Sometimes falling asleep is harder than it looks

It's always interesting the things I think about as I'm drifting off to sleep. Most of the time it's worth writing down, but the point of drifting off to sleep is that one eventually end up in La-La Land.

But here's a few things I remember thinking about as I fell asleep last night in the flat cot in our lovely hotel in Hua Hin:

• What I wanted to do before leaving Hua Hin
• How much money I spent (more than I wanted to, but still within reason)
• What my plan for Monday's classes are, and realizing I didn't do an important icebreaker with my homeroom class OR talk about what they did over the summer. Very important for bonding purposes!
• How I'm going to pull off being a head soccer coach. I'm not exactly creative when it comes to new drills and such...
• Racking my brain for said new drills to try
• Checking with the basketball coaches to see if they are using the outdoor basketball courts so I can use them for control exercises
• Not wanting to leave Thailand, but considering other ministry options God might have for me while I'm here
• Deciding how long I might actually live here -- just how long term is 'long term'?
• Thinking about all the other places God could send me and use me, and a potential hubby I could find there
• Deciding that marriage may not be in my future after all and being surprisingly okay with it

Somewhere in the middle of all that I stuck in my headphones and watched How I Met Your Mother to help me eventually drift off to sleep. Unfortunately, it didn't last for more than two hours, and then I began the cycle anew; albeit with different things on my mind.

It is both a blessing and a curse to constantly make lists in my head -- especially when I'd rather be falling asleep.

I'm a Thai superstar

My name is Lissa Scott and I just starred in a 3-minute Thai home video.

Around 4:30pm I walked home from my 2nd day of school. You have to understand, I live about 3 minutes, a parking garage and parking lot away from school, so getting home takes little effort or time. But along the way, as I was walking beside the open parking garage, I passed a cackle of teenage Thai students from a local Thai school. They had stopped to get ice-cream from a local vendor that I had gotten ice-cream from during lunch.

I was nearly to my building's main entrance when these kids come running after me -- "Excuse me, Miss! Pii kah! Excuse me!" -- a young girl in a typical white, button-down blouse and navy blue, pleated skirt was ten yards behind me. "Do you mind if I ask you some...do you have a couple minutes....if we ask you some questions?" She stumbled over her uncertain English.

I turned to her as three more students came hurrying after her, panting for breath. She asked for my time again and spit out rapid-fire Thai in a high-pitch whine. Two more girls ran across the parking lot like their life depended on it, a digital camera swinging from one girl's wrist. A boy looked at me hesitantly, then asked if I lived in Parkland.

"Yes I do." I was tempted to answer in Thai, but refrained.
"Are you a teacher?"
"Yes, at the international school right there," I pointed in the direction of the school.
"My name is ....., and I am a student at -some Thai school- and we would like to ask a few questions."

The students kept turning to one another, rapidly speaking complete gibberish. Another camera appeared -- this one of the video persuasion -- and all six teens gathered in a circle to quickly play a round of "Rock-Paper-Scissors" to decide who would do the actual interviewing. Apparently the boy who first asked if I live in Parkland lost (or won, depending on how you look at it), because he pulled out his notes and began instructing the others on where to go and what to do.

Both cameras came out and a girl tried to figure out where she should stand with the cue notes so her partner could see them. With the girl hovering right beside me, my interviewer asked 4 questions in halting English about Parkland.

I smiled, answered in simple sentences, and used my best Thai accent. And just like that I was made into a Thai superstar featured in a school project.

It reminded me of assignments I've given out before, and will give out again this year. Ah, to be a student forced to interview strangers in a foreign language about meaningless things....the good ole days.

Round 2 at ICS begins tomorrow

Tomorrow is the first day of my second year teaching at ICS. It's my second year teaching, period. I don't know how last year could be topped -- I loved my schedule, I loved my content area, and most of all, I loved my students. The trouble with teaching 8th grade English is that there's no possibility of teaching them a second time around -- that is, unless I move up to high school with them. At least with the lower grades at my small school (6th and 7th), there's a chance at repeat customers -- not so for me.

But there is always this year....I can begin the cycle again with a whole new set of students. Some of these kids are following in their older siblings' footsteps. Some of them are twins. Some of them are new and my latest target for recruiting fresh soccer players.



This year is going to be epic. I can't help but believe that. I'm bound and determined to see it happen.

I'm on a new mission

I few weeks ago -- when I was still in Oregon -- I made a costly impulse buy. I spent $144 on workout DVDs. I've been drawn in by infomercials on countless occasions -- everything from food choppers to the latest workout regime. But this time, with my dad's surprising encouragement, when they did the 14-minute countdown from the infomercial, I dialed in (via website) and made a commitment to my body.

So now we're about 2 weeks in and I sadly have noticed no change to my body. I've worked out consistently five days a week, and have been more conscious of my eating habits, and yet my clothes still haven't felt any looser. My brother (an avid runner), would tell me that it takes longer than 2 weeks to notice changes; however, the stinkin DVDs said that I'd see a change after just one week. All those testimonials are so encouraging -- of course they're made by people who fit into a size 2 and have a ton of energy, but still I expected some kind of result that would motivate me to keep working out. With the kind of money I put into these DVDs I am bound and determined to stick with it for at least 3 months. If I don't see results by then...well, I don't want to think about it.

But for now I am choosing a more optimistic conclusion: exercising is as much a state of mind as it is of body. I "feel" healthier because I exercise. I tell myself it's okay to snack every once in a while if I'm consistent with my diet every other time. I can't quite tell if my mind is more alert, but I can always tell myself that.

But then I look in the mirror, and I am brought sharply back to reality: my arms and torso are still just as chunky and under-toned as ever.

One day. One day I'll be in the single digits again. One day I'll look a little more like the girls in these silly workout DVDs. One day I'll actually be content with my body when I've assured myself that I've done all I can to be healthy.



Oh, and if you're wondering, I have killer calf muscles. Of that I can be quite proud.