Merry Christmas from the Jewel of the MeKong

I realize it's been a while since I last posted. Things have been very busy here lately. Traveling, school, and life in general.

We celebrated Thanksgiving last month and somehow managed to get our hands on a pretty amazing turkey breast from Thailand. Mmm Mmmm Good! I spent the holiday with friends who also live here. They function as my temporary family while I'm here. But, I was very thankful to have them here with me during a time that would normally be spent traveling to see my grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles around NC and SC.

Now, though, it's almost Christmas!!! Wow, how the time has flown by. 10 days and counting until we celebrate Emmanuel's birth. It's a very exciting time around my town. Our school is decorated, we're eating lots of treats and sweets, and the best part of all is that we can discuss the good news more freely at this time. In my class specifically, I'll have a Christmas party on the 18th. We're learning how to cut out snowflakes, pinning the nose on Rudolph, snacking, and doing a coloring page about Emmanuel. While my class is coloring, I will tell the story of him. After explaining how he is the gift to the world, I will then give them a small gift. I'm hoping that as others as well as myself are sharing during this time, doors will be opened in hearts, eyes, and ears.

Also, the locals have a chance to share during this time of the season. Many in the community are invited to come to a special service here coming up soon! This is VERY VERY exciting. Some will here about the news for the first time. They will also get to experience a service in their language, a praise dance in their style, sing in their language, and get to read the word in their language. How great is this opportunity! It is also the only time of the year that us white folks can attend with our families. It's truly a great opportunity for local sharing.

I'm very excited about all of these events to come!! Please lift every opportunity we have to share up to him. Every gift, song, story, conversation, dance, and word.

My one last tag on this note is for LMCO. People back home, you know what this is, right?? It's how about 500+ people are able to live and share around the world, including myself. If you feel led this season, I encourage you to support us and out cause by giving a gift to LMCO this year.

It's been hard to upload pictures, but I promise I will try to do that super soon. I've been taking a lot, so I will REALLY try to do that! Thank you for your kind thoughts and words to the big man upstairs. Love, grace, and peace.

Let's Catch Up! Shovel time

I realize that I haven't written in a while. So... SORRY!!!! Really, I am. Now that my computer is gone, it makes writing on a regular basis more difficult. Updating a BLOG from my iPod is a hassle in itself.

Anyways! I didn't write in October, and haven't written in November at all! Shame on me.

What have I been up to?

I've been teaching. Hardcore teaching. Grading papers, giving tests, checking homework, taking attendance, and making bulletin boards. Like a boss. When you teach English, yet have never had to study the rules before (because you just know... you speak it fluently), you have to study before you teach. Ha! Sounds crazy, but this is my life.

Also, I got to do a little bit of traveling out to get some supplies and go to the dentist. I now know why children are scared of the dentist. I've had the MOST painful cleaning and polishing of my life. And probably the cheapest as well. But man, am I glad it's over with. Goodness!! But, I got all stocked up on JIF, shampoo, and Colgate. I'm set!

EYES OPENED

Usually, you only hear about things like prostitution, drugs, poverty, and slums. You see them on TV. You hear about them in the news. I know for me though, I'd never actually seen it in action until I came overseas. On this trip to Thailand, we stayed on the sketchy-est street ever. During the day, it's dead. At night? Wow. It comes to life and stays alive until the wee hours of the morning. Girls lign the streets scantily dressed. Massage parlors open up that only serve men. The shock never wears off. Old, ancient white men with young young local girlfriends or concubines. Whatever you want to call it. Either way, our street was jacked up at night.

It's an eye-opener. More than an eye-opener. It made me think of how badly people need to hear the truth. That there is more to life. Freedom in J3s-s. The world offers temporary satisfaction. Welcome to a planet full of band-aids that make you feel good for a little while, but never quench your deepest thirsts and desires. And, dude. This is not just overseas. This street may have been an extreme example, but the temporary fixes are everywhere and come in many shapes and sizes.

Anything that's elevated above God is a fix. It's us saying that whatever we've found is more satisfying and fulfilling.

What's the reality check?

Keep God first.

As I mentioned before, I have a lot of time on my hands that gets devoted to thinking, pondering, and just diving deep into things. So, yeah. I may be getting the shovel out a lot more than I usually do. But I'm seeing differently than I ever saw before. And one thing that is clear is that our fight is not against flesh and blood. People are not the enemy here. Those ladies working the curbside shouldn't be sneered at and hated. They should be the ones we try to love the most. Love is the key.

Love your neighbors.
Nobody is better than anybody else.
Nobody deserves more or less love.
Everyone needs grace.
Just be on your A game... being known for what you stand for, not what you stand against.

Thieves come to steal, kill, and destroy

Robbers, bad guys, and crooks

Of course I had to add getting robbed on my list of firsts in Southeast Asia. It's only natural. Most of the time, our house feels pretty safe. We have bars on all the windows, a super heavy gate that's got a big lock on it, and sturdy fences around our yard.

Unfortunately, high class robbers have figured out a way to maneuver around the bars in our windows. They got some kind of contraption, stuck it thourgh the bars, and scooped up my roomie's Ipad in her bedroom. They didn't enter the house... this time... But they had to have been watching for me to leave the house, becuase I don't leave it often in the mornings. On this particular day, I wanted to go on a bike ride and hit up the wet market for some eats. They were waiting for the moment, man. I was only gone for 45 minutes at most, but that was just enough time to do the deed and peace out.
I can't help to feel a little unsafe, violated, and stalked. Unnerved and uneasy also come to mind.

I guess I can cross "getting robbed" off of my bucket list now.

I personally have nothing valuable here, especially after giving my laptop a bath. But this experience got me thinking... What if I didn't have God? What if I didn't believe in him and was clinging to all my material possessions? What if I had no source of peace and rest after getting broken into? My treasures are in heaven, but what if they weren't? I'd be a basket case if I had all my treasures tucked away in this house. I'd think... They're gonna come back when I'm not home! And I'll lose everything! I'm not worried, though. I was angry for a day solid at the intrusion, but I'm not worried deep down. I have no fear of losing everything materially valuable to me.

Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know that getting your stuff taken isn't the end of the world. My roomie has impressed me with her ease of mind in this situation. Her peace in having lost an Ipad. It's not the end of the world. We live and learn. Granted, we're going to hide our stuff better next time and take more security precautions with our house. But, what matters is that in the end, even if the ramsack the place and strip it of everything, we are OK. Out hope lies elsewhere. Our value lies elsewhere. God gives good gifts, and the hope of life that He promises outweights anything on this earth we could lose; even our own lives.

MIA

Sorry for being missing in action!

Here's an update: I spilled a cup of water on my MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago. Tragic, I know! It's been harder to get internet access as of late. Right now, I'm using a computer at the school I work at. Thankfully, we have them!

Anyways, my posts will probably come less often because of my little mishap with H20.

SOCCER UPDATE!

Some exciting things have happened lately, though! My soccer team got to play a legitimate soccer game on a really nice field in town. One that you have to rent out to play on. It was fake grass, goals with nets, and lights for playing at night. They looked so cute with their matching uniforms on, and we had the biggest group of girls we've ever had show up at one time ALL show up to play on the cool field.

The British Ambassador came to town for the weekend, and he was there to watch us show off our lack of skills. I must say, though, the girls are improving greatly! I remember the first time I made them practice dribbling around cones... Disastrous. But now, they can actually pass and know what the layout of the game looks like. I'm one proud coach!

After our game, we all went to eat fried rice together. About halfway through the meal, the girls started chit chatting about wanting to go skating. See, recently, some people inherited a bunch of really old, really smelly, and really used 4-wheeled skates. They poured some concrete, smoothed it out, and decided to charge a dollar for people to skate all day. All my girls are about 15 years old and not a single one of them has ever worn a pair of skates. They wanted to go.

I couldn't resist their eyes that were swimming with excitement, so we went! I was the only one who didn't fall. I also had to take turns trying to explain to each of them one on one how to skate, and I'm no professional skater myself. Each girl took a turn clinging to my left arm for about 15 minutes each. I held up their entire body weight and helped them balance, and friends, it almost killed me. My back and left arm were so sore the next day!!! Gosh!! But it was worth it to see a few happy faces that managed a nice cheesy smile even when they fell flat on their butts. Too cute.

LIFE UPDATE!

I'm almost to the point in my term where I'll start to count the months down until I leave. In October, the countdown from 12 to 1 will begin. Last year at this time, I was heading off to training and royally freaking out inside. I cannot believe it has already been a year since then. Time flies by, it really does. Life is short. Next thing you know, I'll be thinking of what I'm going to do when I get back. The thought is scary. But, more than the thought, the pace of life is rapidly speeding as of late; the speed is more terrifying than anything else. Does it feel like I'm racing? Or do I feel like a turtle who's getting bypassed by all the other runners? Honestly, I don't know how to feel most days. I just know that somehow, I have a year left in Southeast Asia. And two facts cease to remain:

1. This one year has been so filled with events, changes, growth, hardships, struggles, healing, and being turned upside down that it feels like 10 years versus 1. (Fast)

2. My life has significantly slowed down and is pretty turtle-paced and relaxed to a point that is un-American enough to make me feel like the world is racing by me. (Slow)

Such a conflict of speeds meet at a weird point for me. I feel like molasses and Jeff Gordon at the same time. Maybe this is what happens when you get older. Don't hate me for using the term although I'm only 23. I'm always aging, just like those of you who are 53 and a bit ahead of me. The feeling is just strange. What I really hope is that upon my return to the states, people won't have changed so much that I cannot find some way to relate and fit in again. The flip side of that hope is that I hope to never really fit in again. I have such a strange combination of ideas that contradict each other at the core, but hopefully an ounce of sanity will remain.

 

A Father to the fatherless....

That moment when sharing one water bottle and one soccer ball with random kids is the highlight of your day... 

Most of you know that I coach a girl's soccer team. For the past couple months, soccer practice has been a hit or miss because of rainy season. Nobody wants to get struck by lightning or swept away by a torrential downpour. Plus, nobody cut the grass for like 3 months... And, aint nobody got time to tread through knee high grass!!!!

Anyways, someone finally cut the grass! So, yesterday we got to resume or Saturday practices. Score!
And then one girl shows up... Oh boy! What on earth do I do with one girl? The field that we play on is pretty ghetto, but it works. And there's a school and an orphanage right by the field. Kids usually climb the brick wall and sit on top/watch the big kids play.

WELL!!!! Guess who got to play on my team yesterday??? A bunch of shoeless kids. We had a blast! They had a basketball with them, so they were pretty excited to play with a nice soccer ball. Overall, I consider the whole thing a big blessing. The joy in seeing kids play and giggle washed over me and soaked down to the bone.

There is a father for the fatherless in this world. Thank you, God for sending your children my way to play. 

Distractions

This morning, I decided to ride my bicycle around for some exercise. You have to seize the opportunity to do so when the rain lets up! I usually ride with my backpack and just soak in the sounds of the town: chickens, dogs, cows, local language, and stares! But, today I was thinking... I really just wanna listen to some music. I brought my iPod with me. This is the first time I've been on a bike ride and not had to listen to the sounds of the town. I could see things, but I couldn't hear anything but Maroon 5.

When I got back home a few hours later, I got my journal out and started writing down some thoughts. I was thinking about how easy it was for me to tune out the world around me. Just pop in my headphones and escape for a while. Here, versus America, it's kind of hard to escape from things. You can't just go to the movies, malls, and entertainment centers that are on every corner in America. Everything is on the front porch of your mind, and there's no running from it. I started to think about times back home when I'd be somewhere with my friends and they'd all be glued to their smart phones. We were together physically, but not mentally or emotionally. So much for quality time!!

So, what am I going to do when I get back to America? Will I get distracted? Will I constantly fill my mind with things other than what really matters? I'm no fortune teller, so I cannot say what I will or will not do, but I am concerned about going back to that world. It seems so detached and scary. It seems inauthentic and robotic. Yet, I know all the people glaring at their screens are thinking something... They're feeling something... When they lay down to sleep at night, things in their world get quiet. I know this, because I've had many a night when I'd do the same thing.

What if we purposefully threw our distractions out the window in light of something with more purpose?

What if we hit the brakes and dealt with ourselves, our sin, our past, our hurts, our offenses against others, and the things that hold us back?

What if we choose to stop being detached?

Things could change. We could change.

And I believe the fire would spread relentlessly.

Friends, I've been forced to change. And that is an understatement! Haha! Living here has made me open up my eyes to a whole lot of needs that not only I have to take care of for myself, but needs of others around me. If I could make some prescription glasses that shared this new vision so easily, I'd do it in a heartbeat. All I'm asking the father is that he changes my eyesight so much that it cannot go back to what it used to be. And, I'm starting to take full responsibility for the way that I chose/choose to distract myself.

This is just what I've been chewing on lately. Now, you can chew on it too.

School's Out!!! Just kidding...

This is my first week of term 2 teaching ESL. On Friday, I got to meet my students and make them do crazy ice-breaker games in class. This week, we're hitting the books!!! It's hard to believe that my students from last term have gotten their certificates and moved on to the next level up of ESL!!

I have 27 students so far this term. Some I already know. Some are brand new friendships that will start. Either way, it will be exciting to see what the father does this term.

Good News:

• Of my returning students, two of them are seeking truth still. Ask for good opportunities to love on and share with them. 
• We have a hand-full of local monks studying at our school this term. This is a great great opportunity for good conversations. 
• Schedules make me a little weary and tend to exhaust me, as well as all of the other teachers I'm sure, so asking for strength for this term would be great! 

There is no bad news, but some other information is... I've been in country for 7 months and some change. This little fact makes me think: Really? Has is really been that long? And then again... Really? Has is only been 7 months??? Some days go by quickly, some days feel like frozen molasses, and others feel like putting salt in a wound. Regardless, 7 months is pretty long! I am amazed that the father has helped me to make it this far. He is my strength. This is the longest I've ever been away from home. This is the longest I've been overseas. This is the most I've ever been stretched, pulled, poked, and molded. And, I'm loving every bit of it! Keep changing me, God. Keep working on me. 

KITTENS!!!!! Inspired by: KITTENS!!!!!

I  LOVE CATS!!!! <3 

As most of you know, I'm quite fond of felines. Well, I moved out of the house I was living in (which came with 2 cats). They were my roomie's cats. I really miss those guys! Just to cuddle with and love. So, the new house needed a cat... big time! 

WELL, Here she is!!!! Say hello to Rosie! 

This, my friends, is a genuinely happy smile :) 

Rosie is very sweet and friendly. She's a teenage cat I guess. Caught somewhere in-between kitten and adult cat. There are no vets here since most animals are considered the main entree, so she's not fixed. Which means.... MORE kittens!!!! Haha!  There are already two different male cats roaming the vicinity waiting for her to come of age. This makes for a chorus of different cat noises throughout the day. Anyways, I wanted you to meet this furry bundle of joy! 

Geeze, I'm getting old...

My 23rd Birthday!!! 

Well guys, July 28th was my birthday. It feels funny celebrating it in Southeast Asia! Usually, I'd plan some kind of crazy event in the States that involved cookie dough ice cream and flash mob dancing, but they might kick me out of the country for the latter! So, this year is different. 

It means I've been here for 7 full months. 

It means I'm holding onto my prime. 

It means I'm growing up. 

Really, this past year has been a steady flow of growth spurts like I've never had before. Most kids get growing pains, breakouts, and grow 6 inches in one summer. Those moments are cool, but they're all ways that we physically grow up. From 22-23?? I feel the pain of emotionally, mentally, and spiritually growing. Not to say that I've learned it all and have loads of life experience... But! I certainly feel the stretching and molding that's been going on this past year like never before in my life! 

I attribute this pain to a whole lot of soul searching, healing, forgiving, and being humbled in way more than one way by God. I think he might possibly have a sledge hammer, drill, and saw inside of my head and heart, but that's OK. Keep on working on me, God. I'll never be a completely finished piece of work, but I'll keep letting you change me. God's been reminding me of the purpose of my life... It's to bring glory to him and his kingdom. Hands down. Throwing off the sin that easily entangles and striving for holiness and righteousness found only in Christ. Furthering the kingdom. Letting the work that GOD has done and continues to do in me be seen by others and being a witness for His g0sp3L.

This 23rd year of my life will be the only year so far that I've spent solely overseas. The first half of 22 was spent in America, and the last half of 24 will be spent there as well. 23 is going to be pretty interesting to say the least. Lift me up to the Father please during this challenging year. I ask for strength, grace, peace, and wisdom for the journey.

Me and some of my local friends as well as some other workers celebrating my 23rd over one of my favorite meals: Sine Dat. Or... Grilled meat & soup. 

Thankful & Blessed

Can anybody say traveling?

I've been on the go for a few weeks now. Border hopping, friendship bridges, night busses, and planes!!!! Lots of walking, and man it's not over yet!

I got to see some great friends of mine this past week, and let me just say that that was a total blessing. Also, I got to make some new friends! You can't beat that. I was in dire need of having a community of people around me who are on the same page and can speak the same language as me. It's a plus... Haha. But, I finally got a few spare seconds to write a new update while overnighting in a guesthouse with wifi.

Funny story from my many trips. My roomie and I took the night bus on our trip. The night bus drives all night long and then dumps you at the bus station in a state of deliriousness. This wasn't my first time riding on a bus all night long, but it was my first time riding on a sleeper bus. So, this bus has 2 levels on it. And, I'm only 5'4, but it was made to accommodate tiny Asian people. Everyone has a pea-sized area to sleep in. I was on the top level. You have to climb a ladder to get up there. So, it's basically like having super tiny sets of bunk-beds in a bus. If you can imagine. Three rows of sleeping pods. Wow!

So, we get on the night bus and it looks like a party bus with all these neon lights! Quite the adventure.

THIS GUY was sacked out beside me on the plane. Sweet Dreams, buddy! 

And, THIS LADY was squidgy-ing the mirror in the movie theatre. Barefoot. 

Welcome to Southeast Asia! 

And, THIS MONKEY was staring me down, so I gave him some fruit before he decided to forcefully steal it from me. Monkeys.... 

In Malaysia, I got to see one of the largest Buddhas that I've ever seen. The pics don't do justice to the monstrosity of this statue. Really. It's super tall. But, the altar faces the idol. And you have to offer incense and prayers towards it. For blessings in life... I watched person after person do this. 

I had a blast in Penang. And, it's called the food capitol of the world for a reason. I ate so much while we were there. Including a bottomless sushi buffet that we spent 3 hours at. I'm still repenting for my gluttonous week :) However, it was so delicious. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. While on vacation, I got to go to the movies in a theatre! Also, I got to get lots of Starbucks, eat legitimate ice cream, Karaoke my heart out, and even drink Vanilla Coke. It was really nice to get a break from rural society for a while and enjoy some Western things/city life for a little while. I feel SO REFRESHED! Ready for the next round of life here.

By the way, I have some really awesome friends who I think the father for all the time. Feeling encouraged, thankful, grateful, and blessed right now!!!

Shout out to the folks in P-City! You know who you are :) 

Masks Created by FEAR

What if we advertised all of our darkness and struggles on a billboard? I think there'd be less of a problem in the world when it comes to facades, transparency, and honesty. So many of the youth from camp, some of which I still keep in touch with, they feel so alone in the world. They feel like nobody else is struggling. Nobody could ever understand what they're going through. Everyone else has it better than them. It amazes me for a moment, that they could be so self-focused. And, then I think... Wait a second, no wonder they feel this way. When you go to church on Sunday and Wednesday, everyone seems to be doing great. Everyone's dressed in their finest and smiling. And this is the image that young people and adults have of how they're supposed to feel inside. The reality is that most people do not expose themselves at church, much less in public. They keep up an image that makes people think they are OK. Wow, what an example to follow. This creates a pattern for kids to mimic exactly what they saw their parents or older adults do. And it also creates a pattern for destruction.

I think this mindset is a lie we all have fallen for at some point in time. If I expose what's really going on, then what will people think of me? They'll think I'm a failure. They'll think less of me and my family. They'll ignore me. They won't talk to me anymore. In fact, I could lose my job, m friends, my social status. Let me tell you something, the friends you'll lose are probably prideful and superficial. The social status means nothing, because nobody in society is your final judge. You wind up stuck in bad situations and wonder why your lot in life is so crappy. Nobody ever knows what's going on, so nobody tries to help you. And FEAR cripples you. That FEAR holds you back. You don't heal, and you don't progress.

I grew up with this fear. Fear of people I fellowshipped with. What they would think, how I needed to look and act in front of them, and how I needed to protect my crap from ever being exposed. What a big fat mistake!!! I was one of those kids at camp as a teen (16) who finally opened up at camp when I was away from society for a little bit. That's when I first surrendered my life to G-d. Even then, I didn't tell people about that because I had already been b-tized in public at age 9. So, I guess the world that reads my Blog knows now! What if we actually had a society and setting where we could bare burdens with each other openly? Not only inside of a building, facility, or organization... But in our daily lives walking around in this world. That, my friends, would be revolutionary in America I think.

If you're scared that your friends will think you're a sinner... then I hope you see the irony in that statement alone. Knowing that we have all fallen short and have shortcomings, it's foolish for anyone to ever have thought that this person or that person had it all together. Ever. Because nobody will ever have it all together in this life but J3sus himself.

How do we fix it? We say and sing come just as you are, but do we mean it? How can we lift each other up if we don't even know what needs lifting up? How can we help to hold each other accountable for things unless we open up? And lastly, why on earth would people open up in the first place if they KNEW that when they opened up, they'd get judged, shunned, and socially ostracized? Heck, J3sus got judged, shunned, socially ostracized, beaten and murdered for following truth and going against the flow. Bring it on! If people decide to kill me for it, at least I will go down as a woman who was fighting for integrity. 

I cannot change the world or people individually, but I can make a change in myself and how I view and act towards the world and people in it. 

I say forget the politics. Ditch them for something worthwhile in this life and the next. And by all means, show people the grace that G-d has so freely lavished upon you. Building each other up! Uniting as one body! And changing the world by first letting your FEAR be washed away by the same blood that washed away your sins.

Sorry for all the serious posts. These things have just been on my mind lately. Rants if you wish. 

Inner Secrets Exposed

School's out! The summer is here! That means I don't have to teach ESL during June and July. I'm really enjoying having a break, but I'm most excited about going to some neighboring countries and visiting friends/going to the beach!!!!! Words cannot express the excitement that I feel about tasting the shore. I'm a beach kid at heart. I'd waste the day away walking up and down the Carolina coast back home this time of year. Boy, do I miss it.

I'm enjoying my break, yes. However, breaks have always been a bittersweet thing for me. I used to love breaks from college. No classes, no papers, no exams... but breaks mean different things to different people. G-d has been teaching me a lot of things lately. I know that I've mentioned this before, but it continues to blow my mind. All my life, I've lived for the fun times. I do crazy stuff with my friends. Such as getting into the ice cooler at Wal*Mart, cutting over half my hair off the night before senior prom, and etc. In America, I'm on the go all the time. Literally, all the time. I leave one friends house and go to the next. I go dancing, stay out half the night, and buy season passes to Carowinds just to ride roller coasters once a week. Crazy. Insane. And GO! is my theme.

Can I tell you a secret?? 

There's a reason why I adopted such a fast-paced life. It distracted me from dealing with problems. All kinds of problems. Problems from my past, problems with myself, and some truly ugly things that I held inside of me. One moment alone, and my head had time enough to think about my junk. IF I stayed on the go, the junk got put on the top shelf for a while more. This is one of my coping strategies that quite honestly sucks. If I always ignore my crap, then it never gets solved. Pretending it's not there makes living easier, but I don't advance in any area of my life. I stay in a defeated state and keep covering up my junk pile.

And G-d sends me here. With my fun-seeking spirit, it would've made much more sense to send me to some college campus in a big city where I could go all out and bond with people. Yet, I'm here. There's no McDonald's in the whole country. It's developing. Chickens and cows and goats roam the streets. People live in wooden shacks in some places. There are rice fields and mango trees, and the restaurants look like mechanic garages for the most part. It's an 8 hour winding drive through the mountains to get to the capitol city. And yet? I'm here. I was sent here to work and to live. What on earth?

Another Secret:

I'm facing myself. I have no choice but to do just that. Facing my fears, the reasons behind them. Facing my past, and my hurts. My deepest wounds and most grotesque scars. I'm finally getting to the core of my very soul and re-routing some wires. My heart issues. I guess this is why I'm so fascinated with HIS plan to send me HERE of all places on the earth. Why here? Why now? Why in this part of my life? His ways are higher, and I trust He knows what He's doing. He's sent me to a dark and quiet place to tackle both the darkness in this place... and in MYSELF. Wow. What a humbling thing to come to realize. 

What did/does/will it take for you to let go? 

For me, it took a leap of faith. Jumping off of a cliff into the abyss hoping that G-d would save me. 

Impressions

Waking up on the other side of the world

      Before I left the states, I had a whole lot of conversations with a whole lot of people. Some were people who had known me since I was an infant. Some were complete strangers, beloved friends, and family. And the topics ranged from "Are you excited?" to "Oh... Why are you doing that?" One day, I'll probably write a book about the value scale of reactions and responses to me moving halfway around the world. 

But, I was thinking about these responses today. I thought about how some of them were very moving, encouraging, and just a blessing. Others were cynical, a little discouraging, and bland. Words. All of them were words in the end. And words amount to nothing except sounds that we put meaning behind. So, why do they effect us so much? Words can put doubt into your mind. They have the potential to make you completely change your mind about something. 

One of the cynical responses to me leaving was from a past teacher of mine. She was trying to express to me that this job I was taking was not using my college degree or getting me a cushy job or moving me towards a career ladder. I am aware of this. It kind of crossed my mind at some point before I signed 2 years away to the work. Her words were not meant to discourage me, but they did make me second-guess this whole gig as well as make me feel like I'd let someone down with my decision to leave. The purpose of it. The point of it. The worth in doing it. In the end, look where I'm at now. But goodness her words had an effect. 

While thinking about this today, I thought about priorities. My priorities are different than hers. I value following my G-d and my heart regardless of social status or salary. She values otherwise. 

Just like I have WIFI at the moment, yet have no running water!!!! The priorities are a bit different. 

I really have no hidden intentions in writing this other than the fact that it was on my mind. I suppose the moral of the story is to check your priorities and see who you're trying to please. And, know that there's always going to be at least one person who wants you to do, be, or act differently. Sometimes, you just have to see what is true and what is more important in the long run. 

Reflections on War. Grab your gun.

Today, I was reading one of my friend's Blogs, and it inspired me. What's ironic is that my friend's blog was not overtly positive. In fact, she was talking about her struggles. My friend battled with anorexia in the past. She had a severe case, and it took a major toll on her body and mind. She's been through the worst parts of this war, but she was very open and honest about her struggles with it still today. Not everyday, but sometimes it creeps up on her. She has thoughts about food, self image, exercising, and etc. Anorexia is one of the demons and lies that she fights.

It takes a very courageous person to be open about their problems and battles. Such vulnerability is difficult. Why? Because you expose some of your weakest areas to other humans. You risk showing your weak spots, bruises, and scars. You risk people socially shunning you. You risk sour reactions from loved ones and friends. That risk, that fear... that is what holds people back from opening up. The alternative choice is to hold it inside. Lock it away where nobody can touch it. Accept the defeat and fight your battles alone against a legion of demons. You can see the danger in that.

Like my friend's battle, most of our battles reared their ugly heads the the worst degree in the past. Now, they are simply haunting. We may not have problems that we act on any longer, but that doesn't mean that the fight in our mind isn't over. The temptation. Lies that are whispered to us. Lies that sneak into our heads and effect our hearts. Things that, if we believe deep down, can destroy us. So, I'm not surprised when people tell me they're struggling. That something is haunting them. It doesn't mean they are defeated. If means that we can make WAR together.


If you were a soldier, and one of your own men who fought alongside of you took a bullet to the knee... He cries out to you for help! He screams! He's fallen and cannot walk by himself. He's down. Man down, man down! What do you do? You could leave him for dead... You could yell to the world that, "This man needs help!" You could scream, "Someone help him!!!!"... You could even look him in the eye and say, "Why didn't you dodge that bullet? You're so weak!" and walk away disappointed in him. Or you could run to him as fast as you can, bare the weight of his wounds with him, and help him walk back to safety.

Thank goodness that we have hope. Thank goodness that we are washed by blood. Thank goodness that we know where the power lies, and who wins the war at the end of the day.

When I think about these things, I see my own struggles. I see how crippling fear can be. And, I want to be a safe person for people to talk to. I want to respond to people with love and offer them HOPE for restoration. I also am inspired to open up more. Why? Because if you cling so tightly to your junk, it doesn't have much room to budge. Why not fight this war with other warriors? Through prayer. Through support. Through encouragement and up-lifting. Why not help each other out for goodness sake? Just be the ear that listens, the heart that cares, and the shoulder to cry on. And cry together. Fight together.

I know I'm young. I know I'm 22 years old, and that I'm completely insane for picking up and moving halfway around the world. But, I've experienced enough life to have seen some pretty poor reactions to struggling people. Some of those people completely turned away from the only HOPE that they have in this world because of said reactions. Looking to the man who ate and chilled with sinners for example, let's make a change. Let's make WAR together!

"I Miss You"

Somedays, I feel pretty down being here. I know that I'm not alone in this. I have the Father with me all the time. But, sometimes I miss things. I think that's normal. Or, I hope so at least!

Things I miss:

• My family... Mom, dad, Chris, and Gabe. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins! 
• My friends! The list of names is too long for that one! 
• Taco Bell-- Baja Blast Mountain Dew included
• Steak
• Batting cages
• Watching basketball
• GOOD ice cream
• Code Red Mountain Dew
• French vanilla coffee beans
• Redbox
• My car, Miguel
• My art studio at North Greenville
• Tie-dye materials that are readily available
• THE BEACH!!!!! 
• Malls, movie theaters, putt putt, Frankie's fun park, Fall's park, bowling, water parks, and roller coasters
• Build A Bear
• Camp La Vida
• MY GUITAR, HUNTER!!!!!!!
• Pop culture in general
• Cookie dough 
• Stuffed Crust pizza
• Double-stuffed Oreos

Ok, that pretty much sums it up. I miss these things on certain days. Some of them, I miss everyday! But, hey... there are alternate ways to have fun. Most definitely. My fun button has been altered. Now, farming for hours is considered fun. Climbing a mountain is fun. Fishing is fun. Having dinner at someone's house is fun. Just being together is what makes things fun here. It's a nice change. The friendship and company is what's fun! Just enjoying people. I can't tell you how many times I've said I was BORED in America! Now, the thought seems absurd. As my on the go life has majorly been turned upside down, there is time for rest. I've mentioned this in other posts, but I cannot honestly describe to you the weight of the change. It's like making a transition from living on an addictive substance your whole life and then just quitting cold turkey. And, who knows? I might just become a world-renown philosopher out of all this. 

MISSING MY MOM! I MISS YOU MAW! 

 MISSING CHRISTOPHER POTATO!

 MISSING GABIE BABY! 

Oh yes, and...

• Speed limits
• Traffic laws
• wearing shorts in public without being considered a prostitute
• American chocolate
• Seeing obese people
• Seeing black people
• The smell of Georgetown's paper mill on a hot day
• Hurricanes
• Pluff-mud

Futbol! Soccer! Teh Baan! Whatever feel's best.

One of my most favorite parts of the week is soccer every Saturday. Anywhere from 7-17 girls show up regularly to get some skillz. I love these ladies. If you didn't know, I've played soccer since I was 5 years old. I still remember my pee wee team was the Tigers and my mom made us an awesome mascot poster out of cotton-balls. Random childhood memory. Thanks, mom!

Ok, back to the point... I love soccer. I played every single year of my life until my senior year of high school. Because of tearing ligaments in my leg, I couldn't play in college. I was so so bummed about that, too. Sports and school were my life, though. Before my injury, I just poured into sports. When soccer and tennis were taken away from me, I thought... there goes all that hard work down the drain. I would've gone to a different school under a soccer scholarship as a beastly keeper. My life would've been different.

So, I feel like God closed one door and opened another through the injury. I was OUT of the game. So, I picked up a guitar one day that my dad found in the dumpster at our church. The rest is history. I started playing in youth bands and that became a great outlet for me emotionally and spiritually. He gives and takes away. Prime example.

Now, I'm getting the opportunity to coach a girl's soccer team here! How cool is that?
The girls are from 14-21 years old. They came out having ZIP skills whatsoever. It's been so much fun building relationships with them though. And making them do push-ups. Tee hee hee.

The most exciting day that we've had has been when they got new uniforms for free. The whole shebang! Shirts, pants, socks, cleats, and shin guards! It was the most exciting thing I've ever seen. All these girls were jumping up and down, screaming, and hugging each other. Christmas? No. Birthday? No. Holiday? No. But probably the best material gift any one of them has ever received. Thank you, US Embassy for the donation!

Now that I'm not teaching for the summer, we have soccer 3 days a week. We're more legit now, although I was the only one that finished the mile run today. Come on folks! It's only a mile!

I will post soccer pics later, but this is my team! Half of them at least. 

We had dinner at my place tonight! 

Today marks the beginning of my 6th month in country. Wow! Amazing. Time has flown by in some ways, yet moved in slow motion at the same time. After June is over, I'll have been here for 6 full months. That's half a year as well as 1/4 of my total time here gone.

How do I feel? Stretched, but not broken. Stretched by my heavenly father. The symbolism in the potter and they clay scenario comes to mind when I say I'm being stretched. Pushed, pulled, kneaded, and molded. Either way you look at it, I'm being changed. My mind is changing. My eyes are changing. My heart is changing.

I tell God on a regular basis to make me better. Make me less... Make you more, God. That way, people won't even see me. They'll see you. With this request comes a whole lot of things, but the biggest thing that has come has been the molding of my heart. I can feel something inside of me that is moving. In middle school and high school, I was pretty feisty, angry, stubborn, and cut-throat. Not to mention bitter. Since I've accepted God into my life, that person has been changing. Slowly. Painfully. But it's definitely happening. My life is different now, and there is no turning back. Seeing myself through His eyes has caused me to see others differently. I think I get a glimpse of how He loves. Jealously, passionately, whole-heartedly, selflessly, gently... This is how I want to love people. And me by myself??? I cannot love like this. I don't have it in my sinful self. But there is one who has mastered the art. Heck, he created it! And He's a great romancer of my soul. Man, how I want to be like him and see like him. By all means, God, keep changing me. I might feel like Stretch Armstrong, but keep pulling back my layers and molding me. That's the only way I have freedom... First, I have to give you the chains that bind me and ask you to rid me of myself. That's when freedom comes.

If these 2 years were a game of baseball, I'd say that right now, I'm sliding into first base.

Hitting the ball was the first step in going here. Saying... Ok, God, I hear you. I feel you leading me here. And, I'll go where you go. I'll love who you love. Whether I have to eat all my meals on the floor, sit on tiny wicker stools, eat bugs, get stared at, or feel like a complete stranger, I'm in. 

After all, nobody probably felt like more of a stranger than J3$us did. Out of place from a heavenly home and throne, and among sinners from a different culture.

So, here I am. This is home. For the first few months, this didn't feel like home. I'd say it was, but didn't really feel it deep down. Now? It feels like home. And what was abnormal is now becoming more and more normal to me. Learning how to survive is turning into learning how to function and thrive. That's a big big step! Where you go, I'll go. Who you love, I'll love. Where you stay, I'll stay. Who you serve, I'll serve. If this life I lose, I will follow you.

BRING ON 2nd base :) 

Fishing Extravaganza

In my 22 years on this earth, I haven't done much fishing. Let me rephrase that... I have been fishing many many times!! But I've never caught a fish, unless a baby shark counts. What I've always wanted to do though is catch a fish, clean it, and eat it! Like a boss. It just sounds like some kind of milestone in life that must be accomplished.

Hmong Fishing

Last week, my friend asked me to go fishing with her. I said sure! Why not? We piled on to her motorbike (3 people on one bike) and headed to the pond/lake with a bucket full of termites (bait), some fishing line, and some hooks. I'm thinking to myself... What about the fishing poles? Next, we ditched the motorbike and walked about a mile to the pond. 

In this moment, folks, I felt for the first time in my life as if I was living inside of a National Geographic magazine. Straight up. All the guys were standing knee-deep in the pond. In their tighty whities. Fishing. My friend's boyfriend comes up to us to say hello and talk for a bit. Now, I'm no expert, but if I had to make a guess, I'd say that it takes a certain amount of skill to talk to a man who's standing less than a foot away from you in that garb. Wet. My definition of Swagg has been re-defined. Officially. 

Another National Geographic moment was learning which wild leaves, berries, and fruits were edible. I think I could survive in the woods for life now. My friend would just walk to a bush and say, "You can eat this." She handed me a ton of things, and I ate them. Haha. Since I'm still alive today, I'd say they're safe to eat. 

Anyways!! Fishing. We have one huge spool of fishing line, and about 12 hooks on 2-foot long strings.  This is how it goes down. One guy holds the spool. The other guy takes the line and walks really far away. So, we have this line that runs the length of the pond. We then take the 12 short strings with hooks and tie them on to this line sporadically. Bait the hooks. Then, the guys walk to the pond, one on each side, and lower the hooks into the water. This, my friends, is Hmong fishing. Aint nobody got time for fishing poles! 

Moral of the story? It didn't really work. We got 6 fish total. All about 4 inches long. But my goodness, it was so much fun! 

Broke some rules, as usual

These people don't have many toys. They don't have much money. They wanted to swim, and I swam with them! Which is a cardinal health warning that the doctors tell you not to do. He he he. Don't swim in slightly polluted water. I had a blast though! We tossed around a piece of Styrofoam that we found and played money in the middle. I taught the kids how to do hand-stands, flips, and freestyle swimming instead of doggie paddling. It's the little things that bring so much joy here, and the relationships you make while doing them. 

Don't drink the water!!!

Just don't...

On Tuesday, I told one of my students that I'd go help her do some work at her house. In this culture, the people don't like to leave their house unattended. Even if it's for like an hour. So, my friend who's 22 got assigned the task of watching the house all day, everyday. This task is just as important as working and bringing home the bacon. 

She's at home alone every single day with nobody to talk to. She has to cook, clean, feed the pigs, feed the pigeons (which they eat), and keep her sanity. I visited her a couple of weeks ago, and she was saying how lonely she was here at the house. She said she used to have a dog, but it died. And she loved the dog. It was her company during the day. A dog costs 6 bucks here. I got the girl a dog. SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!! His name is Doo. Which means black. Creative, right? Wink wink.

Ok, ANYways... I asked her if she wanted me to come help her at her house, and she said sure! Come on by! Tuesday morning, I went to her house not really knowing what to expect. Would we be slaughtering pigeons? Feeding pigs? I had no idea!!! I got there and she had two gardening hoes. As some of you know, a couple of weeks ago, I went to another friend's farm and helped her family plow the land with small hoes and plant huge grass stalks for the cows to eat. We worked for 8 hours straight. I had blisters and all that!!!!! This time, when I saw the hoes, I just said... God help me! Not again!!! 

We proceeded to the garden, which isn't very small and takes up her entire yard. She had planted corn. A lot of cron! Our task? Take the hoes and chop the weeds/dirt around 100's of corn plants. Your girl was pretty tired after a few hours. And sweaty. And THIRSTY. So thirsty that I drank the very cloudy luke-warm water that was given to me. Maybe three cups of it. I paid the price for drinking said water for a few days. 

Hindsight: DON'T DRINK the water.  

Where's Aslan? THERE HE IS

We have two cats.  One of the cats is named Aslan. The other is Earl Grey. Like the tea. Anyways, sometimes when I come home, they are pretty easy to find. Sleeping on the bed, sleeping on the porch. You know, typical places that cats sleep in.

One time, Aslan walked into my room. I saw him do it, but I didn't care. Just figured he was gonna sleep in there and come out later. That night, I go into my room assuming he's not in there anymore. It was pretty cold, and I wanted some socks. So, I reach in my sock drawer. Aslan FLIES out of there! Homie had maneuvered his way in and had been chilling in my sock drawer all day!

Yesterday, we were looking for Aslan. Where's the first place I look? In the crevices of my room of course. I didn't have to look too far this time. the first things I saw were 2 furry paws sticking up out of my suitcase!

                                       CAN YOU BREATHE IN THERE BUDDY????

Physical Touch: SEA Style

The Way They Roll... 

Sometimes, my friends don't make any sense. Ya know what? I'm sure the feeling is mutual. I probably do some retarded things that make them think... where did this white alien come from? 

Here, it isn't appropriate to hug people. And not just the opposite sex, but friends as well! This is torture to me. I really like hugs. And a hug is my way of sealing the friendship. While hugs are a "No No," holding hands and linking arms is totally ok. As well as placing your hand on a person's thigh. Ha ha ha. 

Example 1:

I went to a party a few weeks ago. It was the strangest party I've ever been to. They had a tent set up. Under the tent, there were about 4 beds. Yes, BEDS. Each bed was for a dead ancestor. Maybe a grandfather or great grandmother. Their pictures hung from the bed frame. Money hung from the posts on the bed. Many pillows were on the beds as well as snacks, flowers, blankets, and clothes. All of these offerings are necessary for the afterlife in their eyes. When you arrive at the party, you give some money to these sweet old ladies that line the floor in front of the beds. They, in return, say a blessing over you and give you pepsi and crackers. Bizzare, I know.

Anyways!!!!! Next, you go sit at a table and eat a meal. The most nerve racking thing at these events is the staring. People are watching your every move, and you know it. No discretion here. So, different locals come cycling through. The bold ones at least. They take turns sitting with the foreigners and talking about how different we are,  skin, weight, marriage status, etc.

This one middle-aged lady came and sat by me for a long long time. She was a chatter-box. That's for sure. After one or two sentences, she grabbed my leg. It wasn't a vice grip or anything, but it certainly un-nerved me a little bit. And it wasn't a temporary touch. The hand lingered. For at least 30 minutes.

Example 2:

My friends like to link arms with me. This is OK. Kind of strange, but manageable. But the hand holding? I'm having to warm up to this. I told them, in my culture, if people see you holding hands with someone other than an old person or small child, they think you love love love that person. Kiss them and everything. They just said.... Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh! But, then they said to me, it's not like that here. When they hold hands with their friends, it means nothing but that they care for their friend. In some ways, it's more innocent here. In the USA, we're robbed this innocent display of affection because of what society thinks. 

Think about it in this light: As children, we hold hands with other children. We hold hands with adults. We may even hold hands with strangers. And then, something happens when we start to get older. We're told to not hold hands anymore. All of a sudden, it means that you want to sleep with that person. But really? Really, you probably just want to show your friend that you care about them. Keep those child-like intentions. It's just a thought. Something to consider. Something I'm having to consider because I live HERE now, and that's how they roll here. Different, yes. Wrong? I really don't think so. 

1,000 Steps

This Saturday, it was my room-mate's 39th birthday. She wanted to do something fun, so we decided to climb Pu Keng Mountain. It's one of the tallest mountains in the province. We piled up in the van with some local friends and headed to the mountain in the morning. Now, I knew it wasn't going to be some easy hike. So, I put on some tennis shoes, leggings, shorts, and a sporty shirt. Plus a hat. This attire means that Holli means business. I've got my backpack and water bottle. Ate some eggs, got my protein, and I'm ready to roll.

My room-mate was dressed similarly. Then? Our local friends show up. They look really cute. Cute, dressy tops. Jeans, cute shoes, and bedazzled hair clips. My first thought was... Well, this should be interesting once they start climbing.

On to the mountain! The mountain looked so mysterious and intimidating from the car. You couldn't see how far up it went into the sky because of the mist and clouds. We found the path and started our journey. Up, up, up. Slowly but surely. Up over 1,000 steep concrete steps to the top! At this point, my cute little friends weren't feeling so cute anymore. He he he!

They had signs for a "secret tunnel" and a cave near the top. In the Vietnam War, people lived in these tunnels and caves while the bombs were exploding around them outside. While we were climbing, we could see huge craters in the ground from bombs that had exploded in the past. It was fascinating to walk through this tunnel and the cave... Just to imagine how people ate and slept in such damp, dark places while the world outside was caving in.

Anyways! At the top of the mountain, the mist had cleared away. You could see out for miles! Rice fields, other mountains, small towns and villages in the distance. Wow. I know that it might sound cliche, but if you can see something like that and not think that God himself created it, then I wonder how you can believe in anything at all. True beauty.

At the end of the day, I had jello legs and slept in my hammock for a while.
If you can't seem to find something beautiful and good in this world, then climb to the top of a mountain and look around. The world won't seem so big and scary anymore. And you'll think... There is something more to this life. Something beautiful still exists.

Blisters and Backaches

Well! I certainly had an interesting day this past Sunday.

On Saturday, one of my favorite students and soccer players asked me to go to her farm with her. I told her I'd go and wanted to see what it was like. I got up early on Sunday morning and went to her house. Her family has 8 kids. We were all piled up in a truck. Haha! Pretty interesting experience in itself.

They had a pile of chopped off grass stalks in the back of the truck (along with half of her family). So, I asked what they were going to do with those. She told me we were going to plant them. I'm thinking... Oh, Ok. How hard can it be? Just stick some grass stalks into the ground and call it a day, right? Then I asked her how long we were going to be there. When she answered with "All day long," I began to doubt myself and wonder what I'd gotten into. There was no turning back at this point.

Next stop? The market. You gotta have something for later to eat. She and I got out of the truck and went to purchase some things. She said to me, "Do you like fish soup?" And I just told her I'll eat whatever she eats. We ventured to the back of the market where they have all these buckets full of fish, eel, and frogs. Alive. And picked up a couple of fish in a bag. Eventually, they stopped moving...

To the FARM! When I say farm, you're probably thinking of some nice little red barn and fences with chickens and pigs inside. Stalls with horses. Maybe a pond with some ducks. Meeeee toooooo. I thought this too. I was so incredibly wrong.

We turned off onto this really bumpy dirt road and stopped at a shack, got some hoes and shovels, and drove to the next bamboo hut thingy. And I took a look at the "field." Fallen trees everywhere. No gate or ladder to get over the barb wired fence. Just some tree branches to climb over. Thus began my first day in my life doing intense manual labor for 8 hours. FOR FREE... Haha. With small hoes and shovels, we plowed out rows of dirt and planted the entire truck full of grass stalks (which are itchy). We ate fish soup as a family outside on top of leaves. Apparently this is a make-shift picnic table. And we sat together squished into a hut and listened to the dad tell stories while it rained. Never in my life could I have experienced a day like this in the USA. I went home with a sore body and blistered hands and crashed at 8pm.

Experiencing life here makes me all the more thankful.
I've always had food on my plate, and my baby soft hands have never known such work.
Count your blessings...

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Culture Shock.

So far, I've posted pretty positive things on this Blog. And, I have had some cool, fun experiences here. But, I just want to write a little bit about the difficulties of living here. It's not all glorious.

I'm 22 years old. I just graduated college almost 1 year ago. And here I am, little small-town Southern me, across the globe. What on earth did I get myself into? This is the question that I ask myself from time to time. It comes in waves and phases. As of late, I've had a heavy dose of culture shock!

MINDSET

Here, people like to laugh things off. If something bad happens, laugh about it. If you feel awkward or embarrassed, laugh. If you're angry, laugh. If you lose, laugh. SAVE FACE. Do whatever it takes to save face. Even if you have to lie. Save face for yourself and your family no matter what! This is pretty much opposite of USA culture. Yeah, I'm sure of it. In the USA, people teach you in school to speak your mind, be yourself, and take a stand for what you feel is right. Man, that'll earn you nothing but a friendless life here. But guess what? I'm not in Kansas anymore, guys. This is life for the next year and 8 months. And some days, the differences in mindset are not so noticeable. But some days, they do.

TOPICS

What do you usually talk about when you meet someone? A foreigner specifically. Maybe you talk about the weather first. What the weather is like at the moment. Then maybe you'll ask them what the weather is like where they are from. What's your name? Where are you from? Do you have any brothers and sisters? Where did you go to school? What did you major in? Etc. You know, small talk. I miss this. Haha! I never thought I'd say that. But, I miss small talk. It surely beats the pants off of being asked if you have a husband before anything else. Where do you work? Do you have a boyfriend then? How much money do you make? BAH! This is so so so different. If I come back and ask extremely personal questions the first day I meet you, then I apologize. But here, it's normal! A new normal.

MEAL TIME

Let's gather round the table, give thanks, and each have our own personal plate of food to devour. We can sit in chairs and have a grand ole time. This is America. He he he. You may be thinking... well how could it be so different where you are? It so is. First of all, everyone sits on the floor to eat. Either you sit on the floor or sit on a wicker/bamboo stool that's maybe 6 inches off of the ground. It's like being on the ground, but not. You may get your own spoon. Maybe. And you may get your own chopsticks. It just depends on the food offered. All of the food is sitting on the table. You just take bites of whatever you want. That's how it goes down brothas and sistas! And, there are no drinks... but there may be one glass. You down the drink in the glass and pass it to the next person. Same glass, 5-10 different folks. Don't worry. It's just building your immune system. That's all.

My sweet room-mate diagnosed me with culture shock tonight. He he. Yeah, she's right. It's when the differences just start to grate on your nerves, make you angry, sad, or whatever. Really, they make you feel like you're going insane. So, I wanted to let you in on a little sneak peak of my culture shock. This is real life: dealing with at least one of these differences on a daily basis. And this is just a small sampling of them. I'll spare you the gore and detail. Just know that after 4 months, it has hit me.

But, in the words of on of my best friends, Hope, "I'll be fine!"

The real issue lies in the fact that I copped a quarter of my thumb off today. Don't trim your bushes with a switchblade knife.

THUMBS UP SHAWTY! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 4 in 1

Wow, have I been busy this past week. The locals really know how to partay! I've been to parties everyday for about 4 days straight. When I say party, I don't mean some silly drop-in that you stop by and bring a gift to in the states. I mean... THROW DOWN! Sorry for my slang, but basically it means to party hard and long while giving partying utmost effort.

I'm talking about 10am-1am bashes. That's intense when it's happening for 4 days straight! Good thing I love a good party. The locals love to drink, dance, and eat together. So, we fried up some chicken feet and blared music all day long. I think I lost about 15% of my hearing in the process. SO MUCH FUN!

So, the tradition here is to pour water down the back or front of your friends for the New Year and wish them health, wealth, luck, and prosperity for the year. I h
ad wet clothes... underwear and all... for 4 days. People even rode around in trucks with buckets of water and water guns and had water wars around town. LOOK OUT if you're on your motorbike!

Speaking of motorbikes, I'm officially a BIKER CHICK! Look out Myrtle Beach! Summer 2015, I'm joining the fun!

 Before the big shabang partying began, I got a chance to go to the temple or "wat" with one of my good friends. We are both wearing the local dress. I don't have a shirt like her's because I'm too chunky! HE HE HE! In those baskets, there are dollars, snacks, drinks, sticky rice, and flowers for the monks. I just borrowed a basket for the picture. But, this experience at the temple was pretty amazing.

All of the people stand in 2 extremely long lines. They await approaching a set of long tables that have many bowls and baskets on them. In each basket, they place a ball or rice, a snack, or money. First, they pinch off the rice. Then, they touch the tip of their forehead with the rice and say a little blessing. Lastly, they drop the rice in the basket. They repeat the ritual until all the contents of their basket have been given. 

STRANGE????.... yeah. But this ritual is common here. 

Tri-lingual Adventures

Day trips are superb. Especially when the people you go with speak different languages. We had a van full of 8 people heading out to see the Plain of Jars and some awesome views around the Province. I loved site seeing and being able to explore the country a little more. What made this trip most interesting was the diversity!!!! Diverse-City is what it felt like.

Chinese
English
Lao
and a little Bahasa Malaysia

What on earth is a girl to do? Well, thank God that smiles and laughter are universal. I think that by the end of this experience, I'm gonna be a beastly charades player. My mom always tells me, "I just don't see how you were able to communicate at all." Me neither, momma! It's an act of the Lawd most high!

People are bonded by togetherness, food, and a tid bit of crazy-funny. If you have the ability to entertain people without words, then you have the upper hand here. Ha ha! Lucky for me, JC blessed me with super amounts of silly insanity.

I recommend that everyone should go on at least one Tri-lingual adventure in his or her lifetime.

Sometimes, I just wanna speak Spanish

I'm not sure if you've ever had this experience before, but I'd like to think it's more common than not.

English is my mother tongue/ first language. You all know this. And in elementary school, middle school, high school, AND college, I studied significant amounts of Spanish.

Long story short, I know more Spanish than I do the local language here. It's just easier. The words are pretty similar, and the alphabet is the same. THE ALPHABET IS THE SAME! That is such a blessing. I never want to hear anyone complain about Spanish being difficult ever again in my life. It's really not that hard. There are no tones and you don't feel like you're going to swallow your tongue when you speak it.

Anyways! In my mind, I go through this process when I'm speaking my new language. I listen to the person I'm talking to, I think of a response in English, then I think.... How on this Earth do I say that in this language? I know how to say it in Spanish. Maybe if I say it in Spanish, they will somehow understand.

Guaranteed fail every time, but goodness people! Sometimes I just wanna speak Spanish!!!!!!

                                                                        END RANT

"Don't go chasin' waterfalls"

I don't know if you remember that TLC song from the 90's, but I loved it! Still do. And, when I was little, I used to think it said "Don't go, Jason Waterfall." Jason Waterfall would've been the coolest name ever though, right?

Anyways, there are no typical Western "fun" things to do here. KFC and McD's haven't even breached the realms of this country yet. Nor have any movie theaters, mini-golfs, malls, bowling allies, arcades, or anything like that. So, you gotta make your own fun! The task sounds like a beautiful challenge to me :D :D :D :D :D

PLAIN OF JARS

Locals LOVE to go to the Plain of Jars and take photos/picnic. Basically, there are all these huge jars that have been carved out of stone and placed on hills for some unknown reason. Maybe graves, maybe a water storage system, maybe some kind of religious ceremonial grounds. So mysterious! Put a Holli in a place like this and this is what happens... Push ups, baby!

WATERFALLS

We've been having some pretty awesome adventures here in the beautiful Asia. You kind of have to be creative when there's literally nothing "entertaining" to do. The plus side of this is that you get to enjoy some pretty amazing scenery and great views. Since it's not rainy season, the water level's lower and the falls are smaller. Cool thing about that is getting to climb down the rocks (in flip flops) and explore all the parts of the waterfalls! B-E-A-you-tee-ful!

                                                                       Free Fallin'

                                              

Funny story to go along with this one. One of my friends who went with us doesn't have the best balance. And, we didn't exactly have safety nets or anything to hold onto. Ok, so, my friend is doing the whole arm flailing thing that you do to balance yourself right before you fall a WHOLE LOT. I'm thinking... she's gonna bust it man. Just wait. Plus, she's wearing a ghetto version of Croc's. That's a recipe for certain disaster at all times. I made it do this awesome ledge that looks like a smaller version of Pride Rock and have my feet dangling into the water when I hear.... THUD! Homegirl just hit the ground. Fell right into a large puddle. And man, it wasn't one of those "I'm good, I'm good" hop right back up falls. She went down and stayed down for a hot minute. ~END
                                              This pic was taken moments before the fall.

TEMPLE LIFE

I'm from the South, and there are literally churches an every street corner. Well, this aint the South! Welcome to the Temple Belt of the world. So, what does one do with so many temples? I've seen some crazy art and crazy looking rituals, BUT! the single-most appealing and tempting thing that I've laid my eyes on has been the gong tower! Three stories high. Tight swirly steps going all the way to the top. A big chime at the bottom. AND a huge drum at the very top! Fully equipped with golden dragons and elaborate decor. And you wonder why A.D.D kids have so much trouble concentrating. Shiny? Drum? OK, I'm going up!!!! My language helper told me I'm sooooo naughty! Tee hee hee hee hee!