T Minus: Less Than 2 Months!

A few months ago, Biew and I visited family and friends in Texas. Now, we are down to less than eight weeks until our little girl is expected to make her appearance. As you can imagine, besides returning to our regular routines of work, work, and work, we have also been prepping for the new family member's arrival. Furniture, diapers, clothes, accessories, soaps.... there's so much you need for a baby! It seems like every week, we think of something else.

We are making some short- and mid-term plans on how to balance work and a baby. Variations of these plans include Biew working from home, me teaching extra hours, and Biew continuing working while the baby is at an esteemed nursery until I can pick her up after I teach so we can wait for mommy to finish working together. Prayers for guidance in these decisions will be appreciated.

So, about the baby...

We're having a girl! Her name is Jirawadee Isabella, but we'll call her Bella (maybe occasionally Izzy) for short. Our doctor told us that two Thai parents typically have a slightly smaller than average-size baby and two Caucasian parents would have an average-size baby but a Thai/Asian parent and Caucasian parent would have a larger than average-size baby. The doc ain't lying! This little girl isn't very little. Her measurements have consistently been a week or two larger than average, especially head and femur measurements. She will be tall/long when she arrives, and a little heavy too. We're not sure how fat she'll be because she's just now getting to the fat-allocating stage of development. Pictures to come in a couple months, for sure!

Another thing we have been pondering is where would be a good church for her to be raised in. We have yet to commit to one ourselves, as we have not found one that seems to have a community. We're not interested in a Sunday-only scene. Please pray for us as our search has become a little more complex.

That's all for this installment of what's going on with us. Until next time!

The last time to travel as two

We've had a busy time recently. Biew and I were lucky enough to visit Texas for four weeks, and we returned almost two weeks ago. The trip to Texas was great! We got to hang out with a lot of family, including new baby Rhett, and see some old friends. I always tell people that living in Chiang Mai is easy for me because the people and pace of life is similar to my home. Biew got to see the flip side and confirmed the similarities. She thinks living in Texas will not only be not difficult but probably enjoyable. We'll see in a few years. We plan on moving for our first child to start kindergarten. Oh, have I not mentioned that we're having a baby? Due a week before this coming Christmas! We've known for some time now. During our time in Texas, Biew started to show, so it's becoming more real for me. Now she is REALLY showing. I like it. While we were in Texas, we did a little shopping for the baby.

Now that we're back to Chiang Mai and the daily grind, which hasn't been so bad for me, we're planning for what to do after Baby Smith comes: how we will balance work and taking care of the baby, how we want to raise him/her, etc. So, much prayers are appreciated during this time of change and growth for our little family.

And here's a slightly dated photo for the little nugget growing in Biew:

Time for a visit home

Life has been busy lately. I've had lots of work wrapping up the semester, like administering and grading final exams and preparing grade reports, and handling a couple extra projects before the summer begins. Another thing has been getting Biew a visa. Last year, she tried but didn't get it. This year was a success, so we'll be visiting Texas in June for about four weeks.

Now that I've had time to breathe, I realized that the trip is right around the corner, and it's making me excited because of all the things that will happen while we are there. Mostly, I'm excited because this is Biew's first time to Texas and she will meet a lot of family and friends for the first time, especially my grandmother. The next big thing is my baby sister is having a baby! We will arrive the day before he's due. What great timing! (I bought my ticket almost a year prior.) In addition to meeting my new nephew, I get to see the two I've already been blessed with. I'm looking forward to wrestling with them. I have no doubt their jiujitsu skills are better than mine, but I have an edge because they still think I'm bigger, stronger, and scarier than they are- and I am! I also get to see my puppy, Sammy. I've visited home twice in the almost four years that I've lived in Thailand, and I think he misses me the most because it's really evident when we meet. Maybe Biew will love him and want to bring him back with us. Yeah, right... :( Lastly, I'm ready for some shopping! I want to buy a few things that I can't get easily or as cheaply in Thailand as I can in the US.

Living in Thailand for so long as really made this feel like my home. It creates a weird duality, which I noticed has existed since the first visit home after a year and a half or so of living here, but it has intensified. Right now, I'm looking out of the window of a coffee shop. I see crazy bundles of telecommunication wires hanging low on concrete polls. Diagonally across an intersection is a gold pagoda shining brightly in the sun as it towers over a graying white wall, the stacked tiled roofs of a temple standing next to it. The street is busy with traffic of mostly motorbikes, "red trucks" (a local taxi), and the iconic tuktuks, while the sidewalks contain a mix of a few locals avoiding direct sunlight and tourists wandering (or wondering?) with guidebooks and/or smartphones, no doubt using Google Maps in an attempt to get their bearings. This has become the norm for me.

In three weeks the view will change. The traffic-majority motorbikes will morph into lifted 4x4 pickups. Buddhist wats will become Baptist churches. Smiling Thai faces will instead be smiling Texans, both tan, mind you, but the former because of naturally high melanin levels and the latter from working out in the sun too long. Mountainous horizons and heavy pollution will be replaced by a flat line and big skies full of fresh air. The only thing that will be the same is the temperature- hot! However the humidity will be absent.

This will be Biew's first time to experience it, and I can't wait.

Two and a half years in the making...

It's been about two and a half years since my last blog post, and a lot has happened since then. For example, I got married... Thank you for the congratulations that you are thinking. I really appreciate it and any prayer on our behalf. I'm sure marriage will be equally challenging as it is rewarding.

I hope to write semi-regular blog posts as updates about life over here. The problem is that daily happenings seem mundane and usual to me, so I don't write about them. Let the catch up begin...

First of all, my wife's name is Jintana Manotham (just changed to Jintana Smith). If you're American and you're thinking, "How the heck do I say that," don't worry. Thai people usually go by a nickname. Hers is Biew; it sounds pretty similar to the "beau" part of "beautiful." If you live in North Texas, there's a chance you'll meet her in summer 2016. We haven't found a church home yet in Chiang Mai, so prayer for that would be appreciated. We have found a few that are interesting, but we have yet to determine where to be planted.

Secondly, I'm still teaching at Chiang Mai University. I'm finishing my third academic year, and I still enjoy it. I plan teaching at least five academic years, so at least two more, before moving on to try something new. I'm not exactly ready to come back to the US permanently (more than a month, haha), so I plan on remaining in Thailand for another four or five years. If I decide to leave CMU, I may try another university, possibly in another city, or maybe try primary or secondary education. I'm leaning to universities because it is easier to do research, which I hope to start soon. After Thailand, I'm considering moving to Taiwan or South Korea as a possibility before moving to the US.

Lastly, I have been making English learning videos with a friend and fellow teacher. It has been a fun extra activity. I'm also planning on making another blog that focuses on teaching English: mini lessons or explanations for learners, tips for teachers, and commentary about the English teaching scene from Chiang Mai to maybe even the SE Asian region. When I get it up and running, I'll post a link in an update on this blog.

I'm currently in a coffee shop. I've had too much coffee, so I will consider this a stopping point. See you next time...