So I found out literally five minutes ago that my host brother figured out how to work the internet on their home computer...and I have the chance to write a really quick update!
It's been a whirlwind of a week, for sure. We left for a Lahu Village on Thursday, which is one of the larger indigenous people groups in Northern Thailand, particularly known for their beautiful, intricate woven goods. We had an absolutely incredible experience living in wooden huts and being a part of their community for a few days. We had the honor of helping them plant banana trees in a jungle as part of a new sustainability project they are working on. They took us to the river, also, to make a damn in a traditional way and catch fish - with our bare hands! Crazy, I know...needless to say, I didn't catch any. We also danced around a Lahu bonfire and particpated in traditional dances to a drum and haunting flutes. Some other really cool experiences included a pig-killing ceremony (although this one really disturbed me), visiting a nearby hostel for the Lahu kids to live in during their school years, a traditional Lahu church service (this particular village was Christian), making rice patties, praying over a sick village member who has leukemia (most likely), and playing with the wild kiddies of the village. My host mother was one of the village weavers and had a loom in our front yard where she sat all day, with the chickens roaming about her feet. She was so dedicated to her work and the beautiful designs she made were incredible. They gave us each a Lahu bag to take home; it's definitely the most beautiful thing I own. Lahu weaving, also, is extremely labor intensive - it takes two full days to make one bag.
Spending time with the Lahu really challenged my perspective on hospitality. They extend it so freely and so naturally that it made some of us feel uncomfortable. I'll be the first to admit, I hate the feeling of inconveniencing someone or feeling unworthy of receiving something. One thing I learned/am learning in this culture and the different subcultures we are participating in is to be a gracious receiver. That is very much a part of this culture and hard for North American mindsets to grasp. The Lahu are some of the most community-focused, gracious, hosppitable people I have ever met. I don't think I'll be forgetting this experience.
We returned on Sunday; I went to a famous night market called the Walking Street. It was really big and really overwhelming, a cool experience for sure. And yesterday and today I went to classes and had my internship. My internship is changing slightly; I will be a volunteer English teacher at the school associated with Agape so I can get to know the kids in that way as well. All Thai schools are interested in having native speakers of English as teachers, so this works out for everyone. I was able to spend the remainder of the afternoon with the sweet ladies in the mother-baby unit, which was great.
I feel so good about everything these days. God is providing just enough energy for me to do everything that needs to happen in a day. I've been sick for the last six days (since going to the Lahu village), which made participating in all of the activities difficult. Yesterday, I went to the doctor and learned that the reason I couldn't kick this stomach issue was because it was a bacteria infection in my intestine. With a strong antibiotic, I am feeling so much better today, which really makes all the difference. Hopefully I'll be 100% in the next few days. Other great things that happened today: I got to skype home and talk to Mom and Dad (SO GREAT to talk to you!) and Doug called me in between my classes, which was so fun! (We'll do it again soon, okay?) It feels good to connect to home when I can. Also, I got a letter from Christy, which made me SO HAPPY! (thanks!)
Well, friends, I'm just so thankful for you. Thanks for letting me know that you're praying for me and you care about my life, even when I feel so absent from yours! Love you so much! I'm hoping whereever you are, God is blessing you mak mak! Isn't it great to know that He is the great consistency in our lives?
**Also, the girl we prayed over at the Lahu village could certainly use your prayers. She is 18 and went away for six months to study nursing because this village has no healthcare worker and she wanted to help her people. She was sent home because she grew very sick and she is pretty much dying. This has put a lot of stress on her mother and her father just left them for another wife. It's a very hard situation all the way around. I'm praying for peace for both of them and healing in whichever ways God wants to bring it.**
Okay, love you mak mak! (which means a lot!)
