Stateside Update 15: Seven Days!

Dear Friends,

Great news: my passport (with the visa inside) has been mailed! As you all know, I have been extremely worried about my passport arriving in time - my flight leaves seven days from tomorrow! I just received word that my passport was in Maryland around 8pm tonight, so it should be at my house in one or two days. This is definitely a blessing. Thank you to all who prayed for me! [And a word of caution: Apply for your visa early. Consulates like to be nit-picky.]

I am indebted to those of you who kept me in your prayers. If you would like to receive specific prayer updates via email, please go here, fill out your information, and select the prayer team box. You can receive blog updates as emails also at the same link. If you are interested in supporting either me and my trip or the school where I will be student teaching, you can visit my support page.

Thank you for everything. Until next time!
Only through Him,
--

"Seek Him. Be Here. Be His."

Stateside Update 14: Eagerly and Anxiously

I wanted to subtitle this post "21 days and no visa," but I really don't want to start a waiting-on-the-visa countdown. So, moving on...

After having to submit flight itineraries and background checks (twice) and being asked to change the type of visa I applied for, I am still eagerly (anxiously?) awaiting my passport to be returned to me with a visa sticker inside. I'd worry myself sick if I didn't have prayers for peace overflowing inside me.

In the mean time, I have done quite a bit of research on where I'm going and how I'm going to get there, and I thought it might be useful for anyone else planning a trip to Asia. My cooperating teacher told me one very important thing to keep in mind: You can get anything in Chiang Mai. From what I've read and heard, Chiang Mai is a medium-sized city (the fifth largest in Thailand) and is an interesting juxtaposition of history and modernity. The Thai culture is also very influential in Chiang Mai. I am looking forward to seeing cool animals, riding in songthaews, visiting wats, and drinking lots of Thai tea! I also hope to get to visit The Chiang Mai Flower Festival, which is in February.

If you are planning to travel overseas soon, here are some of my suggestions for traveling:

• Register with the US STEP program. It lets the embassies in the countries you are visiting know that you will be there, and it provides a safe way for your family to contact you if something unfortunate were to happen.
• 10 Ways to Survive a Long-Haul Flight, brought to you by IndepedentTraveler.com. Who would have thought that Gatorade would be an excellent hydrator for long flights?
• I'll be flying Korean Air for my long flight from ATL (Atlanta) to ICN (Seoul/Incheon) on an Airbus 380-300. But I will also be flying from Seoul to Bangkok to Chiang Mai (round trip), in addition to my round trip flight to Hong Kong for the last five days of my trip. If you're going overseas, I suggest you research the in-flight entertainment; airplane size, seating arrangements, and amenities; when meals are offered and what they might consist of; etc of all flights you will be taking. Also research the airports in which you will be spending layovers, especially if they offer Wi-Fi, recharging stations, certain restaurants in the arrival/departure areas, and if they accept different currencies. I'm a big planner, so I really benefit from even a basic idea of what my travel is going to be like. I think the most important thing to research is size and weight limits for luggage (on each airline's page).
• Speaking of booking flights, I recommend Kayak.com. I used Kayak for the first time for this trip and found it cheaper than Expedia.

And some suggestions for packing, preparation, and trips to Asia:

• Check out this slightly outdated, but relatively useful WikiTravel article on the city of Chiang Mai. 
• 8 Reasons Why You Must Pack a Scarf when traveling to any international locale, courtesy of DIWYY.com
• Blogs, tips, and ideas for travel to any Thai city from Thaizer.com
• I also have a bunch of resources for women living overseas, as well as student teaching and Third Culture Kid resources, over at my Spring 2014 Pinterest page.

I would like to ask you to help me out in two ways: 1. Share your tips for flying, life overseas, or teaching international kids as a comment below, and 2. Join me in praying for my visa to be processed quickly, for safety in travel, and for the students and fellow teachers with whom I will be working.

For more information on joining my prayer team or supporting me financially, check out the Support page.

May your preparation be worship.
Until next time,
--

"Seek Him. Be Here. Be His."

Stateside Update 13: Twenty-Nine Days, Friends!

I just purchased plane tickets, emailed my roommate (a sweet girl named Cara), signed papers, budgeted for housing... The countdown is on!

This week has been very stressful as I have been trying to get everything completed and I am definitely indebted to all of you for your support and encouragement... And for putting up with me when I get annoying or have to miss work or stay up late. I'm so grateful for you all!

With that being said, if you are interested in supporting me financially as I am preparing for this trip, please visit my Support page. I have an online donation system set up if you are interested in supporting in that capacity. My first need is always prayer, however, so feel free go to the Contact page and indicate that you would like to serve as a member of my prayer team to receive consistent updates.

Whether or not you are considering supporting my student teaching trip financially, I would like to ask you to take a moment to consider supporting Grace International School, where I will be student teaching. For those of you who don't know, Grace is a school primarily for missionary families, as families do not pay tuition and teachers raise support. In addition, Grace has struggled with a legal issue over the last few months, and they are in need of relocating. You can help support the efforts of the school by Giving a Day's Pay, Grace's new initiative. The online calculator determines you much you make in a day and makes it easy to give that amount to support Grace.

Finally, I am continuing to learn what it means for my preparation to be worship. It is so easy to get sucked into the fear that I will not be able to afford this experience, or the dread that my jet lag will be debilitating, or the anxiety of feeling like I will not able to complete all my assignments. And yet, when I realize that this experience is an incredible blessing that not many people get the opportunity to enjoy, I find myself thankful and overjoyed. In addition, thinking of the ninth graders I will have the opportunity to meet, teach, and befriend keeps me going. What a blessing it will be to see His Body at work in Asia.

Thank you for your care and compassion.
With love,
Alex
--

"Seek Him. Be Here. Be His."