What We’ll Miss

Posted on 20. Apr, 2010 by April in Thailand

As crazy as it seems, less than two weeks from now we’ll be saying goodbyes and getting on a plane on our journey back to the US.  It’s a little surreal to pack our stuff up and begin to orient our minds towards life stateside.  Of course there are mixed emotions… we’re excited to see everyone we’ve missed, but there are things we’ll miss from here as well….

Top Ten Things We’ll Miss From Thailand

10. Sunny Skies

I think I’ve forgotten how many cloudy days the midwest experiences.  I guess during rainy season we had a few cloudy days, but it is very rare for the sun to stay hidden for the whole day.  Sunshine just seems happier!  Although, I must admit, I don’t always appreciate it like I should when it’s 98 degrees outside

9. Walking

With no car, we end up doing a lot of walking here. Even when taking public transportation (bus, boat, subway) there is a lot more walking involved. It provides automatic exercise without even thinking about it! Plus, we haven’t had to worry about buying gas, car repairs, scraping ice off the windshield, etc. Cars can be a headache sometimes.

8. Fewer Dishes

Our lifestyle here has been a lot of eating out. Street food costs less than what it would cost for us to cook a meal at home, and our apartment doesn’t have much in the way of a kitchen… Both cheaper and easier? Yeah.. easy choice. So that also means we have fewer dishes to wash! It may be a shock to my system to go back to washing dishes for three meals a day

7. Fruit

I have always been a fruit lover. You can ask my mom. Thailand has such a wide variety of fruits available everywhere at all times of the year! I love that we can stop at a street vendor and buy a little bag of cut fruit to eat while we walk. Even though we can get things like pineapples and bananas in the midwest, they aren’t as delicious after traveling so far.

6. Ministry

Watching people come to know Jesus, get baptized and grow in their faith has been a huge highlight of our time here. As with all ministry, there have been times of disappointment and frustration as well. But in the end, all the faces that are part of church who weren’t there when we first arrived are a testimony to the work of God in Thailand. We will miss being part of the “front lines” of evangelism.

5. Scenery

Sure, we live in a big city. But it doesn’t take too long to get to beautiful beaches or scenic mountains. I am a huge fan of tropical foliage, and Thailand has plenty of it. On any of our trips away from Bangkok, I can be thoroughly entertained by just watching the scenery go by… rice fields, coconut groves, quaint villages, rolling hills, forests, etc.

4. Flexibility

Time schedules and plans are much more flexible in Thai culture. So, if I take too much time getting out of the house and arrive late, or if I’m not feeling well at the last minute and have to cancel, I don’t have to feel guilty. Everyone is accustomed to that kind of stuff. Plans are very flexible and can be changed at the last minute. This is also a word of warning to A-type personalities planning to visit Thailand- things may, and probably will, change. Don’t be surprised.

3. Food

Thai food is tasty. And it’s fun to eat. Eating “Thai style” is to eat with all the dishes in the middle of the table and your own plate of rice. You use your spoon to collect bites of the things you want to eat, combine with your rice, and enjoy. This family style gives you a chance to try many different things, and also gives a friendly feeling of sharing food. Plus, eating outdoors on plastic stools is always an adventure

2. International Interactions

While sometimes frustrating, it is also fun to be immersed in another culture. There is so much to learn that you don’t know. It’s like being a child again and having to learn what is polite and expected. And you feel so successful when you’re able to communicate something in another language. Bangkok is such a big city that it’s not only Thai culture we can interact with. There are large populations of many different ethnicities residing here.

1. Friends

We’ve made some good friends here. Friends we can have fun with, and friends we can share our hearts with. Many of them we have seen almost everyday for a year! When we leave we won’t be able to just drive a few hours to visit them. Who knows when we will see them again. We are grateful for the wonderful people we have been able to know during our time here and we will certainly miss them!

Tags: food, friends, ministry, Thailand