The Lisu Village

Explanation


My third and final homestay was an experience I will probably never forget. Our Thai studies program trekked to the foothills of Chiang Rai to a Lisu hill tribe. In northern Thailand there are various numbers of hill (ethnic) tribes that recide in the gorgeous mountains that extend through Southern China to Northern Thailand. As you will see in my pictures its absolutely breathtaking - not to mention substantially colder and different from the landscape of Chiang Mai. We left Wednesday morning and came back Sunday afternoon.

History


The Lisu Hilltribe has its origins in Tibet, migrating from there to Southern China and then to Burma to escape the Chinese wars. It is argued that, "the people of the Lisu hill tribe most likely migrated into Thailand from Burma sometime in the late 1800s."
The Lisu hill tribe people live at moderate to high altitudes between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, but also in western Chiang Rai and Phayao provinces of the Golden Triangle area in Thailand; hence the colder tempeture that I dealt with.

The Experience

We left Wednesday morning with twenty students and three supervisors; two leaders and a professor who currently lives and studies the particular Lisu village we traveled to. Arriving around one in the afternoon, we were seperated into two's and "adopted" by a Lisu family. Pete, my good friend from school, and I decided to share our unique experience by teaming up. Our lovely abode was made up of a large compound: three homes, two bathrooms and a large yard. Within this compound was my house - holding my homestay mother and father and another house that consisted of my uncle and his family. Three Thai studies students were placed in his home. One could say we were just a huge family; eating, working and drinking homegrown rice whiskey while sharing laughs. The point of this homestay was, as my professor explained to me, "to make one spread their wings." There were no classes and barely any interaction with our professor and two able leaders. We were on our own, which I thought really gave us the experience we needed.

What did I do?


Around five in the morning the rosters starts their "pleasant" chorus that abruptly wake you up. When you try to fall back asleep, you start to hear the honks from the cars; since the roads of the Lisu village are dirt, narrow and windy, a car honks at every blind turn - my house was at a intersection that had four narrow turns.... By seven you are forced to get up, quickly take a shower (by showers I mean throwing freezing water as fast as possible on your body) and start breakfast.

Thursday, being our first full day, was eventful and nonchalant. One of our host brothers took us in his truck and showed the surronding area of Chiang Rai, the farming fields that we would be working on and the Doi Chang coffee factory that is run by Hill tribes; almost all the villages in the Lisu village farm coffee, selling their surplus to Doi Chang. The Lisu people are extremely proud of their coffee farming and our host brothers positive attitude towards his work was a testament to this. As we returned we had dinner and were inducted into the family by getting "somewhat intoxicated" with our uncle, father, mother and other family members off of homegrown rice whiskey.

Friday we headed to the fields and worked with our uncle by weeding, picking and cleaning up the hill side where his coffee plants stood. Although we only worked from the morning to mid afternoon, we got a great taste of Lisu work ethic and working lives.

Saturday was a lazy day filled with preparing for the final dinner by slaughtering a pig; we watched the beginning, middle and end process of how food was made, in this case a pig roast. Our final farewell was made of a huge feast, dancing and drinking. I fine farewell if you ask me.

Photos




View of part of the village





Part of my uncles farm - this here is cabbage, though he also farms beans, tomatoes and coffee





Food for the chickens and pigs





Here is the hut that belongs to my Uncle. These huts, which are present at all farms, give refuge from the heat and also suit well for a place to sleep and eat.






These hills roll for miles and miles





Dinner - this pig I watched get killed by a spear, burned alive, skinned and cut up








About two hours ago I was talking to a friend about my time during the homestay and the first question he asked was, "so you were in a touristy area right?" Our group was especially lucky because our accompanying professor has very strong ties with a "remote" hill tribe. This tribe by no means has a tourist influence and quite frankly depicts the quitessiental lifestyle and culture of the ethinc hill tribes. In short we got the real Lisu experience and honestly would go back if I had the chance. With that said, thank you Thailand.

Volunteer Work

Part of my application process for applying to the program here in Thailand was to write a two page essay. I was given five questions to answer, some asking why I was applying to Thailand or what was my experience with studying abroad. One question though that stuck out the most asked, "In countries like Thailand, you will have a "super-star" status, how will you accept this?" When I first answered this question I merely responded with the typical response, not thinking about the true essence of the question and answer. After two months of being in Thailand I understand what this questions means. My life thus far has consisted of merely going to class, taking a nap and then going out. I was acting as if I was on a vacation, using my new found "super-star" status in a negative way. I was not a student studying abroad, but a 22 year old in Thailand for four months. I was blinded, completely naive. Not until a week ago did I realize that I had been absorbed by Thailand, I had been absorbed by the so called "super-star" status. I do not regret my time so far, it has been unbelievable, but I do regret my initial reasons for being in Thailand. Starting a couple weeks ago, I decided to give me time back that I had taken so immaturely away. By volunteering in Thailand I feel that I will not only be bettering my life but others as well.

There are two organizations that I have been working for: Free Burma Rangers and Payap University English Department


FBR: What they do

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a, "multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need (freeburmarangers.org)." In short, FBR's vision is to, "free the oppressed and to stand for human dignity, justice and reconciliation in Burma.

Situation in Burma

"Over sixty years of civil war has left Burma one of the poorest Countries in the world. In an attempt to suppress the democratic opposition, the military dictatorship attacks its own people, killing thousands, and leaving millions displaced. Many opposition are either imprisoned or killed. In most of the country there is a false peace due to the dictator's ability to control dissent. In many ethnic areas, the regime's army continues an all-out assault on its people. There are offensives, ongoing laying of landmines, attacks on civilians, forced labor, and destruction of civilian property (freeburmarangers.org)."


What FBR Does


"The Free Burma Rangers was formed in 1997. FBR is comprised of people from different ethnic groups within Burma providing direct relief to communities affected by the regime's oppression. These teams are trained to provide medical care and counseling, while documenting and reporting human rights violations. Since its formation, more than 400 missions have been conducted to assist over one million people. Together with other organizations working towards a free and peaceful Burma, over 50 Free Burma Ranger relief teams bring help to people under attack (freeburmarangers.org)."



What is my role?


I work at the main office in Chiang Mai, Thailand; there are also offices and other affiliations of FBR throughout northern Thailand and in Burma. I work with a splendid fellow by the name of Larry. I do not know Larry too well yet, but with his southern accent and gregarious demeanor, I know we will get along. Larry and I file reports that FBR teams create after missions to Burma. I personal go over these reports (which could be 5 pages or 50 pages) and check whether they are coherent, translated and/or able to be stored into the online FBR database; after checking these reports I scan them into the electronic database. Not only do I look over the reports, I do video editing and photo collecting from missions as well. FBR's mission is to let the world know, and through the video footage and documented photos, they can achieve their mission; FBR gives the videos and photos to other non governmental organizations (NGO'S), governments or journalists. Although my work is somewhat tedious, I honestly feel that I am adding something to this organization. I have done volunteer work before ranging from Church trips to Maine, helping with local parks and collecting recyclables. And yes, I learned a lot from my time there, however they were somewhat generic. Working at FBR, I feel that the work I am doing is unique, and intriguing; not only am I working but I am learning. I am excited to continue my work here, and will keep everyone updated as much as possible.


Payap University English Department: Tutoring, helping and mentoring

When not working for FBR, I am volunteering for a English class that is taught at Payap University. This class consists of an American teacher and thai students. Although I have not officially started, I will be mentoring and tutoring. I hope that they will learn from me and I will learn from them. I am also excited about this unique opportunity because I have never taught before and I am eager to see what will happen. This experience will not only add to my cultural understanding and also to the students as well.

Moreover, I am in the workings of volunteering at a local farm as well. The details of this project are limited but I will obviously keep everyone posted.

Concluding


Taking a step back and looking over my life so far has changed me and given me insight. When contemplating life in a holistic view, I am able to see my pros and cons; how I was leading my life. From my mistakes and realizations I ask for you to step back, take a look at your life and see if its what you want. Are you doing good? Are you leading a positive life? Are you satisfied with your time spent? Humans are creatures of habit, they get stuck in this trance, this daily routine that blinds them (this happened to me). Work, eat and sleep are very common words that eat away at peoples lives. Why not change those words, add a little excitement, risk, and zest to your life. Look at life's opportunities, they are right around the corner.

mistake

Hey,

So on my last post for some reason the explanations for the pictures do not connect with the pictures they are next to. It isn't that hard to connect which photo they belong to but I just wanted to explain, my apologies.

Tyler

Ancient Thai Kingdoms: Sukhothai and Ayutthaya

Hello All,

Just got back from my trip down south to the Thai historical kingdoms Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. The tour of both sites was informative and interesting giving me a better understanding of ancient Thailand. The whole Thai studies program came with, making up a big group of 26 students and teachers. Fortunately Payap was nice enough to supply us with a bus. Our group left early Wednesday morning to Sukhothai. We stayed on day and night there, leaving in the morning to Ayutthaya, which is only 75kms from Bangkok. After staying in Ayutthaya for three days we packed all our goods and headed on a nine-hour trip back to Chiang Mai. So what did we do during our time at both ancient ruins? Below is a detailed schedule:

Wednesday 29 Sep

• 8:30am – leave from Payap University to Sukhothai
• Noon – Lunch
• 1pm – check into resort and rest
• 2:45pm – visit Ramkamhaeng Museum - This museum had artifacts salvaged from the ruins - Swords, crowns, Buddha images, statues, relics, pottery
• 4pm – bike around historical park - A road way weaved in and out of the ruins making the bike ride enjoyable
• 6:30pm – group dinner at local restaurant - As you go more south in Thailand the food changes - The food becomes spicier and coconut milk/ curry is more consistent

Thursday 30 Sep

• 7am – breakfast
• 8:45am Leave to Sukhothai historical Park
• Noon - Lunch - We stopped at a local food center and we able to explore the new style of food. I got spicy chicken noodle soup (not Campbells) with a side of sticky rice
• 1pm - Leave for Ayutthaya
• 5pm – Arrive in Ayutthaya and check into guest house
• 7pm – dinner

Friday 1 Oct

• 8:30am – visit Ayutthaya historical park
• Noon – lunch
• 1pm – Visit Chao Sampraya museum - Once again, we saw artifacts of ancient Ayutthaya - At the museum, in one of the showing cases, Buddha’s bone (the size was measured as smaller than a individual rice) was displayed in an amulet
• 6pm – dinner

Sat 2 Oct

• 8am – Visit Bang Pa In Palace
• Noon – Visit Ayutthaya floating market
• 6pm – group dinner - This dinner consisted of fried fish, curry soup, rice (as always), chicken with nuts and fruit

Sunday 3 Oct

• 9am – back to Chiang Mai

To give you a brief history and understanding of these ancient cities, below I will explain.

The Sukhothai kingdom (ราชอาณาจักรสุโขทัย) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand; Sukhothai is located about 450 kilometers from Bangkok, about halfway between Bangkok and Chiangmai. Generally, it was the first truly independent Thai Kingdom, which enjoyed a golden age under King Ramkhamhaeng known and credited with creating the Thai alphabet (though some critics put it up to debate). To add on, the Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438. It was recognized as the first Thai kingdom. Through its prominence, Sukhothai gained its independence in 1238. Eventually the city was annexed in 1376 by the rulers of Ayutthaya.

Ayutthaya, it is estimated that by the year 1600 CE had a population of about 300,000, with the population reaching 1,000,000 around 1700 CE, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time. It was the capital city before Bangkok. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The city is sometimes called "Venice of the East".

Here are pictures of both ancient cities:




-These temples can be found all over Sukhothai and Ayutthaya







-One of the huge Buddhas that are found everywhere






-Most of the ruins looked like this. Also bricks and sandstone are the two main stones used






-The walking Buddha pose. Buddha figurines and statues can be found in a large variety of different poses. While the most common is the sitting Buddha statue, there are many others. All the poses have deep meanings; for the most common Buddha pose that we see is the one with him raising his right hand and palm facing out, with the left hand down toward the hips and also facing out. This symbolizes peaceful intentions and peacemaking.







-One of the ruin sites










After visiting ton of sites like I depicted in my pictures, we also visited Bang Pa In Palace; a palace complex formally used by Thai kings to house visitors from foreign countries.




-The style and architect was heavily influenced by western styles




-Also, since Rama the V was a huge proponent for western cultures and cultures in general. There was a Chinese influence as well





-The light house for the palace complex




I could go on and on, but for the sake of your time I will end this post short. Please check out my facebook for the full albums, and also if you have any questions PLEASE email me I would love to hear from you!

Thanks a lot, talk to you all very soon.

Food - Thai Style

A motto that I have learned from my time here is, “with food comes spice.” Thais love their spices. They love a good sweat while eating. This spiciness is not your average tingle in your mouth; it is an unbearable, yet delicious sensation. From the first bite to the last, you will fell the burn…I promise you. But this spice, which is so popular among all Thai food, is part of the culture. It is what makes Thailand so unique and different. Below are a few Thai dishes that I personally love.





This is called giaow gung (เกี๊ยวกุ้ง) which is Wonton Soup with shrimp. This dish is extremely spicy. There is a local restaurant that serves this and when they see me come in they always laugh because I leave with a soaked shirt







This dish is called khanom beuang yuan (ขนมเบื้องญวน) which is a Thai style omelet. The ingredients include chopped peanuts, tofu, chopped spring onions, Chinese turnips and grated coconut that has been coloured orange. Guess how much this usually is? 20 baht ( less then 50 cents)





This Thai Basil Pork Stir-Fry is classic Thai dish. Usually this dish is made with ground pork, but nearly any type of pork or chicken can be used.






Tom Yum Kung Soup is a typical Thai soup that is delicious. Its spicy-delicious taste will really wake you up. This soup is very unique because it can also act as a medicine by providing health benefits and increasing your immune system (don't ask me how)






This Bok Choy is a vegetable dish. Usually served as a side, it pretty much acts as a salad. Also the greens shown here in the picture can be found in any dish



These are just a few, but I hope you understand the style of Thai food. I find the Thai food incredibly tasty and I hope to take a cooking class before I leave here. To add on, eating here is very unique to participate in because when you go eat its not a sit and go type of thing. Eating is part of the social life here. Whenever you go out you will notice that Thais are always eating or snacking. I personally have picked up this norm because it happens everywhere. To tell you the truth I am currently sitting in a computer lab between two Thais who are snacking on noodles... It really is incredible how connected eating is with socializing here. As I stated before, with food comes spice but also socializing.

P.S. Another rule of thumb I have come to follow is when you eat Thai food make sure you have a fan on you, tons of water and napkins to whip the sweat away.

Extracurricular Activities

When living in a city you become absorbed with it. Although its not a negative, sometimes you miss things that are going on around you. Don't get me wrong I love Chiang Mai, the grind and social life that comes with it, but recently I have been forgetting that I am living in one of the most beautiful, lush environments in the world. Outside of the busy streets lies endless opportunities. Yesterday I took advantage of Thailand's unique landscape. Five of my friends and me heard through the grape vine that there was a waterfall about 40 minutes away from campus. We put our money together and took a taxi ride to this jungle oasis. It may sound generic to say but the waterfall was amazing and beautiful. The waterfall, however, was not your typical falling water off rock. As you will see in the pictures, it started on the top of this hill and formed slides and branches that moved all the way down to a pool at the bottom. The reason why the waterfall is so popular is because the rock that the water moves over is a sticky rock. You can honestly run full speed up the falls without slipping. I am not sure what type of rock it was, but I definitely felt we were in some alien world; it was truly bizarre.






Here is one part of the falls






The water was extremely warm






My friend Pope and I climbed one of the vertical parts without any trouble. The rock was seriously sticky











Buddha Peter





















What a view



I am heading for a class trip this coming Wednesday to the south of Thailand. I will keep everyone posted and I hope to continue my extracurricular activities.

My Time Here

Many people have asked me so far was going to Thailand the right decision? How are the people and culture?

In short, Thailand by far has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life so far. This culture, its people and the environment that surrounds me everyday fits perfectly with what I need and want in my life at this point. One of the best ways to describe this culture is by one word... SMILE. Thailand and Thais, in general, are described as the friendliest people in the world and being here for almost a month, I will attest to this fact. Whether its walking down my dorm hallway or meeting a Thai for the first time, they always greet you with the biggest smile with friendliest demeanor possible. Living in Thailand has really shown me how mean, rude, loud, obnoxious and unkind our american culture can be. I have yet to meet a Thai that has shown any animosity towards me because of my foreigner status; in fact they show patience, respect and gratitude towards me. Imagine if a international student came up to you in the states and tried to introduce themselves in horrible broken english? How long will you stay patient?

The Thai culture is like nothing I have ever seen before. Their social norms, tendencies and attitudes are completely different from American and western cultures; however you can see a taste of globalization in many Thais. Thais are very materialistic. They love having the trendiest clothing and accessories. For instance my roommate insists on wearing his tight black jeans and fresh designer shirt along with a brand new pink watch followed by brand new red NIKE shoes to school (whereas I just wear the generic black pants with a tie and white shirt and black shoes) everyday. Furthermore, Thais are very vain. Every time you go into a bathroom or see a mirror there will always be a Thai doing themselves up. It was very odd for me at first to get onto an elevator with a bunch of Thais and see them all turn towards the mirror behind me and stare at themselves while fixing their hair the whole way up. A Thai friend of mine even takes a small mirror out with him so he doesn't have to get up at dinner to check himself out.... In American culture this would be considered strange, even gay but here everyone does it, it is their social norm. Another aspect that baffles me everyday is the fact that Thais think white is beautiful. They all want white skin. They fear the sun, because they do not want to be tan. When you walk through a convenience store soaps, lotions and body sprays all have WHITENING agents in them. I understand that this unique phenomenon not only occurs in Thailand but all throughout Asia. These social norms like I listed are just some of the few I see on a regular basis. Everyday I learn and see more and I hope to be able to explain and tell you all about them.

As I mentioned before briefly, the people and this culture are truly amazing... incredible. I have been very lucky with being set up with a great roommate and meeting tons of Thai friends. I know many kids on campus and go out with them all the time. In fact I have their numbers and they text me 24 7 (a Thai thing...they love using their phones and texting). I have also befriended an amazing kid by the name of Champ. Champ is a 22 year old senior here at Payap. He speaks perfect English and loves going out and showing me the best places to go. When I go out, Champ brings me to the best places to go in Chiang Mai (where there are zero westerns). Through Champ I have met so many great Thai people. The other night I went out with Champ and he brought three of his girl friends who are also seniors at a local university by the name of Chiang Mai University. These girls spoke good english and were very fun. In fact, two of these girls that we met brought us to the top of the Doi Suthep (a huge mountain the overlooks Chiang Mai). We watched the sunrise and I got home around 8:30 in the morning; another unique aspect of the Thai culture is they stay up all night long and party. I thought, as a college student, I knew how to party but the Thais are professionals. Below are a few pictures of my long night atop a Thai mountain. My trip to see the sunrise really justifies how nice and friendly Thais are.



-let the sun set








-conclusion