9/23/2017 0 Comments Two weeks down...So I have survived my first two weeks of living in Bangkok, Thailand. A city with over twenty million inhabitants, a never ending supply of taxi drivers and some of the most vivid smells my nose has ever smelt.
It has been a busy two weeks! Classes have taken up most of my time, we have been learning about Thai (and other South-East Asian) culture. That was an eye opening week; a very helpful week too though, because now when I am in a situation I remember what would be appropriate to Thai people. For example, when you point, you do so with your whole hand, as pointing with only one finger would be rude. When one is in a frustrating situation (which you can believe does happen in Bangkok), it would be highly inappropriate to raise your voice or show any visible signs of anger. That would cause the Thai person to lose face. Thailand is called the 'Land of Smiles' which explains fully why everything here is done with a smile. When you have lived here long enough, you can begin to tell the difference between them, you can tell whether a smile means "That's hilarious" or "You stupid farang I want to kill you right now". As a definite newbie to Thailand, I cannot tell between these smiles, an educated guess maybe though. This second week we have learnt about the Bible, and later focusing on the Holy Spirit and it's gifts. In a lot of respects it was kind of like a refresher course, as growing up in the Church I was already quite familiar with the topics covered. It was interesting to see the other people's perspectives; different denominations within the Church definitely have different ways of dealing with things. Every school day (Monday through Friday) I have been buying some coconut tea with tapioca bubbles in it, and it is the most delicious drink I have ever had - it without a doubt helps me power through the rest of the day. Food has been a wonderful and peculiar experience all in one. There has been many good meals. Some of my favourite meals include cashew chicken with rice, pad thai, fresh spring rolls and mango with sticky rice. My team and I have found a little street food stand in the night market near our accommodation, who do the best cashew chicken with rice for relatively cheap - about only 145 baht, so about £3.50. Not too bad for a meal out. We have also been trying some international meals - so we have tried sushi (which if I am being honest was not my favourite meal) and tacos (all you can eat - not too bad, would visit again). We have had some delicious homemade meals made by our session leaders Bev and Nicole. Nicole's husband Andrew definitely can cook a good chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables with gravy! It was spectacular, and reminded me so much of home. We have been spending our remaining free time in the YWAM base. Jenna, Shari and I all share a room, along with my new pet fish Khing ขิง. The air con is a welcomed blessing. The never ending heat means walking back into a nice air conned room is one of the best feeling ever - believe me. Jenna and I have been sharing a double bed which is cosy, but it is definitely better than our previous situation of the bunk bed - a little rickety old thing, every time Jenna moved I thought, ok this is how i die. The situation has provided numerous jokes as well. We have fashioned an improvised washing line going across our room, as we realised that whilst there is something to wash our clothes with, there is nothing to dry them on. It is a very effective method, but you do have to be vigilante when walking across the room otherwise you could have your head taken off by the line, or left with some pants on your head. Poor Nathan isn't used to this in his room and nearly decapitated himself yesterday. He's fine now. The floor of the room is a little grimy, but that is to be expected when a lot of people walk around either without shoes on, or in flip flops which seem to gather every little spec of dirt and attach it to your foot. The team and I have been doing other things like ice skating (which was good fun, a little odd to be doing in a tropical climate though), going to the world famous Chatuchak markets, peddling our way down river in Swan Boats (and encountering a few Monitor lizards along the way), leading kids ministry and participating in the Silom Cooking school. It has been an adventure so far! Only two and a half weeks left of ISM (Impact School of Missions), then I move into the flat and begin to intern with John and Gillian.
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AuthorChloe. 19. Novice blog poster so bare with me as I detail my experiences on the other side of the world. |