows no borders.
• Communication expands far beyond just words.
• We humans are really not all that different, each culture just has their own customs and quirks.

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Overall, it’s been a great ride and I’m beyond grateful for those I met and the experiences we shared. I most definitely intend to come back in the years to come and would highly recommend a visit for anyone considering it. Thank you, Thailand!

The Wrap Up

So what’s next? For now I’m hanging out in Bangkok until my grandma arrives and then we’ll set out on a six-week trip through Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. I’ll continue on solo for a couple more weeks back in Thailand, fly home to Texas for a brief time, and then hopefully head down to South America sometime mid-summer. That’s the plan anyways, but who knows, a lot can change in eight weeks!

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post then drop a comment below or share it with a friend and as always, I encourage you to #gotravel!