Kalasin to Ban Tung Ting and a Pit Stop in Between

Sukhothai

After staying in the first village and seeing their way of life, it was bittersweet to stay in a nice resort. It was a pleasant break from the village for us to have a pool, a bed, and running water, amongst other luxuries, but I couldn’t help but think about how the hardships never cease for the villagers.

We were able to ride bikes around Old Sukhothai, the first Thai kingdom in Thailand after the Khmer’s in around the 12^th century. Suzi and I rode a tandem bike exploring the ruins. It was a shaky start, but we finally got the hang of it after almost crashing into a lake. The ruins were substantial, and it was fascinating to see the remnants of a city that once was. The city had great Buddhist influence, and there were statues of Buddha everywhere, some which had been beheaded. According to Han, there was a great war, and the enemies would decapitate the Buddha to show disrespect and emotionally hurt the people. It’s a pity to know that so many incredible structures, not only here, but across the world have been destroyed by war.

 

Ban Tung Ting

 

The foothills of the Himalayas greeted us as we transferred from the vans to the beds of pick-up trucks. There were roughly nine of us in each truck, crammed in close for the bumpy and curvy hour long ride. The road was mostly dirt and gravel with few paved areas, and dense forest on either side. I rather enjoyed not being confined to the inside of one of the vans, feeling the air glide over my skin and whip my hair. There were only a handful of times I thought I was going to be ejected from the truck or scathed by a branch.

 

 

Upon arriving at the village the temperature was cooler and the air didn’t feel as wet. The schoolchildren showed us our new home for the next week; a giant room with 16 sleeping pads fully equipped with pillows, sheets, and of course mosquito nets. The afternoon was ours to explore the village and play with the kids. Suzi and I discovered a trail leading away from the village that led us to a family of water buffalo taking a mud bath, through some tiered farm land, into the forest, passed a wat, and finally back around to the other side of the village. The view of the green tree-covered rolling hills in the distance was picturesque, completed by a blue sky. The only sounds accompanying our footsteps were the high humming of cicadas and the rustling of leaves from a soft breeze. Along the trail, there were a few homes belonging to farmers, who were mostly relaxing under the shade of their stilted homes. Life was peaceful, life was simple.

The village prepared a welcome ceremony with food and the kids pinned flowers onto our shirts. As we greeted them, their Thai didn’t seem as natural as it should. We later found out that the majority of the students are not native, but represent the Burmese, Karen, and Hmong peoples. I love that the school accepts a variety of cultures and allows each culture to be individually expressed. The school is the only school for a radius of three hours, so while some of the kindergarten through sixth grade students live near the school, the bulk of the students reside in the school dormitories. I was impressed at the maturity of the students, being away from home for so long at such young ages.

The next morning, we started early with assessments and cleaning water tanks. Assessments of the children took most of the day. On each child, we performed general head – to – toe assessments, checking their skin, eyes, ears, lymph, and focusing especially on their mouths and hair.  Everything was noted in a chart for the school nurse to review and for interventions to be put into place. Anything of greater concern was immediately reported to the nurse. Overall, the oral hygiene was lacking greatly with visible tooth decay and cavities. Nearly every student was treated for lice with permethrin shampoo and caps that had to be worn for the whole day. Unfortunately, we were unable to treat their homes to eradicate the lice, so the chance for reinfestation is very high.

 

While assessing the students, Han proposed an interesting question. He asked us why we were really here in Thailand. There are other people who live in Thailand who could be doing the things we are doing, without having to fly across the world, so why are we here? It eliminates the typical self-perpetuating culture-shaming response that essentially equates to “I’m fortunate and helping the less fortunate people because they really need help and it makes me feel good about myself”. Of course I feel I am helping to a certain extent. I am helping the medical staff in the city save time by not having to travel to the village to do wellness assessments.  I am using my knowledge to help the children of the village stay healthy. But most of all, I came to the conclusion that I am here selfishly, and I’m okay with that. I am here to practice my assessment skills. I am here to gain better understanding of global healthcare. I am here to recognize the disparity and conditions of healthcare in other countries and be that much more thankful for what we have in America. I am here to do assessments with the bare minimum and poor lighting, learning to improvise and work to the best of my ability with available materials. I am here to learn that I want to use my medical knowledge in the future to help in parts of the world that actually do lack proficient healthcare. I am serving Thailand a little bit, but more than anything I am the one gaining perspective and understanding from this experience.

Over the course of the next few days, we hauled in sand, painted a fence, brought in a slide, swingset, merry-go-round, and teeter-totter for a playground. We cleaned off mold from all of the water tanks in the village and painted them to aid in preventing decay, helped the villagers haul in wood to build a gazebo, and lastly we taught the kids some basic English. Being in this village and being so disconnected from the rest of the world was a freeing experience. We woke up when the sun came up, we went to bed when the sun went down, we ate when we were hungry, and projects got done when they got done. There were no deadlines or stresses of time. It was as if time didn’t really exist.

 

Whilst in Ban Tung Ting, our group really bonded. We were working and playing all at the same time. We went on a few hikes, ate cicadas (a bird sized flying insect), made bets on “Giant Spider vs. Stupid Cicada”, played cards, kissed frogs, weathered the freezing and bug laden bucket showers, and played many field games with the kids. By the time we left Ban Tung Ting, I was beginning to become accustomed to life in the village. Bucket showers and squatty potties became something I actually liked, I began to adore the kids, and I overcame (for the most part) my disgust of spiders and other ugly creepy-crawlies.

 

Directions for a bucket shower: The bucket showers are outside with a swinging door, making it very easy for any bug to drown in what is supposed to be clean shower water. In the mornings before showering, be sure to fish out any floating carcasses as to not pour them over your head. Use bowl to wet hair and body, wash, and rinse. Approximately 5-7 bowls used for each shower = very little water.

Saying goodbye to the village was very difficult for all of us. In the morning, there was a ceremony with 5 monks who blessed us and tied more white thread bracelets on us. In the evening, there was a young boy who sang a beautiful Thai song, followed by four girls who danced representing each of their individual cultures (Thai, Karen, Hmong, and Burmese). We ate and danced with the teachers from the school, celebrating new friendships and completed work.

 

Kalasin

 Upon arriving in Kalasin, we were introduced to our homestay families. I was put in a home with Me Nu (Mother Nu) and Pa Long (Father Long) along with Erika and Savanna. According to Han, Me Nu and Pa Long used to live in the most traditional one room home in the village, but their daughter recently married a French man who built them a new house. From the outside, it appeared western, but stepping inside (with shoes off!), it was more traditional Thai with large tile floors and hardly any furniture. There was a couch and coffee table, but I never once witnessed them use it. Any time they were in the living area, they were sitting or sleeping on the hard tile floor.  Me Nu showed us upstairs where she gave us sleeping pads, pillows, and two fans. Pa Long showed us the rest of the home, especially excited to show us their western toilet and shower. Me Nu and Pa Long didn’t speak any English, so we constantly communicated through a series of gestures, smiles, and laughs. As I left my homestay to explore the village, Pa Long insisted on giving me a hug, and then kissed me on the cheek. Later the same day, he kissed Erika on the lips! Knowing that it is extremely unusual for Thai people to show physical affection, we talked to Han about it and we found that Pa Long was mixing in the French culture of his son-in-law.

It only took about 20 minutes to walk around the village. As I made my way around, I saw a few water buffalo, some village dogs, kids playing outside, some young adults gambling, and some other people resting in the shade. There were some people working in their garden wearing large hats to escape the sun, and some others driving tractors in a field. Most smiled and waved as I walked by. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry or stressed and everybody seemed to be content with the simplicity of life.

 

That evening, the village had prepared a welcome ceremony for us. We arrived to a gathering spot, and were greeted with the most beautiful handmade floral lei’s. Each one was completely unique, some with large opened flowers, others with flowers yet to bloom, all with a sweet aroma. A leader of the village instructed us to sit in a circle, and white string was passed all around so that we were each holding a portion of it while he gave a blessing. After the leader was finished chanting, the villagers began rotating around us in a counterclockwise direction tying string bracelets around our wrists. Before tying the bracelets, they would touch the string to my forearm and brush it toward me several times to bring good luck, and then away from me several times to take away anything bad. The white string is symbolic of peace, harmony, good fortune, good health, human warmth, and community and should be left on for at least 3 days.  The people were so sweet, and either practiced what little English they knew, or spoke simple Thai greetings. I can’t even begin to express the overwhelming happiness and sense of community I felt during the ceremony. It was such an honor to be welcomed into their home so graciously.

Village Public Health Clinic

There is a Public Health Clinic that serves several villages in the area and it is their primary source of health care. The clinic has one nurse and several trained volunteers. Anyone can go there for a health screening or if they are feeling unwell. The clinic is able to treat minor illnesses and common illnesses. If the clinic is unable to treat, then the patient will be taken to a hospital in the nearest town. We as nursing students had the opportunity to work alongside the volunteers screening for diabetes, hypertension, and anemia. I was honestly shocked at the number of people who take time out of their day to volunteer at the clinic. It’s an amazing concept to have trained volunteers doing simple procedures to keep costs low.

Fishing

The reservoir was smaller than I expected, maybe the size of a swimming pool, and about waist-deep. A few locals led us into the water carrying large nets with small holes and a heavy chain around the perimeter of the net. The reservoir was extremely muddy and unclear. The locals gracefully waded through the reservoir, but I was forced to trudge through the water with every step as the mud consumed my feet. We watched as the expert fishermen threw the large nets in a technique that spread the net out as wide as it would go. Then we all helped push the metal chain into the mud so any fish trapped under the net could not escape. We felt for any fish under the net, but were unsuccessful. We continued to persevere, and finally caught some under our net. Grabbing the fish through the net, you then had to use your opposite hand to go under the chain and grab the fish under the net and hold the wriggling creature tight enough and long enough to get it into the live well. Before long, there was a crowd of villagers gathered around the reservoir watching us as if we were on the set of a reality TV series. As the sun started to set, and the fish started to feed, a woman was carrying a handheld net, sweeping the visible fish from the top of the water. I was much more successful at that than with the large net. Small children were catching the feeding fish with their bare hands, and eventually the woman challenged me to do so. She and the children giggled at me as I failed over and over, only splashing water around. Though the fish were very fast, I became faster, and I can now say I’ve caught a fish with my bare hands!

The Rain Parade

Every year at the end of the dry season, there are many traditions to welcome rain from the gods. One of these traditions is a parade with traditional dress and dancing. The village was kind enough to allow us to participate in the parade, which was a once in a life time experience. They gave us many parts such as king and queen, princesses, dancers, flag holders, amongst others that I don’t recall. We spent the entire day in hair and makeup and getting into the appropriate dress. (Most of those doing hair, makeup, and dressing us were Katoi, which added a bit of fun!) The dancers were required to learn some traditional Thai dances for the parade. The dance was simple, yet beautiful, and we were nowhere near as graceful as the young Thai girls we learned from. The flag holders and dancers led the parade, followed by a decorated chariot that the princesses rode in, a giant horse that the king and queen rode on, and finally a live band playing music. The streets were filled with people on either side, clapping, smiling, taking photos, and dancing along.

Rice Planting

I never realized how much work went into planting rice! The rice must be planted, then the seedlings must be harvested and replanted with more space to grow. To harvest the seedlings, you grab 3-4 seedlings close to the root with both hands and pull hard! (Don’t pull too hard, or you’ll end up in the mud!) The roots pull up mud with them, so then you must balance on one foot and simultaneously hit/kick the seedling against the inner portion of your foot. The women were so patient with us and as always, were laughing hysterically at our failed attempts.

After harvesting enough seedlings for the field, we began replanting them in not so straight rows. To plant, you take 2-3 seedlings at a time and push them thumb deep into the mud. The mud was soft on my hands and I felt at peace planting rice. It was rather therapeutic, and I think I’d like to eventually get into gardening.

 

Rocket Festival

Yet another tradition to bring rain at the end of the dry season. It is said that the rockets go up to the gods and ask them to send rain down. To begin the Rocket Festival, there were several giant rockets that were set off that went higher than any firework I’ve ever seen. After the initiation of the Rocket Festival, smaller handheld rockets were handed out to people, and there were competitions to see whose rocket went the highest. The rockets were small, and you lit them in your hand and then waited for the pressure to build, then released the rocket, and it shot up! It was a lot of fun, but slightly terrifying all at the same time. I love traditions like this and the parade that have withstood the test of time. There is so much culture and faith behind every ritual, making it that much more special.

 

Homestays

I feel as though I did not have enough time to spend with Me Nu and Pa Long. They were so sweet and welcoming of us in their home, and we were hardly even there. From morning to night, we were busy visiting schools, participating in cultural events, or helping in the clinic. If I could change anything, it would be that there would be a block of time set aside to just hang out and get to know our host families. It wasn’t until the very last night in the village that we had a few moments before bed to hang out with our house parents. We were making popcorn when Erika burnt her finger on a bowl, and the parental instincts in Me Nu and Pa Long immediately came out. They retrieved ice, and Pa Long cut down aloe vera from their garden to nurse her finger. Then we just sat and did our best to communicate. They showed us pictures of their daughter and grandchild, and we showed them pictures of home and family. They especially loved seeing the photos that included snow; something they’ve never seen. The next morning, we gave our gifts, and we had Jurian translate for us. They told us we were welcome in their home anytime and hoped that we would one day return to visit.  We said our goodbyes and it was actually quite sad. I could have stayed in Kalasin for the rest of the trip and I would have been completely satisfied.

 

Buriram Province

Cabbages & Condoms

After a 6 hour van ride, we made it to Buriram Province, northeast of Bangkok. While traveling here, I encountered my first squatty potties. I’m not sure how I feel about them; the floor is always wet with who knows what, causing me to almost slip into the porcelain hole every time, I’m unsure about the cleanliness, there is never any soap, and absolutely no toilet paper to be found anywhere. On the bright side, it is good little exercise for your legs, and also supposedly good for your bowels because of the curvature of your back.

As we arrived to the hotel we would stay at for one night, everyone was amused by the name “Cabbages and Condoms Resort and Restaurant”, but it wasn’t until later that we would understand the true significance of it. Using a quirky name to highlight a serious issue, all proceeds of Cabbages and Condoms goes to the Population & Community Development Association, a sex education/AIDS prevention organization.

 

 

Mechai Viravaidya is a man ahead of his time. Since the 1970’s, he has been promoting condoms, family planning, and AIDS awareness in Thailand. He recognized that Thailand would not be able to grow economically if the birth rate continued to soar. Since beginning his work, the average number of children in Thai families has decreased from 7-13 children to 1.5 children. He encouraged the use of condoms through funny, non-controversial ways, passing out condoms at places like grocery stores and tolls, making condoms available to anyone for free. He also begged the question of why a doctor’s prescription was needed for birth control when it is so low risk.  Soon thereafter, anyone from hairdressers to store clerks were “prescribing” oral contraceptives, as long as the woman met the criteria. Mechai didn’t stop there, and began a campaign on vasectomies. Mechai himself got a vasectomy to decrease the stigma around the procedure. Busses with people trained to perform vasectomies began traveling around Thai cities. The busses had large windows so other men could watch to see how simple and quick the process was.

The Pattana School

Imagine a place where there is no tuition to attend a good private school, but students must participate in community service to give back. Imagine a place where even community members can come to learn. Imagine a place where students don’t only learn subjects like math and language, but also agriculture, water conservation, and humanitarian studies. Mechai recognized that the children are the future of the country, so he opened Mechai’s Pattana (Bamboo) School. The school is made up entirely of bamboo and caters to students 13-18 years old. Two graduates of the school gave us a tour of the grounds, practicing their English. They explained to us that enrolled students conduct interviews and admit new students based on the parallel goals of the current student body with the new students as the school is always innovating. They showed us some of the produce they grow like mushrooms and limes, and how they are always experimenting to find a better, more efficient, and more sustainable ways to farm. The two girls also showed us the chicken coop and explained how they found the chickens lay many more eggs when they are close together and music is playing for them to relax. There was even an area where students must farm in wheelchairs to develop empathy for those who are physically bound. It’s a beautiful school fueled by a beautiful idea that I wish would be adopted by the rest of the world.

 

Seeing a village for the first time!

The leader of the village gave us a presentation about his village, which is one of the poorest in the country.  I loved seeing how proud he was of his small farming community. He informed us on the village’s water conservation project, which included building a bigger/wider canal with smaller canals branching off to run to the crops, planting trees around the canals to keep the water in (the roots act as barriers), and building concrete waterways that catch rainfall and let out into a backup reservoir. Listening to this man was the first time I really realized how much water is wasted in America. I wish every American could listen to this man’s passionate plan to keep enough water in the village for the village to survive. Sure, we throw around terms like drought and dry spell, but honestly we have no idea what those terms really mean. Every last drop of water in Thailand, especially during the dry season, serves a purpose. There is no wasting water, because it’s the difference between life and death. The water is not used to fill their pools and keep their grass green, but to actually provide needed food and water.

Silk Village

The whole process of creating a handmade silk piece is as follows: farm mulberry bushes > silkworms eat mulberry leaves and mulberries are used for jam > silkworms form cocoons > cocoons are boiled and begin to unravel > silk thread is pulled from cocoons and boiled silk worms can be eaten > silk thread is weaved to create scarves, tapestries, etc. It was amazing to see the entire village working systematically to get a final product. One woman making silk thread allowed a few of us to try, and it was an utter disaster. The thread was not pulled from the cocoon evenly creating large fuzzy patches on the thread. It was not nearly as easy as the practiced hands of the woman made it look. She laughed at us, and tried to guide our hands to properly retrieve the thread, but we still weren’t up to par.  She then began fishing out some boiled silk worms from the pot, and began handing them out like candy. I was a little nervous to try the engorged yellow worm, but when I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised. The silkworm popped as I bit down on it, and my mouth immediately recognized the taste as corn. It really was quite tasty! Later, we watched as another woman went through several steps to weave the thread, using a giant contraption that resembled a medieval torture device. We watched in awe as she meticulously followed each step to continue creating the intricate pattern on the material. I was so happy when I found the village sold some of their hand made silk pieces, cutting out the middle man, and completely reaping the profit. I ended up buying a beautiful green scarf, happy to directly contribute to the village.  

 

Phanom Rong Historical Site

I was in awe at the site of the first ruins. The architecture is a complex combination of Hindu and Buddhist styles. The sandstone temple was built in the 10^th to 13^th centuries, and was inhabited by Khmer people. Today, monks reside and work at the temple. Many children also reside and work there because families who can’t afford education for their children send them to receive an education from the monks.

 

 

 

 

Hello Bangkok!

After over 24 hours of travel, we made it safely to our destination. The air was thick and sticky as we stepped outside of the airport in Bangkok. Beads of sweat immediately began to form on my face as we waited for the vans. As we explored the city, we found massages on every corner, mystery meats on skewers, and even ice cream in hot dog buns. Bangkok is unlike any city I’ve traveled to before. It’s dirty, it’s smelly; both good and bad, and it’s extremely busy. Although pandemonium exists in any big city, there is something charming about Bangkok. The Thai people have a saying, “Mai pen rai” which means something along the lines of “no worries”, “don’t worry about it”, or “it’s okay”. Unlike most urban areas in America, Bangkok feels a bit slower paced and there is somehow a sense of calmness within the chaos. Mai pen rai seems to be a way of life, and I definitely feel it in Bangkok.

 

 

The red light district was down a narrow alleyway approximately the size of two basketball courts in length. There were neon lights flashing from every building with women – girls in their bustiers, garters, and stilettos dancing to get potential customer’s attention. Almost all wore numbers for the ease of selection for the customer, and many wore a price tag to show their worth. The average age of sex trafficking in America is 13, probably even younger in Thailand. For many Thai girls, it’s the only way she can contribute to her family. Others may be looking for a husband as a way out of their socioeconomic class to better not only her own life, but also her family’s life. Many people will say that these girls choose this profession, but do they really?

The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is like the Venice of Thailand. There are shops on land, on the canal, and even shops on the boats. For only 100 baht ($3) per person we were able to take a boat on the canal to get the full experience of the floating market. The market had everything, from clothing, to knick-knacks, to paintings, to fruits I’ve never seen before. As we oohed and awed at everything around us, the vendors would reel us in with a long stick to barter. Bartering for the first time was fun as we each tested our skills. The vendors knew what they were doing, and would quadruple the prices to start out once they discovered we were Americans. Most everything was fairly inexpensive even before bartering speaking in American terms, and I almost felt guilty bartering at times. These people have built their entire livelihood on this canal, and what’s a few more dollars to me when I could be making a positive impact on their life?

 

We took a motorized boat to a longkong farm owned by Noi’s brother in Amphoe Ban Phaeo. The boat ride was about 45 minutes long, and there were many homes along the canal. I loved seeing so many people in their paddle boats, on their porches, and especially the children doing cannonballs into the water.  Everyone just seems so happy. When we arrived to the farm, we were greeted with lunch, and too many longkongs to count. Longkongs are fruits with a dark brown shell and a white grape like fruit inside. They are quite delicious! Once we arrived, we were given the opportunity to explore the farm on a small paddle boat. The canals were straight and narrow, and it didn’t look too difficult. As two of us paddled, we struggled to keep the boat in a straight line. It was hard work to paddle, paddle in sync, as well as balance. I now have entirely new respect for farmers. I thought it was hard enough just to navigate the boat, let alone farm.