I have joyous news for you all.

Holly, your very own Apinya, has started to rejoin the ranks as–gasp–an appropriate teenager.

No! I can hear you all saying, faces frozen in a Munch-esque pose of shock mixed with horror.  And you’d be only partially correct to be in such a state of surprise; after all, my skewed definition of “appropriate teenager” has always been on that shoddy, off-kilter fork off of true adolescence.  Still, hear me out.

I have stood defiant against the wishes of–well, many (it would, I think, just hurt to list them all) and straightened my hair.

Permanently.

For 6 months.

Allow me a mild hair flip, which I can now do, thank you very much, and a raised hand in “talk to the face” fashion before continuing.  …Ahem, thank you.

I have made friends and done things such as “hang out” after school to watch “football,” commonly known as “soccer” or “that sport where they kick a ball a lot, and also sometimes each other” or “the one that Zidane guy plays.”  Take your pick.  Let it be known I did not get hit by the ball, just only nearly, which actually resulted in pretty white flowers raining down around and on me.  I believe this should be protocol–but continuing on.

I have begun to like R&B and hip-hop music.

This one catches me off guard a little, until I realize that my version happens to be in Korean.  But hey.  Thai teen magazines actually have an entire section for Korean pop stars and actors.  I didn’t say which country I was becoming passingly normal in.

There’s my list.

Oh.  Except for the fact that I can read and write Thai.  ^_^  See, one night I got sick of my own inability.  So I taught myself the alphabet and had a brief pass over the salas.  Vowels.  Same same (loan words rule).  The fact that my host father assumed this mean I must know them all by name the next night actually proved itself a bit of a help, as the letters had to become a reflex (also an aid during the more recent sessions where his spelling has suddenly picked up speed, with an immediate sounding out and pronunciation of the word–needless to say but you know me my listening comprehension has taken one monstrous leap forward).  I did interrupt once last week to learn the tone sounds.  The rest is all–what’s that again (since I never learned it, but I’ll keep that part to myself)?

For the most part, I’m doing quite well all of a sudden.  Vocab is starting to absorb simply from repetition, and I’m no longer omitting tone differences.

I wish my speaking was going better, though.  I think that’s going to change, though yesterday my host father was talking to the PE teacher man (oh yeah, I’m taking Muay Thai and swords/poles) and, in Thai, explained my level of comprehension, then asked me (in Thai) if I want him to speak Thai or English.

Good-bye, native language.

Thus, I only hear English from one person–Monica, who has officially joined me at Achiwa.  And I’m teaching her the alphabet now, along with some other basics.

Yes.  Me.  A teacher.  Laugh, Mom and Steve and all those who understand how misguided this move truly is.  Laugh.

I have, by the way, Mom and Steve, fully and completely adopted the attitude and principles of the BFZ.  This has been quite the advantage most times.

Also, I have (in the middle of typing this up) received my second piece of mail–a letter from one and none other than Khalila!  If you think anything you did, everyone else, has made the month of September, Lila just stole it from you.  I love Lila.

<3
me