Sabaidee beautiful loved ones!!! I hope this blog post finds you well. First and foremost I would like to apologize for my lack of communication over the past several weeks (or months/years for some of you!). I have the habit of immersing myself in the moment, and while I know this can often be quite positive, I have come to learn that long periods of time can fly by without interaction with the people who are not in my immediate surroundings. Although I have said this several times….THIS YEAR I hope to be different!
What’s Going On With Me
On October 13th I moved to a small village, called Kengkia, outside of Pakse, Lao PDR. I have committed to living and working at the Sai Nyai Eco-School for one year (if interested, see website: www.sustainablelaos.org. FYI, it is quite outdated). Here I will teach English, help organize the curriculum for our 2014 programs, and learn a whole lot about organic farming, alternative technology, grassroots community development, and Lao culture.
I decided to move here for two main reasons. The first is that I have always wanted to live in a rural area. I think this desire began the first time I went to Guarjila, El Salvador when I was 13 years old; it is has been brewing inside me ever since. The second reason I decided to move, is because I was going a bit crazy in Vientiane. My life was very “cushy” or, as the Lao say “hiso” (high social status). It seems strange to say this, but I felt too comfortable, too relaxed, and too rich. It’s not like I strive to be poor, uncomfortable, and stressed out, but I always envisioned I would face a lot of challenges in my twenties. Aside from the quest to be a decent teacher six days a week at Vientiane College (this was a challenging quest indeed!) and my futile attempts at learning Lao, I did not feel that life was testing me as much as it could. I guess then, it should be no surprise that I jumped at the chance to move to rural Laos and live a very different lifestyle than I have ever known, as well as take on a job description that I am only beginning to understand.
When I say different lifestyle, let me better explain what I mean. My day begins between 5:30 and 6:00am when the sunlight breaks through the cracks in my bamboo hut on stilts. Most days the early morning weather is dry and cool enough for me to run through the villages and farmlands (right now I see mostly peanuts, rice, cassava, and sweet potatoes) that surround Sai Nyai. After running and saluting dozens of adorable children in crisp uniforms on their way to school, I head to the Nam Kheua river, about 50 meters from my hut. I bathe in the river, wash my clothes in the river, swim in the river, and do most things that require the use of water. Sai Nyai has no running water facilities; instead we have a well and a river (quite different than life in my spacious three bedroom/three bathroom home in Vientiane!).
Work begins at 8:00am sharp with the three Lao staff (San, Vieng, and Bin), Sarah (the other foreign coordinator from Belgium) and myself sitting down to discuss the day’s duties and goals. During my first week at the school, I mostly learned about the planting and farming practices that go on at Sai Nyai. It is honestly incredible how many edible things there are around me (bark, leaves, roots, insects, seeds, mushrooms and so much more!). Everything at the school is grown organically and I am learning so much about farming (Barbara would be very proud!) It’s fascinating to personally take part in the growing and preparation of all the food I consume. I now understand why so many of my friends in Portland and Seattle are growing more and more things themselves!
Aside from farming work and cleaning the school facilities (things get dirty quite quickly because the buildings have bamboo thatched roofs which allow all sorts of things to fall through to the ground, and we have two cows that like to go wherever they want, and of course, poop wherever they want) my main work responsibility is to help organize the educational programs at Sai Nyai. In fact, my position title is “Education Coordinator.” Now, what does this mean, you might ask? Ha. I am only now figuring that out!
Since it’s beginning in 2009, Sai Nyai Eco-School has successfully hosted four cohorts of students (ages approximately 18-25) and conducted an informal environmental education program. The students lived at the school and studied all sorts of things including how to make bricks, grow mushrooms, start small business ventures (I’ll tell you more about the alumni projects later, but for now, know that students are selling organic peanut snacks, bracelets, and biodegradable soap around the country, building frog ponds and mushroom huts to create revenue for their families, and a lot of other cool and innovative projects that I haven’t had the opportunity to learn about or see yet!), cook nutritious foods, and brainstorm creative ways to tackle local problems. In addition students took courses on eco-tourism in Laos, English, entrepreneurship, computer skills, and international development, among others.
Last year, 2013, Sai Nyai staff decided to take a year hiatus from hosting students at the school and instead focus the efforts on community development in the three villages that are closest to Sai Nyai. Work last year included supporting alumni-led projects and trainings, organizing literacy classes for women in the villages, and creating a library (not finished yet) at Sai Nyai, with the hopes of making the school similar to a community center that is accessible to everyone in the area.
This year, 2014, Sai Nyai wants to start up educational activities again. However, the other staff (and of course myself!) are not yet sure what approach to take. Should we have students come live at the school again? Or should we conduct trainings, classes, and projects in the villages, so that they are accessible to more people? Should we do a combination – students come to the school for short two week courses lead by a variety Lao trainers (who these trainers are and what they will teach is also on the decision making table) and then return to the villages and put the trainings into practice? These are only a few of the many questions the staff has been bouncing off each other. Really, the only thing we decided, is that, ultimately, it is up to the locals to choose how to utilize Sai Nyai. Therefore, this week I will attend three community meetings with the villagers and village heads of each neighboring Ban (town) and hear (and hopefully understand!) what people want to learn about or do this year. Then comes the work of finding appropriate trainers to come to Sai Nyai, or the surrounding Bans, and getting government approval for our programs.
I could keep on writing for pages, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with information and my rambling writing style. So, I will end with one final snippet about the food here. Since arriving at Sai Nyai I have eaten frogs twice and rat once. All I want to say is that I never thought those two meats could be so delectable. The rat was skinned, gutted and stuffed with lemon grass and garlic and then roasted over an open fire. The frogs were prepared once in a spicy soup with chilies and coconut milk and once in a sort of stir fry with lots of lemongrass, garlic, green onions, mint, and other herbs/greens I don’t know the names of. I will not come back to the US and try to convince you to eat rats or frogs, but, if you do decide to visit me or rural Laos at any point, I encourage you to try any food the locals prepare. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Sending love and hugs to you all. I hope to be in touch soon!