The Travel Bug Calling

You know, some people say I've caught "the travel bug."  And that maybe, I caught it when I first trekked around Europe with my French Horn 9 years ago (surprised emoticon face inserted here for you... if only I could find the Blogger emoticons).  This "travel bug" was then fueled by a few mission trips I went on, then by student-teaching abroad; then some people thought it was over once I finished living in Africa.  Except that then I moved to Thailand.

And now....

(stay tuned!)

But what if "the travel bug" is just an easier way of describing a calling in life.  A purpose beyond what I could have ever thought up, or actually beyond what I wanted.  It's like this - when I stretch in my bedroom after I wake up, I stretch a little, then I stop when my muscles begin to feel the burn.  It takes someone pushing me to stretch beyond comfort-level (this is why yoga classes work for me), and when I'm challenged to stretch just a little deeper, to breathe into the tight places - it's after that that I can see the reasons why a deeper stretch is necessary - after half an hour, my body goes beyond what it could've in the beginning.  If I only ever stretched just up until it starts to hurt, then eventually, the purpose of stretching at all would be nullified because I'd never be getting anywhere.  Does this make sense?    

So when people see what I do and read about these adventures, what if they could truly read inside me and find that I have not "caught" any thing, but instead I have only opened my hands; I have allowed myself to stretch further, deeper.  I was happy in my charming Fort Worth neighborhood, in my cute little apartment, with my funny girlfriends and in my loving church, living so nearby my family.  The Lord saw something more fitting for me, though - He beckoned me to stretch a little deeper.  Then when I got there, He coached me and said, "Breathe into those tight places.  They need oxygen."  

So, if you're not gagging at my stretching analogy yet, please continue reading.  I have been loosened up.  My heart has been loosened up.  Dear kt, Christ is in you.  Christ is in you, a new creation, the hope of glory.  When you're so critical of yourself, don't you see that you are condemning the one that I created?  There's a story in the Bible (John 8) about a woman who was caught in the act of adultery.  whoa.  embarrassing.  Men brought her to Jesus to shame her and accuse her of sin, but Jesus just said, "And who among you has no sin?"  SNAP.  So they left.  When they did, the woman was all alone with Jesus - she was on the ground and He was standing up, asking her, "Who is it now that condemns you?"  (are you picturing her crying out her woes into her hands that are cupped around her face?)  She answered, "No one."  Because there was no one left there to condemn and shame her.  Jesus says to her, "And neither do I. Go now and leave your life of sin."  

No, I didn't leave Texas to leave a life of sin.  Follow the context, here!  But I did bring something with me when I came to Thailand, and I didn't even know it ---> self-condemnation.  A criticism that has infiltrated e v e r y thing I do.  Not in the most negative way possible, but in little ways; little ways that affect daily decisions, the words I use, the things I think, my assertiveness or passivity.  

Well, these days in Thailand I have been gently pushed to breathe into those tight places, to allow oxygen to reach them, to allow life to flow into them.  My innermost places have been stretched and strengthened.  Here's the glorious part - I am not condemned.  There IS no condemnation for those who are in Christ.  There is none!  So when I'm hard on myself or when I recognize a place that needs growth (therrrre it is, just recognizing places that need growth), I can say "Thank you, Lord.  Thank you, God."  I've gone deeper, been stretched farther, strengthened from the inside out, and thankfully, because this is a calling and not just a bug to get out of my system, I am not done... not with the growth nor with the adventure.  

... Even if I am back in Fort Worth, Texas.  ;)  (aren't you glad you stayed tuned?)  Trying to make time for Blogger amidst the packing and the goodbyes.  If you're new to my blog, check out www.crics.asia to read about the amazing school I've been a part of this year.  

My Assessment of a Professional Thai Futbol Game

[Another late April post, finished it tonight]

Today I attended my first ever professional soccer game.

I live about 5-10 minutes from the Chiang Rai United Futbol Stadium, so I determined at the beginning of this year to go see a game.

I anticipated this experience and imagined myself in a sea of orange, pretending to know what each Thai cheer or whistle meant, just like Elizabeth Gilbert in her Italian soccer game chapter of Eat, Pray, Love.  That's the only soccer game 'schema' I had to compare my future experience to.

That, and the time I "tried" playing on a soccer team in 2nd grade.  It was exactly as you'd imagine a 2nd grade girls' soccer team would be.
My team scored 1 point *one point* the entire season, and it rained at just about every game (of course it did, it's because 7 and 8 year old ex-ballerinas had to chase a ball up and down a field of mud for an hour).  Etched into my memory is Jeannie Loyd washing the mud off my legs with her spray bottle on a gloomy day.  Those are my soccer memories.

BUT ANYWAY, my soccer experience in Thailand was much, much better.

It was actually just like I imagined, and I loved every bit of it.

Fans tailgating ~

Fried food and beer ~
(don't worry, all I had was water and some nori sushi chips.  2 of them....)

A sea of orange ~

Everybody cheering ~

I didn't know much about soccer before tonight.  Aside from the failed 2nd grade trial of my athleticism, my only experiences with soccer include the following:

1. My friend, Jessica, played soccer when we were in high school.  
2. Turner played soccer as a kid, and I had a crush on one of his teammates. 
3. orange slices.  

I was so excited just to be at the Chiang Rai United game, though.  Thais get really into the games, they're all very "united" about the plays, so it's quite fun.  Even when the team made errors on the field (okay, I grew up with baseball, can there be "errors on the field" in soccer?), everyone still seemed pumped to be there.  So, I'm sitting there in the 904983 degree Thailand heat, and all I could think about was David Beckham.

8-)

:-*  

;;;)

David Beckham gets my large-font googly eyes.   I guess I could've included him on my list of things that I know/experiences about soccer.  Well, then all I could think about was David Beckham driving that boat on the Thames during the London Olympics Opening Ceremony.  And well, the rest of the game was history since that's all I could think about.

But in case you want the deets about the REST of the game, ;) I'll let you know what happened.

First,
I watched and watched and watched waiting to see how a professional soccer game begins (do they flip a coin?  is it determined beforehand?  home-field advantage?  cast lots or what?).  I looked down at my cup of water to take a sip from the straw for one second and that's when the game started.  We got the ball, though, so that's good.

Next,
It only took only two whistles from the start of the game for a guy from the opposing team to be rolling around on the ground writhing in pain.  I told Edie, who was sitting next to me, "Oh no, that guy is in pain, no one's even paying attention to him, this is so bad!"  LOL, now I can laugh at it because after that, every other play had a guy rolling around on the ground "writhing" in fake pain.  They fake it a lot to buy time, apparently.  I bet David Beckham doesn't do that....

8-)
:-*
8-)'''''

^that last one has drool.  =)  


Well anyway, that's about it.  I hope the brevity of my synopsis of a professional futbol game didn't offend any die hard soccer fans/the rest of the world.  The game really was tons of fun and made for a great memory and an exciting cultural experience (did I mention tickets only cost $3?).    

Hey, Blogger ;)  Heard you write blogs.  So cool.  :]

Class Dismissed, Katie

I didn't close my eyes to keep my tears from falling, I wanted to watch my students (Kinder - 3rd since I also teach Music).  We were all singing...

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel? 

Will I dance for you, Jesus?  Or in awe of You, be still? 

Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing "Hallelujah!"  ... Will I be able to speak at all? 


I stood behind one of my students who is already a leader as we sang at chapel a few Tuesdays ago.  I thought about how I WILL get to see her in heaven someday, because heaven is real, and she knows, believes and loves Jesus.  How incredible and right it is that even 20 years apart in age and from completely different cultures, this little girl and I share an understanding that God is who He says He is, and that He does what He says He will do.   

So I found myself imagining what it may be like to stand with her in view of the Lord someday, wondering if her peers would all be there, wondering who she will bring with her to see the face of Jesus.  

I also wonder how many books these children will publish in their lifetime.
Listening to them proudly read me their stories were some of the most priceless experiences I've had in teaching.  

School is finished and five consecutive years of teaching have come to a close (I think).  I'll explain my future plans later.  For now, just let me be a little melancholy.  In the next few blogs I'll post, taste the little bits of where the majority of my time has been spent this year ~ you'll understand why I have been so affected by the CRICS family, whom I love deeply. 

Songkran

Songkran.

... the funniest festival ever.

... the biggest water fight ever.

... the only time I would ever let a complete stranger rub talcum powder on my face while I wait for the pump to finish at the gas station.

... also the only time I'll think it's fun for more complete strangers to dump a bucket full of ice cold [ARCTIC] water all over me.

... and probably the only time I'll ever ride around downtown in the back of a pickup truck shooting with a water gun aimed at people who don't speak my language.

*Songkran* 

In Thailand, the New Year celebration comes in April, the hottest time of year (although compared to these days, I'm like "late April, you got nothin' on May/month of SAUNA LIVING."  In Chiang Rai, it's currently 90ish degrees outside and it's 10:45 PM.  It feels a lot like a Texas summer, but with 50% humidity and limited air conditioning.  I happen to love it.  It's great for my waves and my plants.  ;)

The Songkran Festival is a time when Thais show honor and respect for their elders (in our school, this means anyone above the age of 50).  They use water as a blessing, and it's poured over the hands or lightly on the back of older people.  It really is neat living in a country that respects their elders and honors them so much.  At some point in the past few decades, this "sprinkling of water" turned into a full-fledged, country-wide water fight.  

See? 

The water fight/sprinkling of blessings lasts for about 5 days.  The picture below was about 3 days after Songkran began in the third week of April.  This was not an uncommon thing to encounter as we pulled up to stoplights.  We actually avoided riding our bikes during Songkran because people stand outside with water hoses and buckets, "blessing" anybody that rides or walks by. 

I'm just glad he had bubbles.

Nellie, Mandy and I headed to downtown Chiang Rai on the official day of Songkran just to see everything and be part of it... in a simple way.  People that we walked by dumped buckets of water over us, and I quickly realized it would be one of those days when I just had to roll with it; I knew the day would end up being fun and would make for great memories.  It was even better than I expected.  

SUPRIIIISE!!! 

We stopped at a coffee shop to have a snack and noticed a truck of farangs (white foreigners) driving by.  Turns out, it was a group of our friends!  They picked us up a little later and we got to "ride the gauntlet" as one of them described it.  This is what it looked like:  

After riding the gauntlet and getting SOAKED TO THE BONE with ice that I swear came from Antarctica, we actually decided we hadn't had enough, so we made some new friends and continued the fun for a few more hours.  
*(picture a block of ice filling a jumbo trashcan, that's literally what they used)

While the day is a fun water fight, it is actually a very spiritual holiday.  Not only are elders given blessings, but Thai Buddhists use this holiday to give alms to the monks, to practice rituals to pay for the sins of their passed away relatives, and many young men and boys enter the process of becoming a monk.  During the week-long celebration of Songkran, Buddhists sprinkle water on their Buddha images as a cleanse.  And, turns out, the talcum powder that was rubbed on our faces at the gas station was actually meant for our "protection to ward off evil" (I did a little research on the Buddhist symbolism of Songkran).  Nellie and I just thought the purpose was to cool us off from the heat.  =p  

Those are my 2nd graders.  :) 

The week before Songkran started, my school did its own celebration.  Our Thai staff planned an excellent day of various Songkran events.  They maintained the cultural significance of the holiday without the influence of Buddhism in it.  


Every child, every parent and every teacher participated in the school-wide water fight at the end of the holiday program, ages 2 to 60+.  What sweet memories.  This doesn't happen everywhere - once again, how grateful I am to be part of this community and to get to spend this year in this country.
  

I couldn't take any more pictures than this, too much water and too much fun to be had!   

Teaser

Stay tuned so I can explain this:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May I Remind You, love

Introduction: 
Thai culture and fun school-related posts are in the works - been writing just a bit at a time.  I wrote this one back in early December.  I've come back to it every now and then because it reminds me of who God is.  May it do the same for you - 

With Love, 
~exposed

p.s.:  please keep in mind that this was 5 months ago....



Choosing to write over sleep.  Without a piano, my laptop keyboard suffices in giving me a therapeutic outlet.

Let's just be real.  How many Adele, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones and A Fine Frenzy songs can a girl listen to in one night?

Mood:  Mopey. but trying to be cheery.
Music: Norah Jones Jango station
Drink: Decaf Columbian sent by momma

Most days around 3:30 PM, my brain starts to check out.  Teachers don't "clock out," so my brain just mentally "checks out" and becomes this mushy thing that tries to listen some more but really can't.  I usually need a piece of chocolate or a glass of [water], or a good song to remind me that I am just a human, a single girl in her late 20's (always wondered what this would be like) who wants to cook without recipes, laugh till she can't breathe, wear high heels even when it's not practical.
At the end of the school day, my mind, ears, voice and feet stop running like an 8-hour storm has just blown through, and all the wild, windy trees of my own expectations settle.  Everything physical calms down, and I return to just katie, stepping out of the dress I've been wearing all day that I think magically turns me into "Mary Poppins," turning off my theatrical performance as I step off the stage [out of my classroom]... (teaching elementary school really feels like theater sometimes, and it really can be fun even if I'm exhausted).  

kt.  stop living under the pressures of this world.  
BUT I...! 
stop living under the pressures that you put on yourself and come to Me; be freed, lay your burdens down and take Me in, instead, for I am light, and I will give you praise in exchange for your heaviness. 
BUT I...! 
no seriously, stop. 
BUT, BUT...! 


But you WERE fearfully and wonderfully made, you were SKILLFULLY wrought in the depths of the earth.  Psalm 139
...and your form ~ it is lovely.  Song of Solomon 1

I love my new job.  I. love it.  

But regardless of what Self thinks, I am not and cannot be super woman, super teacher, super mom, super daughter, super sister, super friend, freakin' MARY POPPINS everyday, every hour, every time I want to be or try to be or think I need to be.  Sure, I want to live as fully as possible here, I WANT to give and go and grow and learn, I want to take in every little AND big thing that I can.  

... But ya cain't drahve the car 'th no gas in yur tank.  Amen?  

I am constantly learning, and I like that.  (good thing I work in a school) 
I am growing, and I wanted to.  I expected to.  i hoped to.
I am detoxing. 
I was naturally stripped of what I was using to shallowly fill my time when I moved to Thailand. 

For some cheese, a quote from Fleetwood Mac is fitting:  Can I handle the changing ocean tides? 
Can I handle the seasons of my life? 

*shakes head at the cheese.  yet doesn't delete it...*

This time last year, I was planning a wedding with the man of my dreams. 
New dreams happen, it's okay.  
My friends are having babies back in the states as I write this post.  
I wanted babies later, anyway. 
I'm turning 27 in 3 weeks.  ... All of the sudden, It is later.  (or at least it's getting to be)

::sigh::  dear kt.  

You were s k i l l f u l l y made. You are clothed with salvation and covered with robes of righteousness.  Isaiah 61.  Your days were ordained for you, written in God's book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139.  WITH YOUR GOD, you can scale a wall; your arms can bend a bow of bronze, because He is the flawless Lord.  Psalm 118.  You were worth THE perfect man's death, you are enough, and He delights in you, invites you to come when you thirst, to come to the living waters when you have no money.  And not only to come, but to have wine and milk [almond, please] - to enjoy, to rest, to sustain, to grow.  Isaiah 55.  

While I give thanks to God for the simple [loaded] reminders that I am who He made me to be and need to embrace that, I also give thanks to Amos Lee, for this song:  
(is that sacrilegious?? well whatever, at least I'm thankful)

May I Remind You

Come here my darling
Come on now
You may not be certain
You may not know how

We're all born strangers
This we can see
We may fear each other
But each other we need

So may I remind, love

What is inside you, love 

The rest of the song totally doesn't apply, but that first part's sweet.    

Time really does make you bolder.  
but understanding, too.  

And Christ in me, the hope of glory, has provided and made all that is good.  
Apart from Christ, I have no good thing. 

So to you, mysterious reader - let me remind you, love.  what is inside you, love.  And let me help you 
appreciate 
or recognize 
or b e l i e v e 
that you were created with a good purpose in mind [many good ones], that there is a place whose streams make glad the city of God; where the wells from which you drink hold living water, refreshing-cleansing-fulfilling so that you'll thirst no more, ever again, ever. 

like ever.  ;)  been listening to Taylor Swift on repeat in the car, lately.  I have her new cd Red, 2 Christmas cd's, 1 worship cd and the Mamma Mia soundtrack. true story. 

draw near to Him; He's real.  drink of His cup; it's glorious.  meditate on His word; it is flawless.  

Tomorrow for my Monday morning breakfast, I think I'll start with oatmeal, and I'll add a *spoonful of sugar* (Truvia, of course), and I'll begin class with a cheery good morning song like I always do, 
but this time, I'll remember what is inside me...

Gratefulness 

Gladness 

Joy 

& 

Love.  ;)  

  

Mom & Dad in Thailand

::sigh::  It's good to see you again, Blogger.  ;)


Let's get down to business:

Back in January....

my mom and dad flew to thailand.  

THIS is a BIG deal.  

We had SO MUCH FUN.  We thor'ns, we beez tah-ight, so we had a lot of catching up to do.  Good thing we had this fabulous hotel to enjoy for a week.

Le Meridien Chiang Rai --- same hotel that mixandmatchmama (link to the right) stayed at when her family visited Bachelor Seanzie in Chiang Rai.  i know, don't even get me started again.  Even though I have a house just about 15 minutes down the road from the hotel, I stayed with my parents to maximize time with them.  We started off the week by touring my neighborhood and my favorite places to go, enjoyed dinner at our hotel, Sunday morning with my little home group church, lunch in a tree house (ish), ;) and shopped at the Night Bazaar in downtown Chiang Rai.  

Here's a glimpse of the rest of the week:  (I had some trouble with the format of the pictures.  what's. new.)

This was the moment when I realized, "Wow... my mom and dad are in Thailand."
We drove by the famous Chiang Rai clock tower right on time during it's light display with traditional Northern Thai music playing.

On Monday, mom and dad visited my workplace.
So glad they got to see this dream school.  

My beautiful momma read to my kiddos. 

On Tuesday, we took a long-tail boat up the Maekok River in Chiang Rai to an elephant camp in the Karen Village (perf.).

On a boat in Thailand.  Does it get any better, Dad?  (except maybe if it was a yacht?  ;)  

This was one of my favorite days ever in my life.
Nellie is riding on top of the elephant's head now, by the way.  

If you're wondering how we got this picture, my elephant guide hopped off the elephant and took several [excellent] pictures.  

On Wednesday, we took a taxi up north to Doi Tung, the location of the Queen's garden.  We toured a museum, visited the Queen's mother's house, then only got to see the garden for about 15 minutes.  =/  It started raining.  Bummerrrrrrr, but thankfully it was buy 1 get 1 hh back at the hotel.  s'all good.  =]

Then on Thursday,

Dad's turn reading!  It was International Day at school, so they got to be here for the many talents displayed, international food, special dress clothes and celebrations of all the countries represented at our school.  

On Friday, we flew to Bangkok: 

Our awesome hotel in Bangkok.

W. 

View outside our 12th floor hotel room.
Bangkok is SO BIG, y'all. 

Once again, felt like a dream. 

Learning about Thailand :)

This isn't exactly the famous "floating market," but it is similar.   

We climbed up a [steep] old temple called Wat Arun.
 It is covered in  tile mosaics and was built hundreds of years ago.  

Here we are in front of Wat Arun...  Do you recognize this location from my FIRST DAY in Thailand??  :)
... like my skirt [scarf]?  ;)  Can't wear shorts in a temple. 

Aren't my parents pretty?  We had dinner at the hotel restaurant on the patio.  

Aside from just seeing the sights and experiencing the Thai culture, I needed my mom and dad to come to Thailand to experience this life, to taste the adventure and diversity of living in a different culture, to meet the real people and feel the heart of God for them, to see me thrive in an environment that doesn't include cowboy boots, cocktails and cobblestone roads.  I wanted to them to find out what it is that I love about this country, to see that I am more than okay here in Thailand.  :)  

We had a BLAST, laughed a lot and ate fabulous food the whole week.  

I am so thankful they could visit!!!!!  =)