To the few who read this blog, I am sorry to say that the challenge to blog regularly has defeated me. So much happens and here and there is little time to stop and take in all that is happening. I will be home in a few short weeks and look forward to seeing everyone. I have experienced a lot and look forward to catching up back home. I have one more course left and will savor every single day I have left here they go fast, way to fast and I will miss this place and in the people in it greatly. (Not to mention the food).
Ben
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Rivers is over
It is a strange feeling to be done with the rivers course and also be half way done with the ISDSI program. So much has happened and it has flown by as it always does. I am at a loss for words after my time in the field it was great in so many ways. This course called Human Rights and the Environment: Rivers, Dams, and Local Struggles blessed me in a lot of ways. We spent the first week living in the village of Nong Pho where we met with surprises. One has no idea what will happen when staying in a homestay in a village. We arrived during a Buddhist celebration and were met with loud music and dancing in the streets. It was really fun to live there, my family was great, it was a lot different than my family in Chiang Mai. It was a lot harder to communicate here as the dialect is a lot different. The Isaan dialect is fast and uses many different words it is pretty much the same as that spoken in Laos. It was hard to overcome at first but with some time it was really rewarding to be able to say some simple things and then know how to say the food is really good in Central, Northern, and Isaan Thai. The Village headman was a character, a man full of energy, knowledge, and also an unquenchable thirst for more knowledge. I will not forget him. He lived near by and taught us a lot about strange new fruits and also some freshly sprouted mushrooms after a rain. They were all really good eats, as was all the food here. There was a lot of sticky rice, and I mean a lot, but that was okay I love the stuff, and also blah-raa, a fermented fish sauce, a variety of other fish dishes, vegtebles, spicy papaya salad (som taam), raw meat, and also water buffalo stomach. Me and my roomies enjoyed the presence of many bugs, spiders and giant geckos called Took-Ays in our home. Resulting in some screams late at night from a windowsill lizard visit near where we slept.
The village is near the Mun river and depended on fishing. This river was dammed and its floodgates remain closed for 8 months of the year. As a result 70% of the village goes to cities like Bangkok to make money. It was sad to live with families broken by this and so impacted by the dam. Two of my siblings in my Host family in Nong Pho were in Bangkok and also a number of aunts and cousins. My Grandma here had between kids and grandkids 10 people living in the city for work.
During this time we met with a number of groups. The fisheries department, The Irrigation department, and also EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) who built the dam on the Mun river. We also met with local anti-dam activist Mae Jaran who was displaced by the dam and also lost a son to it last year due to an unexpected gate opening.We also conducted ecological tests of the river and went fishing with some of the village members of Nong Pho. From learning from all these sources it was clear that dams had some real serious consequences on the environment and the people. It is really hard to know what to do as there is a push for development and power production fueled by population increase and yet it harms so many people and the environment as well. I am saddened by our power as humans to impact this earth. It is often seen in degradation and destruction but I still have hope we have the power still to bring positive change.
It is very difficult to blog so much happens and so many great experience each day! No matter where we are. I am now studying hard for the next course Political Ecology of the forrest. This past post is just the first week of three in the field. I hope to write more later but this is all I can give you for now. I will be in touch when I can and will fill you in a short two months time goes way too fast. Thanks for all the continued prayers and support.
Much Love from Chiang Mai,
Ben
The village is near the Mun river and depended on fishing. This river was dammed and its floodgates remain closed for 8 months of the year. As a result 70% of the village goes to cities like Bangkok to make money. It was sad to live with families broken by this and so impacted by the dam. Two of my siblings in my Host family in Nong Pho were in Bangkok and also a number of aunts and cousins. My Grandma here had between kids and grandkids 10 people living in the city for work.
During this time we met with a number of groups. The fisheries department, The Irrigation department, and also EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) who built the dam on the Mun river. We also met with local anti-dam activist Mae Jaran who was displaced by the dam and also lost a son to it last year due to an unexpected gate opening.We also conducted ecological tests of the river and went fishing with some of the village members of Nong Pho. From learning from all these sources it was clear that dams had some real serious consequences on the environment and the people. It is really hard to know what to do as there is a push for development and power production fueled by population increase and yet it harms so many people and the environment as well. I am saddened by our power as humans to impact this earth. It is often seen in degradation and destruction but I still have hope we have the power still to bring positive change.
It is very difficult to blog so much happens and so many great experience each day! No matter where we are. I am now studying hard for the next course Political Ecology of the forrest. This past post is just the first week of three in the field. I hope to write more later but this is all I can give you for now. I will be in touch when I can and will fill you in a short two months time goes way too fast. Thanks for all the continued prayers and support.
Much Love from Chiang Mai,
Ben
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Out with the Old, In with the New
It is difficult to believe that 5 weeks has passed and my time living with host family is over.
My family has shared so much with love with me and showered me with both affection and gifts before I left. I will truely miss them. The first course, Foundations also came to a close this past Friday with projects studying the sustainability of Chiang Mai through the use of Indacators. Four groups studied The Ping river, traffic, walkability, and food systems. My group studied traffic, so I counted cars for two afternoons, and others in my group collected other data. From this very limited amount of data we had to connect traffic to Chiang Mai's sustainability and present it on friday morning. preparing was stressful but the presentations went well.
This past week Thursday we had a thank you/moving out party with the host families. It was a lot fun. Students wore traditional dress and performed a northern thai folk song. With some students doing some traditional dance and other talents. I played guitar for the song with some other students, which I really enjoyed, I have missed playing since I left.
Now The Rivers course starts and I will have a week of class in Chiang Mai before going out into the feild. I will be studying the link between human rights and the environment. I leave for Ubon Racthathani on the 20th and won't get back until the middle of March. I will spend a week living with a family in a village in Ubon. I will be fishing and learning many different things, culture sounds like it differs a lot from region to region. I will be visiting and dams and study how dams impact the environment and those that live in it. I will be near the Mekong for a week traveling northward on the Thai-Laos border, and will eventually end up in the north where we will canoe and camp on the Yom river. A lot is sure to happen and I have no idea what to expect. I am excited to go out into the field!
I often wonder when this experiance will ever seem real. My life in this place is so different and amazing. I am having the experiance of a lifetime and it is flying by. I worry that when it is over it will seem like an epic dream. I know though the realitiy of my life here. I have already made lifelong connections with my host family and also with students here.
There is no doubt that what I am doing here and now will change me for the rest of my life.
I have learned a lot about Burma this week and ran in a Run for Relief this morning to help support those in Burma that are running from the government army. Please keep this nation and its people (whether they are in the government or not) in your prayers. Also prayer for those working in burma in Burma to bring relief and hope to the people. Especially the Free Burma Rangers, they are incredibly brave, selfless, and loving people, keep them in your prayers. for more info look up freeburmarangers.org and also christians concerned for burma.org (i think these are right) The global day of prayer for Burma is coming up in March.
I am having a blast as always.
Thailand is an amazing place the more I learn about it the more I love it. I can tell that I am meant to be here.
Much Love to you all,
Ben
PS- thank you all for your prayers and support, it means a lot.
My family has shared so much with love with me and showered me with both affection and gifts before I left. I will truely miss them. The first course, Foundations also came to a close this past Friday with projects studying the sustainability of Chiang Mai through the use of Indacators. Four groups studied The Ping river, traffic, walkability, and food systems. My group studied traffic, so I counted cars for two afternoons, and others in my group collected other data. From this very limited amount of data we had to connect traffic to Chiang Mai's sustainability and present it on friday morning. preparing was stressful but the presentations went well.
This past week Thursday we had a thank you/moving out party with the host families. It was a lot fun. Students wore traditional dress and performed a northern thai folk song. With some students doing some traditional dance and other talents. I played guitar for the song with some other students, which I really enjoyed, I have missed playing since I left.
Now The Rivers course starts and I will have a week of class in Chiang Mai before going out into the feild. I will be studying the link between human rights and the environment. I leave for Ubon Racthathani on the 20th and won't get back until the middle of March. I will spend a week living with a family in a village in Ubon. I will be fishing and learning many different things, culture sounds like it differs a lot from region to region. I will be visiting and dams and study how dams impact the environment and those that live in it. I will be near the Mekong for a week traveling northward on the Thai-Laos border, and will eventually end up in the north where we will canoe and camp on the Yom river. A lot is sure to happen and I have no idea what to expect. I am excited to go out into the field!
I often wonder when this experiance will ever seem real. My life in this place is so different and amazing. I am having the experiance of a lifetime and it is flying by. I worry that when it is over it will seem like an epic dream. I know though the realitiy of my life here. I have already made lifelong connections with my host family and also with students here.
There is no doubt that what I am doing here and now will change me for the rest of my life.
I have learned a lot about Burma this week and ran in a Run for Relief this morning to help support those in Burma that are running from the government army. Please keep this nation and its people (whether they are in the government or not) in your prayers. Also prayer for those working in burma in Burma to bring relief and hope to the people. Especially the Free Burma Rangers, they are incredibly brave, selfless, and loving people, keep them in your prayers. for more info look up freeburmarangers.org and also christians concerned for burma.org (i think these are right) The global day of prayer for Burma is coming up in March.
I am having a blast as always.
Thailand is an amazing place the more I learn about it the more I love it. I can tell that I am meant to be here.
Much Love to you all,
Ben
PS- thank you all for your prayers and support, it means a lot.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Time Flies in Chiang Mai
Blogging is very difficult because so much happens here. So many experiances, all amazing, some very confusing, but ultimately you learn a lot pretty fast, and time flies here.
After three weeks of Thai class four hours a day and living in a Thai family my Thai has improved. This is something that is so rewarding as you begin to understand reading and writing more and more, and your speaking and comprehension of the language expands. This knowledge can be used immediately and enables you to communicate with your Thai family better and also understand the culture you are living in better. It is a great feeling to make progress especially against the challenges of the Tonal language with an alphabet that borrows from Sanskrit. I have a long way to go, but I am sure to get better with the 44 consonants, 32 vowels, and the 5 tones.
After Thai in the mornings we have class focusesing on sustainable development, Thai history, and society. Taught by Ajaan (Teacher/Professor) Mark and Ajaan Christina. Christina focusing on society, governmental topics and development, and Ajaan Mark focusing more on Sustainable Development and other topics.This week we will start learning research methods.
For our afternoon classes we have a good amount of readings to do considering the ammount of time spent with the host family and also commuting from home to school. One of the readings was written by Yvon Chouinard, who founded the company Patagonia. The article was very interesting as he struggled to manage a large and profitable company that was responsible to the environment and to the human race. One excerpt from the reading that really stuck out to me was:
"I have a little different definition of evil than most people. When you have the oppurtunity and ability to do good and you do nothing, that's evil. Evil doesn't always have to be an overt act, it can be merely the absence of good."
I do not know Chouinard's beliefs but this immediately made me think of sins of commision and ommision and challenged me to not live a life where I know about evil and do nothing about them.
One thing that amazes me is the love of my host family.
I am given so much and actually start to feel at home here. It is really cool to not only learn a lot about the language and culture but also give me family English lessons and sharing things from my own culture. I am especially blessed my young sister who spoils me with laughs and sweets.
The food is here is amazing!
I eat rice at everymeal (for the most part)
I have already encountered some favorites like Rotee, which can only be described as amazing, its like a flat crepe-ish thing that is sugar/sweet and you can have it plain or filled with things like chocolate and bannana really awesome.
I also have me krob, sweet noodles, multiple times a week which is really good.
and also cocnut pancakes called Kanom Krok
It also weird to fall in love with Thailand but missing home!
Peace,
Ben
After three weeks of Thai class four hours a day and living in a Thai family my Thai has improved. This is something that is so rewarding as you begin to understand reading and writing more and more, and your speaking and comprehension of the language expands. This knowledge can be used immediately and enables you to communicate with your Thai family better and also understand the culture you are living in better. It is a great feeling to make progress especially against the challenges of the Tonal language with an alphabet that borrows from Sanskrit. I have a long way to go, but I am sure to get better with the 44 consonants, 32 vowels, and the 5 tones.
After Thai in the mornings we have class focusesing on sustainable development, Thai history, and society. Taught by Ajaan (Teacher/Professor) Mark and Ajaan Christina. Christina focusing on society, governmental topics and development, and Ajaan Mark focusing more on Sustainable Development and other topics.This week we will start learning research methods.
For our afternoon classes we have a good amount of readings to do considering the ammount of time spent with the host family and also commuting from home to school. One of the readings was written by Yvon Chouinard, who founded the company Patagonia. The article was very interesting as he struggled to manage a large and profitable company that was responsible to the environment and to the human race. One excerpt from the reading that really stuck out to me was:
"I have a little different definition of evil than most people. When you have the oppurtunity and ability to do good and you do nothing, that's evil. Evil doesn't always have to be an overt act, it can be merely the absence of good."
I do not know Chouinard's beliefs but this immediately made me think of sins of commision and ommision and challenged me to not live a life where I know about evil and do nothing about them.
One thing that amazes me is the love of my host family.
I am given so much and actually start to feel at home here. It is really cool to not only learn a lot about the language and culture but also give me family English lessons and sharing things from my own culture. I am especially blessed my young sister who spoils me with laughs and sweets.
The food is here is amazing!
I eat rice at everymeal (for the most part)
I have already encountered some favorites like Rotee, which can only be described as amazing, its like a flat crepe-ish thing that is sugar/sweet and you can have it plain or filled with things like chocolate and bannana really awesome.
I also have me krob, sweet noodles, multiple times a week which is really good.
and also cocnut pancakes called Kanom Krok
It also weird to fall in love with Thailand but missing home!
Peace,
Ben
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A lot can happen in a week
So much has happened since I got to Thailand last Saturday. I have already learned and experienced so much. I do not know how to express the events that have happened and what to include. It will be impossible to let others know how amazing the program I am in really is and this is only the beginning, there is so much to come.
I guess this post I will recap some of the events that have happened in the last week but in the future I will probably share small specific stories.
I have lived in a Thai home and become part of the family in the past 6 days. We live in Doi Saket which is actually a ways out of Chiang Mai to the North West so it is more rural. The first two days proved to be quite difficult as my Thai language skills were limited to hello. It was very interesting weekend of being surrounded by people speaking a language you do not understand. My family is made of my Mae and my Paw who are very caring towards and then I have two younger siblings, a little brother Nong Nut who is 18 and a little sister Nong Natt who is 7. In addition to that the majority of the extended family lives all around, so there is always grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins about. It is big family that has shown me much love already. I started school on monday which is actually a lot of fun. We have 4 hours of Thai every morning and then after lunch orientation. Thai is really difficult but I am learning more everyday and am starting to be able to communicate more and more, it is very exciting and rewarding.
I guess I will also share some fun facts with you all
The food is really good, and I have already tried crickets, squid tentacles with the suckers still on(really good), and a variety of other eats that are unknown to me.
My Thai nickname give to me by my family is fittingly Bao Nuah which translates as young man from the North.
The markets are amazing with a great selection of everything. Flowers, fruit, and many things I have never seen.
So much has happened and it still feels like a dream, one that is very challenging and also very rewarding. I suppose it will feel more real as time goes on.
I will do my best to stay in touch but will also not comprimise my time here. Pi Dana who works at ISDSI, says that every minute you spend on email, facebook ect. is a minute you are not in Thailand.
This is wise advice to keep in mind.
I will keep this in mind to check myself, I miss home and many people a lot more than expected even in the midst of the beauty of Thailand. So I will stay in touch but also make sure to take advantage of the time I have here. This oppurtunity is so amazing and will cause me to grow so much.
Much Love from Thailand,
Ben
I guess this post I will recap some of the events that have happened in the last week but in the future I will probably share small specific stories.
I have lived in a Thai home and become part of the family in the past 6 days. We live in Doi Saket which is actually a ways out of Chiang Mai to the North West so it is more rural. The first two days proved to be quite difficult as my Thai language skills were limited to hello. It was very interesting weekend of being surrounded by people speaking a language you do not understand. My family is made of my Mae and my Paw who are very caring towards and then I have two younger siblings, a little brother Nong Nut who is 18 and a little sister Nong Natt who is 7. In addition to that the majority of the extended family lives all around, so there is always grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins about. It is big family that has shown me much love already. I started school on monday which is actually a lot of fun. We have 4 hours of Thai every morning and then after lunch orientation. Thai is really difficult but I am learning more everyday and am starting to be able to communicate more and more, it is very exciting and rewarding.
I guess I will also share some fun facts with you all
The food is really good, and I have already tried crickets, squid tentacles with the suckers still on(really good), and a variety of other eats that are unknown to me.
My Thai nickname give to me by my family is fittingly Bao Nuah which translates as young man from the North.
The markets are amazing with a great selection of everything. Flowers, fruit, and many things I have never seen.
So much has happened and it still feels like a dream, one that is very challenging and also very rewarding. I suppose it will feel more real as time goes on.
I will do my best to stay in touch but will also not comprimise my time here. Pi Dana who works at ISDSI, says that every minute you spend on email, facebook ect. is a minute you are not in Thailand.
This is wise advice to keep in mind.
I will keep this in mind to check myself, I miss home and many people a lot more than expected even in the midst of the beauty of Thailand. So I will stay in touch but also make sure to take advantage of the time I have here. This oppurtunity is so amazing and will cause me to grow so much.
Much Love from Thailand,
Ben
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A night in Seoul
I have arrived in Seoul, South Korea do not what to do, my body is recovering from a long flight an a 14 hour time change. I hope to explore the city a bit tonight. I leave for Bangkok tommorow night and then fly to Chiang Mai from there so I still have a long road ahead of me. I will get to there on Saturday and begin living with my host family. I will start classes on the Monday after that and will be very busy I am sure. I have not do this type of thing before so I thought I should try it out and also hope to keep loved ones at home kinda informed. This post is kinda a test run and a little boring but I thought I should start somewhere since I have the time and the internet. I will hopefully update this page every couple of weeks while I am in Thailand and share some of what I am experiancing. I appreciate all the prayers and support from home, they mean a lot. I will update this more when I get the chance in the next couple of weeks.
I am very excited for this experiance but will miss you all greatly.
Ben
I am very excited for this experiance but will miss you all greatly.
Ben
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)