Unpacking my experience in Thailand thus far is no easy feat. Thailand has been full of so many experiences and has felt like an emotional/spiritual rollercoaster at times which I will dive into But first…
Let me tell you a little bit about where we have been and what we have been doing.
I spent my first week in Phang Nga with two out of the three teams on our squad. We worked alongside an awesome foundation for the week and got to do yard work, lead a church service, do home visits in hopes to share the gospel etc.
Then we took at 24 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai (If you Google a map of Thailand you can see how far apart they actually are) and are now staying at the AIM base here as a whole squad.
We arrived in Chiang Mai a few days ago and have been assigned to all kinds of different ministries: baby sitting, searching for other ministry contacts in Thailand that could host future world race teams, prayer/projects team etc.
I will be a part of the prayer/projects team where we will do different projects around the base, spend time praying over Thailand and the ministry here as well as doing outreach where we go out on the streets and engage with people (which is super similar to what I got to do last month, WOOOHOOO).
We will officially start our ministry tomorrow and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this month will be like.
As for Thailand in general here are a few random things I have learned/noticed:
-Shoes must be taken off before entering most buildings, homes, hostels and bathrooms. They also provide a pair of shoes for each person to wear into the bathroom only. I think this is so interesting since everyone shares the same pair of shoes when in the bathroom.
-Feet are considered dirty so never sit with your legs crossed because then your feet will be pointing at someone else which is seen as disrespectful. Pretty much don’t use your feet for anything except for walking: don’t pick up things with your feet, point your feet at people, touch people with your feet etc.
-Never point at anything (or anyone) instead use your whole hand to show someone something or a place you are referring to. This one is hard for me and has made me realize how often I point to things I am referring to.
-Bowing when greeting others is a great way to respect those older than you (respect of elders is a huge thing here)
-You can get a plate of food for less than $2 that is delicious (I recommend the pad thai or some type of fried rice or noodle dish)
-They have night markets around the city where you can buy cheap clothes, food, cat wallets, thai pants, legos and so many more things. Tip: if you go to the night market right when it opens you can often get a better deal if you are the first person they are selling to that night. They believe that getting an early sale in the night is good luck.
-You can also get a fish pedicure here where you can put your feet in a tank and little fish will clean off all your dead skin while tickling you in the process (definitely a fun thing to do if you need a good laugh).
-Cars and motorcycles are everywhere so crossing the road is often an all or nothing attempt: you run or you don’t go. Motorcycles seem to come out of all directions at all times.
-Motorcycle accidents are the #1 cause of death in Thailand.
-Thai people are very sweet and welcoming to foreigners and will sometimes try to talk to you even when you don’t speak much Thai.
-You can take a song tao most places (a truck that has seating in the back off it and an open back where the door would normally be).
-They have an awesome fruit called a mangosteen here (DELISH) and Taro flavored everything (YEAH BABY).
-There is a moat surrounding the area of Chiang Mai that we are in.
Isn’t Thailand a fun place? I sure think so.
Stay tuned for my next blog where I will dive into the harder things that I have experienced and where I have seen the Lord in the midst of it all.
Love you all,
Toodles!
