Culture shock:
1. A condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes
2. The mental shock of adjusting to a new country and a new culture, which may be dramatically different from your own
3. The state in which you find yourself in upon entering Asia after three months in Africa
1. A condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes
2. The mental shock of adjusting to a new country and a new culture, which may be dramatically different from your own
3. The state in which you find yourself in upon entering Asia after three months in Africa
Call it culture shock if you wish, but at the moment I feel spoiled. Today marks on
e week since we arrived in Thailand.
We flew from Nairobi to Qatar, mosied quickly through the airport, then hopped on another plane from Qatar to Bangkok. The entire squad gathered together for debrief, which was held in Hua-Hin, Thailand. I’m guessing the AIM staff knew the condition we were in after three months in Africa. About half the squad (literally) has had malaria, and almost everyone more than likely has housed/is housing a parasite of some kind. There was no air-conditioning, rarely running water, horrible internet connections, and very few comforts from home. When we arrived at our hotel in Hua-Hin…actually, let me stop there. We stayed in a hotel! This is unheard of on the race. While in transit and for debriefs, we’re used
to staying in backpackers’ hostels, airports, parks, etc. We’ve gotten used to shooting for the bare minimum. Finding out that we were staying in an actual hotel was mind-boggling. I’ll move on. This hotel (called the G- House) was incredible. I’ll admit that my standards of what I consider nice have greatly shifted over the past year, but we were overjoyed. I had my own bed, air-conditioning, a small fridge, a HOT shower, and a TV. Crazy, huh? We didn’t really know what to do at first upon entering our room. We literally jumped up and down. The bellhop probably thought we were mentally unstable. He wouldn’t be that far from the truth.
e week since we arrived in Thailand. We flew from Nairobi to Qatar, mosied quickly through the airport, then hopped on another plane from Qatar to Bangkok. The entire squad gathered together for debrief, which was held in Hua-Hin, Thailand. I’m guessing the AIM staff knew the condition we were in after three months in Africa. About half the squad (literally) has had malaria, and almost everyone more than likely has housed/is housing a parasite of some kind. There was no air-conditioning, rarely running water, horrible internet connections, and very few comforts from home. When we arrived at our hotel in Hua-Hin…actually, let me stop there. We stayed in a hotel! This is unheard of on the race. While in transit and for debriefs, we’re used
to staying in backpackers’ hostels, airports, parks, etc. We’ve gotten used to shooting for the bare minimum. Finding out that we were staying in an actual hotel was mind-boggling. I’ll move on. This hotel (called the G- House) was incredible. I’ll admit that my standards of what I consider nice have greatly shifted over the past year, but we were overjoyed. I had my own bed, air-conditioning, a small fridge, a HOT shower, and a TV. Crazy, huh? We didn’t really know what to do at first upon entering our room. We literally jumped up and down. The bellhop probably thought we were mentally unstable. He wouldn’t be that far from the truth. I continued to feel spoiled throughout debrief. First of all, we were reintroduced to familiar food. McDonalds and Subway were bombarded by World Racers when we arrived. McDonalds even delivered to our hotel. It was really hard to order over the phone, though. I’ve yet to find a single person who speaks English here, but their accents make me smile.
I was delighted to see so many scooters engulfing the streets of Thailand. I was even more delighted so find out that our hotel offered scooter rentals. I’ve ALWAYS wanted a scooter. I love riding motorcycles – it’s invigorating. I know they’re dangerous. I have a large scar on my leg from a run-in with a muffler, but the passion still grows. It’s just in my blood. I joined a small group of guys from the squad in renting scooters for a couple of days. I love how cheap things are in other parts of the world. We cruised the streets of Hua-Hin, and it felt so natural to be on my little Honda moped. Maybe one day…
One of the highlights of the week was receiving a gift from my new “Thai mom”. You see, a good back scratch/massage is one of my favorite things in the world. It just so happens that massages are also very cheap in Asia. We found a place that offered a one-hour Thai massage, a foot wash, and two cups of hot tea for around five dollars. Five dollars! It just doesn’t get any better. I might have gone more than once. Okay, maybe three times. The lady that ran the place was so adorable. She asked Hope and me to come back before we left town, so we hopped on my scooter and got there a little after they closed. She invisited us inside and showed us a small assortment of painted leather bracelets. We each picked one and they were placed on our wrists. I’m pretty sure this means God wants me to return there for more massages. Many more massages.
We had the privilage of celebrating Easter during debrief. It crept up on us. Time is passing by, and I can’t keep up with anything anymore. The night before Easter, I told my mom that I was really sad. You see, I always get peeps in my Easter basket. This year would be the first without peeps. Not cool. However, our amazing coaches (Chuck and Selena Day) brought all of our teams our own “Easter baskets”. Wouldn’t you know it – there were 2 boxes of peeps! I discovered the primary reason God saw it fit for the six of us on Team Ninja to be together through this experience. I’m the only one that likes peeps, which meant I got both boxes all to myself! God is good.
We’re currently staying at a YWAM center outside of Bangkok. We had to wait a few extra days after debrief ended to obtain our visas for Vietnam. We fly out on the 8th. Please be in prayer for us as we enter Vietnam. It’s a closed country, so ministry will be much more difficult. This past week has been like a little break from reality. It’s time to buckle back down and gear up for month 9. Can you believe it? Month 9! How time flies. God bless, and goodnight. Or maybe I should say good morning. Gotta love the 12 hour time difference!
