The River Runs Free (or should) and Chiang Mai

Here is Khon Kaen, Thailand working as a member of a group and visiting villages every few weeks, the term solidarity has come up a few times.  It seems the more time passes, the more frequently the term is used.  The question though is what is solidarity in terms of these issues?  What does it mean in the villages?

On a journey to discover what solidarity really means, one telling village was that of Ban Huay Top Nai Noi.  Not only does this village share passion and drive, but they have a plan.  Made up of villagers from two different surrounding villages, this protest village was formed to protest a dam project upstream.  These villagers homes were not going to be flooded, but their farms, their livelihoods, were.  In 1995 the protest village formed in the flood zone of the proposed dam project. Paw Sampone said, “We moved to the flood zone because if they want to build the dam, build the dam.  But, if you retain any water you will be killing people.”  The power of their mission is not just for themselves however, it is for the land and the people around them.

For communities we visited on unit 4, potential or previous dam sites, the river is more than a source of water.  The flooding created or exacerbated by dams is not just detrimental to the crops in the farm land or the homes in the area, but it completely destroys livelihoods.

For example, in communities in Rasi Salai, the end of the rainy season has led to absolutely no source of income for the people.  The wetlands, their original source of food and crops is flooded.  They cannot gather crops that have been sustaining their families for hundreds of years.  Their farmlands are also flooded because of the dam reservoir, to the point where the can only get around some parts by boat.  Many cannot even walk to their farms to see how much damage has been done.  The final aspect of these villagers’ income come from handicrafts made and sold at the local learning center.  The center is up to the roof with water because the land the people were given for the project is located on the banks of the reservoir.  The supplies to make most of the crafts come from their fields as well.  So without farm land just a few weeks before harvest, no crafts and no place to sell them, the dam has led to no financial stability or security for the people of Rasi Salai.  Their homes may not be flooded, but they continue to band together because without the other community members, some families could easily go hungry.

            

This community serves as a mentor for that of Ban Huay Top Nai Noi.  They have provided guidance, comfort, and support during the hard times.  They inspire the people of Ban Huay Top Nai Noi, and encourage their fight.  Even through the violence that occurred, the people of the protest village stayed in their new location.  Their presence is a fight, it is a message.  “We do this for the land.  Land cannot regenerate but people are born everyday.”  Their strength comes from each other.  “Where ever we go, we go together.  We share everything, not just knowledge.”  These words of the community members is what enables the movement they are part of.  They have a cause and support and the strength of their community is what true solidarity looks like.  They stand, fall, live and fight together.

Post water unit was our four day break which came and went, and what an amazing adventure it was!!  Just a quick blurb, I went to Chiang Mai and saw the floating lantern festival.  Most amazing thing, and it is a time to pay tribute to the river, so was fitting following out water unit.  For highlights, I rode an elephant, played with baby tigers, and went bungee jumping (never thought I would...) So although I indulged in foreign food with burritos and falafel, its good to be back to Isaan where there aren’t tourists and I get to speak Thai.  On to the mining unit, which should be really interesting and I’ll have more time with internet to blog in a more timely fashion.

Community, Globalization, and Tons of Trash

So many villages, so little space to write about them.  So I’ll keep up with the highlights principle.  The highlight of the Land unit was definitely Baw Kaew community.  It is a protest village where the people were kicked off of their land, and two years ago they returned and have built a community.  There were people from all different villages, and through the shared struggle and passion they have created something unbelievable.  The grandmothers share their stories of being kicked off their land with the children, who will continue to fight based on the devotion.  This unit showed me outside force or someone with power is not needed for a successful grassroots movement.  Anyone and everyone has agency, and it just takes motivation and passion to create change.  It was a really moving exchange and experience.

My Paw from this unit, other than the two one-nighters, was incredibly educated.  I was sitting watching Meh cook one night when Paw came into the cooking area.  He sat down next to me, pen in hand and started to lecture.  All in Thai of course, but the essence of the conversation was, “Julie, do you see this papaya—we grow them in Thailand.  You don’t grow the min America, yet you are able to eat them in America.  That is just one reason why globalization is so amazing.”  The lectures continued and got more and more complex over the course of the three days. There was a lot of guessing based on what was said or drawn, (yes, one day he got out his grandson’s coloring book and drew for us—an upgrade to the hand), but it was all an amazing lesson on both how globalization can be viewed and on communication. 

After the unit ended, there was an optional trip to the landfill near our campus.  Just 17km away, 200 tons of trash is brought each day.  There is a community of 60 families that live there, started by just one man who went to make a living off of the trash.  Not only does it bring to light the realization of scavengers, those who work 20 hours a day picking through garbage to find plastic bottles to recycle, but it brings to light the realities of consumerism.  I literally climbed a trash mountain.  Not to mention the irony of the laundry detergent package I saw in the mud that read, “hygiene”.  I was so blown away by the Paw that we exchanged with.  He no longer works in the landfill and nor does his wife or kids, but he lives there because he owns his land and he wants to make the community a better place.  Unlike in America where people strive to get out of the slums, Paw was trying to improve the village.  He chooses to live in literally a dump.

The problems with each village we visit are hard to stomach.  With each unit and each exchange I continue to recognize the realities of a developing country.  It is natural to make comparisons to the United States and we have many of these issues.  We have medical problems associated with damning and mining (the coming two units).  We have poverty that is solved by cash cropping.  There are so many problems in our world.  This country is so amazing, and my time here is invaluable but it is hard meeting amazing people and learning about their suffering unable to fix it.

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle

Well this time it’s the students sleep tonight.  Part one of our second unit, Land, takes place in villages who have had recent struggles with their land.  Whether it is a protest village, a community that has recently returned to their land, or exchanging with the governmental agency that protects the forest, we are seeing all sides of land rights in Issan.  The journey started with a six hour van ride to a village just north of Cambodia.

Our van slowed to a stop at a group of houses, but we were told this was not our village.  No, we all loaded onto the back of a truck and headed into the jungle.  The Suan Ba, or forest, was through deep woods and the land had flooded recently- our vans would not make it.  Little did I understand flooding.  After community members finished nailing wooden boards as two longs rows of seats, we loaded up.  Thus began the most exciting hour long ride of my life.  Somewhere between roller coaster and safari, we found ourselves on a real life version of a Disney World ride.

The village only got better.  It started with bananas

hanging by a pole for us to eat at our leisure, there was some wading through a river, an exchange, and then a slumber party of the whole group sleeping in the "community" room.  There was one light bulb, but otherwise no electricity.  The exchangee was willing to answer all questions so after our allotted time,question were asked about Cambodia, the Vietnam War, and concluding discussing elephants.  (Which, we saw driving through the city, of all places, on the way home.  Just a baby walking on a leash led by a man down the busy street- totally casual.)

We returned for the evening to meet the U.S. Ambassador, have finger food and mingle.  So it’s a nice relaxing evening, and then off to the next village!! It has become a trend that at all villages our host parents like to feed us a lot and so I am a bit nervous for Yom Kippur tomorrow.  The Ajaans (teachers) know I am fasting, so they will explain it—hopefully it is understood as religious and not as an insult to their food, because village food is sooo delicious. 

Mai Chai Bouey Kem Me: Don't Use Chemical Fertilizer!

The food/agriculture unit homestay has come to an end.  These last six days were filled with excitement and unbelievable experiences.  I cannot share everything from this past week, but I’ll go over the highlights.

First stop, Roi Et province.  We stayed in a village that was in transition from non organic to organic farming, so almost every family had pigs to make their organic fertilizer.  We got a tour of some farms, and they really tried to make it interactive.  So, I got to plant a banana tree!  (picture included). 

Before heading to Yasothon province, the location of our last homestay of the unit, we stopped in Masaharaka to  observe our future families protesting the use of chemicals in farming.  The speakers brought some to tears as they spoke of the horrors that have come as adverse effects, and the passion of these people to protect their livelihood was an unbelievable thing to watch.  Wearing green, just as the organic market they participate in is the Green Market, the street was flooded with signs and images of pesticides.  This peaceful demonstration showed more than just what chemicals can do—it showed the importance of community.  These individuals came together for a cause, and their community is shown through both the market and the signs floating down the street.

I loved my family at this homestay.  Paw and I were surprisingly able to communicate a lot and so I got to learn about both he and Meh’s farming practices and lives.  Both have lived in the village their entire lives, and have been farming organically for 12 years now.  We took the tractor out to the farm and came back with a bounty of delicious treats.  A green papaya for Som Tom, a local dish, long beans, peanuts, sugar cane, okra, and my favorite—passion fruit.  I got to learn about the different type of rice that he grows, and then that day we stayed up late and helped prepare for the market.  Weighing peppers, sorting veggies, carrying coconuts, and watching as Meh prepared the banana leaf wrapped coconut, rice, banana snacks.  We woke early (4:00) to meet our parents at the market, and help sold their rice and treats. (My time at local farmer’s markets paid off, because I would not allow for bargaining).

 

Our week came to an end after our last exchange with a local government official who was very passionate about hating TNCs.  This past week was a great first unit trip—personal connections were formed and we got a real insight into the issues.  These next 10 days in Khon Kaen will be rough because I can’t wait to get back into the villages.

(Oh! I almost forgot… if you put a green mango into a box for a few days, it ripens perfectly!  It’s a very useful skill when mangos are not in season) 

Laying the Bricks for Photography

 Nic Dunlop, a photographer came and taught a photography workshop—so I thought it only fitting that I show what I came up with.  Out instructions were to take an establishment shot, a profile, a detail shot, an action and then a fifth of any of those.  We had to tell a story, no children and no monks allowed.

So I headed off through the streets and decided, despite the heat and blaring sun, to venture down the street I had not been down yet.  I first found myself in a neighborhood, then at a resort, and finally I came upon a bustling street with lots of excitement and potential subjects.  All the pictures were to be of the same subject, so I wanted something new (and boy did I find it)

 I came upon this brick building in construction and thought, why not?  There was a young guy working the brick pulley, and seeing as I had never seen this orange contraption before, it fit.  He spoke a little English, I speak a little (real little) Thai, so we were kind of able to communicate.  He had decided I was going to come back later when he got off  and hang out with him and his friend…I knew I had to come back to get more pictures in the afternoon, so I did as the Thais do, and smiled.

I took a few good shots, and got my establishing shot (pictured right), but needed more for sure. Only problem was, I wandered to get there—needless to say I got lost coming back.  I was uncertain if I could find it again.  I did though, and it was worth the walk.

My friend from earlier in the day was gone, so I wandered around the construction site.  I then saw this woman on the stairs, asked if I could take her picture, and afterward she directed me upstairs.  I scaled the edge of the building (for like 2 feet) and spoke with three women, in broken Thai and English.  One may have told me she wants an American boyfriend…but I am pretty sure she had kids… I don’t know.  Language barriers.

It was an amazing experience, and although conversation may not have been perfect, I think I was able to capture my experience through the photos.

A Week That Felt Like Class, Including Saturday and Sunday

Our week of background lectures comes to a close today, and in our "alternative education model," it wont be returning. To talk about all of them, being four-hour lectures each would both bore you and possibly imprison me in Thailand.  I will draw attention to some of the highlights though.  The Thai History and Politics lecture was so intriguing.  This country has such an interesting past and present—it is truly captivating.  The first lecture we had, on Human Rights was given by the most amazing woman I have met here.  I should set the scene…

When we have exchanges (I’ll get to that later), or lectures we are told to dress in “polite” attire.  This means skirts past the knees and covered shoulders for girls (or our nifty, yes NIFTY, school uniforms).  Our lecturer, the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Commission on Human Rights, walked in wearing jeans and a jean jacket that faded into lace at the bottom.  And let me tell you, not one of us doubted her for a second.  She spoke with such confidence and passion for the subject, and to put it bluntly- she was a total boss.  I learned after the lecture she was once at a big party with Henry Kissinger and happened to be next to him on the buffet line.  So naturally she took that as her opportunity to tell him everything she thought he had done wrong.  I could not stop writing as she spoke to us, and her wisdom on Human Rights was profound to say the least. 

The second half of the week was spent on our “mock-unit”, which is on HIV/AIDS.  We had an exchange (a question and answer forum structure) with TNP+, which is a network for people in Thailand living with HIV/AIDS.  After the question answer period and an activity that demonstrated the spread of the virus using water cups and food dye, we got to visit a home of a person living with HIV/AIDS.  What an experience.  I must say first, that in a country where the culture seems to avoid the topic of sex, its is amazing how open both the organization heads and the individuals were with us.  In small groups at the home visits (the house I went to is pictured), we were free to ask all questions and I was overwhelmed with knowledge.  The juxtaposition between Montclair and the community I visited were so drastically different.  Here, the “norm” is to be ostracized, whereas at home neighbors seem to do anything they can to help.  The man I spoke with knows that the disease cannot be transmitted through objects, but still insists on having separate soap, and cups, and plates from his family to ensure his two daughters’ and wife’s protection.  The struggle to fight the silence surrounding sex is obviously a struggle for education, and it makes the condom caravan at school seem like a godsend of information.

In other news, there is a family of geckos living in my room.  I’m not too concerned because as a friend put it when I was initially freaked out, “They are more afraid of me than I am of eating shellfish.” 

And how do you turn a mango yellow? …more on that to come.

I Want to Hold Your Hand, and Get Back on the Bus

The Beatles had people in complete awe of them, wanting nothing more than to be near them. Now, I would not say I have John Lennon status here in Thailand, but at school in the village the children certainly wanted to hold my hand.  In fact, all of us had 3-4 Thai kids ranging in age from 6 to 13 hanging off of us at any moment in time.  For our third day in the community, instead of Thai class, we had a “Thai Fun Activity”, consisting of us playing games with kids at school, and then us teaching them an activity.  Thank you summer camps because we all quickly agreed to teach them “Baby Shark”, and out second was “The Banana Song”.  If you are unfamiliar with these, I highly recommend learning them, because just as I thought they would never come in handy again—I was mistaken.  They joy that came from these kids was indescribable.  Later at our homestays, we had kids doing the hand motions, asking us to sing it again.

My homestay could probably be best described by the final night.  Until the last night it was a lot of observing and eating.  I didn’t really feel a strong connection to my family, and it was not the easiest three days of my life. It did however have a very happy ending on our last night when the entire village gathered at my neighbor’s house and we had what I am calling a block party.  There was music, all the students ate a meal together prepared by many families, and we danced into the night (meaning like 8:00 because that is normal bed time in villages)

These past few days in Khon Kaen have given us a time to actually explore the city and get a hold of public transportation. Saung Taos, which are “buses” where you sit on benches on the flat of a pick-up truck with a roof, have been an exciting way of exploring.  For instance, last night as we tried to get to this Italian place for dinner, we were supposed to switch buses.  This of course we did not know, and ended up past the slums and far from the city.  As the Saung Tao slowed to a stop the nine of us looked at each other, and got off hesitantly as we were kicked off by the driver.  The fear started to set it for sure but luckily, there was one store with its light on, and the two women in the pharmacy spoke a little English.  We had them call a cab for us, because we had NO CLUE where we were.  Seeing as cab drivers have numbers but do not answer their phones, we were stuck.  At that moment, another Saung Tao drove up and we had the women ask them to drive us to the hotel down the street from the restaurant.  At the price of 200 bhat, it was totally worth it.  So our personal taxi Saung Tao drove us back down the shady roads, and the night concluded with a delicious pizza.  (I absolutely LOVE Thai food, but as a true American, I really missed pizza).  Another adventure, another night in Thailand.