This month was a harder month to pick out 11 things and I’m trying to figure out why that was. Maybe I didn’t have my eyes open as much to the world around me. Maybe I didn’t learn as much about the culture as I did other months. Maybe I didn’t talk to as many people. I don’t really know. But here are some things I noticed from my time in Thailand.
1. Food is super cheap & super good.
A plate full of pad thai, a fruit smoothie or a handful of meat skewers is around a buck here. So it makes eating on a $5 a day food budget actually possible. What a bonus it was when one of my teammates and I found some incredible sushi for $2.
2. Sex trafficking is such a prevalent and normal thing here.
I don’t know if I would call it this, but I had the privilege, more like opportunity, to visit the sex trafficking capital of the world while I was here in Thailand. It was in Pattaya, Thailand. And it was such a sad and difficult experience to see. The girls, of all ages, talking to anyone to try and make some money for the night. And then the men of all ages who come vacation at these places with the intent on purchasing these women for the night. My heart broke for both parties. So crazy and messed up. Definitely will be continually praying for Thailand for this since I’ve seen it first hand now.
3. Coffeeshops are everywhere!
Those of you who know me even just slightly, know this is happiness to my heart. I love coffee shops and eventually I would love to open one of my own. So it was so great to go to the different coffee shops, sometimes even purchasing it on the street in a paper bag, to get ideas and dream a little bit more. Joy in each cup!
4. Buildings are so colorful & such an array of architectural styles.
This is probably my interior design part of my brain, but I definitely noticed this a lot driving around in Thailand. There seem to be so many different influences for their architecture. Sometimes the buildings were really ornate. Sometimes they were brightly painted, like the bright orange house we lived in for the month. And sometimes they were modern and looked like they got transplanted from a trendy city in the U.S. I never knew what to expect, nor do I think I’ll be able to have a concrete picture in my head of what Thailand looks like when someone asks me later.
5. Cockroaches are the least of my worries these days.
I’ve come a long way from month 2 in Malawi and freaking out when I saw one in the corner of our out house. Not that I would want one crawling all over me, but let’s just say that I showered with at least 5 at one time, maybe even had one crawl over my foot without blinking much of an eye. Still not best friends with them, but I don’t quite feel the strong desire to smash every single one in sight anymore. The loud crunch just doesn’t seem worth it these days.
6. Pictures & pointing are the keys to communication.
There’s absolutely nothing similar between the Thai and English language. It doesn’t use the same alphabet. It doesn’t sound like words to me at all, just a bunch of noises. So it made relying on pictures and pointing to everything the key way. Some times we chose where we were going to eat based off of if we had the slightest idea what anything was and if there were pictures that we could point to when ordering. Many times there were English subtitles, but were only helpful to us, as most of the Thai people didn’t speak or understand what we were saying in English. Language was definitely one of the hardest aspects of our month.
7. The Thai selfie game is blowing the American teenage girl selfie game out of the water.
The Thai people taught me that if you don’t spend the first 10 minutes of getting your drink at Starbucks taking a selfie from all 360 degree angles, then proceed for another 5 minutes of taking a selfie of just your beverage, then you aren’t doing it right. So many laughs and moments of entertainment just watching people take selfies without any shame or looking around to see who is watching because it is actually the norm.
8. It’s okay to not be okay.
This month was a really hard month for me. And I’ve learned, through the help and encouragement of my teammates, that it’s okay to not be okay all the time. That it’s okay to have hard days. And that they will be there to listen and encourage, and some days, join you in sitting in that boat together. The race isn’t easy and a lot more enjoyable to not fake it till I make it, but talk about it and let the Lord take me out of it.
9. Open markets with butchered meat doesn’t freak me out as much as I thought.
Before the race, thinking about walking around in an open air market with different butchered animals hanging from stands made me shudder. But after seeing a pig’s face laying on the table a couple of different times, I’ve seemed to get over it. The smells definitely still aren’t pleasant, but I don’t feel like I’m going to vom walking through them and seeing those animals either. Progress.
10. Bugs don’t taste too bad.
I can’t tell you what bugs there were exactly, but the three different kinds that I ate weren’t too bad. After getting a little fried, they just seem really crunchy. If that was set in front of me at someone’s house, I’m confident I would be okay eating them. And hear they actually aren’t too bad for you and have a bit of protein to them. Here’s to eating tarantulas this month while in Cambodia.
11. Tons of pictures are taken. Any time. Any where.
I have no idea where my face is going to end up in the world. So many Thai people have taken my picture. Sometimes after asking permission. Sometimes after just walking up to me with a camera in my face. Sometimes in the middle of a church service. It doesn’t seem to matter. Taking pictures is the norm in all parts of Thailand. So who knows where you’ll see this face next.
