ducks have lips

being in the land of smiles for a little over a week now there are some things i have noticed. so, the following are some preliminary observations.

• when thais say "not very spicy" it is about 4 chilies on the american menu (at least to me).
• not only do thais drive on the other side of the road, they drive according to who is pushiest. scooters have free-reign, there are no lanes for them. changing lanes may be a traumatic event.
• there are some new and unheard of items on thai menus, such as fried duck lips (actually not bad), but meat such as turkey is unusual.
• thais love to eat. meals usually happen every few hours, with snacks in between. it is social. the meals are the same for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• thai fashion uses very interesting english phrases, like: "married with tissue" or "to be in love is to cease to by". they are acutally quite thought provoking!
• thai doors are not as beautiful as european doors, and i definitely cannot photograph them like my sister!
• picking your nose is not uncouth, but picking your teeth is. therefore, instead of toothpicks, many people have a very long pinky-fingernail for their nose.
• community and relationships are important- it seems rather easy to make friends, or at least good aquaintences.
• "there is nothing to do in thailand but shop," local thai.
• i am an english teacher as a default of being a native english speaker. the students we work with will introduce us to other students and say, "he/she would like you to teach him/her english," and walk away. what a learning experience!
• rainy season is cooler. it was 85 degrees this morning at 7:30.
• thai salesmen/women are very pushy.
• squatty-potties are to be expected. sitty-potties are a luxury. bring your own t.p.
• i love thailand and the people!

Surprise, Surprise: I Post Again!

So, I was not expecting to be able to post again so soon- not only was I not anticipating having time, but I was not anticipating having much to write about. But I do!

As I mentioned in the previous post, we spent Monday at the freshman campus advertising the English Hour we will help facilitate. During this time we met A LOT of new students and got to know some of the student leaders of the group. Most of these students are new believers and are very involved with the group, the church and relationship with one another.

Tuesday, we moved into our apartment- now would be the time to post pictures, but I haven't taken any yet. It is at the top of some offices of the people we are working with, the 5th floor, to be exact. It was recently turned into an apartment with one main living space that has our beds, closet, fridge and desks. Through the sliding door is a tiny bathroom and a little kitchen- all perfectly serving our needs.

We have also gotten the run-down on what we will be doing. English Hour is run both through the university and through the church. It meets at the upper-classmen campus on Thursdays, and the freshman campus on Fridays for two hours each. After each "hour" we eat and hang-out with the students, which is a really fun time! They love to get us to try new foods and watch us intently to see if it is too spicy...tonight it was! I am sure that we will be doing more on the other days of the week, but we have not gotten into a schedule yet, something I am looking forward to!

(Some views of the main campus- I didn't take them!)

There are a few students, the leadership team, that we have gotten to be friends with already....and it has not even been a week! They all speak pretty advanced English and are SO much fun to be with. I am really impressed with how friendly most Thais seem to be and how quickly they make friends. I am confident that solid relationships will form and that they will be not only earthly beneficially but eternally as well.

Maybe I am setting unrealistic expectations for any future cross-cultural work, but things have been so very smooth for us these past few days; for that I am grateful. As of yet I have not experienced any unpleasant culture shock, or serious homesickness (sorry Mom & Poppa!). I just tell myself that I am living in the honey-moon time of cross-cultural living and that if I were to stay longer I would experience these things. Maybe someday. But for now I like being on a honey-moon!

Sweaty Entry

Sawadeeka!

"The Land of Smiles" accurately describes me the past few days in Bangkok. Smiling at every turn of the corner, new activity, new sensory experience (well, not all the smells), and new introduction I am here and thrilled!
After approximately 18 hours in coach seating, a few layovers, some waiting in the airport, and an early morning van ride, our team made it to Bangkok. We arrived at our hotel at about 3am Saturday the 30th (we left the States Thursday morning) and made it to bed close to 4am. Just a few short hours later we woke up for a wonderful breakfast at our beautiful Kantary Hotel, then headed out to tour the Grand Palace with our exceedingly knowledgeable tour-guide, Richard (not his Thai name, but he was kind enough to allow us a nick-name). The Grand Palace is extensive, beautiful, and thought provoking. Our tour was at least 2 hours long- in 90 degree, 70% humidity.

Hopefully this shows how expansive the Palace is...no wonder the tour was hours long!

These are demon statues that guard the Palace...I think. And if you look at their ring, you die. The reason it is from the side ;)

There are Buddha statues EVERYWHERE.

Housed in the Grand Palace is the Emerald Buddha, a rather small but the most valuable and important Buddhist statue. It is beautifully carved out of emerald and enshrined in the most ornate temple. At the change of each season the king ceremonially changes it's out-fit. I have no pictures of the statue. Though photos were allowed from outside the temple, they were prohibited inside and I did not feel comfortable taking pictures of it. You can Google search it. We entered the temple and were surrounded by silent worshippers. It was not the idolatry that struck me, as America and often our own hearts are riddled with it. Instead it was the total blindness and lost-ness that struck me. People are made to worship. In America the Good News is rather accessible, however it is a totally foreign concept here. Therefore, people act as they are created to act, but in a completely misguided way. If only their earnest and devoted worship were of the Creator, rather than the created. If only the worship in our own hearts were earnest and devoted.

After our tour of the Grand Palace and several gallons of sweating, we took a boat tour of Bangkok. Unbeknownst to us, the city is considered the Venice of the East as the river splinters throughout the city. It was beautiful and refreshing.

Sunday we accompanied the missionary to a Thai national church. How encouraging! Considering 95% of the nation is Buddhist and only 1% are Christian it was awesome to visit a Thai church of about 400 people. After the service everyone stayed for a pot-luck Thai style! I did not ask what I was eating and simply enjoyed the new flavors.

Monday the team going to Chiang Mai headed to the airport after dropping April and me off at the campus to meet new students. It was the freshman orientation at Ramkhamheng 2, the freshman campus. The English Hour club had a booth set up and was bringing new students by to sign up and meet us. It was a day of many new names, faces and much small talk. From my understanding we will be spending most of our time at the other campus, sophomore-seniors. Total, the university has about 600,000 students: unfathomable.

Today we moved into the apartment and became a little more oriented with our surroundings.

Pardon the length of this entry, but it is all just too exciting not to share with all of you! Since we are not yet on a normal schedule, I am not sure how often I will write, but we do have free internet access in our apartment.

Thank you for your continued prayer. Please pray for guidance, boldness and openness!

6 Days Til Take-Off!

WOW! I will be headed to the Minneapolis airport bright and early on Thursday...THIS THURSDAY! This trip has been in the planning stage for such a long time that it is hard to believe that is so close.

I have been home in the Land O' Lakes for a few weeks. This time has given me time to rest and has rejuvenated me. We even had a few days of Bangkok-like weather...I am being prepared! During this time at home I got to spend time with my sister before she took off for Europe, go to my good friend's college graduation, babysit, spend some Q-T with the family and get used to a few new memory-documenting devices.

Soon I will have a whole new photo-folder on my computer and more importantly a whole new folder of experiences and new outlook on the world. There is so much that I am looking forward to: the heat, the food, THE PEOPLE, the culture shock, being out of my comfort zone, learning to love and live in a new way. But there is also so much that brings apprehension: the heat, the food, the culture shock, and being out of my comfort zone. Praise Him that I do not have to carry those worries and that I can go into this with JOY and PEACE knowing that the strongest shoulders want to take my cares.

These are all things for which you can pray... please! Also, with only 6 days until departure I am still in need of quite a bit of funds. It has come in steadily and faithfully thus far, so I am trusting that the rest will come in the same way, please join with me in praying it in!

My next post will come from the other side of the world! Til then...

duty night note

i am sitting on duty for the last time this semester in the wonderful new chairs, i no longer fear for my safety! almost finished with a large latte, i am wide awake but barely motivated to write the paper due tomorrow. instead i am trying hard to win this marmot backpack, but keep getting sent through hoops...is it worth it?

well, on to more important things. our last southeast asia meeting was on sunday. we got "momma's checklist" and i am feeling exceedingly excited and a little more prepared; at least there is a semblance of a plan. i am scheduled to fly out of minneapolis at 9:13am on may 28 and land in bangkok at 11:10pm on may 29 after about 18 hours in the air!

so, with 37 days left to go there is yet much to accomplish. for one thing i have a daunting few days of projects, papers and tests ahead of me, then i can relax during finals week with only a few finals. check-out, one of the best RA responsibilities, packing and driving home still stand between me and relaxation before the trip. more pressing- funds. the Lord has been so faithful to bring in a substantial portion of the funds and my faith really has been built. but, i still need to bring a little more than half of the funds. it IS possible! but i still need your help.

but most pressing, i need still need your prayers! both for peace and composure during this hectic time and for spiritual, emotional and mental preparation for a great work this summer!

ok. after that catharsis, i believe i am ready to go propose a social policy...due tomorrow.

peace.

Fun Ride

Good-bye "tentative", Hello "plan"!

I have been on a little bit of a roller-coaster ride in the last few weeks, but this particular ride has ended. A few weeks ago I got the news that the missionaries we were going to be working with in Bangkok were actually coming back to the States even before we were planned to get there. So, we had to decide what we were to do. The options: Go to Chiang Mai with the other team to work in the university, go to Vietnam to help in a coffee shop to teach English and build relationships, or stay at home.

After prayer and consideration, I decided to go to Chaing Mai with the large group. Spring break was good having a plan in place.

But alas, when I returned from spring break I received an e-mail requesting help in Bangkok. The missionaries need people for the summer to help with the English club and burgeoning relationships.

Though I was a little frustrated to have yet another turn, it stuck me that there is a need to be met and I am able to meet the need. If I were to go to Chiang Mai I know that it would be good and beneficial, however that need is already being met and there would be a deficit in Bangkok.

My partner in all of this, April has gone through the same process and has come to the same conclusion...she is still my partner and I am thankful!

So, for now, I am waiting in line for the next roller-coaster and preparing for it.

? Tentative ?

Considering the purpose of this blog is to give updates on my upcoming trip to Thailand, I think it is time to fulfill that purpose!

First, thanks for showing your support by taking the time to remain updated on the plans and the prayer requests.

Well, "tentative" seems to be the operative word in this experience...and in this line of work in general! But, here is what I do know...kind of:

April, another EU student, and I will be working with a married couple who have long experience in Bangkok to help develop a ministry for victims of human trafficking.

We have a tentative departure date: May 12 or 13!

At the end of the two months in Thailand, April and I, along with the other team who is going to Chiang Mai, will be debriefing on a beach for several days (I am trying not to get too excited about that part!)

Well, like I said, there are still many unknowns. I just learned that the missionaries we will be working with are planning on coming back to the States in June for the month. This creates an unknown. Given the nature of the work we will be doing (working with human trafficking) it is not necessarily safe to continue working in Bangkok without our experienced leaders. Therefore, the second month my April and I will have to focus our efforts elsewhere. There are many tentative (there it is again!) options for us to consider.

So, in light of all these things, prayer is needed!
Please pray:

• For direction regarding the second month of our time
• That I would have patience and trust, as I like to have answer and itineraries!
• That divine appointments would be aligned even now for the time we are there
• That hearts would be prepared
• For physical provision, in health, finances and spirit!

Because He is worth it all!