This Global Home | Day 14: Thailand
Greetings from northern Thailand!My name is Christy and I’ve lived overseas, in the same city, for four years now. I have the privilege of serving with a Christian humanitarian aid organization that works to bring help, hope, and love to those under oppression in places like Burma, Sudan, Iraq and Syria. Connect with me: InstagramBlog
Since that first move overseas, I’ve been in two houses. The first was out in Thailand’s equivalent of the suburbs. It was a great house but grew to be too much space and too far away from friends and community in town. So, three years ago I moved into a two story, two-bedroom, one bathroom townhouse. There are six units all in a row and the other five are filled with both friends and teammates.My current home reflects a lot of “charm” - cracks in the wall, missing tiles, and a wall that has peeling paint. Who knew that semi-gloss paint doesn’t take well to concrete walls? It continues to be a work in progress but I’ve learned so much about making home in a much smaller space. Much of creating home here has come in the little details. A bulletin board with photos of family and friends, favorite books, candles, and large hanging photos of favorite places are found throughout the house and take up minimal space. Instead of using the overhead fluorescent lighting, I use table lamps and christmas lights throughout the house.
Like many homes in Thailand, walking between rooms means stepping down or up into the next room. Some rooms were additions to the main building which is why there are empty window frames between the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
This house didn’t have any built-in storage options so additional pieces were brought in. For the living room, it meant storage that doubles as a computer/tv station for hosting movie nights or having friends over.Besides that storage unit and some seating, there’s only a bookshelf in the room. Books are arranged by color (as are my phone apps) because I find it more visual appealing.
While there is a dining room of sorts, the living room is where most activity happens. Most of the time, the dining table stays pushed up against the wall to save space or double as additional cooking space. Under the stairs is an oddly cut space that currently serves as a home office space and storage area. It also features that peeling wall that is slowing growing on me.
Many Thai homes don’t have an actual kitchen inside. They may have a cooking area out back but in-house kitchens are still a newer feature. My first house didn’t have an actual kitchen so it’s been great to have one, even a galley-style one, in the townhouse. While wood counters may look nicer, the plastic/metal combination has held up well to heat, moisture, and mold.
This kitchen also happens to have two ovens of sorts. The first looks like a Western style one with four stovetop burners above the oven. However, the oven has two modes - on or off - which can make baking difficult. The countertop oven is what gets the most use in the kitchen and has produced countless batches of brownies since I got it this past spring. With a downward slope of the room, I put cutting boards under the oven to help balance it out.
Upstairs are two bedrooms, one with a queen size bed and one with a twin. The master bedroom has one very important feature - the only air conditioning unit in the house! It makes sleeping a little easier during hot season when the temps tip well beyond 100*F.
Both rooms have free standing wardrobe pieces for clothing and storage. The guest room functions as a short-term space for friends coming through the city and also doubles as storage for field gear. The master bedroom has a few more pieces since it’s my room. On my bedside table is a wooden plaque from a friend, given to me right before I moved overseas. It’s been a good reminder to stay strong and continue walking forward in faith, even when it’s hard.
A common feature in this part of the world is a fully tiled bathroom and a shower that is close to or almost over the toilet. Plumbing doesn’t carry hot water so most showers have individual water heater units attached.
Last year, I had a leaning bookshelf installed in the small upstairs hallway and turned it into bathroom storage. Because the shower, toilet, and sink are all in the same room, it can be hard to store products in there and keep them dry. Like the kitchen, baskets and bins help keep the space organized. I’ve come to love that shelf and the storage pieces. Because guests use my house when I’m away for months at a time, keeping supplies organized has been helpful as we transition people around.
