Elizabeth~

One night, me and Flor went to our aunts across the road for dinner. When we walked in, it was really nice! it was spacious and open. The lights were dimmed and all that was there at the time was my aunt cooking in the kitchen, and my smallest sister Yadida sitting alone in the living room. I walked in and jumped on the couch with Yadi. She instantly hugged me and stayed wrapped around me. Right then i was surprised she liked me being it that i don´t even speak her language and because my other sister never really bothered to talk with me.
Then, i started asking her how to say certain things around the house in spanish, and she´d tell me then i´d tell her how to say them in english. I was so happy to see that she was actually willing to teach me and actually wanted to try to learn some english. Then, i wanted to see what she knew so i´d say somethings in english, like letters, numbers, days, family members and other basic, easy stuff, and i was surprised how much she knew!

She knew all her letters and numbers, months and days, some family members and even some cloths. I was so impressed! Then that night in dinner, she´d say some english sentences like ´thank you for the food´and ´very good.´ I was so impressed with her english! and so happy we had that little bond then and there. She was definatly the closest person to me during the homestay experience, she was like a real sister!
I LOVE YOU YADI!!!!

Rasheed~

One experience that I want to share with you from the two weeks I´ve been in yunguilla is how my homestay family interacts with eachother. What I mean by that is the way they talk to eachother so calm and gently. You can tell that they try to avoid arguments as much as possible. Their all about family, they love and care for eachother and they don´t value money as a way of life. Back on my hometown my family are not all about eachother, were divided into pieces and they always value money as their way of life. It´s a hard life to live and thats why im going to take what my homestay family shared with me and share it with my family so we can be whole again.

Kelsi~

One morning me and my family woke up to start the day. We ate breakfast and got ready to hop on the truck that takes us up to the charcoal ovens. During the ride, my ears were getting really, really cold and they started to hurt so i put on my bandana. We finally arrived to the charcoal ovens and started working. The ovens are on a big hill in the pine forest and they cut down the small trees and stack the up in a nice neat pile and cover them up with dirt. They leave holes under the ovens so they can put fire underneath and they let them burn for days. After 3 or 4 days and the wood becomes coal. Then they uncover the coal and bag it up after making sure its no too hot.

Local Yunguilla Queso

After the morning passed of hard work, we all kind of got restless. And being it that i´m the type who likes to make people laugh, i started putting coal on one of the bags, and there was one piece of coal that was too hot and it started burning a hole through the bag, so i had this crazy idea to put the bag up to my face and peek through the hole and say ´hola!´ and my whole family laughed histaricaly! After that, all day everyone was up lifted and happy.The whole walk home, everyone talked and laughed and copied what i did, and they´re still talking about it today. Now when me and mama see each other, we say ´hola!´

Andrew~

Its the first day in yunguilla and all of us were going to meet our families. Getting nervous but also excited, my homestay and I were sent with the Morales family. I wondered how my homestay family and home was going to be like. So allc of us grabed our bags and began our hike to our homes. Little did I know that the hike was going to be uphill. Five minutes of constant walking and I was getting tired already. The first two groups arrived at their homes. I started to feel that we were almost at our house. Three minutes had passed and the third group had arrived at their home. Feeling even more tired and ticked, we continued walking up. Another five minutes had passed and the fourth group had arrived at their home. I started to feel like Im going to faint and throw my stuff off the cliff, we continued up more.

Finally six minutes had passed and we finally arrived at our home. Once we saw our house, I felt so relieved. After the family gave us the tour of the house, they showed me our room, I dropped off my bags, and took a very long nap ( that was how tired I was after the hike to our home).

Dan~

The moment that impacted me the most was the first day we were in Yungilla.After meeting my host family we started walking to our new home.At first I was so excited.I took in the beautiful weather and the new environment we was in. About 15 minutes into the walk I noticed everybody was gone.They all had reached there host families houses. At that point I was all ready tried I was use to climbing mountains exspecly at high attitude’s! About 30 minutes later Andrew and I arrived at our new house.

Another indicted that impacted me was milking cows. For 2 weeks I walked an 1/2 hour to milk them.The hardest part was milking the cow!I never realized that getting an gallon of milk could be this rough! i only had to do This was for two weeks the people of Yungilla do this everyday of their life. The next time I buy some milk at Fred Meyers or Safeway I will always remember the people of Yungilla and the hard work that goes into having it! This 2 events made me appreciate how fountunte i am to not have to struggle everyday to walk for less than Minuim wage.

View from Yunguilla

Roger~

“Alright Chivo, what are we doing today?” I asked my homestay father after eating my potato and bean soup breakfast.

“We are a…going to the cow house…and we..build a fence.” he replied with his pretty well spoken english.

When I heard and thought about making a fence, my first thought was something like “hmm..a fence can´t be that bad, can it?”

When we reached the storage house, we divided up the things to carry to our job site. I carried a big bundle of barbed wire, Rasheed carried a post hole digger, and our dad carried the machette, hammer, and a bag of staple presser points. As we were walking, walking and walking up, up and up a nearby mountain, I had already felt the pressure of frustration pushing roughly against my dam of patience and tranquility. The fifty pound bundle of barbed wire gained fifty more pounds and my calves were screaming at me to stop, but I focused my thoughts and energy on Chivo´s feet walking in front of me, setting the pace and idea of “If he can do it, so can I.”

Dig a two foot hole, place a tree post in it, fill the hole with dirt, pack it down with a stick, walk across the mountain to get more posts, carry as many as you can back, and do everything over again for about a hundred more yards. Then of course, go back to the top to connect the barbed wire three times.

In the process of building our barbed wire fence on the side of the mountain, I decided to remix the song “Killing Me Softly” by Lauren Hill:

“Pricking our fingers on barbed wire.
Diggin´up holes on a hill.
Building a fence on a mountain,
Killing me softly
With this work
Pricking our fingers
On this fence
Killing me softly…
With this worrrk”

Yungilla worked me to the point that I have reached a sort of second breath to life. I appreciate every step I´ve taken during the labor, soccer games, and community minga´s. The thing that I will definately take from Yungilla and keep with me during my everyday life is the strong effort to just get up and do productive things or activities – stay active, always.

Flor~

Walking in a daze, fully not understanding where i am. A flurry of footsteps surround and consume me. A young voice calls my name, such a familiar voice. Intoxicated by natures sweet melody, rustling leaves play a unique symphony imprinted in my hear. A long face with beautifull buldging eyes takes curiosity in me, moments pass before the face resumes to hide behind the sleek blades of grass. Moist and damp, tears fall from those sleek edges into a pool of memories. No experience is above the other. Day to day the wind carries a new message to my yearning ear, sweet whispers that are lost before the night gives way to the sun. Challanges are lost and seem to glide off with passing dreams that I can never recolect. A starry night slides between the crevises of my window, spilling into my room and plundging me into an abyss unlike the rest, one of tranquility. As the sun follows the drifting moon, bright rays cascade beneath my sheets and caress me with a warmth unlike any other. Sleepy eyes are kissed awake by the surrounding light ive come to know for years. Feet wonder off and I have no choice but to follow. Led into a serenespace where silence is awkward and unity is key. Casting glances at the individuals that surround me, at first im searching through a fog. As time passes, so does the fog. No longer blinded by white clouds I see these people…my second family. No longer do I find myself walking in a daze.

The following photos were taken by Bennett Haynes.

Savanah~

The Surin homestay was amazing. I learned so much about the people and the culture. The first night I arrived was really dark and I couldnt really see much but it was like camping out in a cool-ass fort on stilts. The next morning my “mae” (mom) was up at the crack of dawn cooking breakfast. Lunch and dinner was rice and eggs, veggies, and hot chili fish sauce. At first I got tired of having the same thing every day. But as soon as my mae found out through awkward conversation that I liked fried eggs she made them all the time, and I still love them. I ate 7 eggs a day! The reason that the meals were kind of plain is because my family and most of the community are self-sustainable farmers; they grow what they eat and they eat what they grow. It is amazing to learn and be a part of that.

I will never forget the bucket showers. The first bucket of water is always the coldest everytime. From the moment you get up until you fall asleep wet from bucket showers, even in front of a fan you sweat. I grew really close with my family. The whole family was my mae, “paw” (dad), and my little sister, Gem. They are such peaceful people and work so hard. Paw mostly stayed in the field and brought the cows out to eat before he left for the fields. Mae cooked, as well as my sister, and fed the ducks, chickens, dogs, cat, and now, one pig. We used to have two pigs but they needed the other one two kill and sell at the market for extra money. We ate dinner all together and shared great stories through a non-scripted sharades style. They thought it was hilarious that i was terrified of the abnormally huge spiders and laughed every time I screamed, which was funny and I had to start laughing because it’s contageous. I made sounds of every animal I could and they loved it, which in turn they taught me how to say in Thai. Their favorite story was how I got head-butted by a cow.

My family worked so hard to keep everything going smoothly on the farm and were so caring. It was by far the most I have ever learned in such a short amount of time. At times, communication was a challenge, but paper and pencils never cease to amaze me! We grew so close together so fast. We would all stay up and sit together watching the famous Thai soap operas using Q-tips that I brought from home. Funny.

The whole community is unbelievable; so warm and caring and loving. I would not want to go through life not being able to experience this.

Nemo~

When our homestays were picked and we spent the night getting to know our families, I felt a little overwhelmed. Suddenly I was just surrounded by people that I didn’t know. In fact, I was actually a little scared. But as they talked to me, I clamed down and was able to get used to it. That helped me alot with future experiences with families. One of the things next year’s group must see is the Surin village homestay which i thought was completely awesome. Unlike all of the other homestays, this was for two weeks and you experience the reallife of Thai families. You experience so many things that you honestly can get a little overloaded, but it is a good feeling and not a bad one. The warmth and community that I felt in the village was nothing like I ever expereinced before and it literally changes you and makes you want to change yourself more. Also, the friends and family that you make while you are there lasts forever. You’ll miss them until you ever get a chance to see them again. I know that I will miss my family alot and especially miss my cousin, Game. Me and him got along right fromthe very start until the end. I’ll miss him the most.

Jo Jo~

But honestly, I can remember the first day I saw my family around 7:30 or 8:30 pm. It was really really dark, but I see a small cute house with one light and a group of five smiling faces sitting under cover while the rain was just pouring down. I was beat so i went to sleep, woke up and had an amazing day with the family. I can remember when we got blessed during the ceremony. All the tears shed. It was really depressing. It made you want to cry, and some did, but i just can’t. I don’t know how to cry. It’s too hard to cry when I am around alot of people, and then cry on my own, but even that didn’t happen. It came and went like passover. No harm done to the leaver, but to the leavee (if that makes sense), and I miss them and love them and always will. They are a second family in Thailand.

Laurel~

Our very last journey was our homestay in the village of Tap Thai. It is a community of fair trade rice farmers near Surin. It was pitch black as we bumped along on a windy dirt road and pulled up in front of a, barely visible, cute little house with a knee high fence. The families welcomed us with smiling faces around 10pm, which is late for a hard working farmer. They had dinner ready for us and we were very excited to get to know eachother.

The next few days were all about living the village life and adjusting to the lack of stimulation. The llifestyle was very calm and relaxed. They work hard and play hard. I grew closer to my family and connected on a deeper level with the children and elders of the community. I was amazed by the strength of the people and their strong leaders. A woman named P. Kanya was particularly inspiring for me. She is the main leader and organizes the community. I observed her as she worked all day every day to help her fellow villagers. She organized groups for the children to learn about farming and the benefits of sustainable agriculture. She met with villagers and was their for moral support. She raised chickens, cows, pigs, and grew food to benefit the community. She often donated animals to other families to sell at the market if they needed the extra money. She is a very unselfish and humble person. She is the heart of the community and is very well respected. I learned so much and am so glad to have met her.

The day we left, I sat on the concrete floor of the community center in Tap Thai (the village I stayed in near Surin) surrounded by my fellow Pangaea team mates. We gathered on P. Kanya’s land (the leader and a role model for the villagers there) to celebrate our time together before leaving. Our homestay families huddled close to us and the air grew thick with emotions. A monk sat in front of the crowd chanting to wish us luck on our journeys to come. Two flower displays and a small dish had been placed before him and we were soon sprinkled with water that felt good on my forehead. As soon as I noticed others heads bowed around me I did the same and “y’d” the monk to show appreciation. I turned and looked over at my Ma whose hand rested on my thigh. Her eyes were wells of tears and seamed to express her fear of never seeing me again. The chanting continued and no words were exchanged, but our eyes were mirrors into eachothers minds. Both of us dreaded parting, but my mind eased a little when I remembered my promise to return.

“Chop Thailand!” I told my family, whose faces turned from anxious to smiling and pleased. “Chop Thailand!” I said even louder, and we all laughed at my poor Thai accent.

Goodbye Ceremony

“You come back?” my Ma asked using the little English she knows. “You come back?” she asked again. All I could do was smile and wipe the tear from my cheak because I knew all our lives had been changed in the short time I had spent in the village.

“Yes!” I said, nodding my head. “Yes …I come to Tap Thai!”

Once the chanting died down, I found myself surrounded by all the villagers, who proceeded to tie little strings around my wrists to symbolize our connection. I was sad to be leaving, but it felt good to be taking a piece of their spirit back to Portland with me. I had grown so close to the villagers in such little time and they touched me on such a deep level that I don’t know haw to begin to express through words. I will say that I can’t even look back on my experiences in the village without tearing up. The people showed me a new lifestyle that impacted me and has already begun to change my own life and my perception of the world.

My experiences with Pangaea have truly changed my life. I gained a global perspective that I could not have gotten anywhere else. Before the program, I was not aware of many issues globally. We looked at social justice and learned how people and communities are organizing to fight for their rights. I had the chance to experience being part of a community and feeling the support of the people. I have a better sense of where my food comes from and the farming process. Not only did I gain knowledge of these issues, but I found inspiration in the trip. More than anything, the people have impacted me on a very powerful level. Living and working together with strong leaders has been an intense learning experience that I would not trade for anything. I’ve discovered a lot about myself and am thankful for the chance to experience new realities and ways of living. I am so greatful for the experience and am inspired to spend the rest of my life traveling to world. I see that there are so many people to learn from and I want to find them all.

Isabel~

Before heading off to South America the Ecuador team and myself thought about some stereotypes that we or other North Americans might have about the country. We each made a list and a promise to ourselves to think about those preconceptions while on the trip. Now the Ecuador team is enjoying our last phase of the journey in the community of Yungilla, each paired with another member in a

View of Yungilla

house with a family that resides there. Because it is our last phase of the trip, we´ve been asked to revisit those stereotypes and consider what we have experienced that may have proven them to be true or otherwise. I was most interested in the fact that our country loves to make it seem as though other countries of the world need our help in sustaining life. I hoped that my visit to many such communities as Yungilla, Sarayaku, Aliñabi, Intag and Apuela would prove that our country´s widespread message is wrong. I have found that these communities wish nothing other than to depend only on themselves and keep hold of their culture. In the week that I´ve spent with my second family in Yungilla I´ve seen the hard work they do everyday to feed their families, the enjoyment they get from the simple things like a daily futból match and the pride they show for their way of life. They have and continue to welcome many groups of volunteers that will join them in preserving their traditions and ways of harvest. However, I have learned that they raise every child to show pride for who they are and where they come from. This pride and strength needs no more than its´ surrounding community to become completely self-dependant.

Rasheed~

Rasheed

My brother gave me an assumption that all ecuadorians hate black people. That assumption stuck in my head and kind of put me in fear to the point where I was thinking of not going on this trip. That assumption was wrong, actually they adore me over here. They gave me a new name The Prince Of Rap, yep that´s what they call me. I asked one of the kids over here why do you call me that and he said because you have a unique style and we never seen anyone with that type of style. wow I feel like im famous over here.

Andrew~

Kelsi & Andrew

I was completely wrong! And i realized this as soon as i stepped in the airport. No one was starring or giving us rude looks. And it was very quick that we built good relationships with people in Quito like our bus driver (Alphonso, who we love! and Deana, the lady that works at the hostel.) and the people on the streets and at the places we went were real nice.

Yunguilla, the host community

Although all these people were so nice, i was still a little worried how our host families would see us. And thankfully, they were extremely welcoming! My family, they all welcomed us, were very interested in us and treated us just like family. I even asked them what they thought about north americans, and their response surprised me. Nothing affensive and all of it, i agree with. They say they hear most of our work is hard on the mind, like computer work, unlike for them, most of their work is hard labor. They´ve also heard things are a lot éasier´for us like washing dishes, washing cloths, transportation etc. and for them, they hand wash dishes always, hand wash cloths, and walk a lot. Still they commented and said they´d have thier life style no other way.

Nemo

Nemo~

Anyway, as you can see, I like it here and if I had the chance to drop everything and come live here I would. (Of course there are those things and people that I couldn’t live without and would bring with me, but besides that point…) Living here has been one of the best experiences of my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Trevor~

Trevor studying Thai

The idea that many local leaders forming a large underground network instead of one overall leader is not new. This term, grassroots leader, is just the term that describes those people who seek to improve their community through minor leadership. These are the people who say “do as I do” not “as I preach”. There kind of people are everywhere in Thailand: and they have to be, because obviously the government isn’t doing anything about it. There were grassroots leaders in the slums. One example is the “4 Area Slum Network” in Bangkok. This small group of people worked to organize the slums and to fight for slum rights. You see, in Thailand, no commercial buildings can be built within 40 meters of a railroad. Since that land is unused, the slum communities move there and build on it. The Network was a group that would fight to get the government to legally recognize the people living on that land, and to legally allow them to rent the land so they can call it their own.

Another example of leadership, though this was in the past and we could only watch films about it, was the Poor Peoples’ Assembly. Around ten or fifteen years ago, the poor people of Thailand, mostly farmers and people living in slums got tired of getting no help from their government. So there was a mass movement in which poor people all across the country gathered in bangkok outside one of the major government buildings and stayed there, living in that spot for a few hundred days, until the government finally gave in and said that it would start o work with them. So the group moved off, heading back home, and the governement immediately started ignoring them again. So again they gethered, and this time sat there for almost an entire year. This time, when the government gave in, people made sure that it followed through on its promises. There has been few greater victories for grassroots leadership in Thailand. For another exmaple we return to our village, Top Pei. In this village, the accepted norm is organic agriculture. This, of course, was a tough choice to make. The government does not support organic agriculture. And it is easier, that is, it requires less physical labor, to use chemical agriculture. But this village realized the harsh effects the chemicals had on the people and the land, and together mad ethe conscious choice to fight it. They are one of the first, but already other groups are starting to follow their lead. While Pangaea was staying in this village a group of Korean farmers came to visit it. They spent hours talking about what it was the village did and how they did it. Think about it, a little village in the unknown part of Thailand has farmers (rich farmers) coming from Korean to learn about its methods. Grassroots leadership in motion.

Jo Jo~

Jo Jo reading to the group

There are a couple things i learned while being here in Thailand, and right now I’m going to talk about them and how they fit into Human-Rights. The first subject is that of the four-region slum network and how how they have too constantly fight for their rights too live where they live, they have lots of history in fighting for that slum they live in, they have led mass protests too Bangkok, in the cities, and they always win or get more time too do what they have too do and theirs always the fact of these adults have children and the children have there livelihood and and all their childhood memories here, where are they too go when their grandparents and all their relatives also all live in this beautiful slum community with them.
Another Social Justice issue in this slum community is the fact that the richer people built a wall too keep the slum people out because there afraid of the slum people coming and stealing things from them, but honestly its completely opposite, the richer people probably more likely too go over and steal from the slum people, and theirs also another little fact that the richer people will, instead of using there trash cans and garbage disposals they’ll use their window and throw their trash and garbage onto the slum people, not in the Four-Region slum Network, but this is happening in other slums and it makes the people very much un-happier than they already are just for the simple fact of living there, but you will never see there sadness there great at hiding it. If you look at these people your first opinion of them is the happiest people you have ever met, constantly smiling at you and always trying too communicate with you, even tho they know you cant understand them and you know you cant understand them except for a couple words we learned from our amazing ajaan, Ajaan John, but its the fact that they’re trying too talk too you that more than you’ll ever be able too say about Americans. In America if your trying too talk too somebody who cant understand you and you cant understand them, typically they’ll walk away more frustrated then they were before they asked you in the first place, and that makes you feel bad because i mean besides the people who are “Drama Whores” and likes going out just too get people mad at you, who honestly likes getting people mad?

And all these things fit into Human-rights with the fact that nobody not even the lowest of the low deserve too have their Human-Rights violated like these people do everyday. When i first heard about human rights i knew nothing about it and from the time i came here to the time now right before i leave too come back too my adoring fans, i’ve learned that human rights is literally for everybody doesn’t matter who you are what you do you have human rights and you have the ability too use those rights whenever you want too use them.

Dean~

The next day we headed back into Tap Pai village for another three days with our families. It was a blur of working and hanging out with our families.This time they seemed a lot happier to see us. They were up waiting for us when we arrived and wanted to hear about what we did. They first asked if we were hungry and if we needed to take a shower and then they just listened and we had a language lesson that went both ways. We would point to something and we would say it in English and then they would tell us how to say it in Thai and Khmer. It was a good few days. One day we had to do a two and a half hour English lesson with students from the local school. The last night we would be staying in the village we prepared for a feast and a good-bye ceremony. I had to help in the slaughtering of the chickens and the sat up of the feast. It was a very happy and sad time in the village.

Students in Tap Tai- photo by Bennett Haynes

When it came time for the good-bye ceremony every one was there, all the families were there, my Kung Fu boys, and the elder’s. The ceremony is called a Baisri ceremony and it’s a traditional Khmer ceremony that they celebrate everytime someone close is leaving. We were in the middle with the villagers surrounding us and two wise men and the village leader in front of us behind a pair of altars and holy water. The elders started chanting and we kept our heads down with our hands like in prayer. After they were done chanting, they flicked the holy water on us while chanting a blessing of good travels, and good fortune and the connection of our spirits with the villagers. Then came the tying of the strings of our wrists furthering the connection with the village and our families. It was an emotional event our families were crying while tying the strings to our arms and saying blessings and much they would miss us. I didn’t cry, but some of the team did. I was sad especially when my Kung Fu boys tied some of the string to my arm each saying Kung Fu while they did it. The village leader started really crying when she tied one to my wrist and she grabbed me and hugged and said she didn’t want me to go. I didn’t know what to say so I just squeezed her hard when she hugged me and I told her I would be back and not to cry. My ma was crying and she gave me a big hug, my pa just pated me on the back and squeezed my arm. It was the most emotional I ever saw in the village. After the Baisri ceremony we had the feast. Then it was time to get in the van and leave. This brought more tears from the villagers, the villager leader P’ Kon Yah and her husband were saying that they didn’t want me to leave but stay and be there son in law. It was hard time for Pangaea too becuase we had to say good-bye to Ah Jah Jon. He had been on the whole trip with us, but had to go back to work with CIEE. We said our good-byes and gave him a surprise group hug. He was always there us, always had a smile on his face, was a great teacher taking his time with us and never getting upset. He was a huge part of our journey but it was time for him to get back to his life teaching students from America. I got his e-mail and he asked me ” Your coming back right?” I said “yeah, you already know.” He said ” OK when you get back I’ll show you around.” I have to admit I’m really going to miss him, but I will be back soon of enough, so I’m not that sad. When we were getting into the van I had to pry P’ Kon Yah off of me so I could close the door. As we were driving away it hit me our trip is almost over and how much I’m going to mis this village and the honorable, kind, caring people here.

………

Savanah~

Savanah in Surin

A Visit to P’Pak Poom’s Organic Farm

After just getting up from a resless night’s sleep I gathered my few things for the day and headed over to P’Kanya’s house. So here I am, making sure everything is in order, “note pad: check; video camera and extra tapes: check; regular camera: check; and most importantly, BATTERIES…OMG, i forgot the batteries!” As I am walking to the nearby store, I look off into the field (one of many) and observe a water buffalo peacefully laying in a mud puddle and wish I could so the same. So, I got the batteries and we are off. We are on our way to P’Pak Pooms farm, to learn about sustainable agriculture, free from pesticides. On the bak of a weird tractor thing all of us Pangaeans are crammed, observing all of the rice paddies and the beauty that surrounds this gorgeous place, free and far from the city life.

“Sweet! This farm looks soooo cool.” I think silently to myself as Ajaan (teacher) John and P’Pak Poom get ready to start. Ajaan John is slowly translating what P’Pak Poom is saying. We all quiet down for an interesting story. P’Pak Poom is a local here in Don Laeng Tai village [Surin Province] and he makes a living off of the land that he has. He is explaining that the key to sustainable agriculture is “to grow what you can eat and eat what you grow, and don’t waste space.” The land he has here is beautiful and totally organic. There are two rice seasons in a year and in-between these seasons he plants beans to put the nitrogen back into the soil, because rice take all of it out. Aside from the rice, he is saying that he also grows fruits and vegetables, mostly for personal use. The fruits and veggies that he doesn’t use are sold. So the concept is basically not to buy anything, mostly live off of the land.

Now we are going to get a tour of the farm. The first things I am noticing are the chickens. Everyone has chickens and they love red nail polish! We are taking a short little walk over to the beginning of the farm and P’Pak Poom points out the beans he uses and they are no ordinary beans. They are huge, man! Everyone looks so tired and hot and sweaty. We continue around some other plants and one funny looking thing is standing out. It is bright-ass green with funny leaves and he says you can only eat the shoots because the rest is gross. I really dont think that translates right. So Ajaan John curiously asks what the name of the plant is and P’Pak Poom replies and says its a “farang” plant. We continue on our journey and there are ants everywhere and I am in freaking flip flops! I am slowly walking around a few plants inspecting them for ants and P’Pak Poom says something in Thai and Ahaan John quicly translates what he says and all I hear out of the whole sentence is RED ANT’S NEST and the word EAT. So now my attention is scattered because I dont want these damn things to eat me. In Thai culture they eat the red ant’s eggs in certain dishes and its pretty sour. No Thanks! I’ll stick to the scorpions.

Up next are the not-so-famous but amazing pommegranate trees and the taste is so amazingly sweet and foreign in flavor. We are coming to the end of our little tour through the ant infested path by the trees and now are stopped at a bunch of bundles of hay. While we are here P’Pak Poom and Ajaan John are explaining how P’Pak Poom used the broadcasting method of planting rice instead of transplanting. From what I understand, broadcasting is an easier method of planting because you throw the seeds over the dirt evenly and let nature take its course.

So now its time to explore his rice paddies. While we are walking through the narrow pathway, just a foot-wide path in between the water-soaked rice, I notice the path is only getting narrower and narrower and lower to the water so much that the dirt has now turned into mud. “I can’t do this,” I say outloud, “I’m gonna loose my shoe!” P’Pk Poom, Eric, Ajaan John, Trevor, and Dean make the leap from soggie clay mud and touch down. They make it. I tried but it was unsuccessful. I lost my damn shoe. P’Pak Poom explained more about the rice and atarted to head back. I said outloud that I wanted to go another way back and there’s no way I could do that again. Ajaan John coaxed me into it though. He reached out his hand and said, “Everything’s OK, you’re gonna make it.” I proceeded to jump and crashed and burned and almost took him with me. Up to my knees in mud, I continue to fight my way out and lost my damn shoes again! Now I know why the Thai people don’t mess around, it’s too damn hot to wear shoes and you call into some weird stuff!

Once we reached back to the front of the farm and eat lunch, P’Pak Poom is starting to tell us about the effects that chemicals have on the land and on people. He says that he has used chemicals in the past for a two year period and it changed him. He says people that use chemicals get head aches and get sick more often, which in turn they get less work done. He is talking about this guy who came to his village that works with people who use chemicals and he told P’Pak Poom that he knew a guy that went crazy from using them. It started out with the guy being really jealous of his wife and getting paranoid about everything and it gradually became full-on Crazy Chicken Man. He would walk around just eating raw chickens. You know it’s bad when you can’t wait to get your hands on an unsanitary nasty raw chicken to eat for a snack. P’Pak Poom is explaining that the reason for this is because of the Green Revolution, when Western agriculture corporations promoted chemical fertilizers and pesticides and non-traditional seed varieties. The corporations said, “If you grow this you will make more profit.” So farmers DID and got deathly ill. Because they were given no limit on how much to use or protective gear to prevent illness further. This in turn depleated the soil, destroyed neighboring organic farms, and ruined lives. P’Pak Poom realized the effects that chemics have and switched back to organize growing. Now he is a grassroots leader in his community and an advocate to keep traditional culture alive, keep the lifestyle, and support a better environment. He now works with villagers to do the same and push out that kind of growing.

Then we went home to Tap Tai Village.

Students in the Amazon

Flor~

One important thing that people from Portland, and simply throughout the world, is that the Sarayacu are a very strong community base that is independent from the government yet they fight with all they can in order to preserve one of the few, and the biggest, patches of serene pure terrain. Regardless of anything they take up this responsibility to help us all around the globe, they find no burdain in this and they do it so unselfishly. They understand that power comes from being trully united and not embark as individuals but as a whole, a one well developed and working body.

Throughout my short stay here, I have been able to witness the immense knowledge that these people contain, the unique way of thinking that leaves us with simple solutions to an otherwise grim looking present and future situation. They are extreemly resoursefull and I cant help but find myself in utter awe when they produce a fully functioning object in a matter of moments. For example, one of our guides ( Luis Miguel ) made something that resembles a backpack in a few minutes. Produced through the single branch of a plant, weaving the sleek long leaves together to form an outer basket. Though the difference in culture is striking, there comes the point where you let that slip through your fingers and your left with the fact that we trully are similar; in thought and the way we tend to do things. Then came the largest realization, that the Sarayacu are advanced in ways that technology could never compare let alone surpass.

Finding myself surrounded by utter beauty and taking within myself fresh natural air that has no camparison. I walk through trails, paths that have known only the footsteps of the strong, a path only knowing sweat and tears that are now embeded into the warm earth. People must realize that wealth is achivied through happyness and true happyness can only be achieved when we realize that Mother Earth is a unique pearl… and object of beauty that must be preserved. Which is exactly how the Sarayacu percieve her.

More than anything this tribe must be acknowledged as glorious, for their triumphsat protecting their land that has rightfully been passed down through generations, for mastering this land as well as for their noble souls that genuanly care for one another. To consider us all as brothers and sisters, as a family. Once again, a strong community that has plenty to teach the rest of us in successfull ways, only the future can tell us if we will have enough heart to fully open our ears and let the teaching comense.

There are so many things that the Sarayacu have been able to influence me with, this in only a few days of observations and conversations as a whole. But I was astounded to realize that they take the responsibility of preserving the rainforest for us all. They do this with pride and they dont find it a burden what so ever, a responsibility that is entrusted to us all… yet the majority take no notice. I take with me the importance of working as a whole and to stop thinking of my own selfish material needs. To work with others is a gift, as an individual you can only get so far. When i would work as a group the first thing that would come to my mind is “how do I benifit from this… how can I benefit from this” instead of putting the task at hand first. I know that with passion and determination, one can succeed.

……………………

Roger~

The people of Sarayaku are peaceful and simple. Their simplicity wouldn´t be simple for anyone who wasn´t born into their lifestyle because it consists of hard labor, lack of material wealth, and a lot of community teamwork, but the payment of this way of life is a future for generations to come.

One of the messages that I got from them was that they understand that we are all connected in this world. For every liter or gallon of gasoline bought to run an engine, a community somewhere in the world runs out of life. We all as a whole need to learn to see as well as care. Realizing the true cost of a natural resource and understanding that the cost strongly effects everyone is one part, but we need to focus on taking action any way that we can. The most important part is that it´s not a process we have time to just consider, but it´s an issue that we need to act upon now.

By starting with yourself, to move towards a future of existence, you set an example and influence whoever it is that looks to you with respect. Talking about caring helps, recycling helps, conserving energy helps, alternative energy helps, supporting fair trade products helps, and questioning and comparing desires to needs helps. From my recent experiences, I´ve decided to live with a more caring perspective and I can´t wait to live my new life back home.

…………………….

Shelby~

the people of sarayaku are very strong mentaly and physicly. the hike up and these crazy steep hills with children straped to there backs and carrying machetes lol. its crazy lol but they are also incredably mentaly strong. they put their minds together and use there beautiful land that they live on to make a ood and healthy living for them and there family. they think about the ghildren and all of those to come after them. they are just so incredably sweet and loving people who took all 13 of us in and just took the best care of us that they could have. i am really happy we got to go with open mins and see the true meaning of being one community and working as one body to get things done right.

this trip has made me re think how i liove in portland. when i get back im really going to try hard to stop wasting things like water and electrity. and im going to try to convince my family and friends to do they same thing. im really glad i got to experiance this.

……………………

Elizabeth~

There are so many things I can say about the sarayaku people but im going to start by telling you about one of the coolest things I obsereved. The people work as one if they need help with anything. The community is there to back them up. They have these ceramonies called mingas. A minga is when the whole village comes together to build a structure, it could be a house or canoe or somthing small like somewhere to kick it at. I thought it was cool when we went to the minga where all the sarayaku people came together to repair the trails,roads and bridges.

A minga

This place is so family oriented. I have never seen people love so much for one another. I feel like they have such a strong connections with nature and a positive outlook on life and maybe that is why they are so close. I like how they fight for their land and protect it from oil companies. Just like Chief Seattle said, we need the jungle to breathe and if we cut it down there is no way we can servive with just having money.

One thing i learned from the people in Sarayaku is that i can make a change. I´m taking a lot away from this trip but i´d say the most important thing is knowing change can start with me. I know i myself can change my habbits for the better and protect the environment by not littering and polluting etc. but that i can also spread the word to my friends and family and hope to make the same change in them. I also feel the need to open my eyes to different groups that about conserving our environment and also try to get others involved. I will definatly change my habbits, and ultimatly i hope to open others eyes and have them spread the word to because conserving the world is very important to me.

………………….

Andrew~

For about 20 years many oil companies around the world had tried to drill for oil in a beautiful part of the Amazon called Sarayaku. Fortunately the oil companies were confronted by the Sarayaku people and had no choice but to leave. For many years the people of Sarayaku have protected their natural resources, food and water supplies, and the forest itself. Even though I wasnt feeling good during the week, just staying in one area I can see how beautiful Sarayaku is. The people in this area do not depend on money in order to live, but instead they depend on their natural resources around them. They also work as a community instead of independently. Even for profit and greed I dont see how anyone can just destroy such a beautiful place for limited supply of oil.

What I learn from this trip to Sarayaku is that we can work better as a community rather individually.

………….

Adrian~

After spending a week living the life of the Sarayaku people, I have learned alot, tested my mind and body, and done things out of my comfort zone. just the trip there to Sarayaku was a wild adventure. I was excited but nervous, scared but joyous, confused and yet filled with an optimistic certaintly that everything would be alright. The trip there was approximately 7 hours, including a long drive and seemingly never-ending, bumpy canoe ride, made me realize how much patience and strength the Sarayaku have to be so independent and secluded from the city and city-people.

Upon arrival here, it was a feeling of relaxation and accomplishment to finally place my feet on land. But that feeling didnt last long because when we were welcomed we were told that we had a 30-40 minute hike awaiting us to reach our cabins. just this hike was a huge mental and physical challenge that tested myself along with the rest of the Pangaea team. The terrain was very slick and slippery, with mud and alot of up and down hills and steps. I saw how easy it was for a young sarayaku child, Pablo, to hike bare-foot in the dark with a box of eggs as heavy as him. I learned that the people there are in great physical shape and I noticed on these numerous hikes we took I along with all the team would be sweating buckets while our local guides would barely break a sweat.

I learned how the Sarayaku hold Mengas, which are community organized gatherings called by a family or individual in the community, to address a need for someone. In some cases, they organize to build a home, a canoe, etc for a family or person in need of these things. We saw how hard 40-60 Sarayaku men, women, and children worked to help a family that needed a canoe. And after all that hard strenuous work, we saw how hard the people can party and celebrate the work over the work they accomplished. And boy did they celebrate, by the women dancing nonstop, and the men beating the drums continuously. I even got to do a lil drumming myself! I saw how hard it could rain in the Amazon, and how good a bath in the river could feel LOL. Saw how many bug bites one man could get on his body by looking at Ari´s arms and back! And saw how good the Pangaea crew looks with the black ink that the Sarayaku traditionally design on their faces.

But most importantly, I learned that the Sarayaku people are an extremely resourceful and peace-seeking people. They use the best of their land in the best way, and don´t pollute and destroy the Amazon, but rather preserve it. These people are independent and dont focus on money, but rather find the success in life as being a family and community and getting along together. They not only are concerned with themselves and passing their own message of perseverance and struggle, but are a people who study the world and their surroundings, and are following through with a mission to preserve the Amazon rainforest for the entire world. They are fighters and warriors for their people and land, and strive to keep their land safe and pass it down to their children. They are a people who have pride in their physical health and do so much walking and hiking in their communities. They are so friendly and welcoming and treated us like their family, and fed us great healthy food.

They believ in a message of truth, and organizing against injustices and failures of equal human rights. They believe we are all one family on this Earth, whether black, white, brown, red or yellow, they believe we should treat each other as equals and treat the Earth with respect and take care and preserve it. For if we cut down all the trees and vegetation, we cant eat the money. And they stand for much more than money…but values, pride, community, love. Theres so much more I could say about these people, but I anyone interested in learning more of these people, I surely encourage you to look the Sarayaku people up and even someday visit their land.

What I have learned and will take with me to Portland….I have learned to not take for granted all of the opportunities that I have in Portland. For that small amount of time that I spent in Sarayaku, I appreciated all of the things I have at home so much more. I will definitely take a thankfulness and gratidute for all that I have back to Portland, and share the experiences I have so that we all can realize this. I will also take with me the will and energy to organize and be a voice of the youth. These Sarayaku people are such hardworkers and are tireless, and I feel that with all the opportunities and resouces I have, I will have a drive to be as busy as I can in having a voice in a change in the world. I also jus want to learn as much as I can, and strengthen my skills and abilities even more. I want to gain so much in my arsenal, from taking spanish classes, to reading more, and even taking swimming and guitar lessons lol. And I want to take with me the spirit to spread the message of the Sarayaku people and spread the truth, and be more active and involved in my community.

………………………

Elizabeth~

It was about a 5 hour canoe trip to Sarayaku. It got dark, our boat stopped working for a couple minutes, and we got stuck a couple times. When we arrived, it was a vicious hour long hike to our cabins. The hike was full of steep, muddy hills. When we arrived to our place, i noticed taranchulas on the ceiling and i was petrefied! Honestly, i thought there was no way i´d enjoy this trip!

During the stay, there was a lot of crucial hikes! But really, they were all worth it! We were invited to two Mingas and participated. We learned a Minga is when the whole community comes together for one cause and that cause helps the community. The first Minga was to move a canoe from the area it was made, to the river. The second Minga was to repair the trails. It was amazing to see everyone happily work together and work hard and all for thier community. After the second Minga, we were invited to the party afterwards. It was so much fun! There was a lot of dancing and drumming and everyone was just so social, happy, friendly and welcoming.

We also talked to community leaders and learned about thier struggle with oil companies and how they didn´t have the support of thier government because even the military stood behind these oil companies but still the people of Sarayaku stood up to them and were successful in chasing them off.

I learned so much from this trip and enjoyed it alot and i´m left soooo inspired by these people. I´d say something i´m going to take away from my Sarayaku experience is i´m not going to be so materialistic. These people are some of the most strong, intelligent and proud people i´ve ever met and they have barely anything. I realize i shouldn´t strive to have the newest stuf or nice things just to look good. I now really don´t see the point in spending so much money on cloths, shoes, electronics etc. Like our guide Luis said, success to him is just being with his community having a good time. The Sarayaku only depend on themselves, their community as one, the river and the plants and animals around them, and they couldn´t be happier.

………………….

Isabel~

River in Sarayaku

We have been living among the Sarayaku for four days now, and every moment I spend interacting with these people I recognize the amount of strength and pride they show for themselves and their way of life. They have successfully resisted the oil company CGC in order to protect their surrounding environment that provides them with so much and continue to save the rest of the world with their constantly breathing “lungs of the earth”.

I believe the rest of the world needs to understand the fact that the people of this community are raised with an awareness of everything bigger than themselves. And they keep this knowledge with them throughout their everyday life. They are proud to live in a place that is so important to this planets´ survival.

When I return to Portland I hope to hold on to some of the awareness they have so graciously shared with me. I want to my community to gain this awareness and use it in their everyday lives as well, no matter how far away they may live from our green, prosperous source of air.

……………………

Rasheed~

I think what the people back in Portland should kñow about Sarayacu is that they are a community thats trying to survive and they don´t just care about themselves and their family, but they care for everyone in their community. They are not afraid to stand up for what they beleve in, they don´t like people comming into their community and telling them what to do and how to live. For the past 4 days we´ve been in Sarayacu amd i´ve learned alot. I learned the real meaning of a minga, but in my interpretation it´s similar to a party, but only a traditional type. I learned that their means for transportation is walking to get to their destination. For me, the first time we took a walk to get to where we needed to go I thought to myself how do they do it, but then I realized that they´ve been doing this for a long time and if you just don´t think about how long the walk is you can do it to. Overall I think Sarayacu is a great place to visit, but there is a couple things you would need to adjust to and as soon as you do I bet you´ll like it just as much as I did, but hey don´t take my word for it.

I think something that I should bring back to Portland from this experience is being more community based and what I mean by that is thinking about other peoople and their struggles instead of just my family, myself and my struggles

…………………..

Dan~

Sarayacu

Organizing is one of the most difficult things to do! The Sarayacu have found a way to use this technique to prevent oil companies and other big business for destroying their land! Today, Sarayacu is a gorgeous area filled with life from both the people and species surrounding it! While in Sarayacu we were apart of a Minga!

Minga is a member from the community calls a pond the community for help. The Community gathers together and helps that person. When the they are done they Celebrate their accomplishment together!

The most important idea or fundamental I’m going to take away from this experience is the importance of working together!!! The Sarayacu are not just ensuring a better way of life for them, but the world. The Three best words to describe are BOLD, STRONG, AND WISE!

Departing the Amazon by plane

This experience has given me a lot of motivation! Just seeing how resource full the Sarayacu are makes me realize how grateful I should be. Before this trip I would Come to school late a lot even through I lived about 40 minutes away from my school. The Sarayacu has to walk at least an hour to there and back to get to school! WOW! The Sarayacu just amazing me by this!!!! This will stick with me for life.

Laurel~

We are now in the village of Serine, which consists of only 85 families. The people here are so kind! They live a very mellow life and are very family oriented. The children help out willingly and people smile often. However, there are many cultural differences that make it difficult to be completely comfortable. Personally, the diet is not one that I am used to. Having never been around meat causes extra sensitivity to cooking smells. Showering and using the bathroom is very different too. The water is cold, but often feels good in the heat. It is hard to wash shampoo out of my hair with a bucket of water, and using a hose to wash my bum is very different too. Despite these differences in culture and lifestyle, it has been a very enjoyable home stay so far. I am realizing how vital it is to keep a positive attitude through aches and pains, and despite the bad smells of the cities. I hope to gain more awareness of specific issues the farmers here are facing.

Surin rice fields

One difficulty I have had is communicating to people who speak two or three different languages. They speak to us in Comer mostly. Although they understand us when we speak the little Thai we know, we don’t understand the majority of what they say to us. This forces other forms of communication to be used. We use our hands often and laugh when we make mistakes or don’t understand. It is vital to do so in order not to get frustrated.

As a group, we have faced many challenges as well. It is hard to be patient with each other especially when we face individual discomforts. We are all tired and hot most of the time, which makes for short tempers and snappy remarks. It is easy to elevate an argument, but in reality the best solution is to walk away. Speaking for myself, I feel very engaged and aware of the benefits of this whole experience. I see that we are gaining communication skills and learning to cooperate as a group as well as with the locals. I am learning to travel and some of the precautions necessary to stay safe. I have overcome cultural differences and adapted to a new lifestyle.

This experience has taught me more than my entire 12 years of schooling. I am learning how the world works and beginning to have an understanding of the life beyond Portland. My mindset has taken a 180 degree turn, and overall, I am changed for the better. It is hard not to be frustrated with those who may not see these benefits as clearly as I may. It takes patients to allow each person to learn on there own. I realize now that people may not see things the same as I do. They may not see any positive side at all to the difficult situations we have experienced. It may take looking back on the trip to realize the benefits, but with time they will understand.

…………………..

Laurel~

Constant motion and swaying back and forth, side to side had made my stomach uneasy. My eyes slowly opened to Eric’s kind “good morning!” I sat up and it was good to feel better. The urge to throw up was gone and my stomach settled. My eyes drooped from the little pink and white Benadryl pills I took the night before. “Khon Kaen twenty minutes,” the uniformed men announced to all the passengers as we got our things together and prepared to get off.

Stepping off the train, the air was humid and warm. The sky was not yet light at 5:00 in the morning and we watched the train chug chug away as we crossed the tracks to find a “took took.”

Street vendor in Khon Kaen

Next thing i knew my eyes were slowly opening again to see Eric standing in the doorway and half the morning was already gone. I was still drowsy from the Benadryl and fell asleep during language lesson again.

We discussed wealth and poverty with Kovit and prepared to stay in the slum community. We learned that the poor people in Thailand struggle through the same issues that many impoverished Americans experience.

After settling our minds and feeling more confident about staying in the slums, we jumped on blue truck #8 headed out of the university campus and began our adventure. Upon arrival we were shown around the community and we met some of the people living there. We bought about 8 juices and 2 waters to quench our thirst and together they cost 30 baht. We were welcomed by our host families at the slum community center and shown to our houses and rooms. We were fed, showered, and put to bed all before 8:30pm. But despite the noisy trains and laughter of children, I fell right asleep after a hard day of walking in the heat.

………………………..

Dean~

July 11

Khon Kaen slum homestay

Today we had a discussion on wealth and poverty. Mr. Kovit came to facilitate the discussion. He had knowledge of the community we were going to be staying in. It was an interesting discussion. He described the slums in Khon Kaen and we described our hood back home. Our hood was way more violent compared to their slums.

Next we traveled to the slums to where we were staying for the night and met our families. Our families were great but went to bed early because there was work to do the next day.

…………

Jo Jo~

July 11

Khon Kaen Slum Homestay

What i learned while being with my family is that you should never be mad. Being mad causes you to not smile. NEVER be angry with your family. Just smile and always laugh at your mistakes and when others laugh at your mistakes they are laughing with you not at you. Also what i learned was that my “little sister and her cousin” both had a crush on me and at one point my cousin asked me out, which had caused little sister to be mad. That’s why she didn’t get involved in the games last night. Also, my “paw” and “mah” (dad and mom) are really loving, caring, and hard working people and “paw” is madly in love with “muay thai” (Thai boxing). And as for our “mah”…well she’s just an amazing woman and an awesome cook. Also, my little sister I think I’ll miss them most. But it was an awesome experience. I hope to see them again.

……………………..

Trevor~

We went to Khon Kaen, and in that area we saw a lot of cooperation in terms of the communal slums. In the slums, amongst the insects, rodents, and untrustable water, are people who truly act as a community should: working together to better their community and their lives. Everybody is treated with respect, and it almost has the feeling of one giant family. The slum (I can call it this since it isn’t such a derogatory word here as it is in the States) focused on keeping the money it gained within the slum confines. This is achieved by buying products like soap and trustable water from in-slum stores, while at the same time buying and trading food between the households. Sources of income that draw money into the slum include working at markets in the city as well as scavenging. Think of scavenging as dumpster diving for recyclables which can be sent in for money. Such a noble job, cleaning the recyclable stuff out of the trash and helping preserve the health of the earth, and yet the entire city, nay the entire country, looks down on scavengers. From the slum we learned the idea of internal money circulation.

Khon Kaen poverty and 5 star hotel

During our stay in Khon Kaen we also visited a landfill community. Yes, that’s right, a community built next to a landfill. The smell was horrendous. And not a clothespin in sight! Anyways, this community was similar to the slum: the showed cooperation by keeping what money they had in the community while at the same time scavenging to add money to the community. It is sad, no revolting, what conditions they have to work in. Not just the smell, but the heat, and the bugs, and the smell. Did I say that last one twice? And they would work sometimes for 10 hours or more a day! Keep in mind, that is in a place I couldn’t stand the smell of for more than an hour. That’s some tough people. They had a program there called “A Baht a Day”. This program had members that would put one baht into a community pool each day. The pool was used for making loans and such. Since the interest rate was relatively small, it kept the community together and the banks and private lenders out. One baht may not seem like much, it is really only about three cents; however that is about one percent of their total wage for that day. That’s right, the average worker works 10+ hours a day and earns about 104 baht for his/her trouble. It’s sickening. And the children that live there work and play in the landfill too. Like I said, some really tough people.

Finally our travels took us to Surin where we are currently sentenced to a week plus homestay with free trade rice farmers. Did I say sentenced? I meant committed. Oops, I didn’t mean that. I should have said confined instead of committed. Actually, it isn’t all that bad, I am just playing it up. Though, I do concede that the “beds” are extremely uncomfortable here. I suppose, though, that that shows just how lower class the people are here. Which is surprising since this seems like the best example of profitable fair trade thus far in our trade. What we have seen here so far in Surin is a community where its members are more devoted to the good of others and the community than they are to their own personal profit and gain. It has a strong communistic feel to it. Now for all those jaded readers, communism is not a bad thing. A community that takes care of its people, and the people take care of each other, should be a community that we all strive to achieve back in the States. But before I get on my soapbox and start trying to convince you on communism, let me get back to the topic at hand.

The cooperation here is beautiful. All the neighbors know each other, know everything about each other, and are always there to give each other a helping hand. Also, there are other organizations here looking to help the farmers, such as the Surin Farmer Support group and the Rice Fund group, both of which were focused on helping the Surin farmers achieve self-reliance. These groups worked with the farmers to inform them on cultivation methods, when to plant certain crops, the benefits of multiple crop types, and they helped the farmers set up the Green Market, a farmer’s market that meets every Saturday. Anyways, these groups work together to improve the lives of the farmers. And they succeed in their mission. The Surin fair trade farmers earn 30% more selling to the co-op than they would to a competition company. And the fair trade farmers make about twice the income that free trade farmers do, thanks to the co-op. Life truly is better here. Everybody is always smiling, families are close together, and people enjoy what they do. This is the more appropriate “American Dream”, found here in Thailand.

And so, laying that all out for you, doesn’t seem like a stupid or redundant question to ask, “How can Americans learn from the examples here”? If not, let me lay it out simply. If you want to live happy, truly happy, you have to do two very simple things. Smile, that’s definitely a biggy. And also, STOP STABBING YOUR NEIGHBOR IN THE BACK FOR A SMALL BUCK! Obviously competition only hurts people. In nature it means that two species are fighting for the same resource, and both species suffer. In our world, it means people starve. So how do we learn from Thailand? We suck it up, we band together, we work for the good of the group, the majority, and we thus all thrive. Forget the Capitalist philosophy that “it’s all about me”. There is a reason the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” survives in common speech to this day. Obviously its true. Give the guy or girl who coined the term a Nobel Peace Prize. I wonder if they ever knew how right they were? So, back in the States, say hi to your neighbor once in a while. Go to work and listen to your coworkers. Who knows, you may be able to work together to be able to fix the stupid copy machine that never workers or to replace the coffee maker that hasn’t worked last since last June. Personally, I hate coffee, but I realize most people need it to function properly. In short, and as a summation to all my babbling, work with people, instead of trying to undermine them, that way you can build off each other and the both of you thrive.

………………………..

Jo Jo~

July 14^th

Kham Bon Noi (Landfill Community), Khon Kaen

OK so I may have been sick most of the time and dont really remember today, but ill try. What I remember was arriving and seeing a very scary doll tree. Then we went and sat, talked with this guy about the landfill, then went out for a tour but then it started raining so we ducked under a little shelther area for 10 or so minutes and chatted again about the landfill. Then we started walking more after I put on longer socks b/c of the rubber but the smell got horrific so i had to turn back and do lay down. Same with Nemo (PBlaa) and Tabbi and on our walk back we made another connection with Eric, telling us about now the landfull will be and what an opportunity we were missing out on by not going on the full tour of the landfull and when we got back to the house Eric wanted us to write abouT how we felt about the landfill, but I honestly think i turned it more into a rant and went on about everything, which felt really good actually, then we “ate” LOL (555) and after that we went and had the exchange with the people we were staying with. it was quite interesting about what their answers were to everybody’s questions and how Laurel asked about their lifestories and they actually gave us their whole entire lifestory and the guy who’s house the girls were sleeping in said that he couldnt do it without getting emotional but he didnt anyways and didnt get sad which was amazing. And then we went to bed.

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Jo-Jo~

Well if your going too Thailand don’t really expect too perfectly un-sick the whole trip, everybody on this trip has gotten sick so far from something or another [its only stomach stuff nothing too fear =)], except trevor *555* whether it be the food or of the heat or of just being home sick like me.

Another one of the bigger challenges is the communication, I mean I know they tell you about not worrying about it but you should because its hard the only thing you have too communicate with is your own body language which most of time they don’t understand anyways which makes you more iratated and you just want too give up but you cant because then all the “work” learning how too say what your trying too say went too waste. (sorry about ranting) :]

The best ways too deal with wanting too give up is (1. Keep trying too they figure out what you want (2.Have Eric or one of the other people come over and translate for you and well (3. Is basically fine another place or person that will know what your talking about and or wanting…

I think what you can truly learn from getting a person that completely doesn’t know what your talking about is learning how too deal with the people that don’t have any clue what your talking about, and that helps you out a significant amount because then you know what too do when somebody doesn’t know what your talking about.

Dean~

I joined the Pangaea project to get a global perspective and have gained so much more. Our trip has been based on a few topics. The topics are fair trade and labor and social justice. I was in the group that had the privilege to travel to Thailand. I wasn’t too sure of the program at first, because it sounded crazy. I was told I would be traveling to Thailand to live with fair trade rice farmers in Surin. To be honest I didn’t know what to expect from the whole thing, I thought it couldn’t be too hard and it wouldn’t change anything about me. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. I know everyone is probably wondering what I have done the last couple of weeks so here it is.

The first 19 hours was hell, it was spent on planes with uncomfortable sits and sitting in airports during layovers. It sucked because I have a recent back and neck injury, so just imagine. The first plane flight was from Portland to Seattle, the plane flight was only twenty minutes with a five hour layover. While I was waiting for the next plane to take off, I walked around the Seattle airport played in the wheel chairs and tried to ignore the pain in my back. I got to know the team a little bit better, my thinking was I might as well since I would be spending the next month with them. I still didn’t fully open my self to them though because I’m a very guarded person. I showed them the Dean that everyone loves.

Arriving in Thailand!

After waiting for five hours we boarded the plane that would be taking us to the Taiwan airport. This was a huge challenge the plane ride took 16 hours. I sat in the same place for 16 hours it sucked. I killed the time by watching a few movies, chatting with the team leader I just met that day and chatting with a girl I had went to school with. After watching the sun go up and down we made it and not a minute too soon, I was getting ready to pull my hair out because my back was screaming at me to get up and move around. The next four hours we had to kill because it was another layover until our last flight to Bangkok, Thailand. So it was the same thing running around the airport getting to know the team and I still kept the mask on. I did this because I didn’t know how they would react if they knew me the real me, so I decided best I just show them what they wanted to see. This was for me too because I didn’t want to be rejected by the group with the whole journey still in front of us. Boarding time finally came at 8:30am ( Taiwan is 15 hours ahead of Oregon time) and the whole team was just ready to be done with the plane rides. Four hours went by relatively short compared to the last flight plus I was reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu. It’s an interesting read and it’s main focus was on winning a war without actually going to war. Finally we touched down at Suvanabhumi airport in Bangkok at 11:35am Thailand time (14 hours ahead of Oregon). There we went through costumes got our Thailand stamps and piked up our bags. We proceeded to go and meet Ah Jon (Ah Jon means teacher in Thai) Jon who was waiting for us at the entrance with a van to take us to where we would be staying for the night.

The first thing I realized when we stepped out those front doors was that it was hot and really humid I had a thick layer of sweat from just walking to the van from the front door which was only about 60 feet. We drove about a half an hour to the Suan Ngern Mee Ma Center, the hostel we would be staying at for the next three nights and two days. The first thing we did was unpack and get comfortable. The room we were staying in consisted of six fans on the ceiling five mats on the floor where we would be sleeping. The boys and girls had to sleep in separate rooms and use separate showers because it’s Thai culture. I jumped right in the shower and rinsed off and took the only temperature shower they had cold water. It was fine though because it was so hot and humid. The bathrooms are different for instance the toilet and shower are in the same stall. They have a hose to spray your bottom after you use the rest room and they had a shower head to shower. After everyone was unpacked and showered we went to have lunch. It was instant culture shock. Everyone and their mom stared and stared hard and pointed. It was hard for me because usually when someone stares at you like that it means it’s time to fight. I asked my Ah Jon and he said it’s normal especially because your foreigners (or in Thai Ferong). We went to the nearest resturant and sat down for some food. It was the first time for everyone besides the leaders having traditional Thai food. Trust me American Thai food doesn’t even come close. It was delicious, spicy and delicious some people didn’t like it and got sick, but I enjoyed it. The next trip was to the Bangkok flower market. The name says it all for four blocks up and down both sides of the streets flowers of all kind were being sold. I had really no interest in the market until we got to where they were selling survenyers and everyday things.

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Laurel~

Laurel studying Thai

Here are my current thoughts…

I miss you portland… to be completely honest though, I was right when i predicted that i would be distracted most of the time. Last night was the first chance i had to think about home. I miss the food. The first time i walked down a street in bangkok i felt the culture shock so bad. It is so much more intense than what i ever expected! It physically hurts to see some of the conditions of living here. I have begun to feel guilty for the way i have always lived. These people have so little, but they smile and treat eachother so well anyway. The homeless people here (and there are a lot of them) are happy and loving. They give away what little they have. there are no houses, only rooms in buildings and most are right next to the street, noise, polution, vendors, and traffic. When you walk down the street it is not unlikely that a family eating will insist that you come in and join them. They idolize Americans, or as we say here for clarity, westerners.

It has only been 2 full days here in bangkok and it feels as though i have lived here for at least 2 months. I can communicate fairly well in thai with the llittle i know. I am picking it up fast. I love the weather here. today we visited the slum community and there was a tropical storm. It was so amazing to puddle stomp and not get cold. infact, the water was like bath water! I have never seen bigger rain drops and heard louder thunder. it was awsome, but the thai people thought we were weird for liking it. they don’t go out in the rain if they can help it.

I will say that i am glad to be leaving bankok early tomorrow morning. The city makes me sick and is sooo overwhelming! I am having a hard time with it. Don’t think that i don’t love it here and that i regret having come though. It is amazing, but 3 days is more than enough at once!

All you Portlanders have to add thailand to the list of places to go before you die!

Oh… and to Deb, Stephanie, and all you other volunteers who put so much time into this trip… You guys are amazing and I just hope you know how much you are appreciated! I knew it would be awsome, but I am speachless and learning so much. You have helped provide a truely special and amazing experience for us all. And… it is indeed worth all the effort. We plan on making you proud!

Love,

Bua

(my thai nickname meaning lotus)

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Group in ancient Thai capital, Ayuthaya

Savanah~

July 7

Today started off bright and early in humid chaos of Bangkok. Breakfast was American coffee and toast. Very typical food for Americans and the Thais call it “forong breakfast”. After chowing down on some no so Thai food, we all got together with Ajaan John, our Thai teacher, and sat in a traditional circle on the floor and started or second Thai language class. We learned how to count numbers. It was easy like noung, song, sam,. For you Americans that means one two three and many more. Our theme is labor and human rights. Today a man named Jon Ungpakorn came to speak and educate us more about these issues. He was very nice man who had alot to say. He told us about how human rights were violated all over. Can you imagine living in the same village most of your life because you weren’t recognized as a human being, had no papers saying you were who you are and not being able to obtain any recognition as a human. We learned all about this. Jon was explaining government and the corruption that’s happening all over with the massacres and the slums and day to day Thai Life…

Everyday is amazing and full of opportuntiy. We see and do so much everyday. It’s undescribable. I think that everyone should get a chance like this in their life time. I feel it would change the negativity that people have.

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Laurel~

July 7
After waking up in the night with no idea where i was, I am finally letting it sink in that we are , in fact, in Thailand afterall. This mornign began with my first kung fu experience. Trevor, Eric and I were apparently the only early risers today and we began learning some simple stances and swings. After watching sweat fly from Eric’s punching fists, we headed upstairs to the “American” room for our second Thai lesson with Ajaan John. We learned some more difficult words and practiced our intonation so as not to accidently say the wrong word. Easy to do in Thai language.

Once our language lesson was done with, we greeted Jon Ungpakorn and learned about Thai social justice and human rights violations. He also talked about HIV AIDS campaigning he has been organizing and youth programs in Thailand. He was very enthusiastic and glad to share his wisdom so that we can accomplish our goals to raise awareness about these issues. Next we went to visit representatives of the 4 regions slum network. We listened to their story of years of struggling to gain rights for the slum commuity members. they fought for land to live on and eventually signed a 30 year contract for the land. “We are poor, we have no money, we just have our feet to walk together.” We watched differetn slum members from various communities express their thoughts on the subject through videos that were translated into English.

By visiting these areas and being shown around the slums, I also realized how amazingly nice even the poor people in Thailand are compared tot the Unitied States. They have a real sense of hospitality and are happy to give away even what little they have to make guests feel more comfortable. They served us ovaltine and even made a traditional thai desert (like natural jello) for us to try. The real “ahaa” for me today was definitely that culture teaches solidarity. These people have been working together to fight for what they need.

Jo Jo & Nemo

Nemo~

We’re actually here…i cant believe it…we are in Thailand as I write this…We’ve been here for almost a week and it has been completely awesome. And I have Pangaea to thank for it. I mean if I hadnt signed up for and stayed a part of Pangaea I would just still be in Portland doing the same old same old. But im not and believe me, im happy about that.

The last few days have been really fun though. I have gotten to see, smell, taste, feel, and hear some of the most amazing things in my life. The food here is great; both smell and taste. It is very different from the Thai food I have had in Portland. It is a little spicy though. The sights are awesome too. Every think that i have seen in the past few days are like nothing that you’ve every seen. For example, yesterday we visited the ruins of Ayothaya. Ayothaya was the capital of Thailand before it was attacked by the Burmese. I had never seen ruins before so it was new to me. We go to see the old “stupas” that Buddhist would go and pray on and they still do and they are massive pyramid-like structures. To get to the area where you would pray you have to climb up long, steep, narrow steps to get to the top. There were tons of broken Buddha statues with their heads taken off; I guess when the Burmese attacked they chopped off the heads of all the Buddhas. One of the Buddhas heads is encased in a tree. Later we went to the giant reclining Buddha and me and Cash got to pray and stick golden leaf on the Buddha.

All in all though, the whole day was awesome. It is so different from my normal life. The people that we have met and talked to are all change-makers and have been very inspiring. For example, we got to meet John Ungpakorn who is an NGO president and is filled with tons of knowledge and wisdom from his years of being an activist. The things he told us about Thailand were so inspiring and I am glad I was there to hear it.

The only thing I that I havent liked about being here is the smell of Bangkok. The smell of car pollution and so many different foods made my stomach churn but im OK. Everything so far was been awesome and cant wait for what ever comes next. Come and get us!

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Jo Jo~

Trevor in Ayuthaya

July 8

What we learned in Ayutthya

Today we started out really early at the center in Bangkok. We ate another “forang breakfast”, toast etc. We learned about the places we were going and about how old they were and what meaning they had tot he people who now view them.

We learned that back in the day there was a group of people (The Burmese) who went and chopped the heads off the buddhas in Ayutthya. There was one particular buddha head that was buried under a bodhi tree and when the tree roots grew the buddha head grew up out of the ground with the tree right up to the surface and was permanently grown into the tree which in my opinion is amazing. Also a new record for dog counting today – 143.
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Dean~

July 8

Dean in Bangkok

Today was amazing. We traveled from Bangkok to Ayutthya to see the old ruins. Our first stop was to the Royal summer palace. It’s massive covering. i thik it was a square mile. I was driving a golf cart around and it still took an hour to explore the whole palace. The main palace was the most magnificent thing there. It was detailed. Every square inch. It was red and black, my favorite colors. There was this beautiful scultpture carved from camel bones inside. We weren’t allowed to take pictures so I will have to keep the memory.

After we were done touring the palace we came to the hotel to check in. The next stop was the old Ayutthya temple ruins close to the hotel. When we got there the first thing we saw were elephants. Next we moved to the stuppas that are in the best condition after the Burmese attacked in the 1700’s. The giant golden Buddha was unbelievable. It had to be 70 feet tall. Next we went to the Buddha head that was entwined in the roots of the Bodhi tree. We all took a group picture with it, starting the tradition that will follow every year a new group goes to Thailand. The group all knelt down for the picture out of respect for the Buddha.

The team proceeded to the last site, the reclining Buddha. It had to be 70 feet long and 40 feet high, which makes you wonder how long it took to carve. The team proceeded back to the hotel to finish the night with dinner and Thai lessons.