Beginnings

A few days before I departed for Thailand, there was an unofficial small farewell gathering held for me at Mochi’s. Only a few people were there and we sat around chatting, enjoying frozen yogurt. Dima Pshichenko finally asked me how I got myself into this whole situation and was now about to move to Thailand. In my attempt to be clever and funny, I came up with a theory. Afterwards, I realized just how clever the theory was and it actually explains how I got where I am. I will explain it now.

When making decisions, I have 3 inner factors contributing to the decision making process: logical, emotional and outrageous. When presented with an opportunity such as an internship in Bangkok, my outrageous side will demand to go, the logic will take steps to make it happen and my emotions sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. The fact that I’m currently living in Thailand testifies that my outrageous side is probably dominant at this point of my life.

I first heard about this opportunity at the beginning of the fall semester and thought it would be an incredible experience. I also didn’t think it was actually going to happen. It’s one of those things you (or at least I did) dream about when you’re growing up, reading books and watching movies about extraordinary people. But real life is different, right?

Reflection time:
Why does real life have to be different? I understand that life has its major difficulties and challenges; I’m living through many right now. Unfortunately, not every girl is a princess who will in fact be swept off her feet by a knight in shining armor. And too many stories do not end with a ‘happily ever after’. Nevertheless, so many people (myself included) live their lives as if nothing else is available to them, settling for the tradition of their societies and never living to their full potentials. I probably sound like I’m attempting to promote the American Dream. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t support that lie. Dreaming, working hard and acquiring all the material things you’ve ever wanted will never satisfy you. However, if God created us with a greater purpose, which is to serve and bring glory to him, why are so many of us filling a certain mold that may never bring the most glory to God possible? While attending Slavic conferences and meeting new people, if girls are actually in college, I always put my money on a nursing major, and I’m usually right. Nothing against nurses; both of my sisters are fabulous nurses. But, the general concept is mind-blowing! Talk about thinking inside the box!
And then you have another category. People who dream and talk, but the only place they actually do any of their walking is inside their dreams. It’s like writing stories inside your head for yourself and even reading them aloud, but never actually living them.
Why? Do we not believe God is big enough, great enough and awesome enough to make us into something greater? Why have we become so complacent where we are located in life?

So, I applied for the internship and began taking any necessary steps to actually make it happen. I scheduled meetings, sought advice from family and friends, filled out applications, sent a million emails, talked about it, applied for naturalization, prayed about it, and sent more emails. Besides the supernatural, 2 key factors played into my success: persistence and connections. No joke. Persistence is the obvious aspect to any success; but, I would have never gotten this internship if it wasn’t for people I knew, who knew even more important people, etc. etc. Most importantly, God worked everything out so perfectly as if he was eating a piece of dark chocolate cake. I never heard the voice of God in this entire process, but I can’t deny the work of his hand. The fact that I got my citizenship, passport and visa within 6 months time still astonishes me! And so many other details simply fell into place.

So many people sit around waiting for the voice of God, but they fail to take steps and use the resources, wisdom and opportunities that he often places in front of us. We can’t deny when it’s raining just because we sometimes don’t hear thunder or see lightening; we can feel and see the rain. In the same way, just because we sometimes don’t hear God speak or flashy signs, doesn’t mean that he isn’t pouring down his work into our lives; we can sense the evidence of his presence and guidance.