…to some degree:
- cockroaches in my bathroom every evening
- loose floorboards in my main room
- the sound of rats in the room my landlord uses for storage
- waiting 25 minutes for my electric water heater to heat up enough water for my shower
- little lizards all over my house
- having no light in my bedroom if I don’t turn it on before 5 p.m.
- sometimes not seeing a piece of bread for many days
- spirit houses on every corner (okay, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that)
- drunken karaoke at 3 a.m.
- being called “farang” (foreigner), even by people who know my name
- comments on my “beautiful” white skin and “blonde” hair (in the States I’m really not a blonde, and many with my skin tone would work on their tan)
- being cheated by fruit vendors
- causing double-takes when I walk down the street
- noise– all the time, everywhere, except a rare late night in Permsup
- cat fights, dog fights, family fights
- roosters crowing at 5 a.m.
- packed sidewalks of people who are oblivious to everyone else
- frequent comments on my weight and language abilities
- sitting on the floor, eating off of the floor, sleeping on a mat on the floor
- hanging my clothes to dry, timing my laundry so there will be enough sun to wear the clothes the next day
- gossip about how I don’t have a TV (a big status symbol in the slum), how I only shower once a day, how much money people think I have
- my three-year-old neighbor barging in to help herself to my candy or gum
Praise God for giving me the grace and perseverance to live in this place. He really does give us everything we need to respond to his call. I wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else.
I have been really blessed by how many people have sent me packages and this is not intended to solicit more– it’s hopefully just a help to anyone who was wanting to send me something anyway.
