First Week and Double Bridge Run

It feels like we never left.  Only a few days in and I wonder if we even had a holiday.  But then I check our empty bank accounts and realise we must have had one.  I was thankful it was only a three day week with the students, as was Sebastian.  Thursday, my department met for a catch up.  Saturday we had a day of shopping for Sebastian's new room, followed by a last minute get together at our house.  Then Sunday morning I woke up at 3am to do the Double Bridge Bangkok Run.  I was not sure I would be able to do it, as my original plan of going to bed early was shelved as being hostess with the mostess is too tempting for me.  I was super happy with the run, coming 6th.  In fact if I was in the next age bracket (not too far off, I would have won).  

A varied selection of photos over the last few days.

First Day of Year 2

Year 4 at NIST for me, Year 2 for Luis and starting Year 2 for Sebastian.  Sebastian is starting in our new elementary building.  It is beyond amazing, I am sure it is second to none in terms of space and innovation.  The library itself is ridiculously impressive.  It was extremely overwhelming for Sebastian entering the 'bigger' school for the first year (in EY and Year 1 he was in the much smaller early years centre).  Also a much longer day, as one can imagine the first few evenings we have all been exhausted.  I think next year we might need an actual holiday rather than a five country world tour.

Thai Mother's Day and Run for Mum

Way back in May I thought running a 10km race one week after our holiday was a good idea.  But when 3:30am came up Monday/Tuesday morning it felt very much like a terrible idea.  But I dragged myself there, me and 10, 000 other people.  I was the hardest run with four huge hills.  But I did it, very painfully.  I felt happy with even finishing.  Afterwards, I spent a great Thai Mother's Day with Sebastian and Luis.  We went to Sebastian's favourite spot for lunch and then just all prepared mentally for the first day of school Wednesday.

Catching Up

Over the last week we have had the opportunity to catch up with some of our people too.  I am super happy to have Nadia and family here again and we caught up for dinner together on Thursday night.  Also, we were super lucky to welcome Jacqui and the kids for one night on their way back to Taipei.  And yesterday we had beautiful weather that meant a 7 hour pool day. 

The Amazing Race 2025

I was not going to do it this year.  It was a hard week back to work after an incredibly busy summer.  But at the last minute I decided to do a person team with Mark Russo.  I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to catch up and also give us an edge in the race as he speaks perfect Thai.  Well there was no time for catching up as I am pretty competitive.  It was a race around the historical area of Bangkok and it was really very well done.  We did not win, I am still trying to process this, but came a solid third place.

An excellent evening :)

Back to Bangkok Running

What a crazy summer that was! I am not sure it was the wisest decision but it is done and we did have an amazing time.  But it has been a blur since Monday.  Dealing with jet lag, starting back school and well just getting back to a routine.  The most exciting thing that has happened and it is very exciting is Mark Russo is also here now!  I am just bringing best friends from around the world every year.  Chris and Kerry in my second year, Nadia and family in the third and now Mark in the fourth.  I worked with Mark both in Basel and Quito so it is quite amazing to have him here for a third school together.  

Our Bangkok community is getting stronger and stronger!

Helsinki, Finland

When I was looking for flights back I could not find a reasonable one way ticket London-Bangkok and then one morning on Skyscanner a great deal popped up on Finnair.  However, you had to spend 25 hours in Helsinki.  What a win!  We got here Saturday afternoon, they checked all our luggage all the way through and we stayed a night at a great hotel.  The hotel was just outside the airport and a two minute walk to the train station.  With a 30 minute train tho the city centre it was the perfect layover.  Also, everyone was so nice and helpful to us. We spent a beautiful long evening exploring what is a beautiful city.  I know there was much more to see but we saw was amazing.  It also broke up a long journey and gave us a night together as a family.