No syphilis here, I'm normal!

Besides the regular paperwork one has to fill out to get a work permit in Thailand, one also has to have a 'medical exam.'  So this afternoon I took myself to the nearest hospital with a little note written in Thai saying that I needed a work permit exam (including a syphilis test).  Why you have to be tested for syphilis, I don't know, but I was not looking forward to it because it requires a blood sample and I absolutely hate needles of any kind ... we just aren't friends and never will be.

I get to the hospital and am passed from one person to the next (I saw at least 5 or 6 different people). For the 'medical exam' they take my height, weight, and blood pressure, and that was it! Super easy, but then I had to have blood drawn  :P

I was lead into a small examination room that looked like it's sole purpose was to take blood samples.  Directly in front of me was a small pillow on  a desk.  This small pillow was covered with a pillow case that had small blood stains on it ... not what I wanted to see before I and blood taken.  I glanced to my right to see little plastic drawers with labels on them saying things like "syringe" ... also, not what I wanted to see.  I ended up just staring at my lap until a tiny and very cheery Thai man came in to suck a small vial of life out of me.  

Thankfully his English was quite good ... his cheeriness put me at ease, but I still was not ready.  I told him such as he began to prep and I put my head down on the desk so I wouldn't see anything.  He was such a dear soul!  He was doing his very best to be quick about it and distract me from the fact that he was poking and drawing blood from my arm.  Still, I was on the verge of passing out and told him so multiple times, and I actually did for a few seconds.  He was somehow able to help me out of the chair and onto the examination table so I could lay down out until the room stopped spinning and disappearing from view (how this happened, I'm not sure as he was almost half my size and I had very little control of my body).  He continued his cheerful chatter until I felt like I could walk out into the waiting room.  I am such my father's daughter!

I paid for the syphilis test, then waited 30-45 minutes for the results.  A nurse came over with a slip of paper and told me I was normal! Hallelujah, I don't have syphilis!  I was really concerned that I had it (NOT!) ... at least I now know I don't have it and am that much closer to getting my work permit!

Just down the street from the hospital is a Tesco Lotus with a Dairy Queen inside it.  Feeling the need for a little treat after what I'd gone through, I stopped by, but the ice cream machine was broken and they didn't have any ice cream! How is that possible?!? Oh wait, I'm in Thailand ... nevermind. I had to resort to the McDonald's next door to get my fix (and I must say, McD's ice cream was cheaper than I expected it to be).

All in all, a successful afternoon.  Did I mention that this trip to the hospital and tests cost me less than $15 USD? Too bad I didn't have ACL repair surgery here as it might have cost less! (Though I'm still glad I did it in Grand Rapids.)

Still nursing my pinpricked arm, 

Hannah

 

Post-Lao Trip Update

Well, the trip to Laos was quite successful though surreal, but I now have the proper visa and can begin the work permit process. I say the Lao trip was surreal because of the quick turn-around, the fascinating people encountered, and the uncomfortable/crazy van rides. But Sam and I made it there and back in one piece (a slight miracle in itself), and I have proper documentation.

This past week has been slightly less exciting, though I’ve kept myself busy. Monday night I set out for the UN Irish Pub to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish meal and live Irish music. I met some people from a Bible study I attended there and I also saw Pi Tik, one the field instructors from ISDSI. She invited me to come by ISDSI (the semester program I did here) for lunch this week. On Wednesday then, I made the journey out of Worldclubland and into Chiang Mai city.

After having a deliciously spicy Thai lunch (including sticky rice!) and reconnecting with people at ISDSI, I began my trek around the city. My first stop (after getting Thai iced coffee) was at one of the new malls in Chiang Mai. Since I was here 2 years ago, 3 new malls have sprung up. I had been in 2 of the 3, but this last one I visited was the one I was most interested in because I walked past the early stages of construction of it any time I went to ISDSI. It’s a beautiful new mall … but it was a bit empty.

Many people in Chiang Mai wonder if these new malls will be able to stay open as 2 of the 3 new ones don’t get a lot of traffic and there’s not really money in Chiang Mai to support 5 malls, especially the higher end ones. After visiting this new mall, I visited one of the older malls. While it seemed to be a bit busier, I don’t know if it will be able to stay open with the added competition, simply because it’s so old and seems a bit ‘dumpy.’ It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 2 years with all these malls.

My last stop before home was at Tesco Lotus hypermarket, which is basically like a Wal-Mart Supercenter. I had dinner in the food court, picked up a couple grocery items, and paid my internet bill. The nice thing about bills here is that you can pay them at any number of different locations … 7-eleven, BigC (similar to Tesco), Tesco Lotus … you don’t have to send it in. Talk about convenient!

The rest of the week had a couple little highlights … I went to Grace International School’s production of Guys and Dolls with the Wades Friday night and on Saturday went to a movie (Divergent) with some other people … otherwise it was fairly normal and quiet.

This past week was spring break for Messiah College; as a result, my brother spent the week learning how to do dialysis treatment at home. You can read about this week, as well as catch up with this whole journey we’ve been on at http://nateskidneyupdates.blogspot.com (update 12 covering this week will be up soon!)

Thanks for your continued prayers for me and my family as we go through these different things.

Grace and peace!

Hannah

Road TRIP!!!

In a few short hours, Sam and I will load up into a van, with who knows how many other strangers, and take off for Vientiane, Laos!  It's an overnight 10-11 hour van ride. Yippee!

We're using a travel agency, and they will actually provide us with a breakfast before taking us to the actual border where we'll go through Thai immigration, catch a bus that will take us across the Mekong River on the Friendship Bridge, go through Lao immigration, then be picked up by the travel agency and taken to the Thai Embassy in Vientiane.  The goal is to arrive at the Embassy before noon, but we've been told we'll probably arrive there around 9am, maybe 10am.

After submitting my visa application and paperwork, Sam and I will find our hostel, check-in and hangout the rest of the day.  While we are both fairly introverted, we're kind of interested in meeting the random people we are sure we'll run into as we're staying at a 'backpackers' hostel where there could be up to 6 other people in our room. What an adventure!

The following day (Thursday), I'll hopefully pick up my visa in the afternoon and we'll begin the journey back to Chiang Mai, arriving back here early Friday morning (and yes, that does mean another overnight van ride ... I couldn't be more thrilled).

Please pray for this trip.  The past 2 days have been a flurry of activity as Sam and I have prepared to go and details have fallen into place.  Please pray for our long overnight van rides ... that we'll be able to sleep, that the drive will be smooth, that there won't be any accidents.  Please pray for our boarder crossings ... that they'll go smoothly and that we won't have any problems.  Please pray for my visa ... that it will be able to be processed, that I'll get the correct one, that there won't be any complications.  Please pray for Sam and I in general ... that God will keep us safe and healthy through these travels, that the stress of traveling doesn't overwhelm us, and that we'll have a fantastic time together in Vientiane and as we travel.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

With love from Laos,
Hannah

I made it!

A little over 2 weeks ago I arrived (very tired from my 22 hours of traveling) in Chiang Mai, Thailand!!  And what a busy 2 weeks these have been!

The house I am renting was not ready right away, so almost a week was spent getting it ready before I was able to move in and begin settling in. I'm not supposed to be totally engaged in working in the office yet, as they want to make sure I have adequate time to figure out what it means to live here ... how to get groceries, how to get around the city, where things are located in the city, how to get clean drinking water, etc.

I've been attending two different churches, Chiangmai Christian Fellowship (CCF) and Chiang Mai Community Church (CMCC), in hopes to begin to plug-in and find my place here. CCF supports the foundation and organization that I work for and CMCC is the church I visited when I was here for my semester.  I've really appreciated being able to be a part of both services, but wish a Sunday school/adult ed service was also held, so I'm looking into finding and joining a Bible study.  If you could pray that I find a good and encouraging Bible study, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I've begun to make some friends here ... even meet up with some old ones!  My neighbors, the Wades work at the foundation with me and at Grace International School. Sam, their daughter, and I have become pretty good friends in these past 2 weeks ... funny thing is she was at Calvin the same time I was, graduated a year before me, and we know a lot of the same people, but we never ran into each other at Calvin.  It's been a joy to get to know her, hang out, share stories, work together (we share an office at the foundation), eat together, work out together, and explore Chiang Mai together.

As for old friends, one of my oldest and best friends, Malcolm is here visiting!  He's been in Nepal with the Mennonite Central Committee.  They had a regional meeting in Bangkok earlier this week, and afterwards, Malcolm decided to use some of his vacation days to visit friends in Chiang Mai!  We had a wonderful time together along with another of our friends who is here with Messiah College for the semester, a new (for me) Thai friend, and a Messiah alum (another new friend for me).

This next week will bring another exciting adventure my way!  In order to get a Thai work permit, I need a different visa than the one I entered on.  In order to get the correct visa I have to leave the country, apply for the correct visa, and then return ... so I'm going to Vientiane, Laos! This isn't my first time to Laos, or even to Vientiane, for that matter, as my semester program took us there and into Laos for a long weekend.  Even though this trip has been difficult to figure out and plan, I'm looking forward to this little trip.

As far as updates on my brother's health goes ... the last I heard was that he's doing better and most of the water weight he gained (almost 40 lbs) has been lost.

Finally, continue to pray for my transition.  In the next few weeks I'll begin to take on more at work and hopefully begin to get into some sort of routine.  Also pray for this trip to Laos ... that all the logistics get worked out, that the traveling goes well (no delays or accidents), that my visa gets processed quickly and without problem, and that the return trip goes smoothly.  Lastly, please pray for my financial situation, while I have enough for a couple months, it'd be great to have enough donations coming in on a monthly basis so that I can be here the full 2 years.

Grace and Peace!