Thailand. It’s called “Land of the Smiles” for a reason. The joy of these people is overwhelmingly radiant and contagious. Its hard not to immediately fall in love with every single one of them the second you walk into the airport. They are so excited to make you feel as if you have lived there your whole life. And maybe you wished you had.
The simplicity of the way they do things is relieving. Knowing your neighbors even though you don’t speak the same language, riding your bike to the market to get fresh fruits, veggies and herbs every week, saying Sawateeka (hello) to everyone you pass by on the way there, knowing the lady who you get your sweets from down the street from your apartment, sleeping soundly in your small quiet apartment with the fan constantly running, and watching the sun rise on your way home from your long night shift.
It’s a beautiful thing that people who hardly know you are willing to help you learn and be a part of their culture. I think as Americans we get so wrapped up in being “Americans” that we forget how amazing and interesting other people groups are. The Lord did not create us all differently so that we could stay around people who are exactly like us. I struggle to think we should live in the same place our whole lives when there are almost 200 countries out there, all with their own rules, languages, customs, and people groups. How could we not want to experience that incredible diversity?
I think the reason I loved Thailand so much, aside from the people, was the fact that even though I was white and everyone else wasn’t, I never felt like an outsider. I felt like I belonged, even more so than I do in Stuarts Draft Va where it’s hard to find any color at all.
Now i’ll be honest there are their awkward moments of course, like when you’re trying to get a street waffle and instead of chocolate chips they put corn in it and then make the little 5 year old standing near you tell you you’re beautiful. But how hilarious is that? Like who cares if you feel a little awkward every once in a while, you should, that means your experiencing new things!!
I write all this because I miss being there, I miss all of those things I wrote about. I know the Lord has me here for a reason but it’s hard to understand that when your heart longs to be somewhere else. I also write to say that if you have the chance to travel, DO IT. Make it possible to know more of God’s creation because it is so incredibly worth it, it’s hard to put into words how important it is to have those experiences yourself. Who knows maybe you’ll end up falling in love with a place thousands of miles away from what you call home now.
