Life Go On

Nope, that's not a typo in the title. In many Asian languages, maybe all, verb conjugation is not necessary. One recognizes the tense of the verb by the context of the sentence. Therefore, T-shirts here declare “Life go on”. And we like that declaration. One, we have to be reminded of that some days. And two, it just makes us smile.

Smiling at the differences sure beats criticizing them. And we have indeed had our fair share of criticizing that which we find foreign. We've developed a love hate relationship with our current way of life. We are in awe of the shoreline and the breathtaking horizon as it drops off into the deep blue. We detest the litter and pollution that the tide brings into view. We are honored by the hospitality that so many bestow upon us. We are heart broken by the prejudices and hatred that we see among others. We find humor in the alien nuances that keep us on our toes. We find ourselves frustrated by the challenges of repression. We appreciate the simple way of life and the contentment we see as locals embrace this way of life. We are disgusted with poor work ethic and a generalized apathy towards life we see in some of the people groups.

Each day we are faced with the decision to overlook the many struggles and focus on making a positive difference in the lives of those around us. I must confess, there are days when we do not succeed in this endeavor. However, there are those days when we are rewarded with local friendships, experiences that have helped us grow as individuals, and reminders of the love and support we have back home. And these days keep us putting one foot in front of the other. In all of it though, our source of hope and strength is found in our Creator.

So, as we face the challenges of each new day, we remember life indeed “go” on.

The following is our Top Ten list of SEA bellyaches:

10. “Fix'n it” = duct tape, caulk, or Super glue.

9.   People do not like to say “no”. So, people say yes with no intention of following through.

8.   One cannot “hold it” until the last minute as one must make time to pay the Bathroom Attendant before entering public restrooms.

7.   Confusion over why one pays the Bathroom Attendant as it is NEVER “attended”.

6.   Parking (inconvenient “car parks”, extremely small spaces, parking fees, the list goes on).

5.   Malls (there is no way to concisely explain this).

4.   If the person you ask does not know the answer, they will answer (lie) nonetheless leading you astray.

3.   If you are in line at a store and the person behind you has less items, you are no longer first in line.

2.   No matter what direction you are driving, you canNOT turn right (we drive on the left side  of the road).

1.   Neighbors fail to care that your apartment is on fire once they realize the fire does not negatively impact their dwelling.

Live and Learn

As I write, Brian is doing one of his least favorite things...flying. He is currently heading to the East coast. This is a common ritual. We often have work on the East coast that requires our presence. Jackson indeed loves it when the work is a family affair, as he enjoys flying. He is so accustomed to flying that he is comfortable boarding the plane by himself, plopping his fanny in the seat by the window, fastening his seat belt, and grinning broadly as we head off into the wild blue yonder. Brian on the other hand, requires some much needed assistance. And when I say "assistance", I am referring to drugs. You see, everyone has skeletons in their closet.

As Brian faces his fears once again, I am devising a strategy.  A clever plan that will prevent my participation in a Karaoke Box this evening. I have a local friend who visits the Karaoke Box on her lunch or dinner break to relieve stress. On one particular afternoon, she persuaded me to join her. Now in order for you to understand how uncomfortable this predicament was for me, I'll need to share a quote from my childhood. My loving Father told me on many occasions the following, "Ginger, if you ever fall in love with a boy, DON'T sing to him! Or you'll lose him forever." With that in mind, standing in front of a video screen with microphone in hand is not my ideal way of bonding with a new friend.

This evening I have dinner plans with my Karaoke friend. We are eating at the mall. Asian malls have Karaoke Boxes. And I am a little apprehensive about our after dinner plans. Now, I understand we are not to have a spirit of timidity, and it isn't often that I do. But just as over-sized buses with wings cruising at altitudes of 30,000 feet create a sense of panic in my husband, Karaoke Boxes affect me in the same like manner.

Which brings me to my point, and I do have one. Living on the far side has stretched us in many ways. And it will continue to do so. Some of our experiences have been fun, others have been challenging.  But they have brought about personal growth. Then there are those incidents that have been awkward, unpleasant, and/or moronic. And apparently we missed the lesson to be learned in those events because we failed to see their benefit. It happens sometimes. Maybe we will get it the next go around.

I chose to share the above examples as they are light-hearted. And I wasn't in the mood for  formidable and esoteric discourse. I'm sure there will be plenty of moving memoirs to share in future dialogue.

May you be stretched this week and find yourself better for it:).

8:10pm: Quick update: I did indeed find myself in the K-Box this evening. So much for strategy:).

Life on the Far Side

Welcome to "our" life on the far side. This first post is a transparent introduction to our Blog. Blogging is our answer to updating individuals without filling their inbox with mail. It has been a struggle deciding when to email updates. We have a monthly Newsletter that deals with our work. However, so much more goes on in terms of our family life, our personal struggles and growth, the relationships we are building, and the simple day to day that occurs in a developing country. If you have an interest in finding out the details of our life on the far side, you will find them here.

We've never followed anyone's blog regularly. Therefore, we are novices. There may be rules we fail to follow. We're not so much worried about that. However, we do have a concern regarding the content of the posts. We want them to be of interest to the readers. Therefore, if Ginger chases rabbits, which she's been known to do, or if Ginger rambles too much, which she's also prone to do, please forgive. If the post is confusing, displeasing in nature, or fails to entertain or provide pertinent information, please do share. We will address the matter.

We've chosen the name of our blog for obvious reasons. First, we are indeed on the far side of the globe from where we have lived the majority of our life. That may seem like an interesting way of putting it. Why not simply say "the far side of the globe from home"? We indeed think of South Carolina as our home of homes. But home is where the heart is. And right now, our heart is here. We will talk more about that later.

Second, the definition of "The Far Side" spoke to us. It is a popular one-panel syndicated comic. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, or the search for meaning in life. ...
 Hmmm, that just seems fitting for us! As we continue on this journey, we are finding ourselves in unique social situations and unlikely circumstances. We are constantly faced with deceptive, misleading, and erroneous beliefs and ideas. We have been faced with extenuating events and unfortunate happenstance. And so many around us are in search for the meaning of life. In light of all this, we often find ourselves with a perverted sense of humor in the midst.

Third, Jackson's refreshing sense of perspective has enlighted us in so many ways. He has an uncanny way about him that finds humor and optimism in almost every situation. Thus "Life on the Far Side" it is!

The composition will vary. There may be updates, insights, journal entries, and only time will tell what else. If you care to "see" something on our blog sight, do share. We may be inclined to oblige.

Thank you for your interest, your support, and your friendship!