Oh. My. It’s been a full day. Security check points-ticket counters-more security check points-immigration-health checks-even more security checkpoints-more health checks. Tim got a tip that we should print out all the paperwork and have it in hand, and that was an incredibly valuable tip. But it also meant that at every check point along the way we were juggling passports, immigration forms, boarding passes, COVID test results and insurance forms. For all four of us. In a foreign language.

We’re sitting on the airplane, about to fly from Bangkok to Phuket. One more gauntlet of paperwork before we can rent a car and make our way to our hotel for the night. The kids have been (mostly) patient, and (almost) everyone has been exceedingly friendly. And I can’t wait to get out and start experiencing Thailand. What we could see from the air looked lush and vibrant. It looked like there was no definitive coastline – that the ocean gradually wove into the land.

We spent a little time over the last few weeks weaving in some schoolwork about Thailand. The kids can recognize the Thai flag, identify the country on a map and know a little about the culture and language. They seem excited to connect the dots between what we learned at home to what we’re already starting to experience.

I can’t wait!