Sorry it has been forever. This blog is purely going to be updates about what has happened these past couple of weeks here in Thailand. I will try my best to get everything in.
With teaching still going on, there are a lot of in between things that take place throughout our days here. Did I mention that we teach at a private school? Yes, they have private schools here too.
Our team is getting paid for teaching, and that money has been going to our host family. This past week our money earned went to putting cement down for a part of our family’s driveway. We got to physically make the cement and lay it down. It was an all day process, but very rewarding. Knowing where our teaching money is physically going helped us realize how much of a difference we are making here. Also shout out to all the Australians from work camp. We missed y’all.
Behind our home there are lots of fields in which our host family grows plants. This week we were given the opportunity to harvest some of the plants with them. We harvested a plant called Cassava (CA-SAH-VA). This entailed us pulling out these tree type things out of the ground, cutting off the Cassava on the roots and putting them in baskets to be sold. It took a solid 2 days with lots of help from friends and neighbors.
We have gotten to go to the rice farm. Mom and Papa own 12 acres of land where they have a little hut and a rice farm surrounding it. I will try my best to describe it, but even pictures can’t do it justice. Picture fields of tall, light green grass with banana trees scattered throughout. Boom, rice farm. It is pretty much what you would imagine. Mom and Papa also have this little hut thing that is built on a tree. It is basically like a tree house and if any of you know me, I LOVE trees, so I love the hut.
At the rice farm our team has not gotten to harvest rice yet because the rice is not ready. When we go we mainly just work on cleaning around the hut for Mom and Papa. We have cleared out a lot of weeds and dead limbs off of their banana trees. Speaking of the banana trees, did you know that fire ants love them? I don’t think I have ever seen so many in my whole life. It got to the point where I had nightmares about them. Terrifying.
Moving on. It has been so interesting living here as a foreigner. Every place we go we get weird stares from just about everyone. People also thinks it is fun to take our picture. The other week we went into this ice cream shop and they asked to take our picture that is now on their ice cream Facebook page.
Here the culture desires to be very white. They even put whitening stuff in their face wash. Being dark resembles that you might work in the fields everyday, which is a lower paying job, than if you were to be a teacher in the classrooms. Back in the states it is very popular to be tan, which is opposite here. Everyone thinks that Americans are beautiful because of our light skin. Even when we are tan, they will still be much darker just because of their skin tones. It is very interesting.
Last week our team rode in the bed of our truck to Chanthaburi, which is about 9 hours away and about 11 or so with pit stops. 12 of us rode in one truck…6 in the back and 7 up front. We stayed 30 minutes from the beach, so of course we were able to venture off there. It was beautiful. I can honestly say I have never seen a prettier beach before. There was a mixture of mountains, cows, and little huts on the beach. Right as we arrived Vicky and I sprinted right into the waters in awe of our surroundings. The ocean floor also had sand dollars all over it. Yes, they were still alive so I only took two home with me.
In Chanthaburi our team stayed with a family friend of Mom and Papa’s. We got to work for them during our stay. While some of us helped out in the school, Vicky and I power washed the fence and painted the playground.
This upcoming week my squad is meeting up to have debrief in a beach town! Debrief is when my entire squad with all of our leaders get to meet up in one place and have fellowship with one another about how our trip has been. We will have sessions as well.
Lastly, our route has changed! Instead of staying in Thailand for 3 months, we will be heading to Cambodia for the month of November and then off to South Africa in December! I could not be more excited. I am sad to leave behind our wonderful host family, but am overjoyed for what the Lord holds for us in Cambodia.
As amazing as Thailand is, there have definitely been some hard times. I keep having to remind myself that the Lord is always faithful. Love you all and thank you for you patience with me.
That is all I can think of now. We don’t have wifi back at our home any more, so it has been harder to keep up with all the updates. Thank you all for the continued prayers. Knowing I have people praying back home is much more comforting that I could have imagined.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
God Bless.
