Bangkok...sans Brittany

After returning to Bangkok to prepare for imminent flooding (that never materialized in our area), I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I cleaned, read, stocked up on canned food and drinking water, and spent lots of time with two friends with whom I became very close. Brittany decided to stay in the US for an extra week, making her absence a total of three weeks. She had lots of new opportunities for networking and marketing Thai Song that would be lost if she came back as early as she planned. It was a difficult decision because she really wanted to be in Bangkok to help with the flood relief effort. However, we agreed that she should stay for the long-term good of Thai Song rather than rush back to help with more immediate needs that were already being addressed by others.

Dagmar's Birthday

In retrospect, while I missed Brittany during her absence, I feel that those three weeks challenged and stretched me more than the previous two months combined had. I experienced the pressure of making decisions on my own, the difficulty of trying to do seemingly basic things on my own in a foreign country without speaking the language. I was never in real danger, or without people to whom I could call but was forced to at least try things without help. The two friends whom I mentioned earlier (named Dagmar and Averyl) were wonderfully helpful and supportive. They encouraged me to do things on my own, but were only a phone call away if I needed anything. It was exhilarating, and frustrating at the same time. It gave me a much more authentic understanding of what it is like to live overseas. I liked it, but I think that was in part due to my knowledge of a foreseeable end to the situation. I knew I would be leaving in less than a month, so I embraced the moment without feeling trapped.

Rock Climbing

Dagmar and Averyl have a wonderful gift of hospitality, and welcomed me into their lives for that last week of Brittany’s absence. We made meals together, shopped together (primarily at Ikea, which had just opened in Bangkok), talked and laughed together. We went rock climbing at a fitness center one day, then out to a Mexican restaurant afterward. They invited me to go out with their friends for Dagmar’s birthday to a German restaurant. They were incredibly encouraging and helpful in my effort to process and conclude my time in Thailand well, as well as prepare for the future. 

Life Jackets

YWAM was in full flood relief mode, and most of the normal operations were suspended due to the crisis. Both Dagmar and Averyl are involved in the leadership of the base and were (are) consequently involved in the relief efforts. I went along with them on a couple of occasions to lend my aid, but I wasn’t super helpful. One of the major things Dagmar was coordinating was the construction of life jackets out of rice bags and empty plastic bottles. I don’t know who came up with the idea, but it was pretty ingenious. That was something I could help with in spite of my lack of Thai language skills. 

Also during this time I had the wonderful opportunity to reunite with my dear friend Chey Foran, from YWAM Denver. She staffed my Disicipleship Training School (DTS) three years ago and led my outreach to Argentina. I haven’t seen her since. In the last year she left YWAM staff in Denver and started a non-profit organization dedicated to reaching at risk children with art. The name of the organization is The Art and Justice League (http://www.facebook.com/artandjustice?sk=wall). She and the other two members of the staff came to Thailand on a scouting mission to explore ways they could partner with and gain access to at risk children in Thailand and Cambodia. Their plans were amended by the flooding, and they ended up staying in Bangkok longer than they expected. So, I got to hang out with them for a whole afternoon! It was wonderful to catch up with Chey and hear more about her passion for art!