I miss Thailand! It's been 8 years since I got home from my mission to Bangkok, Thailand. It was the most amazing 18 months of my life. Sometimes I still can't believe that I went, but I can't imagine my life if I hadn't gone. Once I made the decision to go, I was really happy about it and felt like it was definitely the right thing to do. I had been dating a guy very seriously for almost a year when we came to the point where we either got engaged or broke up. Well you can guess what happend, we broke up. It really rocked my world. I was so sure that he was the one for me. I had pictured the wedding day (no, I didn't have a wedding book like Monica) but I was happy with the path we were on. In retrospect, I can see all the reasons why our relationship was doomed and why we would not have been happy, but I had the rose colored glasses on at that point. I didn't immediately decide, "Oh, I am not getting married, I guess I will go on a mission." In fact, it was very far from my mind. I dated other people and had a lot of fun for a few months (including hanging out with Jared, my husband) then I read over my patriarchial blessing one night and it became very clear that I seriously needed to think about a mission. Once I opened my mind to the possibility, the choice was easy. I decided to finish Fall semester then go home to Maryland. I received my call in January and went into the Missionary Training Center in March 1997.
I remember how excited I was to open my mission call. My parents and I went out to dinner at some place in Columbia, MD, The Tomato Palace, I think it was called?? Anyway, I was so nervous b/c I was scared to death that I was going to be called to Boise, ID or Temple Square. I am sorry if you are from Boise or if you served at Temple Square, but I wanted to go somewhere different. Everyone I knew was getting called to Argentina or Honduras, and other Spanish speaking countries, so I kind of figured it would be one of those. Imagine my surprise and shock when I opened the envelope and read "You are called to serve in the Thailand Bangkok Mission". I couldn't even process it. My mom took a great photo of the exact moment that I read those words. You can see the surprise/happiness/curiosity on my face. Where exactly IS Thailand? What do they speak there? What is it like? I think I went right home and got on the prehistoric internet that existed at that time and looked up what I could. I am very visual so it helped a lot to see a map and envision where in the world Thailand was located.
The language was, of course, the hardest thing about going to Thailand. Not only do they use characters instead of Roman letters, but Thai is a very unique sounding language with five tones. It took a while to be able to detect the various tones and even longer to be able to duplicate them. I really love the language, even though it sounds pretty silly to other people. Click HERE
to listen to the Thai language. Click on the link that says “LISTEN” in the top left corner then choose a conversation to listen to on the next page. If you have time, click on “Learn to read Thai” in the left column, then choose Learn the tones, then Tone bloopers. It’s pretty funny to see how you can mess up tones and say the wrong thing.
TOP 8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THAILAND:
1. The food is delicious. I loved it before I went to Thailand and I love it more now. I never get sick of it (unlike my husband). I never got over the fact that some of the best food could be found on the street, from some guy with only a kerosene canister and a wok. Phag boong fay dang- still my favorite, can’t find it at any restaurant! I used to get it on a bridge near our house in Thonburi.
2. The people are amazing. They LOVE you before you have even said hello. The only place I have met people as friendly was in Vidor, TX
3. My favorite fruit- rambutan. There were days that I bought 2 kilos of this for lunch and ate nothing else. YUM.
4. The shopping is the best. Things are SO cheap and you can ALWAYS barter to get the price lower. Have you ever noticed everything is made in Thailand?
5. I love that you can catch a bus, tuk tuk, or a saam law to get anywhere. You only need a few coins to grab a little taxi to get where you need to go.
6. The culture in Thailand is just enchanting. I love Thai dance and the fact that children are still taught the art from a small age at school. I love that it involves boys and girls and that it tells a story.
7. Even though I haven't been to the south of Thailand YET... I love the gorgeous beaches there. I have seen many photos and will definitely be going to the islands one day. It's just beautiful.
8. Despite the fact that most people in Thailand are very poor, they still have manners. When you greet others, you always wai, or bow. The cutest thing is when tiny little children bow in greeting and in thanks. They always bow when receiving a gift to show gratitude. It's adorable.
It was very fitting that we had the missionaries to dinner tonight. I didn't even realize it was my mission anniversary until after they had left. We had a nice dinner and really enjoyed the conversation and the uplifting, happy spirit they brought into our home. They encouraged us to share the gospel with our friends and quoted a scripture in Mosiah chapter 18 verse 30 "And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon … how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever." Elder McPhee said that we have the opportunity to be this beautiful and special in the eyes of someone else. If we share the truth with others we can have a part in their salvation and eternal happiness. For some reason, the way he phrased it helped me to see how important it is that we seriously strive to share the gospel every day with those we associate with and are friends with. On Thursday, we get to help them teach a family and I am really excited about it. Luckily this positive experience distracted me from the fact that I have been home from my mission for 8 years... I am old!
6 comments:
oh robyn what a cool post! one of my best friends (since highschool--which I just had dinner with) lived there for the last 10 years--her husband owns a hotel) She would always send me a calendar from the hotel and I am so bumbed that I didn't actually go (when she was down there!)...but your mission sounds like it was such a blessing to your life. I felt happy reading about and learning about that country!
I guess you are really old because I'm in shock that you've been back for 8 years! Of course it makes sense, especially if you have 3 children and have been married almost 7 years but still.
It does seem crazy that it has been so long. I guess I've been married almost 10 years. Now that seems amazing. A 1/3 or my life. Anyway, so cool that your wrote that all down. I think I would be scared to death as well, but so glad you had the chance to go and experience a mission and live with a completely different culture. It certainly makes you see the world differently.
I love your post. The food, the culture, the people, my friends....it all seems like a dream that we were even there, don't you think? I hope you get to go back soon.
I do have a recipe for Phag bung fay dang. It is really good with phag kanaa, but just not the same w/o the phag boong.
You make me miss Thailand, too. khid thung muang thai. khid thung khun duay, na kha.
Thanks for being such a great comp.
It just goes to show you that all things turn out for the best when you follow the spirt. I'm so happy you shared these memories with us. I couldn't hear the Thai language well and it was turned up to the max so that was very frustrating. I was hoping to learn a few things. Congratulations on setting such a good example for your kids!
I don't know why, but I didn't realize they had characters in Thai. What a challenge! Can you read and write that? What an amazing experience you had, it kind of makes me wistful about not serving a mission...
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