Written By Eva
Hey y’all! It’s Eva, coming to you from Chiang Rai, Thailand. We spent the last 10 days at a Permaculture farm, learning about sustainability and the many different uses of bamboo. Personally, I learned a lot more than that. Seeing how our lovely host, Sandot and his family, lives their life was a one of a kind experience. I learned about myself and how to do the work that needs to be done, while taking things day by day, enjoying the small things and the special moments. It was stressful at first; we were in a very new environment. We slept in bug nets in the open outdoors, and our toilet was a hole in the floor. By the end we all learned Sandots way to “Very enjoy life”. My favorite part of the experience was when one day we went to the school in the village to meet the kids. We split into smaller groups, and they showed us around the grounds, using sentences they had practiced in English. When we got to the field, we started a group game of soccer. Everyone was smiling. The girl in my group that was leading us around, her name was Nan, started holding my hand and pulling me around to show me things. She told me how to say all the things she pointed out in Thai. When we came back for lunch she showed me how they prepare the mat and wash their hands, and she told me how to sit for the prayer they do before they eat. She eve shared her sticky rice with me, which to me was a big bonding moment. I already knew I was going to miss her. We played musical instruments and I read her a book, and when it was time to leave we were both very sad. I will never forget my new friend, and I hope one day I can maybe even see her again.