Weaving

One way that the ladies in the village make some extra money is through weaving. It takes weeks to make one roll of cloth. They have wooden looms and they line colored string up to make patterns. The villagers have a unique pattern that they make their skirts out of. They meticulously tie off white string to die it for the pattern. Then, they have to line it all up on the loom. It takes a long time to make one role of fabric with this pattern.







This lady is using string that the government gave her to weave. She will finish the roll of fabric, and the government will give her money for it. The amount of money she gets is determined by how well she weaves. She tries to make it without snags and to line everything up perfectly.

Preparing to Plant Rice

Getting ready to plant rice is a lot of work. The levies to the fields have to be built back up from the year before. Brush and foliage needs to be hacked down with a hatchet. This way, when it rains, the fields will fill with water, making the ground soft. The farmers also have to plow the fields several times with a tractor that they push. In the past, farmers would use water buffalo to plow the fields. Today, some still do, but many are able to purchase a tractor. These guys were nice enough to allow us to get pictures of them getting ready for the rice/rainy season. One of them even let me try my hand at holding the tractor.

As the families prepare their fields for planting rice, they begin by throwing seed into one of their fields. This seed grows to be around 2 feet tall. Then, the family pulls up all the rice stalks and transplant them into another field. When the rice is growing, it is a beautiful shade of green that takes my breath away. I am amazed at the beauty of this land, especially during rice season.

Fishing for Frogs, etc.

Food is an important part of the daily lives of the people I work among. Farming, shepherding, hunting, and gathering provides most of their food. Becca, Linda, and I were able to join a group of ladies hunting for food in some rice fields that had not been planted yet. The night before it rained a lot and many of the fields had standing water. The ladies had "fishing baskets" and would drag them through the water hoping to catch frogs and tad poles. They would then scoop their catch out of the large basket and deposit it into the small basket attached to their wastes. Frogs and tadpoles were not the only catch. They also would catch large bugs and lizards.  These joined the frogs and tadpoles in the small basket to become dinner that night.

I was able to try my hand at fishing and managed to snag 3 or 4 frogs. I enjoyed spending time with these ladies and hope to do more in the future.

Young Monks

While we were teaching at the English camp, a line of young monks walked by the school on the way to the temple. The boys were suppose to be in a meditative state and not pay attention to the things around them. They are not suppose to desire anything. It was obvious that they were trying very hard not to look at us. They wanted to participate, but they could not. Their was an older monk who was telling them not to look as they walked. It was so sad to me.

As a way to obtain merit, most men have spent at least a short time as a monk. This obtains merit for themselves as well as their families. Many of them do this as boys. This was a special time in this village for meditation, and so many of the school boys became monks for a time. This is also summer break for the school kids. My heart hurts for these people as I see so much devotion to something like this. Please remember them.

Mini English Camp

Lindsey and Janna's team asked us to join them last Friday for a mini English camp. We went to one of the villages near where they live and held it at the village school. You'll notice that most of the participants are girls. That is because last Friday was a special day when many of the boys become monks for a little while. It was fun doing the camp. Their team had everything already ready and it was a learning experience for my team. We sang songs in English and it was my job to teach about the names of animals. The temperature was in the high 90's and so we were all stinky and tired when the day was over.

Songgran: Feasting on the Street

After a day playing in the water, tables were set up on the streets and vendors set up shop. We began eating at around 4:30 and continued until about 9:00. I had a good time interacting with my neighbors and their friends. I also enjoyed trying a lot of new food. Some of it was really spicy. I think that this meal was my favorite part of Songgran.

Songgran: Riding in a Truck

After we had thrown water at enough cars and trucks and people, we decided to take our own trip. There were a couple streets jammed packed with people. There were stages where people were doing the traditional dance. Sadly, there where places teenagers and college aged guys and girls were pole dancing with not much clothing on. I turned away when we went near those places, and when my friends tried to point it out to me, I told her that I did not like it. She was surprised and told everyone else later that day that I did not like that type of dancing.

When we were driving, a lot of people got a kick out of seeing a foreigner in the back of a truck. They would have powder or flour, and run up and put it on my cheeks and face. Sometimes, they would do it as a welcome gesture and blessing, and other times it was just to have fun. I got a little tired of being touched so much, and I had the last straw when a group of guys put shampoo in my hair and tried to wash it. I said, "No, I don't want you to do this." in the language, and they backed down. I had to assure the people that I was with that I was okay and that I was not upset. I finally made a joke that I would not have to shower that night, and they laughed.

I am thankful that I was able to spend this holiday with a family, and not with younger people. The family was not interested in getting drunk or being inappropriate. If I was with a younger friend, I probably would have been exposed to more awkward situations.