Running a Race

Hello Friends,

Hope your Christmas Season has been filled with joy, peace, and love! I still cannot believe that I am done with student-teaching... and almost a graduate of college! Time flies by so quickly!

Since student-teaching I have been busy spending time with friends here in Thailand... after school was out we headed UP to Chiang Rai. It was amazing trip going down memory lane. My family came to Thailand 6 years ago and we stayed the whole summer in Chiang Rai.

The trip with my family definitly impacted my life in so many ways. I gained a deeper understanding of how broken our world is and gained a desire to teach overseas someday. I also left my heart in Thailand so it was good to come back and get it again.

The trip I took this time to Chiang Rai involved a stop at the night market, ice cream at Swensen's, tour of the International School, and a ride on OSTRICH!!! It was such a great trip!


The Ostrich Ride

Also, this week I ran in 10k race with my roommate around the moto in Chiang Mai. It was such a great race!


10K Race! :)

What a race I have been running since college has started!! I am definitly ready for a slower past for awhile... hopefully this spring semester... we will see!


Enjoy the Christmas Season!

Love,
Daniella





Silly Smiles

Wow, friends!

I am officially done with student-teaching! It has been an amazing experience with so many different emotions that I decided to summarize my experience with a few simple words:

Blessing. Joy. Smiles. Passion. Learner. New Discovery. Flexibility. 1st grade. 4th grade. Prayer. Lesson Plans. Journal Entries. Tiredness. Fun. Laughter. Impacting. Heart Captured. Teachable. Connections. Mentor. Stretching. Encouraging. Overwhelmed. Thankful. Exciting. So good.

I'm so thankful for my two mentoring teachers and the grace they gave me as I taught/learned in their classrooms. I cannot wait to have a classroom of my own! I'm in the process of pursuing the Lord for where He wants me to go in the Fall!





Silly 4th graders



Love,
Daniella

Filled...

Hello Friends!

This week has been filled with adventures, outings, good conversations, and moments of learning:

•  Celebrated the King's Birthday by having a day off from school and getting my toe nails painted with snowflakes
• Was involved in the Elementary Track and Field day (discovered that I would love to be a track coach and a teacher someday)
•  Celebrated Sinterklaas (Dutch Christmas) in Thailand
•  Had my first baking attempt in Thailand: No-Bake Cookies (they were a success)
•  Engaged in good conversations about mentors, fears, cultures, and singlness
•  Went Christmas shopping at the Saturday Night Market
•  Served hot coco at Christmas in the Park (an outreach that Grace International does to share the Christmas story with the neighborhood)
• Walked 8 miles to Buddist Temple and prayed for Chiang Mai
• Had an adventure finding a coffee shop with a friend
•  Rode on a motorbike and thought that I was in Montana's winter for a second because it was so cold
• Climbed up and stood under a waterfall (so amazing... words cannot describe how amazed I was)
•  Wrote my very last student-teaching journal entry (Yay!!!)

Hope you have had wonderful week and some adventures along your way! Life would be so boring without them!

 

Love, Daniella

Thankful Heart

Hello friends,

I am so sorry that I have not written in my blog for a while. It is something that is on my to-do list each day, but it always seems to be the last thing to get done.

Today, I want to write about what I am thankful for especially since being in Thailand. I know that Thanksgiving was like 3 weeks ago, but it is one of my favorite holidays. I love Thanksgiving because it is a time to be with "family and friends" and remember all that you are thankful.

This year I have learned a lot more about living with graditude- it has change my outlook on life completely. The book that jump started this change in my life was One Thousands Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I encourage you to read it and pursue a life of gratitude. It is so refreshing.

                                                         I am so so thankful for....

-my faith

-my family

-my friends

-amazing connections with people all around the world

-the passion I have for teaching

-being overseas and learning through a different culture

-love, joy and thankfulness

-my student-teaching experience

-my professors at Taylor University

-my housemates in Indiana & Thailand

-skype!!!

- chocolate

-fresh bananas

-beautiful sunsets and sunrises 

- and learning to rest

My thankful list could on and on about little the things I thankful such as my toothbrush, but I just wanted to express with you the things that I am especially thankful for in the season that I am in right now.

Thanksgiving this year was spent at an International Teaching Conference. For my thanksgiving dinner I had pizza and pie in the hotel lobby with some dear friends that I have made here in Thailand. We went around the circle and said what we were thankful for... it was so great! Don't worry I did have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with my roommates and a family from school with turkey, stuffing, yummy potatoes, and pumpkin pie!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love, Daniella