Different But Good

After being picked up by our friends at the airport, Isabella and I along with Elizabeth and Max arrived bleary eyed at our rented house in Chiang Mai on August 2nd. After trying to adjust to the time change, I ventured out the next morning in our rented car in search of towels. I initially opened the left door but there was no steering wheel since they drive on the opposite side of the road. Then there was no back up camera - which I am very used to! Using my GPS & coaching myself to stay to the left, I headed to one of the main stores, Big C. I had to use the Google Translate app to figure out the difference between shampoo & conditioner, laundry detergent & fabric softener - and lots of other things.

Elizabeth & Max were here about 10 days before they flew home to start college. We got to share some of our favorite things we had done on our earlier visit including playing with elephants, visiting some Buddhist temples, and the many night markets. We ate Thai food every night; luckily we chose a condo that is walking distance to a great diner, Judy’s Kitchen. We now know the staff well - and they even deliver!

Once they left, I had a list of things that I needed to figure out to “live” here. I had been to the grocery for a few items but felt I needed to explore more. There are aisles of cooking oil, soy sauce and noodles but only 4 types of cereal (all expensive). There are lots of bins of fish and every piece of a pig - including uterus, intestines, legs, face, etc, but only a couple packages of Australian beef. There are fruits & vegetables that I don’t recognize. It’s just very different.

There’s still lots of things that I haven’t figured out. The visa process is fairly onerous but Danny had already done all of the initial steps. Once we arrived there was more that had to be done within the first 90 days. I also had to get a Thai phone number (for Isabella’s school & to open a bank account - and to just be able to communicate here). That was very intimidating, but luckily, I found someone who spoke excellent English to walk me through the options. Each day was a new quest & adventure!

Danny arrived about a week later after getting all of the big kids moved in for the year. I was able to help him navigate the phone issue & several other tasks much more efficiently within a few days. He had several doctor’s appointments to get his infusions started. The healthcare system is also very different. When you want to schedule an appointment, they just ask when you want to come. I still don’t understand how that works!

I also got to show off my Thai driving skills after being here for 3 weeks. They like to say traffic “flows - like water” rather than the more regimented style in the US. You just slowly pull out into traffic or merge over & everyone accommodates. There are motorbikes everywhere so if you make a sudden move, you could easily hit one - or ten! I’m a little concerned about driving in Kentucky after being here a few months! It may not be well received.

Once we got settled in, we were able to start focusing on our purpose for being here - Earth Mission. Many of you have kept up with the updates Danny has shared on Signal (please reach out if you’d like to be added). He’s been making tons of connections to work on getting more training for the physicians & students, getting an EMR (electronic medical record) started for EM, developing an anesthesia program to train students, and figuring out how to get some funding to help pay for some of the programs. I’ve been tagging along for some of that as well as getting an ultrasound training program started & working with the new OB/GYN that is training the students.

We have “family FaceTime” every Tuesday night (their Tuesday morning) to make sure we get to “see” the older kids as well as touching base throughout the week with texts & phone calls. Sam even coordinated a family Fantasy Football league. Isabella is in the lead! They are doing great, & we’ve got some amazing friends who are stepping in for us by feeding them, taking care of them, & just checking in on them! That has made all the difference!

There have been some highs & lows, but we all feel a peace about being exactly where we feel God has called us. Each day still brings new adventures, but I’m actually starting to find my way around! I still see something new each day, but seeing a family of 5 on a motorbike doesn’t shock me anymore!