There’s a phrase that is commonly used by vendors here in Thailand that says, “same same but different.” It is used to describe items like backpacks, clothing, and other types of fairly high quality knock-offs that they sell. It is kind of a joke around here, too. They even have shirts that have the phrase plastered on the front and back.
As common as it is to hear it and see the shirts, it got me thinking. As I looked around at the things that seemed so foreign when we arrived. Now I look at the same things and see the “same same but different.” Let me tell you, life is not the same over here, but it is pretty similar.
11 days ago, I had the pleasure of meeting my squad in International Terminal B at LAX a few hours before starting 38 hours of travel. Side note… if you ever want to get to know people REALLY quickly, start your friendships by traveling across the world. Anyway, January 3rd was not a normal day for me. It was not the same, but it felt oddly similar to normal life. (If you want to read about one experience I had on that flight to Guangzhou, read my squadmate, dani’s blog. She’s pretty great.)
On our first day in Thailand, Loren, Kendall, Brittany, and I were exploring the markets. We found a shop that sells bags and fanny packs. I walked in, found an awesome fanny pack, and went to pay. I gave them money and needed 50B in return. One of the women kept pulling 500B notes out of the money bag they had. The other ladies kept saying “no no no!” every time she would pick up the wrong thing. They weren’t understanding each other and we all ended up laughing about it. Finally, she pulled out a 50B note and handed it to me. It was not anything crazy, or out of the ordinary, but I immediately realized that things were “same same” here. People are still people.
Some things have been very different though… I held a baby monkey. I ate a cricket. I rode a horse bareback for .3 seconds. I climbed a waterfall. I met a girl that is same same, but different, and her name is Kendall. I got really attached to Momma K and Papa T, the WR Fusion Coaches from 2015 after only knowing them for a week. I had real Pad Thai twice in one day. I had a Thai massage. I rode in a songthaew to a ranch that is home to the Free Burma Rangers. I learned about my relationship with God in a very real and applicable way. I peed in the woods. I helped cook dinner for 25 people with 1 wok, 2 pots, and a one-burner stove. I played soccer for the first time in a long while. I helped build a tiny survival shelter out of a tent footprint and an electric fence. I helped write a song with my team on the roof of our hostel in Chiang Mai. I shared a tent with a JoAnna, another squadmate, when half of the squad’s gear got “lost at the airport” during training. Haha. I learned about how to live life from two amazing 13 and 15 year old girls.
In Thailand, and everywhere in the world, people live life like they do at home. They have good days and bad days. They love their families. They make jokes. They mess up. Life has the same ups and downs, but of course, there are cultural differences.
Life is good. It is the same same, but different here on the World Race, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. God is making great moves, and I am loving every challenging second of it.
Favorite quote of the moment: “Look around at the nations. Look and be amazed! I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” – Habakkuk 1:5
