An important piece of paper - part 1

One of the challenging things about being a trailing spouse in this move to Thailand was that whilst Tyler had a work permit from the get-go, my immigration status was purely "dependent" - meaning not allowed to work or even volunteer. My pursuit of work here with Thai Village has therefore also entailed the rather longwinded and at times overwhelming process of securing a work permit. Oh the joys of immigration paperwork for those of us who choose to live overseas!

As an initial step in this process, I first had to cancel my dependent visa linked to Tyler's job, leave Thailand and re-enter on a volunteer visa. I am hence writing from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where a visit to the Thai consulate here this week has ticked off this first important step.

It was a fairly straightforward process but not without some of the typical idiosyncrasies of carrying out tasks in an unknown country. With all my paperwork already gathered, the only piece I needed to complete in Vietnam was finding some US dollars to pay the application fee. Interestingly enough, dollars are quite readily accepted here, but apparently, not that easy to get hold of. After a couple of failed attempts at banks, I was told, they could only be found at the gold exchange shop in the local market! 

Hoping we wouldn't actually have to pay in gold, we set off and found a lady who was very happy to take my Thai baht in exchange at a fairly hefty commission. She used up 2 pages in her notebook explaining how she got to her final number in very broken English and I left a little confused but with the precious greenbacks in my wallet.

Spot me in the bottom right-hand corner negotiating with the gold exchange lady

We then got a taxi to the consulate which was sadly the ONLY taxi ride in Vietnam so far that has been less than a pleasant experience. Pretty sure there was some slight of hand in the exchange of money and then he dropped us, not exactly where we wanted to be. Thankfully, we found a lovely lady on a scooter who spoke good English and she not only pointed us in the right direction but led us there on her scooter, with us running behind at a pace in the 35 degree heat!

After we found the consulate, the rest of the process was without event. The small room inside the gate felt like strangely familiar surroundings, with pictures of the Thai royalty and photos of Thailand all around. It's funny how you don't notice how much a place is familiar until you're out of it in a totally new and unfamiliar country. Vietnam has reminded me how far we have come in settling in to Thailand!

Anyway, that is the end of the immigration process for now. The next stage starts when we get back to Thailand and have to extend the initial 3 months visa and apply for the actual work permit. Part 2 will come later if it has any twists and turns of interest - which I imagine it might.

For now, here's a few photos of Vietnam which we are thoroughly enjoying. I have to say that that one taxi driver was the absolute exception to the norm in terms of kindness and friendliness of the people here. We have encountered so many lovely people, from the random scooter riders who shouted out "Welcome to Saigon" as they passed us on the street, to a family in the park who invited us to play badminton with them and the many many eager English students who have wanted to practice their English with us.

We chatted to this group of university students in the park for about 45 minutes

The food of course is also absolutely delicious, especially the pho noodle soup and the banhmi (French baguettes with an Asian twist).

This lovely lady is usually conveniently parked right outside our hotel so her banhmi have become a cheap and delicious daily lunch. She even has pate and serves it with soy sauce and chillies. 

More French influence at the impressive Opera House

Chinese influence at the taoist temple, Jade Emperor Pagoda

There has been so much to absorb in this city. We have learned about the war and the country's longterm recovery efforts. We have negotiated the HCMC traffic and found that scooters here use the pavement as much as the road which makes walking an interesting challenge! We have strolled through the beautiful parks and appreciated the green in an otherwise bustling city.

Tending the gardens

. . . . and enjoying the gardens - the parks are a hive of activity at morning and evening with da cau (Vietnamese foot shuttlecock game) and badminton being the most popular activities.

Overall, we have loved our few days here and we're so glad we came. Whilst I'm really glad to have my volunteer visa in the bag, there is much more we will take from Ho Chi Minh City than just this important piece of paper. Hope you enjoyed this little taste. I highly recommend Vietnam if you ever need to do a border run from Thailand!

Work - a burden or gift?

I think sometimes our culture paints a distorted image of what work is  . . . either it's something so bad that we have to be paid to do it. . . . . or it's something that defines who we are and gives us our identity. 

Keeping a healthy concept of work is not always easy and this past year in Thailand has given me cause to reflect on this a lot as I have been pursuing meaningful work in a new place and season. I want to take this opportunity to share a bit of this journey with you. 

Work - a burden or gift?

When we first arrived in Thailand, I knew clearly the work that was before me - it was to help settle our family, set up our home, support Tyler and the kids in the season of transition and also to build community here and learn as much as possible about our new host culture. I didn't see this as less important than Tyler's paid job which had brought us here. We were (and are) a team. It was sacred work and it was hard work. It was fulfilling (most of the time) and exhausting (some of the time) and unsettling at times too - but it was what I was supposed to be doing and it was more than enough! I started Thai classes in our first year here as well but other than that, I was full-time working from home. 

 Of course, there are no pictures of me working from home because who takes photos of that? . . . . . but here's some laundry.

. . . . . and here's my kids creating laundry.

At the beginning of our second year here though, as the intensity of our family's transition dwindled, I started to feel a yearning for something more. The motivations however, were so much more than just "finding something to do" here in Thailand.

I think there were 3 main catalysts for this change. 

1.  The desire to use my gifts and passions - some of these had been laying dormant in me for a while (there's only so many spreadsheets you can create as a housewife - ha ha!) and I wanted to be a good steward of these gifts and of the time I had while everyone-else was at school.
2. The desire to be part of something bigger than my family, something Thai, something that Jesus was doing here in this place He had brought us. There was a world out there on my doorstep and I was anxious to engage with it more. 
3. The desire to help provide for our family - of course, a little more money is always helpful and we had some needs that we were praying for God to meet.

So what's next God? 

So I prayed and I talked to friends and I pursued options and filled in forms and met with people looking for just the skills I had to offer. It was not a particularly smooth ride! I considered online options, ministry opportunities, even starting my own business or teaching. In the end, I pursued 3 roles in depth that all fulfilled at least one of the above criteria. Each attempt taught me more about what I was looking for, what I was able to give within the limits of family schedules and what God was calling me to . . . . .but none turned out to be the right fit. 

Rung, embroiderer at Thai Village

Finally, about 6 weeks ago, a friend mentioned that Thai Village were hiring. Thai Village work with local artisans to provide vocational training and income generation opportunities here in Chiang Mai and they combine this with community building and outreach, working with the local church. I found they were a great match with my passions and skill set AND as it turned out, they could also be flexible with my schedule so I could still keep my Mum commitments and keep up my Thai language study. What a gift!

So now a new season of work outside the home is beginning for me. The previous roles remain but I get to add to this, more relationships with Thai nationals and more opportunities to use my gifts in administration and organization to serve them. I'm excited and will be starting to work 20 hours/wk at Thai Village as soon as I have my work permit and volunteer visa sorted out. 

Even though I haven't officially started yet, I have already met some of the wonderful artisans at Thai Village and I've seen their dedication and passion for work too. Sadly, in our broken world, not everyone has the opportunity to choose dignified work and people made in the image of God are forced into other degrading forms of existence just to survive. But I am seeing here at Thai Village what I saw at JOYN in India too - that work is transformative and empowering and that a lot can happen with a little opportunity.

JOYN blockprinters at work in Rajpur, India

Eet at Thai Village - tin smithing Christmas ornaments

Training and longterm job creation provide so much more than just a job in these countries. They provide a way out from oppression and injustice and the best part is, the opportunity just lays the path, the artisans themselves are the ones who walk it and they are changing their own futures and communities. This was such a powerful lesson that I learned during my 2 years at JOYN in India and I know the artisans at Thai Village will have more to teach me. I love seeing how dignified work brings life and joy to a community from within. And I love learning from these artisans what the real meaning of work is.

Work can be hard, yes, but  . . . . . 
Work is a privilege.
Our desire to work is God-given.
Work is part of the image of God in us
Work is co-creating something beautiful with God
Work is not to be taken for granted
And work is sacred - all kinds of work, in every season.

So grateful for this good gift of purposeful work at Thai Village.