Two months in living in Thailand… wow… I still can’t believe this is real. In fact, I would like to share my quote of the month with you, “A year ago today I would have never dreamed that I would be driving through the mountains of Thailand in a songthow drinking coffee from a bag.” Last year I had a plan. I was going to go to college as soon as I graduated high school. I was going to A&M, getting a degree in business, and rooming with my friends. I never dreamed that the Lord had something completely different in mind.
As I wrap up my time here in Thailand I am very sad to say goodbye to the friends I have made here. After building relationships with the baristas in the coffee shop Bella Goose, the man at coffee cantina that makes the BEST lemon soda (by lemon I mean lime), the long-term missionaries who have been so kind to us, and many others, saying goodbye to Thailand will be much harder than I expected.
Before I move to Malaysia, I wanted to answer any questions that ya’ll had about my time in Thailand! Here are your answered questions ??
- What is the best thing about living with 40 people?
– There are so many benefits to living with a large group. However, the BEST thing would be always having someone to talk to. It’s only been two months but I already feel like my squad is my family. If I am having a rough day I know there’s always someone I can go to.
- Conversely, what’s the biggest challenge of living with 40 people?
– I love my squad. But… sometimes I just need some alone time. Living with 40 people in one hostel takes away the freedom of being alone. I can’t get away and “go to my room” because “my room” is shared with 10 other people. However, we have a system called “together alone time” which means you get a buddy (always gotta keep that buddy system!) and go to a coffee shop down the street but sit on opposite ends of the coffee shop. That way you feel like you’re alone but you are staying within World Race Rules.
- How have you handled the language barrier?
– Google translate has been my best friend. When I need to get a major point across I will use google translate. However, when its something simple like asking for water, using hand signals and a few English words works pretty well. Most of the locals speak a little English.
- Have you been able to create any relationships with the people? How do you see God working?
– Yes! I have made so many friends here! Mostly at the coffee shop called Bella Goose which is connected to our hostel.
– The main way I’ve seen God working these past two months has been through my team. We started out as almost complete strangers and with each day I can feel us becoming more open with each other and more like a family. The Lord has been breaking barriers we’ve set between ourselves and the team out of fear. Its been interesting watching my team grow but I have loved every minute of it.
- What’s the weirdest food you’ve eaten?
– Everything I’ve eaten has pushed me out of my comfort zone. I am usually a pretty picky eater but the race has taught me to open my mind. the weirdest thing I’ve eaten so far is probably squid. It was actually pretty good, just very chewy.
- What was one place you would recommend to go to on an excursion, or one you wanted to do?
– Patara Elephant Farm! That was by far the best day of my life. Its an elephant rehabilitation center where we got to learn about how to distinguish a healthy elephant from a sick one and we cleaned and did skin care on the elephants! It was amazing because we got to swim with them in a pond in the jungle high in the mountains.
- How many words or phrases have you learned already?
– I have learned how to say hello and thank you. I am not quite sure how to spell those word in thai but they sound like “sa-wah-di-kah” (hello) and “kap-kuhn-ka” (thank you)
- How much more support do you need and what’s the deadline?
– I am currently at $10,479 which means I need $5,321 more by my deadline at the end of January.
- What sorts of activities do you do on a day to day basis?
– Monday- Friday my team is at our ministry doing manual labor. The first month were we’re painting a house for women in need and the second month we have been at an orphanage digging trenches for pipes and trimming trees. On the weekends we have our free days. Usually on Saturdays we go somewhere fun like local water falls, water parks, or Patara Elephant Farm.
10. How are you keeping your heart connected to God through all of the ups and downs?
– Every morning during the week we have devotions as a team. We do our own personal devotion with the Lord but we are all in one room to keep each other accountable. This has been very helpful with keeping my heart in check because it gives me a schedule to where I have to make time for God. It can be hard during a very busy week to remember to keep that personal relationship with the Lord so having a schedule helps with that. With our quiet times being in the morning it gives me a chance to start the day with a fresh heart and mind. Whatever negative things happened the day before, I am able to give them to the Lord in the morning and not worry about them throughout the day.
11.If you had a chance to repack for the trip, what would you bring and/or leave behind?
– I would bring more t-shirts that I wouldn’t mind getting ruined. With all of this outside manual labor I have ruined a few of my good t-shirts which breaks my heart because I have an emotional attachment to my t-shirts… Something I would leave behind would be my tent. Now that I’m on the race and I have more information about the places we will be staying, I am realizing that there is a high possibility that I will not be sleeping in my tent. However, anything could change last minute and who knows I could be sleeping in my tent for months.
12.What has been your biggest surprise?
– Having air conditioning and not having to sleep in a tent for the first few months. Also, the amount of coffee shops with cheap coffee has been a blessing.
13. What’s your favorite office appliance?
– Definitely the big paper cutter with the blade as big as a ninja sword. (if you know… you know)
Thank you all for your questions! If you have any more, feel free to message me on Facebook or Instagram!
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