Days Like These

I hate feeling worn out. Some days I wake up, I have energy, I make good use of the time I have been given, and I sleep well, knowing that I have not wasted a day that the Lord has given me. Other days, like today, I wake up and I have no energy, no passion, no zest with which to live the life God has blessed me with. I am weary, I am grumpy, and I need the Holy Spirit more than anything. It is days like these that I hate the sinful nature, that I eat a lot of food that I don't need, and that the last thing I want to do is study this beyond difficult language that stares me in the face.

What do I do on a day like this?

My heart is echoing the words of Dan Haseltine:

"I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away"

Oh, Culture! {Take One}

Hey friends, I thought you might be interested in knowing about some of the cultural differences that I have been experiencing since moving to Thailand. My major is intercultural studies, so this program is entirely about learning how to study another culture and integrate into it gracefully and respectfully. It is part of my “homework” that I go out each day and spend some time actively observing the culture. In other words, my homework = people watching. This. Is. Awesome. Here are just a few of the things that I have experienced in my time here… and more will come. :)

I often find myself wanting to step outside onto my front porch, grab a book and a Thai iced tea and prop my feet up to take in the Thai afternoon glory of sunshine and humidity. In America, there would be no problem with such an idea, and you might even see someone doing it today as you drive down the road of your neighborhood. If I were to do it here, however, there would be a little bit of an issue. In Thailand, the bottom of one’s feet is seen as the dirty place on your body, and it is disrespectful to ever show the bottom of your feet or move anything with your feet. Since your feet should never be pointed at anyone, propping them up is simply not an option. *Sigh* I could still read my book out on the front porch, but somehow it has lost its appeal….

And get this: I’m a pretty girl, and in the states it is common to be stared at, honked at, yelled at, and whatever else you might imagine as I walk down the road, buy groceries, stuff my face at local restaurants, and do pretty much anything… But here in Thailand I don’t get any of that! No more long, rude stares by men, no more feeling like I am an object to be used for someone’s pleasure. I asked my leaders why they thought that was the case, and here was my answer: Thai guys simply aren’t too interested in farang women. No interest = no long stares. Hey, it works for me.

Ooh, and here is one that I enjoy. When I walk with my girls, I get to hold their hands! This might not sound too interesting to you, but I enjoy being able to show my affection for someone by walking up beside them and grabbing their hand (and not just shaking it). In the US there would be an immediate assumption that we were not just friends, but more than likely gay friends. It wouldn’t be cool to walk around holding your best friend’s hand if you wanted to be thought of as straight. But here it is totally culturally appropriate to hold hands with the same gender. So I get to walk around with my Thai girls and my American girls alike and hold hands. Yay!

Stay tuned for more of my lovely little cultural adventures!

Things I Like

Just a list of things that I really, really like:

New stylish outfits for cheap! (This one under $20... $12 for the dress, $7 for the heels)

Finding quaint spots in Chiang Mai for girl's nights

Seeing these mountains against a clear, starry night sky

New photos of my adorable niece

Fresh flowers and breezy mornings blowing in through the screen door

Letters from home :)

Learning Lessons: Unpreparedness in all it's Glory

Our power went out yesterday. This isn’t some “I’m a missionary and the power goes out on me” sob story—though that could be very legitimate in many contexts. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This is a tale of unpreparedness. Our electricity was turned off because we did not pay our bill. We didn’t mean to not pay it, but all the same, half-way through the lunch hour as all the lights and fans stopped short in our house, the lights turned on in our minds as we realized that the bill was not paid. We took action to see if the power could be restored, and promptly left the house, eager to find air conditioning or at least the breeze blowing down from the mountains.

After dark, we returned to our house, told by the power company that our power would be turned on. It wasn’t. We had guests with us, and nowhere to entertain them. Thankfully our next door neighbor is the Chiang Mai House of Prayer and they graciously welcomed us in to spend some time away from the blood-thirsty mosquitoes hovering around our front door.

The girls stayed the night at our leader’s house—three to one bed, two in our leader’s room, and one on the couch. It was a night of rough sleep, but at least there were lights and showers for all. When we returned from language school that afternoon the power was back on and all was well.

Before I returned from language school, however, I ran—or, rode, rather—into another situation of unpreparedness. My poncho hung on the hook at home, long-dry since my last rainy day adventure. It should have been stowed away in the seat of my motorbike. I could tell it was going to rain as I left the restaurant where Jasmine and I had shared lunch, but I thought perhaps I could beat it home. Five minutes into the torrential downpour, when all on me was soaked through, I knew there was no beating it. I dripped my way through the house to the bathroom, re-dressed, and put my poncho under my motorbike seat. No more wet days for me, thanks.

All this to say, I hope that our lessons have been learned, and like good boy scouts, we will always be prepared! ;)