ปิดเทอม School Break

September proved to be a rough month in Ranong. It was only month 2 there so I still had many adjustments to make as I tried to figure out all of the ins and outs of life there. Many emotional struggles. Lots of misunderstanding things. Sickness that wouldn’t heal. Hospital visit for IV meds to finally get better. Missed opportunities. Loneliness. Missing friends. Feeling trapped with no transportation. The list could probably go on and on for all the things waging war within my mind and heart. But there were many good things too. God is gracious in buffering the difficulties with successes and loneliness with friendships. For every time I couldn’t understand someone speaking Thai to me, there was a success in fully understanding someone else. Every time I felt super lonely, hurt, or overly emotional, I would meet someone new to talk with or a current friend or teammate would reach out to me. There always seems to be somewhat of a balance.

Me and Pam, one of my Thai teammates in Ranong,
out for a bicycle ride to the mountains.

Before you take the statement about the hospital visit too seriously and worry about my health, know that health care is a bit different here. My first doctor visit was to a clinic where I learned I had exactly what I thought I had and received medicine for it. The medicine seemed to help a bit, but the pain returned in a different way and the medicine no longer helped. I decided to visit the hospital which is where you go in Thailand to see a doctor outside of the cheaper clinics. The government hospital was packed full so I went to the international hospital, which means it cost a bit more. Unfortunately, they said I had developed a resistance to the medicine and that the next step up was a shot of a stronger medicine and I must come in for 3 days to receive the shots. At this point, the pain was getting pretty unbearable again so I said lets do it. I go to receive my “shot” and they tell me to lay down on the hospital bed. I’m thinking, ok, this is weird for a shot. Apparently, this English translation is not quite correct because then they busted out an IV bag and connected me to it! An IV is quite a bit different from a shot! And I had to do it for 3 days!! But thankfully, after the first IV, there was immediate improvement in the level of pain. By day 3, everything was back to normal! It may have been a very expensive process, but in the end, I was so very grateful to be healthy and pain free!!

As September came to an end, a one-month school break started. I packed up a suitcase, loaded a night bus with my dog, and returned to Bangkok. So far it has been a whirlwind of activities! The first two weeks were spent hanging out with various Thai friends, previous classmates, and other American volunteers. I was doing something pretty much every day! It was great! I was enjoying being in community with others after spending so much time alone in Ranong. The first week of October many of the TMS volunteers in southeast Asia met up in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a 5-day retreat together. This was an amazing get away filled with spiritual renewal, deepening friendships, rest, and lots of laughter! It is always a wonderful time to gather together with these amazing folks and to spend 5 days under the same roof as most of them was even better. I returned from that retreat for one night and left again for church camp with my Thai church for 3 days. This was a lot of fun too. It was nice to spend so much time with the church community in a relaxed setting. We worshiped together, ate together, played games together, danced together, and chatted together. It was a little difficult going from one week of all English to a weekend of mostly Thai, but my Thai has improved quite a bit. I can now understand more of what is happening around me even though I still don’t understand everything. Truly blessed to have had the opportunity to go with them!

Fun with Friends:

Chiang Mai:

Church Camp:

Church Camp

I am now back in Bangkok for two weeks of rest, relaxation, friend therapy, and some lesson plan prep. I’m also back to helping one young lady with her math homework for the limited time I’m here. Every day is filled with new adventures. I’m still learning new things every day even in doing the same thing several days in a row. Sometimes I look back and am amazed at how much has happened in such a short amount of time. I am amazed at how every day, my life here is made more concrete and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  My love for this country and its people has only grown deeper and deeper with every passing day. I have lived here just over one year and I become more a part of this country with every day that passes. I have work that I already know I will enjoy just through observing the classrooms. I signed a contract to rent a house in Ranong for the next 4 years. I’ve purchased both a motorbike and car. I now have my car drivers license and will soon test to get my motorbike license. I now even have a dentist here and got my teeth cleaned for the first time since moving here. I have made several friends here along with one close friend to chat with regularly. I have worked hard to learn the language, speaking, reading, and writing, and am super excited to be able to understand more and more as well as carry on basic conversations with others. I am part of an organization that fully supports my life here and encourages me regularly. I love Thai food and enjoy sightseeing within Thailand. I love living here!

My new car!

Sometimes, being a single person living in a foreign country is hard because you don’t have a significant other to try new things with or journey with you when needed. You MUST do everything on your own. No built-in support, no help figuring out the dos and do nots, no company on long waits processing paperwork, no automatic language learning partner, etc. Having a close Thai friend has been a blessing in so many ways. She has helped me with language, understanding Thai culture, trying new foods, and seeing new sights. She’s even willing to leave the country with me for a visa run so I don’t have to go alone! God has truly blessed me by sending someone along that is willing to help me with a lot of these things and be supportive of me while giving me a Thai perspective. And even though we now live in different cities, the distance has not separated us. She is always a text or video chat away. And even though I have many friends in America that are the same, having someone in the same time zone is great. Someone to help or encourage you in the exact moment you need it most is a huge blessing!

Me and Few, my best friend here in Thailand

In other news: I get to go to Singapore the first week in December for 5 days! Well, part of that trip is a drag because I have to go through the whole visa process again, but I’m super excited to see a new country! Plus, my friend is going with me so I have a buddy to go sightseeing with. The visa process can be annoying at times, but it does open up fun opportunities of sightseeing too. My current visa requires me to leave the country once a year. Plus, every 3 months, I must return to Bangkok to file for an extension. Leaving the country opens up new sightseeing adventures once a year. Returning to Bangkok for extensions allows me to visit friends and go to church every 3 months. Yes, I must wait for the majority of one full day at immigration, but the rewards of sightseeing and friends is always greater than suffering through the long day of waiting.

Congratulations if you’ve managed to read to the end! I know it’s long. But I’m living in a new country! Every day is a new adventure! Every day, His mercies are new! Stay tuned for my next entry. I will share what it’s like to be the minority.