From Thailand with love

I'm not sure there are many times in  my life when, in the moment, I know that I am truly happy, when I am truly content to be where I am.  Not many, but certainly some.

The air in Chengdu was disgusting.
Getting to Chiang Mai was not really that way.  Traveling alone is not my favorite thing (although Natalie pointed out that I certainly do it a lot.  True.  But I still stress about it.)  My trip involved a bus to Dujiangyan and then another bus to Chengdu, a night in the hostel, a taxi ride to the Chengdu airport, a delayed flight to Kunming, running around trying to figure out how to transfer to international flights, a flight to Chiang Mai, and then a tuktuk ride to the YMCA.  Objectively, it went very well and very smoothly.  My backpack made it, I made it... but I was stressed the whole time.  The YMCA is in a different part of Chiang Mai than where I've been before, so I have no clue where anything around is.  The transition to Thailand always throws me, because Thailand is definitely not China, nor is it America, and it's beautiful, but.... different.  Also I somehow managed to find the worst chicken I've ever eaten for dinner, so that was interesting.

But.

Then there was today.

Walking to church with Beibei.

A sermon on prayer that is one of the best I've ever heard.  (Click here for the link.)

Lunch with Marvel and her family.

Opening my door and seeing Tim and Tim.  Because it's Sunday afternoon, of course we're going to hang out.

Sitting around in Starbucks for hours.

Having nearly the entire cohort together for dinner.

Walking back to the YMCA with my roommate Alex and talking for hours as we discover that we were both classically educated and share a common language of Greek, philosophy, Augustine, despair, logic, hope.

The view from my bedroom window is phenomenal.































My heart is very full.  While the next few weeks are also going to be very full, this time is also restful and recreational... and so, so good.

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