Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion . . . . I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

I love bureaucracy. Today I tried to figure out the different documents I need, including a work permit (which allows me to get paid!) and my visa. Right now I have a three month immigrant visa, which expires at the end of August. I must have talked to five different people today, all of whom told me different things. Apparently I need to get a year visa to stay legal, which I have to apply for after I receive my work permit. Expats who have lived in Thailand for eighteen years told me that this process is never completed correctly.

The most important thing is to get my visa stamped for re-entry, since I am going home to the US during the semester break in October. I heard that I can't apply for re-entry until I have the mysterious year visa, which I won't be eligible for until I have my work permit. And I was told that the work permit can take forever to be processed...

So please pray with me and for me, that I would laugh and be "jai yen" instead of being anxious that all these documents would come through and come through in time. One of the things I love most about Thailand is the easy-going nature of the people and their interpretation of time. It is liberating and frustrating at the same time, but that is just part of being in a different culture. A good sense of humor is helpful when navigating cultural differences! I trust that God will provide and that eventually everything will work out.

So today I laughed, shrugged my shoulders and said "Mai pen rai," which means, "It doesn't matter, no problem."

P.S. In case you were wondering, the title is a quote from author Kurt Vonnegut. I often resort to laughter and tears at the same time.