3 major rules when going to a mission trip!

I was together with 500 people and 9 days in Latvia for a short term mission trip.

It was sth that i did not plan long enough or in other words - spontaneous. But i have to admit, it was worth it! Every single moment, even though it means sleeping on a thin mattress together with 20 girls on hard cement floor. And i manage to shower for at least 3 times! What an experience!

However being in Germany long enough to learn about how ze Germans try to structure everything and how we plan our week by the days and our day by the hours, it only took the organisers of the social mission trip 3 rules to put everything under control.

Rule number 1 - You do not get ANGRY! 

You do not get angry when your neighbours came into the room at half past two in the middle of the night. You do not get angry when the local latvian radio is on practically 24/7. You do not get angry when there is no timetable to follow and the school bell is the only thing u can count on to know when u shud eat breakfast lunch or dinner. You do not get angry when naughty kids are shouting at your ears while getting their presents. And not only that, you do not get angry at all!

Rule number 2 - Problems do not exist!

A problem will be a problem if u think it is a problem. And the word 'problem' was never even mentioned once in the new testament. Meaning, there is no such thing as cannot get a car for your fellow group mate who is a bit slow and has difficulty walking to send us to the most deprived area of the city to give out foodbags. There is no such thing as cannot organise technical equipment (video projectors, wires, laptop etc) to go to the nearest schools for Kids program. There is no such thing as cannot be patient or cannot dressed up as clowns to entertain the children who are coming for the Kids program.

Rule number 3- You are not going to get married here!

i mean, come on! we are trying to save the world here (or not) and of course there are nice, holy and godly people around you who you might accidentally be attracted to but push it down, all of the feelings, all of it! And thus it creates a safe environment of building (first) friendships (and only) and as a girl i do feel safe to just talk because of the open environment and not to withheld myself too much for the fear or misleading or giving false hints to our fellow brothers.

Overall to sum it up, the mission trip was a dream come true. There are expectations that are not fulfilled because of the huge numbers of participants but of course there are far more precious things that i've gained. I have learnt so much about myself and thus have more faith in the one who created me and to really believe that i can contribute and make a small change in a city.

Signing out

Pat

To Latvia with love

Counting down 3 days to Latvia!

Being mechanical engineer

While in the process of stocking up for cny eve, i got asked by the lady at the asian shop whether i study culinary in the uni (i was asking for plum sauce coz i wan to have yee sang for cny eve celebration in church)

She was quite disappointed when i told her i am currently doing my masters in mechanical engineering. And she proceed by telling me how she wish her daughter can do mechanical as well. I told her i was free to choose whatever i wan to do because there's so many subject options to choose from and nearly everything has to do with physics and maths. Being asian, she proceed again by telling me how she thinks her daughter should be studying engineering instead of biology because of future job prospect. Well, reminds me of my family as well and i got homesick for a while.

To be honest, whenever people ask me why did i choose engineering as a girl, and usually my answer will be : cause my dad says so. I will normally get this weird look for them. And it is really fun to do it everytime, esp with ze germans, coz they are so free to do whatever they like after they turn 16 and leave home, and they cannot imagine how helpless a 17-year-old can be after she finishes high school and don't know what to do with her future. When i was 16, i had 5 tuition classes to attend. and when i finish high school, i don't know what to do coz there's no tuition class to attend!

So this will be my 4th cny in a land far far away from home, and i would also like to wish people who are not like me, who get to celebrate this valuable family celebration with your family, please hug your parents and siblings for me and don forget the angpaus!

XOXO

Stories from Scampen - part 1

i freaking drank a bottle of apfelschorle through a smelly sock (which happens to belong to a girl standing next to me). nuff said.

notice how everyone here only has one sock on.

after that, people were coming up to me and ask me why did i even want to do it. hmmm. why did i not think of it before gulping the whole bottle down?

So since it happen already, might as well learn sth from it.

and during Scampen, i realise one thing, that i have been in Germany for 4 years already. Before i knew it,  i m getting a tad bit older than when i first arrive and i realise how all my dreams and passion are being buried over the years because of studies and ministry and etc.

so again the question, what does drinking apfelschorle through a sock has to do with getting old?

well it make me realise that i am not as physically and mentally weak than i thought i would be. If i can survive drinking liquid through smelly socks, i can surely survive sleeping on hard cement floor in Latvia for one week! there you go, funny how a wacky game can give so much inspirations to people.

Signing off,
Pat-who-will-be-going-on-short-term-mission-trip-before-turning-25

In life, in death

Reading through cnn and all the sad news of school kids being shot to death, usually saddens me. But this time, i m stronger than just fearing death itself. We can never know when death will come and take us away from the momentary earth. Just make sure we live a life of no regrets, seize every moment and do your best. If you are studying, go to every class. If you are watching youtube, watch every episodes. If you are serving in church, do your very best for God.

my deepest condolences goes out to all the parents, family and friends of those cute children and brave adults. not only in america, but in Syria, Palestine, Israel and all parts of the world. 

The identity project - Being student

So it has been a month and a half since i started my masters at uni Stuttgart. Looking back at what i've 'achieved', i realise that it was nearly impossible - to be able to pass 6 subjects and finish writing a bachelor thesis - but whatever is impossible, is possible with God. I realised how i have been dragged along because i was so reluctant to believe that sth great is going to happen. I am reluctant to take risk, but somehow what i've experienced in the past 6 months is challenging my faith all over again. After all, faith is spellt R-I-S-K.

This time, i have the chance to experience student life all over again. The way I intended it to be without me realising it. I was reluctant to come to uni Stuttgart at first because i wanted to go to a better place(at least i was the only one who think so), a new place where i can start all over again with new people. But of course life will be less fun if we keep getting the things we wanted. How boring will it be?

Have a glimpse of my new uni!

so here i am feeling my life is as challenging as ever, thanks to my new identity as a university student!

Signing off,
The importance of being Pat

The identity project - Part 1

Being homeless for a while really taught me a lot and it is not so much of not having my own place to stay, but once again to need to stay with someone in the same room (since i have to give up my old room because i am suppose to be finished with my bachelor studies), being aware that every move that i make is being watched etc etc. And surprisingly, it is not too bad at all. To have someone to talk to all the time, to tell someone the things that i always thought no one will be interested, to be rest assure that i can fully be 'myself' and not care how would people judge the things i said (it helps when the temporary roomie is a little girl who loves to listen to stories) and the idea of letting people into my world and fear of exposing every weaknesses that i have doesn't have a strong hold on me anymore.

Having an identity helps to overcome the fear of exposing one's weaknesses and vice versa. Yes, once i overcome the fear of exposing my weaknesses, i begin to find my own identity. I am able to face myself and my weaknesses and accepting them as being part of me. Of course it comes with a cost, that people outside will notice the weaknesses and start reminding me again of them. And it really hurts. A lot. And this is the tricky part, once i realise tat i m being hurt, i begin to think of ways to avoid being hurt which resents to trying to cover up the weaknesses again, which defeats the whole purpose of the identity project.

The identity project? What is it? It is a very cool name that i thought of for the series i want to blog after this. One of the topic that i really put effort in learning especially throughout the years of my studies here in Germany is "Will the real Pat(ricia) please stand up aka Who am I?" and it is time that i summarise what i've learnt in forms that can help other people realise their identity as well.

Signing off,
The importance of being Pat