Land of a Thousand Smiles

Being in Thailand just for four days was like a breath of much needed fresh air.

The people we came across in Bangkok were friendly, generous, and beautiful. We loved it so much at our hotel that we pretty much cancelled all our other plans to just bum around the area our hotel was in. Why spend money and travel around when you are content and enjoying yourself right where you are?

Our budget was tight. Very tight. Being there as a tourist made me again long for home. If only Romel and I were living and working in the U.S. then we'd have much more money to spend in Thailand. As if money would have made us happier. We had fun in spite of money issues. We were just happy that it all came together quite wonderfully! We booked a hotel for three nights the same price it usually cost one night at that hotel. Going to Thailand in the off-season is the best way to go. We pretty much walked everywhere and though it was tiring, it was fun to see more of the city and people that way. With a 7 Eleven on every corner we were never far from a respite from the hot, humid air. I thought it was monsoon there, but it barely sprinkled rain a few times.

We really had a great time. We were exhausted every night when we went to bed and were always filling our stomachs with delicious street foods and pad thai noodles. We even brought pad thai back home with us. I was seriously happy to eat shrimp. I ate shrimp everywhere I could! You might think that's funny, but shrimp is hard to come by in India and it's small and it's expensive. I love shrimp. In Thailand seafood is pretty much everywhere. Squid, shrimp, mussels, fish, crab, lobsters, it was like we were eating under the sea itself. But we were more interested in the fact that McDonalds actually had beef. I finally was able to eat a cheeseburger and their fries were way better than Indian McDonalds. They even had sizes similar to US standards! I was in heaven on earth.

Did I mention there was a Starbucks?

In our line of work we rarely, rarely, rarely get to buy fun things. You know, things we want. We managed to purchase a few fun "want" items such as tank tops, pants, some amazing leather bags, and some instant noodles for Romel. He loves instant noodles. I personally am not a fan, but that's what we got pad thai noodles for.

All this to say, we really had a good time. It was a genuine vacation and I have not had one of those for many years. Even our honeymoon does not count as a vacation. This was the real deal. We were there to relax, do whatever we wanted, and enjoy each other's company in a new and exciting place! We are both very thankful to have been able to go.

This is our we-just-made-it-past-immigration-and-everything-went-better-than-expected face.

Khao San Road. Ten minute walk from our hotel and where we spent the majority of our time.

Some cool elephant statues.

Outside the Grand Palace.

Yeah, we're married.

Tuk tuk. We only rode in one of these one time. It was so fast! India needs to get on this.

Wat Pho Temple entrance.

Hello Buddhas.

And more Buddhas.

Another Buddha.

I was wearing inappropriately short shorts and so was forced to wear the modesty skirt inside the temple. I liked it a lot actually.

Hunk.

Just a monk with an umbrella.

The famous reclining Buddha! I like his toes.

Street food! We ate anything and everything off of carts on the street. It's funny how people always advice tourists to never eat street food, but it's literally the best and most authentic food there is.

Romel in Chinatown. Obviously posed.

It's already July!!

Well, not quite July, but pretty much!

This month flew by. This year is flying by. This school has flown by.

There are just five days left of this wonderful (stressful, annoying, obnoxious, inconceivable) School of Biblical Studies. No, I really have enjoyed this school though it took a while to get here at this current level of enjoyment.

My time and commitment at this place is quickly coming to an end. The graduation for this school is on Friday, this upcoming Friday, and then I get one week of a break where I will be laying in bed all day reading fantasy and/or dystopian young adult novels any time I am not sleeping. Then, after the week break I will be continuing my "commitment" for three more weeks and then I am DONE. Finished. Completed. No more commitment. No more stress (haha, that's funny). No more responsibilities. No more worries. No more forced conversations. No more frustrations with The Man. At least for some time.

I am looking forward to a much needed break. After three years of non-stop working, I look forward to resting and focusing on my marriage and getting back to the U.S.

I have loved this season of my life. I have loved meeting all these new students and staff. I have loved reading assignments and laughing or crying because of the student's personal stories. I have loved working with these people who have come to become my family here in India. I have loved teaching and sharing my heart with the staff and students, even if some don't listen or understand.  I have loved eating rice and daal and other masalas with these guys for the past three years. I have loved making new life-long friends through this campus. It's been an amazing, challenging, stressful, and fulfilling time. I got married here! I cannot and will not forget how this place has changed the course of my life. Many things have happened that have made me wish I never came, but many things have also happened that reminded me that I am where I am supposed to be and have been here for a reason over the past three years.

I have peace when I think about finishing up the next month and being done with my commitment. I know that now is the time to still live in obedience but focused on a different "mission" in life: family. Establishing and continuing friendships and family relationships at home, a place I have not been for a long time. I am ready to stay in Minnesota for more than two months. I am ready to invest in people's lives at home. I am ready to process and reflect on my time in India the past four years.

I am ready for something new yet familiar. I am ready for my husband to set foot on American soil. I am ready to always have access to whole grain bread, hundreds of different apples, whipped cream, Ben and Jerry's, Starbucks, and STEAK. I am ready for those things. I embrace this change and shift in life focus.

I will always feel like I belong to India and when I am in the U.S. I know that I will stare at Indians there as they stare at me here, wondering where they're from, how I can become friends with them, will they let me babysit their children, and other questions that cross my mind.

India is a part of me; a part of my life. It always will be and I am happy for that. India is not a perfect place, but it has been a perfect place for me to experience God in ways I never would have in the U.S. When I look back on my life to a time my faith was really tested and strengthened it will be this time.

When I sat down to write in my blog today I was not even thinking to write about all this, but it seems my fingers have spoken without me even really trying. Thanks for following me over these past three-four years. I have also been stalking following most of you as well. I'll continue to write in this blog until my very last breath, and once I'm done with my commitment here I will probably write in it a lot more often which will mostly be daily posts full of stories and pictures of my cats.

I will be getting these two in two weeks. The white/orange one and then that tiny one with the red circle over his/her face. We do not yet have names for them but as I mentioned above, I'll keep you all posted on anything that has to do with my kitties.