Saturday, July 16, 2005
60 cents for char siew farn*
*barbequed pork rice
It was getting late and the people were saying their goodbyes and making their way to the door. Me? I was still busy enjoying the durians (thorny local fruit) provided by our host!
It was the end of another home fellowship. Soon, everyone was leaving but the host and his wife asked me to stay on and help finish the durians!!! I din have to be told twice!!!
Honestly, it was not just the fruit. I enjoyed being with the host and his family. I’m close to his son and I get along well wif his wife and 2 daughters. On top of that, it has been a while since I caught up wif them.
I sat wif him and we started chatting while his wife and his youngest girl cleared up – and occasionally chipping in a comment or two! In the end, I stayed there til close to 2 am!!!!
The host started sharing his past wif me! It was almost like a father-son conversation!! He talked of how he started to work, how he had struggled – his first salary was 65 dollars a month!!! He had to pay his aunt 30 dollars as rental leaving him only 35 dollars to live on for the rest of the month!!!! Sure, he started working the year I was born – but 35 bucks a month back then still is very little!!! He would spend 60 cents for char siew farn instead of 70 cents for the roast duck rice!!!
He shared about his sacrifices and his struggles. He even talked of his first love!!! At one point of time, his wife chipped in sayin that she has never known about certain things tat he was sharing wif me!!!
I felt really awful listening to him – as I recounted how fortunate I am to have parents pay for me good education and to be able to earn so much and how I have been so irresponsible wif me money, living life to the “fullest”, spending so unnecessarily! I told him that he shud have told me all that 10 years ago!! He said that it’s still not too late!!!
At the end of the day, he wanted to encourage me to stay on in this country!!! In his sharing, he told me of numerous occasions and opportunities he had to leave the country but in the end, he remained. He was basically encouraging me that no matter how “bad” things are here, it’s still home! And he personally din wanna see me leave for good! Of course, the decision will be left to me.
I was very touched by the whole incident – him taking the time to chat wif me, to share of his past – even intimate and private things, his struggles, the decisions he had to make etc. And although I was super exhausted that nite, I din mind staying on and listen to him share.
Truly, it is wonderful to be in God’s family, in the household of faith. I have gained so many brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers in Christ. I am truly so blessed.
Char siew farn (pic taken from ThaiTable.com) 
It was getting late and the people were saying their goodbyes and making their way to the door. Me? I was still busy enjoying the durians (thorny local fruit) provided by our host!
It was the end of another home fellowship. Soon, everyone was leaving but the host and his wife asked me to stay on and help finish the durians!!! I din have to be told twice!!!
Honestly, it was not just the fruit. I enjoyed being with the host and his family. I’m close to his son and I get along well wif his wife and 2 daughters. On top of that, it has been a while since I caught up wif them.
I sat wif him and we started chatting while his wife and his youngest girl cleared up – and occasionally chipping in a comment or two! In the end, I stayed there til close to 2 am!!!!
The host started sharing his past wif me! It was almost like a father-son conversation!! He talked of how he started to work, how he had struggled – his first salary was 65 dollars a month!!! He had to pay his aunt 30 dollars as rental leaving him only 35 dollars to live on for the rest of the month!!!! Sure, he started working the year I was born – but 35 bucks a month back then still is very little!!! He would spend 60 cents for char siew farn instead of 70 cents for the roast duck rice!!!
He shared about his sacrifices and his struggles. He even talked of his first love!!! At one point of time, his wife chipped in sayin that she has never known about certain things tat he was sharing wif me!!!
I felt really awful listening to him – as I recounted how fortunate I am to have parents pay for me good education and to be able to earn so much and how I have been so irresponsible wif me money, living life to the “fullest”, spending so unnecessarily! I told him that he shud have told me all that 10 years ago!! He said that it’s still not too late!!!
At the end of the day, he wanted to encourage me to stay on in this country!!! In his sharing, he told me of numerous occasions and opportunities he had to leave the country but in the end, he remained. He was basically encouraging me that no matter how “bad” things are here, it’s still home! And he personally din wanna see me leave for good! Of course, the decision will be left to me.
I was very touched by the whole incident – him taking the time to chat wif me, to share of his past – even intimate and private things, his struggles, the decisions he had to make etc. And although I was super exhausted that nite, I din mind staying on and listen to him share.
Truly, it is wonderful to be in God’s family, in the household of faith. I have gained so many brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers in Christ. I am truly so blessed.
// posted by imissw @ 11:00:00 pm 
