I think another reason my sense of time is disillusioned is because it's always summer here. Sure, it occasionally gets "cool," but it's nothing like the seasonal changes I'm used to. I left Texas when it was hot, and I've been hot ever since. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but the lack of seasons plays a trick on my brain.
I have missed some things from America, mostly my dog, Sammy. The hard parts have been realizing I'm missing my nephews growing up or important events in my family, such as one sister's university graduation and the other's wedding. And I also miss certain conveniences, like having a church that I already fit into and being able to by good looking clothes that somewhat fit or soaps without skin-whiteners. Missing these things was part of the deal; I knew these sacrifices were necessary for coming and staying here, so I don't regret them.
As far as an update on "things," well, they're coming together slowly. Moving here, I credited myself with a "go with the flow" personality, something I thought would be crucial and helpful to my survival here, and it has been. But living here has also helped me build patience, something I have always lacked and probably will always struggle with. When I made my plan, I didn't have specific time goals or deadlines because I knew there was no way to tell when things should or would happen and I didn't want to feel failure and become discouraged when it wasn't really failure. (I hope that made sense.) That was definitely a good idea.
The first goal that was accomplished was finding a place to live and a good community of friends. A Thai friend I made during my last visit to Chiang Mai said he had an open room in his house of Christian guys. However, I spent my first three months in an apartment while I waited for a vacancy. The guy that was supposed to move out by the time I arrived in August decided to stay longer (he eventually moved out the following June). After moving in, it was easier to get to know the guys and some of my other new friends. Lots of cheap Thai food can be found in my area, so there were lots of eating and talking.
The next thing that fell into place was finding a job. Actually, this one sort of happened earlier than planned. My original plan was to wait until late September or October to apply at Chiang Mai University and other universities. Boredom from idleness got the best of me, so I decided to apply for some part-time work to help keep me busy and sane. Within two or three days of my first application I started my first job, an English camp over a weekend. It was a few hours a day, Friday through Sunday. Come Sunday afternoon, I was asked to return on Monday to observe classes to see if I would be interested in a full-time position at a bilingual school. When I showed up, I was asked to actually teach a class, partly because it would serve as a demo lesson but also because a teacher was sick and they needed someone to fill in. I got the job on the spot and finished the school year and taught some summer classes, working until the beginning of May. That's when I applied at CMU and was hired on as full-time. I've learned and am continuing to learn from these jobs, and I'm very excited to be working at CMU.
One thing that is taking some time to accomplish is finding a church I fit in well. The English-speaking churches near me seem to be for show, an act, and therefore don't interest me. The Thai-speaking churches, well, are in Thai. I've visited a couple, and they seem very genuine, but I don't speak enough Thai to be able to understand without an interpreter. I feel bad having to have a friend translate. Sometimes I feel it can be a distraction to others or the interpreter, even though people say they don't mind. This item on my list is still a work in progress.
Tied into the lack of a church home, is my last goal, ministry. I still don't have a clear way to contribute to others in a day-to-day basis. I think having a church home would definitely help me in developing means of ministry. I can't let that be an excuse, so I'm trying to do the best I can now. So far it has included being a good friend, to Christians and to others. From that, I'm sure opportunities will present themselves. I have been able to introduce my university students to Christian friends that can befriend them. I'm being careful with what I do and keeping the teacher-student boundaries clear. That doesn't mean I can't be friendly. I'm trying to plan a game night like a friend of mine does, who is also a university instructor. He invited his students to play games and eat food while making friends and practicing English.
So, that's basically the last year. Now I'm looking to the future. What will it look like? The most common question I'm asked is how much longer I plan on staying here. Well, my plan was, is, five years. One down, four to go. Of course, things can change; just like everything else regarding timing, the duration of my stay can lengthen or even possibly shorten. I'm keeping five years in Thailand as the general idea of long I will be here, but it's not definite. Returning to Thailand after taking care of business in the US is also an option. During my remaining time here, I would still like to fulfill some of my other purposes of living here, such as facilitating people interested or curious about living here and possibly having some sort of ministry by hosting or helping them.
I'm going to end it here for now and find some great pictures to add below.
-Derek
