Harvest time means that all the green fields from the beginning of my journey have turned golden yellow. It is a physical representation of truly how much time has passed. Pretty cool though because just as the rice has changed through process, so have I through our group process.
This last unit before final projects was based in mining, and it brought in everything we have learned so far. Water gets poisoned, land rights are violated, and of course, the farmland is destroyed. What was most interesting about this unit though was its complexity. I, as an American consumer, contribute to the issue. At our reading discussion, we had to take everything that had mined products in it and put it at our feet. Jewelry, electronics from our backpacks, notebooks, pens, everything was sitting at our feet. It was a scary realization. Then off to the communities and there they too use products that have been mined. Its really a “not in my backyard argument”, but it needs to happen in our current economy, so whose backyard do we put it in? More importantly, how do we ensure that those people have a say, because that seems to be one of the biggest problems here in the Northeast. The villagers simply are not heard when the proposed projects will change their livelihood for ever.
Despite all the work that was due, two friends and I decided to take our personal days and return back to the organic village. What an adventure it was. I could not stay with my host family, so I stayed with my friends and Paw Wan. Paw is the local rice varieties expert, so it was cool harvesting rice in his farm. It wasn’t just Jasmine105 or Gaw Kaw 6, we were harvesting black rice, and then for dinner had the most delicious red sticky rice. (Which doesn’t mean the rice is sticky, it is a different kind of rice that is eaten in this region.) The trip back was where the adventure came in. A driver brought us to the city nearby, then we got on an open air bus to take us to the bus station, and then there was only standing room on the four hour bus ride. Also, the air conditioning was broken. I found myself sitting on the floor (because it was cooler) scrunched between my friends, and just hoping time would pass quickly.
We got home safe and sound as always, appreciating the adventure and impressed with our language skills. It is now time for final projects, so off to the village to survey to assess the feasibility of a Green Market. But more on that soon…
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