Awkward Thai Moments

Who’s been a lazy girl?

That would be me.  Apologies!  I’ve been a little... distracted.  Ever since school started up, suddenly a million and one reasons to not write a blog have popped up.  I’ve started teaching English three mornings a week with the peeps at the school (they’re a gorgeous bunch – did I ever mention how much I love Asians?), and in-between that , babysitting, teaching some kids after school and sitting in on some of the classes, the rest of my spare time has been spent chilling with my students.

But!  I would like to repent of my laziness and make amends with another thrilling read for you all.*

So, the topic in mention today is AWKWARD THAI MOMENTS.

In this area of life, I have much experience.  Actually, it’s pretty much like my entire life is an awkward moment.  So perhaps the title would more accurately be called, ‘JACKI’S AWKWARD LIFE’.

Nah.

Here’s a concise (but not comprehensive) collection of some of my memorable encounters to date:

#1           Using the word for ‘brothel’ instead of ‘teach’. “I work in a brothel as an English teacher!”

#2           Mispronouncing the word for ‘friend’, and so unintentionally using the slang term for ‘husband’ – just picture what that means when I talk about my various ‘friends’ all over the country...

#3           Trying to ride a bicycle in a skirt.  Fail.

#4           Wearing thongs and jeans around for months, only to one day realise that nobody else dresses like that for work.

#5           Making friends with a bookstore owner who tried to give me half of her store as a gift of our friendship.

#6           Receiving a 30 minute sermon from an enthusiastic Pentecostal who didn’t realise I don’t speak that much Thai.

#7           Receiving a 45 minute lecture from a well-meaning, dear lady who took it upon herself to point out my shortcomings to me.

#8           Being wooed with Elvis Presley love songs by a man old enough to be my grandfather.  This lasted for an entire hour.  On a bus.  With no escape. (Except at the last minute, when I made a timely exit from the bus, and slipped away)

#9           Wearing a longi to school – but not wearing it right.  I had the seam showing, and had used two dirty big safety pins to hold it together.  The girls were curious as to how I’d done it, and so, in front of some of the boys, accosted me to find out (as in, they lifted up my shirt to see the top of the skirt).  My horror at this invasion of personal space gave great amusement to the students (who are master longi-wearers, and are not shy about these things).

#10         Wearing smart-looking, black fisherman pants to school – and being quietly, gently, told that really, only men wear those kind of pants in this part of the world.  Ah, I see.

#11         Being questioned on a weekly – sometimes daily – basis about my relationship status.  Now, as much as I prefer to tell the truth, doing so often results in people offering me assistance.  ‘Oh, you’re single?  I have a son who’s the same age as you!’ ‘I think you should marry a Thai man.’ ‘He’s single, he’s single, he’s single, oh, and he’s single, too.’ ‘We’ll just have to find you a husband.’

#12         Trying to cook decent Western treats for friends – and failing miserably.  I’ll either forget the recipe, forget an ingredient, or fail find self-raising flour.  To their credit, everybody always says it’s delicious... but let’s be honest, folks.  Those meat pies looked and tasted NOTHING like they should have.

#13         Being hauled up in front of large crowds – it could be to perform a song, an English lesson, an off-the-cuff Thai speech (I have not succeeded at this to date), collecting the offering at church... I just sigh, comply, and thank God that I don’t understand most of the comments people are making about me.

#14         The boys asking me to define terms such as 'flirtatious' and 'orgies'.  I just get a little uncomfortable around these topics, OK?!

Yet despite all these awkward moments, and the many awkward moments that are yet to come, I can’t help but laugh at myself.  Of course I’m going to make mistakes; I’m only 5 months old in this culture.

Also, as one friend explained to me, Thais love to have fun with words.  I’ve decided I like this Thai tradition of ‘playing with words’ – even though it’s taken me a good 5 months to adjust to this sense of humour.  However, I don’t think my language is anywhere NEAR good enough to make jokes myself.  I think I’ll wait awhile for that one.

And while I’m still finding my feet, at least I’m providing amusement for many, many gorgeous Asians.  A fool for Christ?  Well, it’s my desire to give all glory to God, so even when I can’t control the sanity of a situation, here’s trusting He can use these moments for His glory, too.

*Whilst it is sincerely hoped that one and all will find this interesting and humorous to read, no responsibility is taken if readers do not enjoy this blog.  

P.S. Sorry about the lack of photos!  I told you I've been lazy...

Attitude Adjustments



My first Asian haircut! Chorp mai? (Do you like it?)

Yo peeps.  What's doin'?  (I'm trying to be creative with my opening lines to these blogs.  Maybe I should try different languages...)
Gathering that, yet again, I have dropped the ball and not posted anything for a few weeks, I've decided to stop promising to write every single week, in case I disappoint you. 
However, know that I still love you!  And I'm working on the whole discipline issue.  Sometimes life is just too much fun.
Speaking of life, I want to share with you what it's been like for me (honestly) in the last few weeks.

It's not always been fun.  Actually, there's been a lot of character-shaping going on for me, which I'm sure you know is not pleasant at the time!  Since I've moved in with a Thai lady, I've been forced to look at my attitudes and motivations on a daily basis.  God has been talking to me about being patient.  About making an effort with every person - no matter how scary they seem, or how shy/lazy I am feeling.  About serving in love. Suddenly 1 Corinthians 13 has a whole new level of meaning, beyond the wedding vows!


Sunrise. I love sunrises.  I love mornings. I love seeing the sun
rise in the morning.



 I confess I started the week in lamenting my offer to babysit (this was after I'd had a few too many battle-of-the-wills with the kids).

God had smacked me on the back of the head by the end of the week, and reminded me that everything that must be in love.  Or is it worth nothing.  And I would have come here for nothing.

So, thank God for a change in attitude!  He's recolouring my world, and life is good and enjoyable again.

And to celebrate, here's a few pikkies to give you an insight into my little world in Thailand:



My house (2nd from the front)




My diligent, dedicated English students (I hope they will
become this one day) with the lady who teaches them Thai.
(I also live with this lovely lady)
((Aren't the kids just GORGEOUS?))

 

From the Thai side, looking at Burma

My love to you all!  Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and out-of-the-blue emails that remind me of you!

Holiday Fun

What to do with such a lovely day?
Visit one of my friend's farms!





G'day, folks!  It's been awhile, I know - and I'm afraid my excuse is the same as it was last time, when I didn't write for over 2 weeks.  I've been in Chiang Mai.  Actually, I've been in Chiang Mai, Mae Sarieng (close to Mae Hong Son), and Mae Sot, also.  Fun times!  Check a map for those places if you've not heard of them before.  They are NOT as close to each other as they appear to be.  I must've spent a total of 28 hours travelling to and from these places. There are all these mountains that get in the way, causing 200kms to take a lot longer than it would in Australia!

The view from Bala Op school.  Not bad, aye!

Anyway, photo time, did I hear you say?  Yes, photos and stories! 

CHIANG MAI

Here, I essentially bludged for 3 glorious days.  I accompanied three of my YWAM mates from Mae Sai - Steve, Maggie and Sarah.  We tripped around the city, visited coffee shops, went shopping, did all the 'farang' (foreigner) holiday activities.  I also spent one day with Megan (also from Australia), an awesome chicky who's busy teaching English in Mae Sot.  These were fun days, spending time with these friends.

BALA OP (very close to MAE SARIENG)

On the 30th of December, I'd had enough of the Big Smoke.  I yearned for fresh country air and wide open spaces!  So, thanks to the help of one of my friends from church, Sunan, I headed out to Bala Op.  Bala Op is a hilltribe village - the tribe being Lawa (Google them) - and many of my church friends come from either Bala Op, or another village close by.  These people are just gorgeous, and so very generous.  I had an absolute ball, filling 4 nights and 3 full days with village explorations, getting to know church friends better, chatting with locals, eating roasted piglet and talking deep into the night with girls and guys alike about the more serious issues in life (like what Australia's climate is like, and whether I have a boyfriend or not.  Hey, my language is still limited to certain topics, as is their English!).

Part of the reason for my visit to Bala Op was to participate in the Lawa's annual Christian conference.  Every year, a different village hosts this gathering of Lawa Christians (about 1000 people in total).  They see in the New Year together, listen to a guest speaker during the days, and worship with music during the nights.  This would have to be the most unusual way I have counted down to the New Year yet.

My church friends singing

 

Bring on 2011!

Another interesting aspect of my time in Bala Op (and this story I must tell, because it absolutely cracks me up) was witnessing a certain tradition that all young blokes participate in.  Allow me to elaborate.

After having seen in the New Year, at 12.00am on the 1st of January, I was sitting around the kitchen fire (which is in the floor) with my lovely friends Jam (22) and Nurse (18).  We were just contemplating hitting the sack (we all slept in the one room), when we heard numerous male voices outside.  Jam disappeared to investigate; Nurse and I stayed comfortable (and warm!) by the fire. 

The most common English phrase, after 'hello', is 'I love you.'
Not quite sure what my reply should be.

Suddenly, into the room trooped 10 Lawa guys, and took up residence opposite us, on the other side of the fire!  Nurse fled; Jam was nowhere to be found.   I was alone and abandoned, faced with 10 men and a deepening feeling of uncertainty.  Perhaps my marriage was being arranged as we spoke; perhaps they were rebels from another village and I was going to be carried off into the night.

In amongst the kerfuffle of broken English (for those who wanted to practise), Thai and Lawa (yes, they have their own language, so even with my limited Thai, I was still stuffed), I managed to ask what on earth they were doing! 

Their answer? 'It's tradition!  We will go and visit every house that has single girls in them.'

Some guys from church with Jam and me

Ah, I see. 

And so they came - different groups of different boys - every night, until very late.  I never once got to bed before 2am.  It turns out Jam had known all along.  I guess she had her own crowd to chat with while I was interrogated inside the house.  And Nurse?  She soon recovered from her shyness and reappeared to chat with one group until 4am in the morning. 

Tradition, huh! 

MAE SOT

Guess how many people were crammed onto this songtaew...
If the people in my songtaew were anything to go by,
there's probably still room for 15 more.

Having recovered from my blast of a time in Mae Sarieng, I braved the 6-hour journey onwards to Mae Sot, to visit afore-mentioned fellow Aussie, Megan.  Sharing my space (note to self: there is no such thing as a personal bubble in Asia) with 4 chickens, one lovely Karen girl called Nora, and varying amounts of fellow passengers (usually between 26-30 people), I endured the seemingly never-ending trip, to arrive in Mae Sot by 5pm.  Never have I been so grateful for a hot shower.  Well, perhaps once or twice before, but this is the most recent incident.

Post-traumatic-journey, Megan and I biked all over Mae Sot for a few days, visiting some of her favourite food haunts, and meeting her students.  This, I loved.  Meeting some inspiring students (if you know her, ask her for some stories), learning more about these two countries, and getting a feel for where my beloved Karen friends (in Townsville) come from.

I hope to revisit Mae Sot again soon.  3 days wasn't long enough!

HOMEWARD BOUND

Finally, I grew weary of travelling.  I longed to plant my feet back on solid ground, running towards the goal of working with God in Mae Sai.  So, I returned to Mae Sai.  12 hours by bus, from Mae Sot to Mae Sai, ending up with 2 bags missing (because I thought the bus would stay put in Chiang Mai, but it didn't!  It ran away!)

Eating with Jam's extended family

Praise God though, because after a week of anxious waiting, both bags have been returned by His awesome hand!  A lesson well-learned on my behalf, and another reason to thank God for His goodness.

My heart still thrills at the fun times I had for 2 glorious weeks, and I thank God for the good times, good friends, and good food I was blessed to experience.  Now, it's time to knuckle down and get into life in Mae Sai!  More details to follow, next blog.

Love you lot, heaps and heaps!  Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support - I would not, could not, be here without you pushing me onwards.