We’ve been on this Race for almost 9 months now. I’ve spent over 2 weeks on a bus, 1 week on a plane, and have walked probably a solid hundred miles. I’ve slept in almost 30 “beds” and have slowly decreased the weight of my “house” (aka my pack) from 55lbs to about 35. (I’m hoping to get it under 30 by the time I get home.)
There are a lot of things I consider “normal” now that would draw weird stares back home. Things like throwing away tp instead of flushing it down the toilet or sharing 1 bathroom with 19 people when you’re expected to conserve water. (This month 3 teams are together in a church. 17 girls are lined up on sleeping pads in the sanctuary and the 2 boys get their own little room.) There are other things like cramming 5 people into the back of a taxi or yelling “there’s room for one more” when the elevator is already full by American standards. (There is ALWAYS room for one more.)
I’m also really used to people not understanding a lick of what I’m saying. You have to learn when “yes” actually means “yes” and when it means “I don’t have a clue what you’re saying but I don’t want you to repeat yourself for the 5th time.” I’ve found there’s at least 5 ways to say anything you’re asking someone. Communicating can be an interesting combination of simplified English and charades.
I’ll never forget the time I asked our contact if it was ok for us to throw paper at our students. We were at an orphanage in Cambodia and were teaching the kids about Moses and the plagues of Egypt. Ashley knew how to make little paper lanterns that looked kinda like hail. I thought it would be fun if while we were talking (timing things carefully with translation of course) a couple of us pelted the kids with them from behind. Then we’d teach them how to make the “hail” as a craft. Back home that wouldn’t be a big deal but there are some tricky rules about touching people’s heads here in Asia (most countries it’s disrespectful ).
So I knocked on our contact’s door in the middle of planning tomorrow’s lesson (cause we were staying in their living room) just to make sure. When he opened the door I explained our idea and asked if it was ok if we threw paper at the children “because I know the head is sacred in Cambodia.” My team lost it. That statement allowed our contact to understand me, but sure sounded funny. (It turned out to be ok to do. The kids loved it!)
I guess my point in writing to you all today is to share how interesting it is to have the unknown become normal- and for adapting to become second nature. (Like Sunday when we found out our church was being audited and we would need to temporarily relocate for a couple days. We’re currently staying in a little 2-bedroom apartment across town where friends of friends host a house church. ps: It’s still all 17 of us girls. The boys are staying with another team that’s also in Ulaanbataar.)
That’s my life right now.
It’s random and spontaneous and full of craziness. Every month is different. Every day is different.
There are some days I don’t actually embrace ambiguity and change and Asian logic. There are some days when I don’t buy into community and decide to hide behind the port-a-potty out back so I can hear myself think/ others can’t hear me sing. (Cause nobody uses it unless we run out of water- which only happened once.) But when those days happen I remind myself of all the other days when I do believe in this journey and I remember all the reasons I came here. And I return to “normal.”
No matter what the day looks like God always creates beauty out of it. He’s a master artist and can make sense out of any puzzle. So don’t worry about what your day may look like today. Don’t worry about your schedule or lack thereof. Don’t worry if your computer breaks (like mine did this month) or if your car is giving you trouble. Don’t worry if plans suddenly change and you have to do something you don’t necessarily want to. Because it’s going to work out. It’s going to make a weird sort of sense later and you’re going to see how it all connects. And all the little things that other people might find unusual about your day will feel normal to you.
So have some fun today. Enjoy this life God’s given you cause boy did He make it unique.
Love ya’s,
Katie
