Family for Christmas!

I got a pretty good Christmas present this year … my family came to Chiang Mai for Christmas and New Years!!  After spending a significant amount of time here, it was great to finally have them come visit. To see my city firsthand, to meet my co-workers and friends, to finally begin to understand the things I’ve been telling them for months.

It was a short 2 weeks, but we kept busy visiting almost every tourist attraction in the area. We went to an elephant camp, the “sticky falls”, Wat Doi Suthep, San Kampaeng Hot Springs, Night Bazaar, Flight of the Gibbon, Royal Flora Ratachapruek Gardens, the cultural center, Kad Luang, Wiang Kum Kam, Walking Street, moo-ga-ta … we did all this and more.

While it was fun to be a tourist in my own city, it did take a lot out of me.  So many people flock to Chiang Mai during New Years for the cool weather, meaning traffic around the city is much crazier (slower) than usual.  Of course, I was the one driving my family around to all these locations in a beast of a vehicle – talk about draining!

But it was good.  I loved being able to hang out and joke with my brother.  The dork brought a string of lights that he uses camping so that we could “rave.”

We did have to take an unexpected trip to the hospital for him.  Poor Nate. This was the first time since his transplant surgery that he had to spend a night in the hospital.  Because he is on so many anti-rejection and other medications he has a weak immune system.  As a result, dinner from the market one night didn’t sit too well with him.  After spending part of the night and most of a morning in the bathroom, and not keeping anything down, it was time to take him to the hospital.

Dehydration puts a lot of strain on the kidneys, and with his one kidney being a transplant, we had to make sure that he was hydrated and more stable.  He received excellent care at the newest hospital in town and was released after about 24 hours … just in time to attend the afternoon church service.

The hospital visit hardly put a damper on our time together and I am so glad that they were able to visit at this time.  The whole thing worked out so well … I was house sitting for a family so there was more space and better/more Christmas decorations than my house.  They allowed me to use their car as well.

Days after my family left, the people I was house sitting for return, so I returned to my house for a few weeks before completely moving out to house sit for the youth pastor.  Since I’m filling in for him this spring while he’s on furlough, he asked if it would be financially helpful for me to live in his house (the church provides a stipend to cover rent and utilities).  Since I don’t know what I’m doing after May, it made more financial sense for me to give up the house I’ve been renting the past 2 years to house sit. But more on what’s been happening in following posts …

Follow the Father's Footsteps

(December 2015 Newsletter)

November into December is a busy time. Not only are we celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's but there are two other Thai holidays that our office closes for - Constitution Day and the King's Day/Birthday/Father's Day.

The King's birthday is a very special holiday and as a way to honor him as the father of the country, Father's Day is also celebrated. Just like Mother's Day is celebrated on the Queen's birthday.

The King is adored by Thai people and starting as early as June there were commercials commemorating him. I found the following commercial quite compelling (and I was able to find an extend version with English subtitles for you to watch below)

"We love the King" "We will follow in the King's footsteps"

I can't help but compare the sentiment in this video to Christianity. As Christians we should want to give God our best work in anything we do - just like the man wanted to design the best t-shirt for the King. What does it look like to follow in our King's footsteps?

I imagine that the montage of our King would include images of Jesus feeding the five-thousand, blessing the little children, healing leapers, eating with prostitutes, and welcoming outcasts. I hope the montage of Christian's following Jesus's footsteps would include welcoming refugees, listening/supporting minorities, feeding the hungry, fostering children, caring for the homeless, shoveling a neighbor's driveway ...

Just as I can't help but wonder what Thailand would look like if everyone invested their time and resources the way the King has, I can't help but wonder what this world would look like if Christians followed in our King's footsteps.  So this year I'm going to try to love my King more and follow in His footsteps better ... what would that look like for you?

American Habits Lost

I have been seeing this blog post circulating my news feed and wanted to give my own take on the things they mentioned.  (If you haven't read their post, you might want to do so or skim it before you read my response)

1. Having High Restaurant Service Expectations
There is a certain place in my neighborhood that has horrendous service.  Most other places prescribe to what the blog post says but I don't believe what is described is equivalent to poor service though. In fact, I love that you have to ask for the check - it allows you to enjoy the meal or company longer.  At restaurants in the states I felt like waiters couldn't wait to get rid of me so they'd bring the check before being finished as if to say please hurry up and leave. Point 3 happens because language/culture differences (duh!)

2. Relying on Big Brother Warnings to Keep Us Safe
While true, and something I appreciate (take responsibility and use common sense people!) I do believe there are certain places where more precautions should take place (Chiang Mai Zoo - I'm looking at you).

3. Depending on a Car and All the Road Rules That Go Along With It
I LOVE MY BIKE SO MUCH!  sure, it was annoying to have to strategically plan in order to only take 2 trips home with stuff from the house I was pet sitting, and sure, rainy season means I might get stuck someplace waiting for rain to pass or actually get wet, but I love the freedom it gives me!

As far as road rules go - Thailand's got it down!  While it may look like chaos to someone just arriving, there is a certain kind of flow that goes with it.  I also find that Thai drivers seem to be more aware of their surroundings than American drivers - probably because certain road rules are more like suggestions.  In fact, I got frustrated driving in America because of the strict rules and, in my mind, overly defensive driving.

4. Wearing Shoes Indoors
It's the worst when water has spilled, you accidentally step in it with your dirty feet, and then leave footprints across the tile floor.  I wouldn't necessarily say my shoe purchases are based on removability, though it is a factor.  I would say another factor is how they will hold up in the rain as I will inevitably get caught in the rain and don't want to have cold, wet feet for the rest of the day.  Along with the other stuff they said about taking shoes off inside, I would also say that seeing a foreigner with their feet up on a songtaow seat or their shoes on the outside of a backpack also make me cringe - feet, shoes, socks are gross and should be kept as close to the ground as possible in order to not be disrespectful.

5. Being Carefree in the Sun
When I went to Krabi on vacation I wore a long-sleeved shirt and long shorts the day we did an island/snorkeling tour.  I have gotten too much sun on past snorkeling trips to know that this is the way to go.  Shade - even if created by an umbrella - is cooler than the hot sun.  I will cross the street in order to walk in the shade because even just a little relief goes a long way during hot season.  Since I work in an office, I'm not outside much and can only think of one time in my whole time here so far when I got slightly pink from being out almost all day running errands.  Also, I brought lotion/deodorant/face wash/sunscreen with me from the states because it is incredibly difficult to find those products without whitening in Thailand.

6. Living a Fast Paced Life
In general this is true of my life in Thailand.  While I may have a more rigid schedule than the people who wrote the blog post, I still have a lot of freedom to come in later, leave early, or not come in at all.  I don't abuse it, but it is nice to know that if I've had a rough night I can sleep in a bit, or if I have to do an immigration check-in I can leave after lunch.  Where this deviates is in the work that I do.  As the volunteer coordinator and (currently) the only foreigner on the HR team, if there is a visa problem/emergency, everything gets dropped in order to get the proper paperwork together as fast as possible. Visa issues are never fun to deal with, but are stressful for everyone involved.

They mention taking more time to relax ... well, I get at least a 1 hour massage once every 2-3 weeks. If it's closer to 3 weeks or if I'm feeling extra pressure/stress, then I'll probably get a 2 hour one.  When it's only $6-7/hour, why not!

7. Being On Time
This is a funny one - because it is true. I find that most foreigners are still, for the most part, punctual. Another time that it important to be on time is for immigration/city hall appointments.  Even if that office is running on Thai time and you end up waiting 30 minutes + before seeing anyone, you wouldn't want to miss your appointment if things are running on schedule.  The other thing about cafe/restaurant times is that sometimes they aren't posted and/or have a random day that they are closed.  For example, Nic's is closed on Mondays, Pizza and Pasta is closed on Tuesdays, the french fry lady at the market is closed on Thursdays.  Places might even close early. I once went to a coffee shop 30 minutes before closing but I couldn't order coffee because she had already begun to close coffee stuff up.  Other times places will close early because they run out of food/ingredients.

8. Paying with Credit Cards
I go to the ATM once, maybe twice a month. Anytime I go I withdraw the largest amount I can at one time.  It's a good way to keep me on budget.  When I get down to a few thousand baht I know that I either need to make it stretch, or that I'm doing fine based on the time of the month.  The only time this is different is if I have to pay some extra expense (ie work permit renewal).  Many places won't accept credit cards or have a minimum, it's just not worth it.

9. Needlessly Spending Money
When I only go to the ATM only so often, I have to be aware of my spending and carefully consider certain purchases. I also have only so much space on my motorcycle to transport things.

10. Relying on Modern Day Appliances for Domestic Chores
I've never had a garbage disposal, so that doesn't really bother me.  I also hardly ever cook/eat at home.  If I do eat at home, it's 'take-out' from the market.  The majority of my dishes then are cups and silverware - pretty easy to clean by hand.

I do have a clothes dryer, which is such a luxury!  But it was purchased a number of months after I had moved in.  I also tend to use it only for clothes that I want to try and keep the same shape or if it's rainy/really humid.  That is the hardest thing about rainy season ... it could take days for something to dry if it gets even a little wet in the rain, or the humidity is high, and there's little sun during the day.

We have a service that refills large water jugs with filtered water and we have at least 4 of these jugs, so we've never really had to be concerned about our drinking water.  We just have to make sure empty jugs and money is by the gate once a week when the service drives by.

Our house came with a microwave, toaster, hot pot and an oven was recently brought in (we could live without the toaster and have lived without an oven for a year).  We did buy a blender because smoothies!  As I don't do much cooking, I don't do much baking either.  It's nice to have that option available though.

A Week in the Life

Monday - Friday I get up between 8 and 9am ... it depends on the day, if I'm skyping with someone, or if I have a meeting at work. Most days I take a seven minute walk to work and arrive between 9:30 and 10am ... again it depends on the day and I'll occasionally take my motorcycle if I have a meeting elsewhere, or if I'm feeling really lazy and/or running late.

Once I get to the office I write down what I'd like for lunch (usually chicken fried rice or khao soi), put my lunch money in the jar (equivalent to $1.16), and grab a cup of coffee. I head upstairs to my desk, saying hello (sawadeekaa) to whoever I pass along the way.

Artist depiction of our office building, which is actually a house.
Government officers come about every other week to audit us/our volunteers.

If I'm the first one in the open area that serves as my office space, I open the blinds and window (though in another couple weeks I'll be turning the air-con on instead of opening the window). I sit down at my desk, log into my computer and get started on emails.

I attempt to answer people's visa and work permit questions, I check to see if anyone's recently applied, I follow up with placements, I review applications/job descriptions/references, I pass along relevant visa/work permit information, and review where incoming people are in process to hopefully ensure we don't miss anything.

There's a good chance that I'll have at least one meeting during the week with someone who is interested in joining our foundation, or will have an orientation for new volunteers with the foundation. Tuesday morning is our HR development meeting - where I learn what steps have been taken in creating our new HR database and user interface. Wednesday morning I participate in the CCF (Chiangmai Christian Fellowship) staff and prayer meeting. Thursday afternoon is dedicated to working with our Thai visa staff ... either providing computer training or collaborating in order to update our new HR database.

Depending on the day/what else is going on I leave the office between 3 and 5pm. One of the greatest things about the work I do is the flexibility I have with my schedule. It truly is a blessing. Most evenings I go to the market for dinner ... very rarely do I cook for myself. If I do I have pasta or salad ... it's just cheaper for me to go to the market or a food stand than it is for me to buy the individual ingredients and cook for myself. It also saves me time and means less dishes to do.

The first Wednesday of the month is the "Connection Meeting." Everyone within a FCF project is supposed to attend, with few exceptions. My job is to prepare and print the attendance sheet the day before, make sure everyone who is present signs it, then enter the attendance into our database. We started taking attendance a couple months ago to try and show the government that we are a unified entity - not just some organization that provides work permits. These "Connection Meetings" provide space for us to worship and pray together as a foundation. It is also a time when we participate in a training of some sort, and have an opportunity to hear and share about what's going on in different projects. The meeting ends in a free lunch, which is always great Thai food and a wonderful time of fellowship.

Almost every Tuesday night I go to "Garcia Night," which is a delicious dinner for single foreigners in the area. There's usually 15-20 of us, but there's always plenty of good, home-cooked 'Merican meals (we're talking breaded chicken with rolls and salad, lasagna and garlic bread, chili, breakfast for dinner, burritos/tacos, etc) with coffee and a delectable dessert to follow.

Wednesday nights I help out at the youth group for CMCC (Chiang Mai Community Church). Usually this just means hanging out with the students before and after, though sometimes it means I have to think of a joke or some bad poetry to share.

I have Saturdays and Sundays off. Depending on the weekend and what I've done during the week or the previous weekend I might go to a movie, do laundry, clean my room/house, get a massage, sleep in, read, go to a youth group event, watch tv/movies on my laptop, go to a "cultural event" (ie Flower Festival, Chinese New Year), go shopping, etc. Most Saturdays I like to keep close to home.

These are pictures from different weekend events I've gone to
Top Left: Chinese temple decked out for Lunar New Year.
Top Right: Tradtional Thai dance preformance at Tha Pae Gate for the Flower Festival.
Bottom Left: CMCC Youth group "Gross Night" challenge ... take a bite of a cooked pig stomach (it smelled awful and was disgustingly tough - I know because I tried it).
Bottom Right: Lighting and sending up lanterns for Loi Krathong.

Sundays are spent in town. I go to CCF in the morning and every other Sunday I'm in with the senior high youth group. The Sundays I'm not in youth group I tend to run the powerpoint for the service (I also put the worship 'powerpoint' together as soon as the worship leader for the week sends me the order and songs). After church I go out to a 'foreign' food restaurant - usually with my neighbors and usually to a Mexican food place. After lunch I find a coffee shop to hang out in until it's time for CMCC. Every other Sunday there I leave when the kids and junior high youth group are dismissed, before the sermon, to help out with junior high discipleship class. Those same Sundays I stay after the service for the senior high discipleship class. Currently, we're using the senior high discipleship class time preparing for the mission trip to a Muslim village outside Hat Yai in southern Thailand.

And that's a fairly typical week in my life!

6 months with a "dumb" phone

I didn’t have a cell phone until I was 16. When I did get it, it was one of those pay-as-you-go ‘track’ phones. Not very fancy and definitely not as cool as my friends’ Motorola “Razrs.” I had that precious little ‘brick’ until right before my sophomore year of college when my dad finally caved and got us on a family plan with Verizon. Somehow my brother convinced my dad to let us have smartphones. I was shocked. Not only did we now have a cell phone plan, but we had SMARTPHONES. It was way more than I ever expected considering my dad’s reluctance to adopt new technology (he really should be Amish, but I digress).

When I first came to Thailand as a student, the program had us get cheap ‘brick’ phones for security purposes. I kept mine and brought it back with me to use this time around as well. It’s been a trusty little phone and I’ve really enjoyed being free from the temptations and pressures having a smartphone brings. I’ve also enjoyed the incredibly long battery life and how inexpensive it’s been for me to have a cell phone.Unfortunately that time has come to an end for me. My trusty little brick doesn’t have the ability to hold more than 3 things in it’s calendar at a time. As I’ve become more involved with work, resulting in more meetings, I felt it was time to invest in a smartphone to help me keep on top of meetings, Thai lessons, time-sensitive tasks, as well as fun/social/personal activities.

Old faithful vs. the smarty 

Even though I have a fancy new phone and data plan, I am fairly determined to keep up with the habits I’ve developed over the last 6 months. Not that I didn’t have any sort of self-control before when I had a smartphone, I just want to remember what it’s like to not have one … I don’t want to be so closely tied to my phone. I don’t want to check it every time it buzzes. I don’t want to have to use the 3G … keeping that use to a minimum and just connecting to WiFi in places I can. I don’t want it to become a crutch when out in public by myself or when waiting for a friend. And I never want to inappropriately use it when I’m spending time with someone.

I think that may be one of the biggest things I’ve noticed since not having a phone … how often people turn and are distracted by their phones, even in the presence of other people. I’m sorry I’m not interesting enough to hold your attention when you get a text message, but at least I am physically right here! I’ve always tried to be sensitive about using my phone in the presences of others/when I’m hanging out with people, but it’s something I want to be even more thoughtful and respectful of now that I have a smartphone again.

Not to bash technology in this post ... I am thankful and excited with the prospect of being able to communicate with people back home via texting apps like What’s App and/or LINE, and I can’t imagine how difficult it was to maintain relationships before improved technologies … I find being a world away makes it hard enough. I just want to make sure that I am also present and invested in where I am physically located.

the Truth

I met the sweetest Thai couple today at the Family Connection Foundation. Another missionary here in town has become good friends and partners in ministry with the couple. Both have been volunteering with a variety of different projects in order to reach out and share the gospel with their own people. Their missionary friend is hoping that FCF can provide a better support, accountability, maybe training to this couple so they don’t feel like they are out in the field by themselves.

I was blown away by their story (and their English)! Both came to Christ about 20 years ago. Before learning about Jesus (and their marriage), the husband had been a Buddhist monk and teacher of Buddhist doctrine. After learning about God and growing in their relationship, they felt called to plant a church in Bangkok and teach other Thai people about Christ. After 10 or so years of leading the church, they felt called to be missionaries. God kept closing doors in Cambodia and Africa, but opened a door for them about 5 years ago to be missionaries in Chiang Mai and near the Burma border.

After we had given an overview of what the Foundation does, as well as some of the projects, the wife spoke up and shared more of her heart for Thai people. I was deeply moved. Their hearts for serving God and spreading his word were evident on their faces. She shared how, at the beginning, she would use tracks or booklets to lead people to Christ. As she found ways to serve and build relationships with other Thais, she found that her relationship opened up better ways to evangelize and then disciple others, so that’s what they’ve been trying to do here in Chiang Mai. She shared that they really want Thai people to know the TRUTH, not just Christian religion, and to be truly transformed by the Truth. Most Thai people, regardless of religion, aren’t transformed by their beliefs but rather just practice the religion. This couple sincerely desires to see lives changed through Christ. It was inspiring to see their passion for being used by God … I just had to share.

Grace and peace!
Hannah

August 12--Wan Mae

Many countries have a "Mother's Day" to honor mothers.  In Thailand, this day (Wan Mae) is extra special because it coincides with Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's birthday, as she is also considered to be the mother to all Thai people.  As a result, not only do Thai people honor their mothers, but there are a number of different ceremonies/parades/activities to honor mothers and HR Queen Sirikit. Starting over the weekend, portraits of Queen Sirikit along with flowers, the Thai flag, and the Queen's flag were displayed on street corners, plazas, and in malls (pictured below).

Wan Mae is also a national holiday, so a number of businesses were closed for the day.  Since this year Wan Mae was a Tuesday, Monday was also declared a national holiday.  There were rumors that in giving Thai people an extra long weekend, they'd be more likely to travel/go sightseeing (Thailand's tourist economy has taken quite a hit because of the coup).  Jasmine flowers, usually in a garland, are the typical Mother's Day gift.  A child will typically present this gift to their mother by kneeling before there mother and bowing while offering the flowers.

Jasmine and marigold garlands for sell

I started Wan Mae with Thai lessons (YAY!).  After my Thai lessons, I visited the host family I had when I was a student here.  Unfortunately, Mae Noy and Pa Bounserm weren't home, but were at the farm in Chiang Dao ... the extended family was around though and I got to meet my host sister's new baby!  After a visit with the extended family, I headed to Central Festival (1 of the 5 malls here in CNX).  A benefit concert was being held there, with the proceeds going to projects that the Family Connection Foundation supports.  It was quite an impressive concert ... not only did the kids from the project and local talent perform, but runners-up from The Voice (Thailand) and The Vocie Kids (Thailand) performed!  All in all, it was a fun Mother's Day!

Top: King Pichet from The Voice Thailand
Bottom: Kids supported by FCF projects