Sabai sabai is what Thai people say when they are/something is content. And that is exactly how spring break was for me...sabai sabai. Four girls on a secluded island off of Krabi, Thailand in a small bungalow with banana trees on all sides and orange cliffs in the distance = the perfect vacation. After a 12 hour bus ride, we took a long-tail boat to Railay Thailand and trekked around the island until we found the cheapest accommodations (less than $5 per person a night) - cheap it was! I was so blessed to be with several other girls who were willing to work with me and my tight budget. Thanks to Lindsey's mom who sent pancake mix and easy mac and Sarah's pan and my wilderness camp firebuilding skills, we saved a lot of money on food and really enjoyed cooking and cleaning together. We came into this experience with the desire to make this a week of rest...so we made it a Sabbath, created our own pace of life, had daily devotions together, and gave up extras like makeup and mirrors.
Railay is absolutely beautiful and we had the honor of seeing several gorgeous sunsets on the west side (photographer's paradise, really). On Easter morning, we invited all of our friends from surrounding islands to join us for a sunrise service on the east side, complete with singing, reading scripture, and taking communion together. Thirteen people showed up and we shared a community brunch later on that morning. Needless to say, it was pretty special.
The rest of our days consisted of early nights and early mornings, pancakes over an open fire, exploring beautiful caves, enjoying the bluest water I've ever seen, trekking through the greenest jungle I've ever seen, practicing Thai with locals and getting discounts, ample quiet times, climbing rocks, kyacking, snorkling, and soaking up the raw beauty of God's creation. We went on this really sweet snorkling tour one afternoon and got to see awesome fish and coral...and I found Nemo and Dory and even swam with Dory's relatives for a while. Glorious. This whole week was one huge reminder of how creative God really is.
After a 12-hour bus ride, a three hour delay, and a 12-hour train ride, I am exhausted, and back in Chiang Mai. Anxiety is in the air because all of us have to figure out classes/housing before we sleep...because tomorrow we're renewing our visas and then heading to the village! So, I'm basically writing this to say that I will be out of communication for the next two weeks, living in a village, doing some ethnographic research.
ALSO I found out a few hours ago that my friend Nad's mother was just in a very serious motorcycle accident and is in the hospital. Her father is already bedridden from a similar accident two years ago and her younger sister wrecked on a motorcycle two weeks ago, although she's okay now. Nad is feeling way overwhelmed and is responsible for looking after both of her parents and their family business. Please keep her in your prayers.
I miss you. I love you. I wish I could hug you.
Until then - love from abroad!
me
