Life is Learning

So Jonas (Pastor Jonas?), told me I should blog about what I've learned in the month or so I've been here. But I've decided to depart from my usual blogs where I try to capture the complexities in my mind to something simple. Let's see if I can even do this and still be interesting.

Things I've learned in the past month:
1. 7-11's in Thailand are the best in the world (note I've only been to 7-11's in the US, Japan, and Thailand). Why? Because as Christian Kim so correctly pointed out, the 37 baht (roughly 1 dollar) Chicken Steak Burger is simply delectable.

2. Speaking of food, I brought like two tubs of red pepper paste, one tub of soy bean paste, a jar of black bean paste, and a bunch of boxes of curry and ramen, and it turns out that it's more expensive to cook at home than to just go out and eat. (It's obviously not the same case for Japanese short-term missionaries, so Iris Park pack them dwenjangs!) And the Lord is good because a new Korean restaurant opened up next door (5 minutes walking). Kimchi jjigae for 1 dollar, LA galbi (or something like it) for a buck fifty. And all the kimchi you can eat.

3. However, it turns out my favorite food to eat is Japanese. The fish isn't high quality at all here, and sometimes I wonder if I'll get parasites, but a sushi roll for a dollar?! It's worth the risk. Plus, donkatsu, katsudon, katsu curry, it's all goooooood! =)

3.5 I miss Mexican food, and I miss cheese. I miss Chipotle, guacamole, In-N-Out, and Jack In the Box. So somebody eat those things for me and think about me and pray for me. Ahaha.

4. I've tried to go to coffee shops here and study Thai. However, my study skills have not changed very much since college. To me, if someone says let's go study at a coffee shop, it means that we're just gonna hang out at least 80% of the time we're there and maybe touch our books for 20%. I would always study at the last minute at my apartment by myself. That's the only way I really know how to study.

5. Riding a motorscooter or driving a manual car on the opposite side of the road is really not that hard. Even when driving lane lines are merely "guidelines." (If there are two lanes, you'll see three lanes of vehicles.) Sometimes if you miss a stop, you just turn your bike around and backtrack towards oncoming traffic. It's just the Thai way to do things. And there's not many accidents (at least I haven't see one so far), so why are cops so anal in America?

6. Air conditioning is one of God's greatest gifts to man, but life goes on with out it. Thailand has three seasons and they affectionately call them hot, hotter, and hottest. But as long as I have a fan, I'm fine. I got used to the heat. But take away the fan, and I'm not so sure anymore.

7. I learned how to do laundry regularly after four years of taking it home on the weekends (Thanks Mom!). It's really not that hard, and I don't even bother to separate colors. And no dryers. Only God's heat. I wonder if I'll still do laundry when I get back home.

8. Thai people may be more crazy about Korean music than Korean Americans. Girl's Generation > 2NE1 > Davichi > Wonder Girls > F(x). There's some students here that speak Korean better than English. Why didn't I pay more attention in Korean class? (or Thai class for that matter).

Some more serious ones:
9. Jesus is the Word. The Word is life. One day without time with God in His Word and prayer is killer here. You can literally feel it. That's how strong the spiritual battlefield is here.

10. As much as I feel I was brainwashed by countless VBS's and Sunday schools, I thank God for these things. There's so much you learn about God or the Bible that you just take for granted. But it's a huge encouragement to see recently converted Christians so hungry to learn about what their new life in Christ entails in terms of belief, action, attitude and thought.

11. Yes, I have begun to miss my friends and family a little. So treasure your moments with those around you and make relationships meaningful. Talk about something deep, talk about something wonderful, talk about God. Pray together, study the Word together. I wish I could do those things.

12. Men need to step it up on the mission field as well as Thai churches. I think a good 80% of the Thai church is female, and if I were to count the short-term missionaries here right now that I'm working with, there's me and three girls. In a couple months it's gonna be me and five girls. Is it really as great as it sounds? No. Brothers need brotherly accountability and (to borrow from KCM) FELLAship or MANistry. ahaha, these guys....

13. The purpose of short-term missions is to help long-term missions. The purpose of mid-term missions is to help long-term missions. We need to pray for and support full-time missions as much as possible. Seriously, what can one team do in a month, or one man do in a year without knowing language, culture, etc.?

14. Beyond all this and including all this, I'm having the time of my life here learning about Thai culture (and in reflection, American culture), and God. He's brought me here to love Him more and be a part of His love for all people of the world. God is good!