Asia was the only place in the world that I was ever scared of. I was terrified to go there by myself, in fact, I would have gone anywhere else by myself, even Africa. I was afraid of the language barrier, and I had convinced myself that I could survive alone anywhere else in the world except for Asia, because their languages were just too different from Spanish and English, the only two that I actually know fluently. I’m not sure where this concept came from, but over the years, I formed a kind of ‘meh’ attitude about Asia. It became a place I wanted to visit solely to check it off of my bucket list. After being here for almost three months, I am now able to say that I was wrong in so many ways. Big things are happening in Asia, and I mean BIG things. People are coming to Jesus on a daily basis because of the work that we are doing here, and I’ve adjusted to life away from everything I know at home. V Squad has become more of a family than a group of people traveling together, and over the last few months, we’ve shared some of the biggest moments of our lives together.
I have a lot to say about the deeper side of things going on here on the other side of the world, but for now, I would like to just fill you in on some random things that really don’t fit in anywhere else. Hope you enjoy my mash of things from Asia!
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Asian people are ridiculously friendly. Even if you aren’t someone famous, they will act like you are, and will give you complements about how you look like a celebrity. (apparently I look like Madonna?)
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You will never hear anyone in their right mind say “I just love the smell of durian in the morning!’ Trust me on this one, unless you like mush that tastes like dirty sock feet, you will not like durian.
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You know those funny cone shaped hats that you see people wearing in pictures of rice fields? I always thought they were a fashion from the past. Not only do they still exist, but they are still used, even by people who live in Saigon, where we are staying this month.
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Everyone in Vietnam owns a motorbike or a scooter, and if you don’t own one, you take public transportation or you walk. There are at least 20 times more motorbikes in this city than any other form of transportation.
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Counter fit goods are a huge market in Asia, but especially in the cities. We have had a lot of experience with people trying to sell us things on the streets that are very obviously not the real thing. I also have a lot of experience making vendors mad by pointing out to my teammates that what they’re looking at is not real. oops.
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Food in Asia is super cheap if you know where to go. Even if you go to restaurants, its not nearly as expensive as in the states, but most of Asia has little food shops or street vendors that sell UH-MAZING food for like 1 or 2 US dollars. Maybe America should take a hint and start eating more home grown stuff 😉
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Another thing about food- They literally eat everything here. Like I thought Pennsylvania dutch people are weird for eating all sorts of animal parts, these people literally throw the entire duck head on the grill and have it for dinner. Frogs, fertilized duck eggs, dog and octopus are also available, if you’re interested.
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And one more thing about food- They say that Penang, Malaysia is food heaven, it really is. I’ve never been to a place where I’ve been able to get so many types of authentic food all within walking distance. When I say that I could live in Penang, I’m serious.
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Coffee. I was already obsessed with it before I left America, but it is ten times worse now that I’m living in Asia and I am capable of drinking 5 cups a day. Vietnamese coffee is amazing, they make it with condensed milk instead of regular milk, so its really sweet and creamy. Also, in Malaysia, if you ask for the ice take away, the fill an entire quart sized bag with a cream tea/coffee concoction, but a string around it, and send you on your way. Its pretty much the coolest thing ever. I was already picky about my coffee (thanks Haiti) but I am warning you now, be prepared for coffee snob Ashley when I come back to the states, because it’s going to happen. 🙂
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Lets have a talk about the bathroom situation for a second. I knew that in places where there was no pluming that people went to the bathroom in a hole in the ground, but what exactly is the point of doing that when you HAVE plumbing? A lot of Asia has these things called squatty potties. Pretty much, its a toilet seat that is stuck to the floor of the bathroom, but you don’t sit on it, you just squat and do your thing. Apparently its the ‘natural’ way to do it? I’m not sure I believe that though, because it is a ridiculously hard to try to pee in a hole and not get any on your feet. Try it some time. AND THEN, as if that doesn’t make life difficult enough, public bathrooms, and usually everywhere you go other than where we are living, almost always do not provide toilet paper. Many times we have had conversations that go something along the lines of “There’s no toilet paper in here!” and the response is “just use the hose!” because yes, there are hoses attached to the walls in every bathroom that you are supposed to use to rinse yourself off instead of wiping. I guess the theory makes sense, saving trees and all, but you usually end up more way more wet than you would have if you had just gotten a little pee on your feet, so that’s a slight issue we face here. We’re working on it, but I will never take free toilet paper for granted ever again.
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And the biggest news of my life so far on the race: I rode a motorbike, in traffic, through the streets of Vietnam. This probably doesn’t mean much to some of you, but riding a motorbike is my biggest fear. I fear this more than traveling to Asia by myself, and yet I did it, voluntarily. Props to Jesus on that one.
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My next deadline is December 1st, and I still need to raise about $1,000 to be able to stay on the field for the next three months. After that, I will need to raise about another $5,000 to complete the trip. I know this is a big number, but God is so much bigger than any amount of money, and I know that this is nothing to him. Big things are happening here in Asia, both in my life and the lives of others, and I believe I’m supposed to stay on the field to be part of the big things that come out of the rest of this journey. If you are able to give, please click on the support me link to the left of this blog. Thank you so much for your support, I love you all!
