Monthly Archives: October 2018

I came up with what I thought was a clever little retort as I walked down the hot, muggy street one afternoon.

“Some of you might ask me, ‘what’s it like living in a foreign country’?  To that, I respond: ‘what’s it like to live in a country where you can read the signs on the street?’”

Granted, that example falls a little flat, because Nonthaburi, and especially Bangkok proper, has a lot of English signage, especially in the built-up tourist areas.  But the sentiment is the same.

What’s it like for you, my family, friends, and random internet readers, to live where you can speak to everyone in complete sentences and not feel like a toddler when you open your mouth?  What’s it like to not contemplate having to bite the bullet and pay a taxi or walk home, because you have a car?  What’s it like to know how everything works (generally) and how to behave in every social situation?

If you can answer those questions, then you can guess that the opposite is what it’s like to live in a foreign country.

You live with a perpetual feeling of awkward.  It feels like everyone is staring at you (which they generally are), especially when you don’t want them to.  I just want to buy my papaya or fill my water in peace, people!  Trust me, I am not that interesting just because my skin happens to be three shades lighter than yours!!!

Added to that feeling is the very real fact that I have never lived completely on my own before.  I’ve been at college but living in a dorm and living in your own apartment, by yourself, is a whole different ballgame.  What am I eating for dinner?  What DO I eat for dinner?  How do I handle buying a phone plan or having two workmen show up to install my wifi (who know about 3 words of English between them)?  How do I (*pinch my nose and sigh*)  ADULT?

And trust me, the community at GES (my school) have been absolutely amazing in helping me out, as well as other friends of mine, but there is still the reality that this isn’t a church trip, this isn’t an internship, this is REAL LIFE.  I am LIVING in Thailand.  I can’t stay in survival mode.  That works for a two month internship but not seven-ish months (and possibly more).

It’s humbling, to start all over again.  It’s fun, in many ways.  I’ve had lots of good experiences this week: I took a river taxi to explore a wat (Buddhist temple) and an outdoor mall area, explored ANOTHER mall in downtown Bangkok, learned how to use the Thai Metro (SO much better than a taxi! And cheaper!), bought a ton of groceries, ate with people, went to IKEA for the first time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

God has been good.  Really good.  Even the hard or awkward moments really don’t feel so bad when you’re sitting on a floating deck restaurant eating cashew chicken.

 

 

It’s humbling to be the stranger but it’s even more humbling to be taken in.  Grace is a good thing.  And with all the grace that has been given to me, I can’t wait to start dishing it out on my students!

As I begin my first week of teaching, my first JOB, I pray that I will remember how lucky I am to be here in the first place.  May I show my students love and appreciation, as I strive to push them forward.  And (hardest for me) on the days when I am not enough, may I have enough humility to lean into God, and let His strength be better than mine.

Updates will keep coming.  I don’t know if I will do once a week continually, but I will shoot for at least every two weeks.

Love you all!  Let me know how things are doing in the States.

And…signing off.

Well hello everyone!  Yup, I made it all the way to Thailand.  Got an apartment.  Bought a phone (that was fun…American phone meeting Thai SIM card equals…no.  So a new Thai phone it was!).

It was a little rough the first day, I’m not gonna lie.  I don’t think I had really let myself (or had time to) process that “oh yeah, I’m moving overseas for a good while, and this isn’t just a mission trip, I have to live here.”  Plus, having to set up a bank account and do other adult things is a thousand times more overwhelming in a foreign country…there were tears shed.

But I got help from some pretty amazing people.  Shout-out to everyone that I have met over the past few days.  You’ve really helped me to feel like a part of a community, even though I’ve only just arrived.

Currently, the school is on Fall Break, so I get a week to acclimate and explore.  Then, I start student teaching up again, working with 2^nd and 3^rd graders who need English Intervention.  I got a taste of that on this past Friday.

This is the third grade class.  Their current teacher let me jump in and do a game with them after their test.  They are precious!  As are the second graders.  Lots of energy all around…

So far, I’ve mostly been running around, taking in everything, meeting people, and eating good food.  I got my apartment in order and I’m ready to…literally do whatever this week.  I will update as I can.

If you’re praying, pray that I will acclimate to things here well, not get violently ill any time soon, and start making good connections here.  And pray that I will get the time this week to slow down a bit.  I haven’t had much time for slow lately…

How are things in America?  Shoot me a comment and let me know what’s up with you!  I love to hear from people.

Signing off for now, back soon!

Hello all!  Yes, I am still alive.  It’s been a while, I know.  The last month has been really crazy.  I promise that updates will be more regular from here on out, now that I’m actually….but I’m getting ahead of myself. 😊

If the first entry I posted wasn’t enough to tip you off, I really like the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by JRR Tolkien.

A lot….

And those books have colored my perception of whenever I go overseas or move on a new chapter of my life.

In the Hobbit, the titular character Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable home in the peaceful Shire, to go on a mad adventure with a wizard and 13 dwarfs to get back a treasure from a dragon.

Leaving his home is weird enough but their first real stop is a place called Rivendell, home of the Elven-lord Elrond.  And that stop is pretty good, all things considered.  Immortal, wise Elves, good food, nice beds, pleasant company….

I think you can see where I’m going.  This last month and a half has been my Rivendell.

Yes, there were hard things.  I found out just how crazy teaching can be, on those days when love and enthusiasm isn’t enough to make everything alright, when you’ve run your voice hoarse telling kids to listen.

There were days I came home exhausted and slept for three hours on the couch.  There were days I came home full of energy.  But at the end of the day, I was living with family, near friends, in a location that was more-or-less familiar.

Now, I’m really stepping into the unknown.

And it’s amazing and fun and exhilarating, but also full of so many questions and what-ifs and dot-dot-dots.

All this fluff to say, I’m getting on a plane in less than 24 hours to go to a country I’ve heard about in stories and seen in pictures, to teach children I don’t know at a school I also only know from stories and pictures.

I’ll love it, I’m sure, but I’ll definitely have left everything familiar.

So at 10:55 am tomorrow, if you think of me, say a prayer as I head off on the next stage of my adventure.  I’ll certainly welcome it.  And I’ll keep you all posted as I move ahead.

See you on the other side!