I’ve been back in the States now for two weeks, after more than a year living outside its borders. Call it reverse-culture-shock, but here’s what I’ve observed about my homeland that I didn’t quite notice before: 1. Subway has too many choices. It’s confusing. And it’s hard to read the menu. 2. America is really clean. [...]
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How do you deal with culture shock? Good question, and I’m not sure I have the answers, but I do have some thoughts on handling the realities of culture shock through that critical first year in a new country. I wanted to talk about it, before I forgot about it – What are your thoughts/stories [...]
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Just in case you would prefer listening to reading, here’s a vlog I did while I was processing the Guy in the Orange Shirt post (above). Essentially, the same “confession,” just spoken outside a coffeeshop . . . Thanks for your grace as you’ve journeyed through this first year overseas right with me– mess and [...]
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If you have struggled or are struggling with depression {or discouragement}, I hope this post will be helpful, though it’s an admittedly longer one than usual. Please understand that I speak not as an expert of any kind, but merely as one who’s tasted the weighty dark depression/discouragement which can bring. And while I talk [...]
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It was under trees like these that I heard it. Jogging through patches of spring snow that refused to sink into ground. Gloves on hands that clinched a blaring ipod. Breath making smokestacks in the mountain air. The decision to drop nets and follow had already been made. The path chosen would lead overseas and [...]
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If you’ve followed here for any amount of time, you’ve probably gathered that my son has an aversion to Thai food. It’s not that he just prefers french fries over the local cuisine; it’s that he literally has the gag reflex when he so-much-as smells green curry. Believe it or not, we’ve even had at-the-table [...]
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Just some thoughts I had while recently getting my hair cut–for the first time in Thailand. I also talk about the two biggest things we’ve learned about ourselves from the past 5 1/2 months. {Though I’ll warn you the hair cut turned out prettier than the confessions.} This post is linked over with Emily at [...]
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Tuesday afternoon, I watched him lug the suitcase behind him down the stairs. The zippers were stretched from items crammed within and a blue light saber was tucked into the outside pocket. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, and I knew the answer before I asked it. “Where ya going, buddy?” And [...]
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She answered my questions with the minimums –one sentence or two at the most. And, try as I might, she kept responding to my best-friendly with no leading comments of her own, and then she delivered the ultimate subtle-shut-down. She asked no questions of me, the New Girl, at all. And so I busied myself [...]
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“What happens when trying to follow Jesus turns you into an awful person?” This was the honest question Matt and I talked about last night on our downstairs couch, in the 15 minute-window we had where the kids were asleep and we had the energy to talk about the important. It was a question born [...]
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I’ve watched two men struggle to keep afloat. My little man, Cade, is barely a whole handful of years. Last week, we logged countless pool hours during our vacation to Pattaya in Southern Thailand. And Cade was determined to swim. In the deep end. He desperately wanted the freedom to be a contender in the [...]
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ALifeOverseas.com / LauraParkerBlog.com.
My family is living overseas in Thailand, where my husband is directing a Christian Humanitarian Foundation. This blog is the honest recording of our journey– squatty potties and all. 
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Destined Traveler.
Mentoring Young Adults, Hosting Teams, Educating about Human Trafficking.
