Home

Well, I'm home. The flight was uneventful which is good. I acually managed to stay in my seat for the entire flight from Narita (Tokyo) to Vancouver. The last 2 hours were difficult but I thought "well I've been seated this long, I can last to the end". I don't think I will try that again.

It was neat to come home, but I think I'd rather be in Thailand. When I'm over there, I can lead a simple life. Over here, I've got so much stuff, and I use it when I'm here but when I'm away I find I don't really need it.

There are so many things I'm going to miss about Thailand. I think the biggest thing is the people. They are so friendly and gentle. If you try to speak Thai to them, they appreciate that you are trying. They are very polite and courtious and forgiving. They rarely get mad, and they don't leave me with the impression that they are just trying to suppress their rage. Nor do I get the impression that their courtesy is only because they have to (which is more than I can say for a lot of North American courtesy). And the girls are so sweet, and they're so cute when they say "kah" (those who have been to Thailand probably know what I'm talking about).

I use the example of the servers at the resort resaurant where we ate morning and evening. The servers were always there because even though we were the only people staying at the resort, and even though we only ate there twice a day, the restaurant was technically open all day. I talked to the servers there a couple of times. They were all in their early 20's. I would ask them how to say Thai words and then I would try to say it, and they would laugh and I would laugh (but they were very patient and actually taught me a number of words and phrases). I would also talk in English to them (for their benefit and mine) to find out more about them. It was just a lot of fun. They never ignored me or told me that they were too busy to talk or anything like that. When we left in the vans on the last day, we passed by the restaurant and they were waving goodbye. I know that is a small gesture, and maybe it was because we had been there for so long and we were helping the Thai people, but that really touched me. It was so cool that they're actions were sincere, not just a front because we were paying customers.

For those who have never been to Thailand or have only stayed in the tourist areas, I must say that the touristy areas contain a different breed of Thai people. They are very aggressive in getting you to buy their overpriced merchandise, or taking their taxi or their tuk tuk. They will call you "my friend" and tell you "for you, special deal". Thank goodness, that's not the kind of people we were surrounded by on a daily basis!!!

Enough rambling. The short of it is that my life has been changed. I want to do whatever God wants me to do. So what's next? My job is boring and work is slow. For the record, this was a God-given job, and I am very thankful for it. But I think I have worn it out and it is time to move on. Now I'm just trying to figure out what He wants me to do next. I've thought of going back to Thailand but I would want to make sure that's where God wants me. Whatever.

Jon