little victories

life is moving on and at times it feels like there isn't really anything exciting to say. but lately i've come to appreciate the little victories that arise at different times of my day. i've heard amy talk about these 'little victories' for the past two years but i never really understood the importance of them till now. they are the little moments that happen where you win just a little bit even when it feels like everything sucks. when i would feel like the weight of my failures were overpowering, amy would always try to show me where the moments of triumph were amongst all of that. most of the time i just wanted to wallow in my own misery too much to realize the important of these little victories.

and even though i don't exactly have gloom hovering over me, my day to day can feel lackluster with routine and at times even isolating when i don't have the motivation to leave my house. however, it's come to my attention that despite the disagreements life and i may have, when it's all said and done, i'm doing pretty alright. and it's my little victories that give me a little peace with this understanding. my week's victory is walking into a room and hearing the kids scream my name and running up to hug me or at least attach themselves to my legs as i try and walk around. hearing them say my name has just been such a reward after the weeks of just feeling like a visitor.

they've accepted me.

next step: getting them to listen to me.

last night i had the pleasure to witness a huge victory. the nursing dorm that amy and sarah are r.a.'s for competed in this cheerleading competition between six other dorms at payap university. now when i say cheerleading, don't let images of crowd boosting catchy cheers and short skirts flood your mind [well, minus the short skirts, there were plenty of those]. thai

cheerleading is kind of a mix of traditional thai dancing, interpretive dance, broadway musical and mtv on crack all mixed together. this is a no joke huge production, pyrotechnics included.

the students take this competition seriously with practices starting with the beginning of school in october. during the week prior to the big event, amy and sarah could hear the dancers still working till 2 in the morning to get it perfect. and really, all their hard work paid off, their dance was hands down the best and absolutely phenomenal. i don't know any of these girls but i felt proud through association. watching the different dances was really fun and in some cases, um, interesting. one group left me with memories of a certain nfl wardrobe malfunction. over all the experience was awesome, i don't think i would every see anything quite like this in america.

oh and the best part...the nursing dorm won!

the screams of joy were over powering, jumping and hugging and crying all around. mind you thais' are not so keen to show heaps of emotion, let alone hug, so this was really a spectacle. not only was it great to enjoy the victory with the students who worked so hard, but it was also so good to see amy and sarah feel a little more apart of this huge family they've been trying so hard to break into. seeing them getting pulled into the coolest victory circle i've ever seen was such a epic moment.

...so a victory here and there, it makes each day something different from the rest and helps me escape the mundane.

today's victory:

i decided one of the little boys i work with looks like the thai version of gary coleman.

win? mmm yes, i think so.

[and the winner is...]