As promised here is my blog of frequently asked questions. Disclaimer, most of these questions were only asked once, for the purpose of this blog. 🙂 If you have any other questions, please feel free to comment below or ask me directly!
1. What do you hope to accomplish in this trip?
I hope to make a positive difference wherever I go! I hope to introduce people to Jesus and share the love and joy that that comes through a relationship with Him. I also want to grow in my faith and come out of this better than the way I came in. I also hope to gain insight on what kind of work I want to do long term!
2. What has been the best food you’ve eaten?
Martabak in Indonesia! It is a dessert that is kind of like a thick pancake with chocolate and bananas (or your choice of filling) in between. Indonesia was probably an overall winner in the food category the past five months too. Cheap fried noodles and fried rice. Cheap delicious fruit smoothies, like the bright purple dragonfruit one. Reasonably priced bubble tea and mango drinks. Free breakfast where we were staying. We also got to eat a lot of homecooked meals at house churches. Indonesia, me and my stomach miss you so much. <3
3. What surprised you the most (good or bad)?
I am not a person that usually suffers a lot from culture shock. I tend to take things as they are. However, one day, that I will remember forever, in the middle of a 22 hour bus ride, we stopped at a convenience store/bathroom break. I never really drink soda, unless it is free, but the bus was hot and the convenience store was selling cold, glass bottles of coke. So I bought one, and prepared to get back on the bus, which was about to start driving away. The owner of the shop said wait, I had to give the bottle back! I was shocked, cause my American brain was saying, umm I paid for this, didn’t I? It is mine. And it was stressful, because I didn’t have time to drink it on the spot; the bus was driving away! And I drink so slowly, chugging it was neither desirable nor really possible…even chugging it for me would have taken a while! And I bought it to cool me down on the bus! So I said, I either need a takeaway cup, or I had to keep the bottle. Anyway, as everyone becomes involved in the unfolding drama between me and the shop owner, eventually they gave in and let me take it (even after my teammate offered up her empty water bottle), with the bus driver saying he would return it on his way back to where we came from. All I can say is lesson learned. Don’t drink anything except for coffee.
4. If you had to choose one place to stay in, where would it be?
Korea… hahah, but as far as places I’ve been on the Race, my favorite place to visit would be different than my favorite place to live. Visit-wise, I liked Rishikesh, India, for the nature, culture, food, and mix of locals and tourists. But it is small and would probably become boring after a while. To live, I would choose a bigger city, like Delhi or Jakarta. I only spent a couple days in each city though, so I can’t say. But I like cities that have a lot of very distinct neighborhoods. I also prefer cities because they make it easier to travel to other areas of the country, or the world.
5. What did you like/dislike about each country? (I modified this from the question “What was your favorite country?” because I don’t really have one.)
Australia-
Like: The beach, the weather, staying together as a squad for our first month, working with YWAM, pancakes and chai, the church we attended and lived at, the accents, Tim Tams
Dislike: Having to cook for 40+ people (Even though really Fei did most of it (Thanks Fei!), it still stressed me out, feeling like we were given a big responsibility and not having any idea how to carry it out. Also, the whole wifi situation was difficult.
Indonesia:
Like: The ministry, the family we served with, our hotel, the sky pool, the food, getting to know my teammates in Shameless Audacity better, preaching for the first time, hearing others preach, living by the mall, the balance of team time, personal time, and ministry time
Dislike: Learning to surrender my own will (“full submission”), the challenges of getting used to community living
Sri Lanka:
Like: Beautiful Ella, beautiful Unawatuna, chicken and cheese roti at the “loud music place.” Tuk tuks. Getting to go to church on Easter. Gelato in Unawatuna, Team Two <3
Dislike: The buddy system, ants that “ate” toilet paper (?!?! Still don’t get it). The lack of structured ministry.
India:
Like: Food! Structure! The Taj Mahal! Rishikesh! Our ministry in the villages. The Awakening. There was a lot going on, in a good way. It was a welcome change from feeling like we did nothing in Sri Lanka for a month (even though we were technically doing things, but the slow place of life made it feel like we weren’t). Movie tickets for $1.50.
Dislike: It was a hard month on a personal level. The heat, oh my gosh. And on a funny note, really awkward timing for an intermission during the Avengers.
Nepal:
Like: Getting to see a lot of the country by bus. Thamel, Kathmandu. Visiting Pokhara and meeting a family of believers. The lake and the mountains. Paragliding (This is half like, half dislike… If you ever go, take some motion sickness meds). Working with a familiar organization again. Team SheBrews! And most of all, mo:mo’s (dumplings)!!
Dislike: Expensive food.. I spent a lot more personal money than I planned on. But on the bright side, it tastes good! Also, our time in Nepal passed by so incredibly quickly.
We are wrapping up our time in Nepal, preparing to leave on Monday. Please keep our team in your prayers…the usual (no sickness and no insects) as well as extra prayer for direction, cause we actually have a lot of freedom going forward. My blog may be a bit quiet in the coming weeks because of where we’ll be going. But thank you all for being a part of the journey so far!
