Bangkok Madness, A Cambodian Slum, & Street Meat!


Time is FLYING! I can't believe that I will be flying home in 9 days! Unreal. This week has been no exception to all the rest: it's been chaotic, fun, full of adventure, stretching, and complete mayhem! Read to the end to find out about the craziness...

I had the privilege of treating the boys from the orphanage to a movie (Wolverine) last Wednesday night and it was SO fun! Movie tickets here are dirt cheap so we all jumped in the back of a truck (Obviously! How else do you get around in Thailand?) and headed off. After the movie the guys wanted to treat me to some street meat in the old market of Bang Saen. Nervous and ready to pull my "I have celiac disease, get out of jail free card" we approached the sketchiest of sketchy food stands. (#onlyinthailand) They ordered for me after explaining to them my millions of food allergies. I tell ya, I've never prayed so hard that I wouldn't get sick from eating! To my grand surprise, it was the most amazing plate of pad Thai I've ever had! The 2nd best part: It cost only $1. (Yet another reason to love Thailand). I have learned that the sketchier it looks, the better it tastes! Mmmmmm! Thai food is really the best. The guys have figured out my love for mango and sticky rice dessert and they did their research to find me a stand nearby. I was in food heaven! (Calories were not counted that day...)

The following two days were filled with teaching multiple English classes at the government offices and with the 'moms' at the orphanage. Teaching English is a completely different ball-game than teaching in a regular classroom setting! Props to you ESL teachers! Not having any curriculum to use here, Google has become my best lesson-planning friend. All of the students that I teach are incredibly keen to learn English. There is a strong push for Thai people to learn English because they have been rated as one of the lowest Asian countries with English language understanding; they want to improve their standing on the international stage. 

On Friday my fantastic Thai friend, Gay (means 'fashionable' in Thai) took me to the gym where I ran 10 km in an attempt to get rid of all the mango sticky rice. ;) She took me to a Thai salon to get my hair done after. For $3 you can get your hair washed, head massaged, and hair curled & styled! While I was sitting in the chair getting my hair curled I saw a lady get mugged outside of the shop - Yikes! The police came and nothing was done about it.......reminded me to hold onto my purse tight! Gay, my friend Anne, and I (yes, THREE people on one tiny scooter, helmetless.......don't tell my mom) all loaded onto Gay's little scooter and headed off for a delicious Thai dinner.

The following day was girls' day with Bonnie, Corina and I. After going for a 10km run in no air conditioning (yes, I would like a medal for that), we met at a coffee shop before heading out for Thai massage. If you've never had a Thai massage you are REALLY missing out. We "only" got a one-hour massage this time for $8 - I really broke the bank that day. Afterwards we got pedicures for $5 and laughed at how sketchy the place actually was! Ohhhhhh Thailand.

That night was a night that I will not forget for years to come. After heading back to the orphanage and loading into the van to head to church we stopped just down the road at a Cambodian slum to bring food and toys to the families there. From what I understand, they are refugees who have crossed the border in search of construction work. I didn't take any pictures as not to be rude but let me describe the scene for you: bamboo poles as frames for their homes and tin metal sheets tethered to the poles. People sitting in the dirt cooking and talking to their neighbours as half-dressed kids run around and play in the dirt. Underneath the shacks were rats, stray dogs, and bugs scurrying about. The smell of the place was foul: garbage mixed with sewage and the smell of burning rubber. Unbelievable living conditions. When we first drove up I didn't know where we were going because P'Norii (the house mother of the home at the orphanage I'm living at) doesn't speak English. We drove up and she got out to bring the supplies to these people. I wasn't sure what was going on but I hopped out of the van and made my way over to meet the people living there. The came flocking out to see a "falang" (Thai slang for a foreinger.....it means guava) and I felt very out of place. I was really humbled there because I remember thinking to myself earlier that I wish I had more time to do my hair before church and I was annoyed at myself for forgetting to wear a pair of earrings. Here I found myself with the poorest of the poor and all of these petty desires and thoughts completely faded and were put into perspective. God really revealed to me in that moment how privileged I truly am and reminded me to be thankful in all circumstances. My heart was really stirred being there. I was brought to tears as I watched a woman from the orphanage, who has had an incredibly hard life, bring what little she has to people who have even less and don't yet know God. P'Norri completely blew me away and brought to life the verse about 'works' being a necessity of a faith that is alive. James 2:14-17: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."P'Norri really exemplified to me what it is to give generously and to love people who others have forgotten. We invited the group of Cambodians to come to church with us that night and about 10 agreed to come! We stuffed ourselves like sardines into the van and off we went. I loved sitting with them that night and being with them as they heard about Jesus for the first time. What a night! 

The following morning (Sunday) I went with Jon & Bonnie to Tha Rui Plii (spelling?) in the Bang Sai area to hold the kids outreach program that we have been doing on the fishing dock each Sunday morning. We had a whack-load of kids this week with whom we did an English lesson, craft, Bible story, and games. Afterwards one of the women from the area asked me to hop on her scooter with Jon and Bonnie's daughter, Callie. (Again, THREE on a scooter helmetless......sorry mom). (#onlyinthailand) I was under the impression that we were going one block to her house to get something and then come back.....but I was clearly wrong! We drove out to the main road and I was holding on for dear life and praying that I would live! We drove about 10 mins down a few roads to buy some fruit and then she took it upon herself to give me a tour of the fishing homes/slum area. It was fascinating to see but I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if I didn't have a death grip on the scooter! That night after church, I pulled out the letters that my Grade 1 students from Surrey wrote to the kids at the orphanage. It was SO cool to see them open the letters with huge smiles on their faces and read them. One of the girls told me how neat she thought it was that kids in Canada would write letters to them. A very cool moment.

This week has been the hardest for me so far mostly because of my profound lack of sleep. I've been getting only 3 hours a night (4 if I'm lucky!) and I have felt like a walking zombie. God has been miraculously giving me the energy I need to teach and get done what I need to, but I have felt like my brain has been foggy all the time and I haven't felt like I've been 'myself'. I've felt frustrated this week with my lack of spunk and a depleted supply of patience (which is VERY important to have a full supply of when living in Thailand!). 

On Tuesday after teaching 2 English classes I headed to my third class where I helped my friend Gay who is an English teacher in the area. After the class, her and my friend P'Oiy took me for a "Fish BBQ". I've never seen anything like it! Sitting around small square tables on the dirt floor, you order what you want as side dishes and they bring you a massive fish that has been jabbed with a skewer and roasted over a coal fire! It was a massive "Nemo"-type fish (clown fish?) and it was surprisingly good! (See photo!). They took me for mango and sticky rice (obviously!) and then we hit up a night market in Bang Saen. :) I had a great time with my Thai friends and loved hearing about their lives and laughing the night away with them. I have been totally blessed by their friendship. What amazing ladies!

Wednesday (yesterday) completely takes the cake in terms of the adventure of the week! P'Ganniga and I decided to head to the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok to try and get her Canadian Visa. Over the last week we were warned not to go into the city because massive political riots were taking place at various places around the city. The Canadian Consulate even sent out a warning to Canadian tourists in the area saying that they should re-locate! The news made it look scary but some friends of mine who live in Bangkok said that it was safe, so off we went! We paid for a van to drive us (packed like Sardines! And may I just say that Thai seats were NOT designed for a 5'9" Canadian girl to be sitting in them! They're TINY!) from Chonburi into the heart of Bangkok. We stopped at a light somewhere and the next thing I knew Ganniga had jumped out of the van and was heading towards a market. I had to jump out after her and run across insane Bangkok traffic to keep up! (#onlyinthailand) We did a bit of shopping before heading over to the consulate to meet with the Visa officials. As we walked up to the Canadian consulate, lo and behold, we saw the "dangerous" mobs across the street. Some people were on megaphones and were holding signs in protest but the majority of the hundreds of people there were sleeping on the ground in the park! They were really intimidating (enter sarcasm). I was actually really thankful for safety after hearing about how bad conditions were from some people! After being at the consulate we took a tuk tuk (3-wheeled scooter with a bench seat in the back) to one of the lesser-know and better-priced markets (from what I'm told!). I was in market-shopping heaven! At one kiosk, Ganniga and I bought 51 scarves. FIFTY ONE! (Oops! Still not sure how that one happened...). There were miles and miles of stores selling everything you can imagine. I went a little overboard and Ganniga was laughing at me as I tried to haul my market-loot around the city! #typicalblondtourist After shopping for 5 hours in the market, Ganniga and I bought tickets for the van ride home. Again, squished like sardines, we began our trek home. Except that we forgot about rush hour traffic. In Bangkok. Trying to get out from the centre of the city. Bad call. It took us an hour and a half just to get out of the downtown core and then we came to a dead stop on the freeway. Annoyed at Bangkok traffic, I took the opportunity to close my eyes for a few minutes to catch up on some sleep. A while later we started moving again and I looked out of the window beside me and I saw something I'll never forget. A CROCODILE. Yes, a wild crocodile decided to cross the freeway in the middle of rush hour. #onlyinthailand I saw it run down the ditch across from us and back up and into some bushes. Apparently it's not safe to walk outside here for fear of meeting a wild crocodile??? Who knew. Confident that my day had met it's drama quota, I again closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But no. Our van broke down on the side of the road (of course it did, we're in Thailand!) and the passenger door was jammed shut. Picture a medium sized van with 15 people crammed in the back benches with luggage on and around us.....and we're STUCK while the van gets fixed. In that moment I was thankful that I was not cursed with claustrophobia! Somehow they got the van to work again after about 1/2 hour (I'm convinced that all it needed was gas...) and Ganniga and I continued on our merry way back to the orphanage!

Today was another great day, albeit less dramatic, thankfully! My class was cancelled last minute so I took the opportunity to get a mani and pedi for the whopping price of $15! Oh Thailand, you are going to bankrupt me. ;) Bonnie and I got lunch together (green coconut curry chicken soup - my FAVOURITE dish here!) and then we headed over to Tha Rui Plii (where Jon & Bonnie are planting a church) to visit some of the local shop-owners there and chat over pineapple-lime fruit smoothies (60 cents!) It was a bit slower of a day and it was much appreciated after the craziness of the last few! (And all that on no sleep!) Fewf! It's time for bed!

Prayer/Praise Requests:

1) I continue to be in good health! So thankful. I haven't even had food poisoning yet! (I'm told that's pretty good considering the amount of time I've been here)

2) That I would REST. I've been having horrible sleeps (I think it's been a combination of the insane heat, massive lightning storms at night, hard beds, and having a mind that runs on over-drive at night!)

3) For the families in the Cambodian slum (called "camps" here). That they would make connections and friends with people at the Sila church here and that they would feel welcomed and learn more about Jesus. Pray for work for them and that they are able to provide adequately for their families. 

4) For my last week and a half here: That I would use my time wisely, investing in the lives of friends here and serving faithfully.

5) For patience. Being exhausted this week has worn thin on my supply! Being in a place where most things don't go according to plan it's important to "go with the flow" and to have ample patience. God has provided, but an extra dose would be great to have.

6) I was safe in Bangkok! I'm thankful that the rioters were sleeping and that Ganniga and I got to enjoy a great day together in the big city.

7) For the kids at the orphanage: it's been a challenging couple of weeks. Pray for the house mothers that they would have rest and wisdom and that the kids would impact the lives of others as they grow older. 

8) That the building project at the orphanage is completed according to schedule - there are lots of things to get done on the buildings here before the 'grand opening' in October. Time is tight!

9) For times of reflection in the next week. It has been so incredibly busy each day that I have had little time to stop and think about my experiences other than writing these blogs. 


Coming Up This Week:
-Boat trip to an island in the Gulf of Thailand with Jon & Bonnie for a beach day
-Night market shopping
-Sunday kids outreach program
-Visiting the Cambodian slums
-Karaoke night with the girls at the orphanage
-More Thai cooking lessons & Thai massage
-Teaching in the government offices and English classes for the 'moms' at the orphanage
-A trip down to Rayong (the beach city where I was a few weeks ago) for a debrief retreat. Rumour has it that suntanning and snorkelling in the sparkling sea are on the agenda! ;)
-Flying home next Saturday (Aug.17).....bittersweet! 

Thanks for reading! I'll update again soon. Much Love. <3