Thailand #4

April is upon us and with that brings celebrations, changes, and new experiences!

One of my biggest celebrations would be finishing my first month of language learning. It has been incredibly challenging and is a daily grind to study and put myself out there. Walking over to the neighbors house and pointing at objects, naming colors, or sparking up a broken English/Thai conversation at the gym is what gives me motivation and makes it fun. 

I took myself out of the class setting and started working with a personal tutor this last week. One of the best decisions I have made since being in Thailand. I was told that 30 hours of language study (talking with locals, tutoring, studying etc) a week is equal to a 55-60 hour work week. It’s exhausting but I am making progress!

I found a running trail and also was invited to join some ex-military guys during their weekly workouts so I am excited to try that out!

 

I was also able to find some different food markets and starting to branch out a little bit more and get creative in the kitchen, and even paying for things using only Thai numbers (much more challenging than it sounds).

This years Easter Sunday did not include chocolate bunny’s or colored eggs. Better than those material American traditions, I was able to go to a great church and celebrate with friends! 

I went out of town a few weeks ago to celebrate my roommates birthday and explore the surroundings mountains despite the extremely low visibility with the smog. Sometimes you just gotta go!

 

I have started working a little bit at the hostel and it has been good. I am ahead of schedule and not technically a part of operations yet but I wanted to start coming in once a week to start learning and help out wherever I can! 

The past month has not been easy for many reasons. It is not all sunshine and rainbows. Instagram highlights do not accurately depict what happens behind the scenes. The spiritual attacks, the lies that the devil throws my way, and the relationships that he tries to tear apart…. well… those are real. Sometimes when it rains it pours and this month it has poured, a lot. 

If you are reading this blog there is a good chance it is because you care about me, pray for me, support me financially, or simply believe in what I am doing. So I wanted to be authentic and trust that y’all can handle the nitty-gritty and not just the romanticized Thailand life.

Thank you for all your support and prayers!

Life in Thailand is hard and challenging, but it is good and the Father is sustaining. So many things to be grateful for and when I step back, its amazing how far I have come and how Thailand really does feel like home!

Keeping it real,

Ravi