BIG NEWS!
We left Asia on the 2nd of June and we are now in EUROPE! For the next 3 months, my squad will be in Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. It is beautiful here in Albania. But I wanted to give some parting comments on what Asia was like for us the past five months.
Some of Asia’s staples:
Asian hospitality. They will literally give you the shirt off their backs. Or give you all their chairs to sit on and they’ll be happy to sit on the hard, dirt floor.
Vietnamese and Thai malls. They gave us a taste of America.
Monsoon rainstorms. You’ll never see them coming and they’ll last between 5 minutes to an hour.
Chai tea in India. The way India makes it is completely different than Starbucks or any chain store in America (shocker). When I’m home I’m going to buy some from the international foods aisle at the store and I’ll brew some for any friend that wants to try.
Street markets. Where you will get the best deals! On clothes, food, everything. I was so thankful that there was a weeklong market/carnival right down the street from us our last week in Asia. Noodles, chicken strips and bubble tea for just over a dollar? If I could have that every day, all day, I would.
Monkeys. They are like our squirrels. They were always outside of our house in India.
Hindu and Buddhist temples. We got used to seeing monks and temples on every corner.
Tuk tuks. Asia’s cheap taxi. Basically a motorcycle with a four-seated cart on the back.
Lack of traffic laws. The amount of motorbikes (and cars) with the horrendous driving etiquette of everyone made crossing the street an adventure. I am so excited to go back to America and be around civilized drivers.
The tropical fruit. I started eating and loving mango! (I hope my friend Gen is proud!) I tried many exotic fruits. Rambutan. Mangosteen. Jack fruit. Tamarind. NOT durian!
The squatty potty. Eventually you become a pro! And you and your friends agree that you want to install one in your future home because it does wonders for your bowel movements.
The saying: same same, but different. If you ever wanted to describe something to someone in Asia you’ll try to explain it and eventually just revert back to the saying that seemingly everyone understands.
Some things I won’t miss:
The oppressing heat and humidity
The smell of burning trash
The smell of urine and feces everywhere
Pollution
Horrendously unkept bathrooms
Having to take off your shoes before going inside
Not having toilet paper in most bathrooms
Sewer rivers
Garbage waterfalls
Being told you’re fat because you’re not XS
Illegally overcrowded car rides
No public trashcans anywhere
Sweating constantly
Stair steps not being even
Taking a shower next to the toilet with no shower curtain
Just the weird set up of bathrooms in general
People taking selfies with you ALL THE TIME
People taking pictures OF you because you’re obviously a foreigner (without your permission)
People peeing in public
Men walking around in towels or with their belly hanging out
Finding bones in meat once its in your mouth
Rice for every meal, including breakfast
All the spicy spices
Having people assume you’re rich because you’re white and American. Little do they know we are ballin’ on a budget!
Not being able to use your debit/credit card at most stores and restaurants
The constant change of currency every month:
Indian rupee (65/$1)
Nepali rupee (103/$1)
Vietnamese dong (22,600/$1)
Cambodian reil (4,000/$1)
Thai baht (34/$1)
T-shirts that have bad English or inappropriate words on them:
Examples:
~One of my squadmates saw a kid at church wear a shirt that said “99% pervert.”
~One of our ministry hosts who was a pastor had a son our age (both spoke limited English) that would wear a shirt that looked like an Adidas symbol but it was a marijuana leaf that said “Addicted” underneath. I really wanted to tell him what it meant all month but never had the heart to tell him.
One of my squad mates posted a blog a few months back with some other interesting shirts. Check it out: http://kaitinavarrete.theworldrace.org/post/say-what
Asia,
I never thought I would ever visit you. Honestly, I had no desire to. But for some reason God led me to a World Race route with almost half of the countries being in Asia. I am proud to say I survived and even thrived without complaining too much. I learned so much about the world, missions, God, the Body of Christ, myself, and others during the five months I lived in you. You were the launching pad for my time overseas doing mission work and although I’m excited for all that Europe and Africa have in store, you will have a special place in my heart.
Love, Sara
