adventures

Well, I am living in a foreign country for a year, so I might as well explore the place, right?...

A few weeks ago, I took a trip with some of my friends, American and Thai, up to the peaceful mountain city of Chiang Mai.  It is a city teeming with culture and beauty.  There is a modern urban population with lively markets, public transport and fancy hotels, but nestled in the mountains, there are also people who still live an older, simpler way of life.  Blanketed by ever-morphing, misty clouds, the "hilltribe" communities are quiet and still.  It was hard to believe that I was still in the same country.

It was a great weekend.  We visited some hot springs that spew out water at about 220 degrees Fahrenheit year round.  We stuck our feet into the hottest part of the stream allowed.  It was so relaxing.  We went to a night bazaar/market, which was much more enjoyable than the weekend markets of Bangkok, and we stayed at a nice hotel with air conditioning and a hot shower.  We visited a mountaintop temple and a quiet hilltribe community with beautiful gardens at the top of the mountain.  We also went to an elephant sanctuary, but it had just closed.  Luckily, there were some elephants who just so happened to be walking down the road (getting off work I suppose...).  And, one of my favorite parts of the trip, we got to ride a sleeper train there and back.  They don't move very quickly, but you can open the windows to let the fresh air in... a much appreciated feature after breathing in the pollution of Bangkok for six weeks.

Chiang Mai.  Starting in bottom left corner, moving clockwise: [1] bells for spirits at the Buddhist temple (wat), [2] a view of rice fields from the train, [3] reflection of the sky at the hot springs (you can kinda see the water spewing in the top right corner of the photo), [4] intricate architecture of the temple, [5] more bells and embellishments surrounding the center of the temple, [6] a view of the sky from the top of the hilltribe, and [7] me feeding some bananas to the elephant we met on the side of the road.

This past weekend, I took a trip to the beach city of Pattaya to visit my friend Dana who is serving at a slum ministry there.  It was wonderful to see her face and encourage one another.  Pattaya is a dark and dirty city known for its prostitution and bar atmosphere.  It is trashy in the literal and figurative sense of the word.  Yes, Bangkok is a dark city also, but not so blatantly as Pattaya.   I went to church with Dana while I was there, and I was greatly encouraged by the close-knit (albeit small) Christian community that is working for the Lord there.  Dana is definitely in a place that needs her.  The ministry she works for is an important agent of Light for those living in darkness and poverty.

But, Pattaya is still a beach city, and no matter how much ugliness there is on the surface, the beauty of God's creation is still clearly evident underneath it all.  Dana and I took a day to visit an island just offshore called Koh Lam (Coral Island).  So. Gorgeous.  Not only did we ride a motorcycle taxi for the first time, but we also rented a moped when we go to the island-- only about $6.00 for the whole day!  It was a deal we could not pass up, even though neither of us had ever driven a moped before... so after a shaky attempt on our own, one of the drivers gave us a short lesson.  Then we were off!  It was a relaxing day spent laying in the sun, our toes nestled in the softest sand you've ever felt.  When the tide came in, the clear, blue-green water came all the way up to the edge of our chairs.  We both felt refilled, rejuvenated, and a bit sunburned at the end of the day.  :)

Koh Lam, Pattaya.  Starting in bottom left corner going clockwise: [1] me on a log swing on the beach, [2] a view of the beach from some awesome rocks that were very volcanic looking (though quite painful to stand barefoot on), [3] my feet in the soft sand next to some cool crustation thing, [4] view of the whole beach from the boardwalk entrance, [5] Dana on a motorbike taxi, [6] view of the island from the ferry, and [7] me and Dana at the end of the day.  :)

And may there are many more adventures to come....

hard stuff

There have been a lot of things on my heart and mind lately.  Difficult things.  Painful, confusing, challenging, saddening, eye-opening.......  I find myself thinking/praying/journaling in exasperation  "whew... this is some hard stuff."

But it is also quite revealing.  These are the shaping moments of my life.  These moments--the hardest ones-- are the ones in which I get to grow and learn more about myself and the Lord.  And for that, I am thankful.  I am thankful to have questions that I cannot answer.  I am thankful that not everything in my life can be explained right now.  I am thankful to be in uncharted waters, where the only navigation I have is the Holy Spirit within me.  The Spirit, the breathe of God, that fills and cleanses and gives and dwells.  The Spirit, which I cling to.

It's hard.  But some of the most difficult moments of our lives are also the most beautiful.  For me, it is beautiful because I feel.  Truly, in my core, deep down, I am feeling my experiences.  I am alive, aware, engaged....  I am awake.

And I have the hard stuff to thank for that.

I've been listening to a song that talks about difficult things.... "This isn't easy, this isn't clear... and you don't need Jesus 'til you're here.. then confusion and the doubts you had up and walk away, they walk away.."  I think I would have to agree with the singer.  It is hard to grasp the strength and goodness of the Lord until you realize how weak you really are.  And when you do realize it, there is great freedom.

rongrian pasaa thai

rongrian- school
pasaa- language
thai- Thai (obviously...)

Today, I finished my third week of intensive language school.  I only have one week of school left before I am done and I will start taking up more responsibility at Grapevine, which I am excited about.  It will be a bittersweet parting with language school, though... I love the adventure of walking around downtown Bangkok by myself everyday, and I truly enjoy the company of my fellow classmates (there is a bonding element in making a fool of yourself when trying to pronounce a tonal language).  But the commute is long and tiring and I am missing out on a lot back at Grapevine while I am gone all day-- staff devotions every morning, planning events, running errands, meeting up with students, hanging out on campus....  my job, really.

Life in Thailand as of late has been just that:  life.  And what a relief it is.  My daily patterns are normalizing and I am really beginning to feel as though I live in Thailand, not just visiting.  I don't really have a miraculous story or major spiritual breakthrough to share with you this week, so I will teach you some of the Thai words and phrases I have been learning.

sawat dii kha.
hello, goodbye

chan chuu Grace kha.  khun chuu aray kha?
my name is Grace.  What is your name?

chan khoo cow-pet-guy may say hua hoom say khay song fong kha.
I would like chicken-fried-rice, with no onions, also with two eggs. [my most commonly used phrase ;) ] 

mahaawwitthayaalay
university [my personal favorite]

chan khun rotsongtaaw khun rottuu kap khun rotfayfaa ru duun pay rongrian kha.
In order to go to school, I ride a song-tow, catch a van, then either take the skytrain or walk. [which is what I really do]

thawray
how much? (does something cost)

kii moong leew kha?
what time is it?

sapparot kap teeng moo khun chop aray maak kwaakan kha?
Which one do you like more, pineapple or watermelon?

Don't worry, I know much more than this after three weeks.  We have learned hundreds of vocabulary words and multiple general grammar rules.  But since Thai has its own script (that I will not be learning), it is quite difficult to transliterate.  In order to spell many of the words I wrote above in a way that is true to the vowel, it must be spelled (in English) with characters that do not technically exist in English.  Keep in mind, each of these words has a specific tone (there are 5 of them), and if you say it wrong, it is a different word.  My Thai friends at Grapevine LOVE to help me with my homework.  I am grateful to have native speakers to practice with.... but I suppose that was the point of learning in the first place. :)

Welcome to hongrian nung (classroom 1).  Back row, left to right: Ray from Taiwan, Daniel from Scottland, Ania from Australia (but she's Polish), Igancio from Spain (Ania's husband).  Front row, left to right:  Jason from Taiwan, Mikki from Japan, Khruu (teacher) Uthai from Thailand, me, and Jaya from India.  We have a ton of fun together!  It was khruu Uthai's birthday this day, so we bought her these flowers.  Turns out, you are only supposed to offer these to Buddha at the temple!  Oh well... I think she got a kick out of it. :)