Hey Fam!
What’s up?? What’s good?? How are you??
Posting here from a Dunkin Donuts in Lembang, West Java Island in Indonesia. (never been to a DD in the States, but their WiFi is SOLID).
So yeah, here I am! Three Months have FLOWN by.
I honestly never thought I would spend time in South East Asia. To be SUPER honest I never thought about this area of the world…except for coffee names and Jeff Corwin’s episodes on Borneo.
It has honestly been such a beautiful experience and I have met so many incredible people, locals and travelers alike! We have made many friends, and in doing so and have been to three weddings (Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu). It has been incredibly fascinating and humbling to be invited into people’s lives like that….we have been welcomed with open arms. I seriously feel so honored to be a part of new friends’ lives….and just be completely immersed in the culture.
Here are just some tidbits about Life Unscripted in S.E. Asia.
Things I miss:
Free refills at restaurants
Having the toilet and shower be on a different floor surface
Not having to pay to use public bathrooms
Driving
Set prices on things (prices usually double or triple for “tourists”/foreigners)
Cooking and grocery shopping (happens only when we stay in SOME AirBnBs! Which is rare.)
Things I’ve enjoyed:
The variety of food available literally everywhere
Cheap street food
Most restaurants have outdoor seating
Ease of public transportation
Overnight busses (sleep makes those 12-16 hour bus rides go so much faster!!)
You can find basically anything you need
Staying in hostels
Staying in homestays with hosts
Blatant generosity and kindness of locals (especially in Malaysia)
Going to the different Houses Of Prayer and worshipping Jesus with people from all over the world. (At Penang House of Prayer in Malaysia we even spent time interceding for Israel….soooo awesome!)
Things I’m glad I brought:
REI camp pants
Clothes I love/nice clothes
Make-up
My sleeping bag is my favorite thing (a Big Anges Lulu)
Bluetooth speaker (UE Roll)
A day planner to journal events and what we do daily when I don’t have time to journal
PONS avarca shoes. Literally wear them every day. (THANKS JEN!)
Best food: tie between Khao Soy in northern Thailand and Syrian food in Langkawi Island, Malaysia
Best coffee: Indonesia 😉 (more soon)
Best smoothie: MK’S coconuts in Georgetown, Penang
Things I didn’t expect:
MALLS! There are lots of malls and markets and you can basically find anything you need.
Grab! Basically Uber for Asia. It’s really cool and they even do GrabFood delivery! You just need wifi/cell service.
I am a village girl FORSURE. The cities have been nice, but I feel alive when we are out in the green areas and things aren’t as accessable. I like to critically think about how we are going to do things without all the modern conveniences (which means no wifi, handwashing laundry, eating Street food, tenting, no AC etc). I love being challenged and grown and giving up control like that.
..
I wanted to do a “day to day”, but everything literally is SO different every day! I’ll give you some practical things we take into consideration.
Our squad is 18 people, with two squad leaders. From those 18 there are 4 teams, and the squad leaders (Kate and Reece) each go with one of the teams.
Each team is responsible for booking bus/boat/train tickets and accommodations for themselves. We pray and decide where to go and how long to stay there. We have a typical budget of $5 USD per person per night ($20 a night for team CAKE, $25 if Kate is with us).
We occasionally stay in hostels, but in the majority of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia my team has stayed in guest houses, AirBnBs and homestays.
Food! Sometimes those homestays (etc) have kitchens with a stove and fridge. Sometimes they don’t. We gave a typical $4 a day budget for food. I LOVE to cook when I can so I control what goes in the food (and usually it’s just tuna salad or eggs, with veggies) but if we can’t cook we usually get street food which is usually cheap and delicious (though, fried and carb heavy).
Right now we are in Bandung, in West Java Indonesia….and loving it. we’re in the village!!! We will be here through Easter weekend. I am working on a blog for Malaysia and will post that soon.
I would LOVE to do a Question and Answer Blog…so please post ANY and EVERY question you have for me! I would love to answer them and tell you all the things your burning hearts want to know. Welcoming everything from serious theological questions to silly inquiries.
Also….my final fundraising deadline is April 30th….and I need another $5000 to make it.
I am totally believing for God to work a miracle here and would love it if you would partner with me and with what God is doing again…or for the first time.
I love you all!!
As always, thanks for reading.
XOXO
