Wales vs. Isaan

Living overseas means life is constantly throwing up contrasts and comparisons. Spending 2 years here, then returning to Wales for 3 months and then coming back here has felt a little like living two lives, in two different worlds. So I thought it was rather appropriate that on my return to Thailand I had to report to Immigration within 24 hours that 'the alien' has taken up residence again. :)

It can be disorientating for us aliens as we shuttle back and forth between our worlds, often feeling like the only thing certain is Uncertainty. So humour me as I use this blog post to process some of my thoughts in a match usually commentated only in my head.

How Wales is hard to beat	Why Isaan is awesome
I can hug my Mum.  My brother makes me laugh till I cry.  My church family remind me how to pray.  I can enjoy hot baths and snuggle in a duvet.  Roast dinner… mmm… enough said.  I can go for long walks.  People think it’s normal to drink tea my way.  I can string sentences together, read and write without even trying.  I can flush toilet paper.	Eating out is cheap as chips… or cheaper.  You can wear T-shirts and shorts in winter.  Mangoes and sticky rice… mmm…  I can chill in my hammock outside at night.  Planning meals is easy – it’s always rice.  My team are amazing and diverse.  House church reminds me that simple is effective, and engagement isn’t optional.  2 hours in the sun makes laundry bone dry.
But then…
It’s almost always windy, raining or both.  Idols are everywhere - money, entertainment, independence, comfort...  Everything costs 2-10 times as much.  The sea is always too cold to swim in, even in summer.  You can’t get stuff fixed, you have to get a new one  You have to wait ages for laundry to dry.	Idols and spirit shrines are everywhere.  They speak 2 languages, neither of which is English.  You’re covered in sweat by the time you get dressed from the shower.  Cockroaches crawl out of the sink.  Mosquito and ant bites are no fun.   Watching TV isn't relaxing.  Driving hazards keep the adrenaline flowing.

I consider myself truly blessed to be able to live in two worlds - but I am surer than ever that I am here in Isaan because God wants me here. Since getting back, I have hit the ground running. I'm grateful that this time round, I can speak the language fairly well, have good Thai friends and can plug into various ministries where God has opened doors. But so as not to rush into things, and to re-orientate myself, I have taken this week to wait on God.

Lord, thank you for the unique way you have wired each of us. Please show us the passions you have placed in us, and lead us into all you have purposed, to bear fruit for your kingdom in the particular way that only I can bear. Wherever you have placed us, help us to know, more than ever, that we are hidden in your heart. Help us to follow your heartbeat.       Amen.