A Last Night in Bangkok

131 Commentsby   |  08.10.11  |  Chiang Mai, Thailand

Sawadee ka!

Almost ten weeks ago I wrote a post called one night in Bangkok. Last Saturday, I spent my second night there this summer, waiting for my 6:00 A.M. flight in the morning. Out of curiosity I read back through that first post. Coincidentally, maybe, I was sitting once again on my tiny balcony listening to the crickets and breathing the heavy evening air, even more humid after the afternoon rainstorm.

I’d just gotten back from wandering the streets near the hotel for a few hours, seeking out my final bag of saparote (pineapple) and moo satay (grilled pork in peanut sauce) and rotee (a crepe-like dessert from India). These all came from local streetside vendors, which I love more than any fancy—or as the Thais say, “high-so”—restaurant. It felt like the only way to conclude the summer here; any visit to a tourist site or other location would have seemed too un-Thai. And having left Chiang Mai and said many goodbyes, I was already missing it enough to want to cling to whatever moments of Thailand I had left.

Quite a lot was going on in the last couple weeks of our summer, and every time I would sit down to write a blog post I either had to leave soon or couldn’t decide what to focus on. So to summarize as a sort of farewell post:

Major Events and Memorable Happenings

– Taught English and Thai to some women and children at a camp for migrant Myanmar workers and their families, located just down the road from the Zone. We mostly played with some of the little girls, who were shy but beautiful just like the women. And it was an eye-opening experience for all of us to a reality of life for many people in the world that we usually only hear about.

– Spent several afternoons at coffee shops with some of our friends as they were preparing for midterms at Payap; I learned everything I never knew about linguistics and the English language in the process of trying to help them.

– Attended the 50th Asian Mission Forum and met nearly two hundred wonderful people from all around Southeast Asia. We spent four days at a hotel downtown, going to classes (including one taught by ACU’s very own Dr. John Willis), enjoying a traditional Thai dinner and cultural show (where we learned some Thai dances), and hearing some amazing stories about things going on all across SE Asia.

– Consumed large amounts of guay teoh (noodles) and saparote (pineapple) in anticipation of the lack thereof back in the U.S.

– Took hundreds of pictures as part of saying goodbye to everyone, a long and emotional process that lasted a couple days.

– Ended our summer appropriately just as we started it: with major flooding, this time even more substantial.

– Watched a stunning sunset over the Pacific from the window seat of an airplane while flying out of Tokyo.

Important Lessons and Interesting or Otherwise Significant Observations

-Remember all that delicious Thai food I spoke of so fondly all summer? Well, my midsection remembers it just as fondly and has a five-pound souvenir to prove it.

– Having now flown across the Pacific yet again, 10 hours is an eternity when you can’t sleep and the best movie option is Beastly.

– Thailand is beautiful, suuay makk. The Thai people are even more so, all incredibly hospitable, friendly, and jai dee (in Thai, literally “good hearts”).

– The things I’ll miss most aren’t all the tourist sites or elephant rides; rather, my friend Pii Oi the fruit vendor, playing games at the Zone and sitting with friends at the restaurant next door, eating together before Cell Group, talking with my English students about life and such when we’re supposed to be studying idioms; the list goes one.

– Welcome and inclusion are highly undervalued but incredibly powerful. Even taking 30 seconds to translate a piece of a conversation for a foreigner can mean a great deal.

– English is still a difficult language to learn, and we should be careful about how it’s exported. Granted, a common language is necessary, but we should be aware of the fact that we happen to have landed in the language of power—and be critical about and responsible in how we use that power. Going anywhere with English often gives you the upper hand without you even trying to take it, and we should try to occupy that position with understanding and equality in mind.

– Treat the foreigner as you want to be treated. Better yet, as the Thais would treat her. Better still, as the Thai Christians would treat her. Hospitality and friendship are profound.

– When in another culture the best position is an open, vulnerable one. You’ll learn more that way. And you’ll realize how much more you have to learn too.

– Realizing how much there is to learn and recognizing the potential in the relationships that you’ve created, ten weeks feels so insufficient a time to spend in another place. We felt on the brink of forming even stronger bonds with many of the students and the church members—and then we had to leave. Saying goodbye at our last Cell Group was difficult. Especially after they gave me, Mark, and Fish as a farewell gift our favorite dish, sticky rice with mango.

– That being said, let’s of course not avoid short-term missions entirely, but let’s be wary about their implications. They can very easily verge on colonial—we go in, have an experience that benefits us, and then leave. Part of a mission trip will and should be about the missionaries. In Thailand, I believe far more was ultimately done for us than we did for anyone there; it was incredible and I think made us want to do even more for other people. So while there’s nothing wrong with that at all, I only say all this to suggest we carefully consider our motivations and our impact in going somewhere to “serve.”

– And finally: when taken seriously, the way of Christ spurs people to love and create community that I just haven’t run into elsewhere. If you want to convince a questioning, logical skeptic like myself, then don’t necessarily answer her questions. Invite her into love and community like we were this summer, and while questions will still be important to consider, they will no longer take precedence. Though far from perfect, the lives and the relationships that can result from living inspired by the gospels are profound. I really can offer no other explanation for the church here or what we’ve experienced this summer except that the faith purported to stand behind it is real.

Korp kun makk ka for all for your love, support, and prayers. Should you ever get a chance, I’d highly recommend a visit to Thailand. And please take me with you if you go!

131 Comments

  1. Ülkemizde siber saldırıların çok olmasından dolayı sizlere sürekli siber güvenlik analiz hizmeti veren firmamız
    sürekli siber güvenlik analizi konusunda çözümler sunar.

  2. Sürekli Penetrasyon Testi
    6:05 am, 09.30.21

    Sürekli Penetrasyon Testi hizmetinde uzman kadromuz sizlere en iyi şekilde Sürekli Penetrasyon Testi hizmetinde
    öncülük etmektedir.

  3. Sürekli Penetrasyon Testi
    6:06 am, 09.30.21

    Sürekli Penetrasyon Testi hizmetinde uzman kadromuz sizlere en iyi şekilde Sürekli Penetrasyon Testi hizmetinde
    öncülük etmektedir.

  4. bursa asansör bakımı
    12:35 pm, 09.30.21

    bursa asansör bakımı profesyonel ekibimiz ile birlikte sorunsuz bir şekilde sizlere hizmet vermektedir.

  5. bursa asansör montaj
    12:52 pm, 09.30.21

    bursa asansör montaj ı kademeli bir şekilde ekibimizin analizleri sonucu iyi bir çalışma ile montajlanmaktadır.

  6. Soudal Köpük
    6:24 am, 10.01.21

    Soudal köpük, ozon tabakasına zararsız olan ve kendiliğinden genleşme özelliğiyle dikkat çeken
    poliüretan bir köpüktür. Kullanım alanı her geçen gün artmakla beraber birçok yüzeyde harika bir yapışma özelliğine
    sahiptir.

  7. Bostik Silikon
    7:03 am, 10.01.21

    Bostik Silikon Tüm dünyada yenileme projeleri başta olmak üzere yeni bina inşaatında tercih edilmektedir.
    Firmamız sizlere bostik silikon tedarik sağlamada bunu kural edinmiştir.

  8. Bostik Silikon
    7:04 am, 10.01.21

    Bostik Silikon Tüm dünyada yenileme projeleri başta olmak üzere yeni bina inşaatında tercih edilmektedir.
    Firmamız sizlere bostik silikon tedarik sağlamada bunu kural edinmiştir.

  9. Yumurta Sünger Ses Yalıtımı son zamanların popüler ses yalıtımı için kullanılan bir malzemedir. Siz değerli
    müşterilerimize en iyi malzemeleri sunmaktan gurur duyuyoruz.

  10. Spor salonu yazılımı
    5:10 am, 10.04.21

    Spor salonu yazılımı her spor salonunun ihtiyacı olan bir programdır.Spor salonu yazılımı istatislik tutma
    ve müşterilere iyi hizmet vermek için gerekli bir yazılımdır.

  11. wopro
    5:19 am, 10.04.21

    Wopro yazılım şirketi olarak siz değerli müşterilerimize wopro yazılımlarını sorunsuz şekilde en iyi hizmet
    politikasıyla şirketlerinize hizmet sağlamaktayız.

  12. wopro
    5:23 am, 10.04.21

    Wopro yazılım şirketi olarak siz değerli müşterilerimize wopro yazılımlarını sorunsuz şekilde en iyi hizmet
    politikasıyla şirketlerinize hizmet sağlamaktayız.

  13. David Campbell
    7:35 am, 10.11.21

    Are solar panel batteries worth it?
    This is a question that many are asking themselves these days. With the cost of electricity continuing to rise, more and more people are looking for ways to save money on their electric bills see more

  14. johan william
    10:52 am, 03.05.22

    Tajuk Kelana merupakan sebuah website yang membahas cerita, informasi, ilmu, juga berita. Banyak yang kami bahas, namun kesemua itu berfokus pada satu tujuan. Yakni Berbagi apa yang ada di sekeliling kami. Karena kami tahu, bahwasanya sudah jadi keinginan kami untuk naik haji. Seperti Prediksi Ulas Togel Mania

  15. Hatay Çilingir
    3:25 pm, 04.25.22

    hatay 7 24 çilingir hizmeti için hemen bizi arayın
    hatay çilingir

  16. Eyelash Extensions
    3:27 am, 06.20.22

    Eyelash extensions are a precise procedure that dramatically enhances the length, thickness, and fullness of a person’s natural eyelashes through the application of fiber extensions. Lash Extensions can be made from various materials such as silk, mink, synthetic hair or human hair.

  17. waffle game
    2:15 am, 06.21.22

    Solar batteries: worth it?
    Many are asking this nowadays. With electricity costs rising, more people are looking for ways to cut costs. …

  18. oliverbeth
    2:10 pm, 07.06.22

    I think, the best movie option is digital streaming, and I watch ‘Hello, Goodbye And Everything in Between’ in NZ through it, and also I suggest it.

  19. 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo
    4:35 am, 08.03.22

    6.5 Creedmoor ammo, closely cylindrical rimless case and 12.09 mm head diameter give a large powder chamber and an ideal chamber seat. With a maximum overall length of 71.12 mm, it is the best fit in short actions of the .308 Win. class. The only a bit case body, tapering from 11.94 to 11.73 mm in diameter, centers itself perfectly in the chamber, thereby optimally ranging the bullet with the centerline of the drill. The fast twist of 1:8 inches is predestined to balance heavy bullets.

  20. آموزش اینستاگرام در مشهد را بسیار جدی بگیرید چرا که فوق العاده پولساز است برای شما

  21. zara
    1:56 am, 10.26.22

    baccarat online click!!
    เว็บ สล็อต

  22. Karen F. Amato
    6:09 am, 10.26.22

    We did okay. We didn’t know what we were doing. And yet, when I think of what could have been, it saddens me deeply that things ended up being the way they did.

    Suggested Link: https://tophandymanusa.com/wire-hub/professional-tv-mount-installation-services-in-boynton-beach-fl/ TV MOUNT Installation services in Boynton Beach FL

  23. zara
    1:55 am, 11.07.22

  24. amir
    8:46 pm, 11.26.22

    thanks

  25. helpful

  26. zara
    3:49 am, 11.30.22

  27. zara
    1:22 am, 01.06.23

    VEGUS168S vegus168

  28. softswiss
    8:12 pm, 01.08.23

    Software for online pavilions and bookmaking websites.
    Оne- stop shop results for white markers, chapter marketing, payments operation, and so much more!

  29. سعید
    4:25 am, 01.21.23

    ابدومینوپلاستی اصفهان

  30. دکتر محمد مولایی
    4:58 am, 01.21.23

    از طریق جراحی لیپوماتیک توسط https://jarahiesfahan.com/ ، بیمار دچار شل شدن پوست نمی شود. لیپوماتیک بدن را نیز تقویت می کند. توجه به این نکته ضروری است که کاهش سایز برای مدت طولانی ادامه دارد و همچنین می تواند سلولیت را از بین ببرد. در این جراحی چربی از نظر فیزیکی به طور کامل از بین می رود و با حرکات ارتعاشی چربی ها آزاد می شوند و این چربی ها بدون درد و خونریزی از بدن خارج می شوند.

  31. Kirk Weber
    9:23 am, 01.31.23

    If you’re looking for a resume service, you can find more information on article-writing-service.com. They offer a wide range of services that can help you build a resume that stands out from the competition. Their experts can provide you with guidance and advice on what to include in your resume and how to best present it. Check out their services today and get started on creating your dream resume!

  32. Hidrolik
    12:42 am, 02.15.23

    Thank you for this invaluable information. If you are looking for the needs of hydraulic tools can contact me on the following page https://www.ksj.co.id

  33. ppponyy
    10:42 pm, 02.22.23

    Sensational!

    afabet
    afabet168

  34. ppponyy
    9:07 am, 02.27.23

    บทความดีมากๆ

    afabet afabet 168

    gclub

  35. rose
    5:07 am, 03.15.23

    เกมออนไลน์ ติดต่อเรา

    afabet afabet 168
    afabet

  36. martin brown
    8:26 am, 03.15.23

    Thank you for this blog
    More blog in my website https://gaminggodfather.com/our-igaming-services/

  37. totositesafecom
    2:35 am, 04.09.23

    Excellent Post as always and you have a great post and i like it thank you for sharing.https://www.totositesafe.com/

  38. totositenetcom
    2:35 am, 04.09.23

    This really is an incredibly amazing powerful resource that you’re offering and you just provide it away cost-free!!https://www.totositenet.com/

  39. casinositesafecom
    2:36 am, 04.09.23

    Thank you for sharing this useful article , and this design blog simple and user friendly regards.https://www.casinositesafe.com/

  40. Chanshe
    3:45 am, 04.17.23

    NICE BLOG
    given good information
    https://playsta.com/

  41. Jason hill
    3:54 am, 04.17.23

    Right information
    ESG services is important

  42. Jason hill
    3:55 am, 04.17.23

    ESG services is important
    https://www.jabroyd.com/

  43. Jason hill
    5:23 am, 04.24.23

    Thanks for this blog very informative
    https://rclgd.com/

  44. Jason hill
    8:57 am, 04.30.23

    Your blog is very informative
    I have some blogs on shop tools
    https://www.usshoptools.com/

  45. amit
    1:24 pm, 05.17.23

    Very nice post
    I have wall bed blogs and wall beds product

  46. Peter
    7:24 am, 06.14.23

Add a Comment