Anybody Out There?

Greetings from monsoon-soaked Kuraburi. Just a quick update to let you know that I'm alive and well, and will have a spankin' new entry with photos up in a few days. I hope. Over the past several weeks I've been teaching English by day and programming websites by night--including the new site "Andaman Discoveries" for our community-based tourism program, which should go live this month--and haven't had a lot of creative energy to spare for the blog or even simple e-mail communications. I really regret this fact, especially considering so many positive and wonderful people have supported my endeavors, and I really want to give something back. There have been a lot of great stories to tell, but unfortunately the most interesting times in life tend to coincide with little free time.

Things are good here: My teaching continues to evolve and I've finally found my niche at NATR. Thailand increasingly feels like home now; as I ponder the future, every scenario includes a scheme to get back here. With a little financial recharging later this summer, I could come back for another six months (our English program just received funding for another three years).

Tomorrow the Kingdom celebrates the sixty-year anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's ascension to the throne. The King is one seriously cool cat--it's refreshing to be in a country with a thoughtful and generous leader. In honor of this, the NATR team is going to Phuket clad in yellow shirts to celebrate and let off some steam. It's been a manic few months, but all of our programs--English for the community, English for guiding, village English, Eco-guide training, computer skills--are up and running smoothly. We feel it's time to pat ourselves on the back for an afternoon.

With love,
E