Bahn Sweet Bahn

My home for the next three months... it has screens, a solid floor and a ceiling, which makes it one of the nicest houses in the area. I have no AC nor a flushing toilet but I DO have hot water.  I also have a symphony of geckos, cicadas, crickets, birds, roosters, dogs and cats contributing to the ambience at any given time.

Quite simply, it's perfect.

Arrived safely

Greetings from Thailand! I arrived on Friday, and have spent the past few days eating delicious food, drinking rice whiskey and getting to know the area. None of this is hard, because it turns out that Thailand is home to the friendliest people on the planet (who are also some of the biggest fans of rice whiskey :))

Fortunately for me, I arrived during "Rocket" season, which takes place ahead of the rainy season. The villages and temples host events where locals can enter to shoot home-made bamboo rockets into the air and see whose goes highest and remains steadiest. There is also what I will call "rockets light" in which they each get their hand at launching a pre-made rocket up a 50-60 yard wire to see who can get it the closest to the target.

The original purpose of the tradition was to bring the rain (and it obviously works because the rainy season comes EVERY year!).   But now, it's a great excuse to eat food, drink, hang out for hours and raise money for the local temple. These aren't a fancy affair - the first one I attended was on a dirt road in the woods, with just enough space for a few tents and a karaoke set-up.

I will post photos this week and can't wait to tell you more about this beautiful place.

What am I doing in Thailand?

One of the groups with which I will be working is called Warm Heart, and I am incredibly excited to work with and learn from them this summer.  Their mission and methods are courageous and holistic, and aim for nothing short of fully empowering this community to create a better future for its children. I am inspired by the concept, so I can only imagine how great the experience will be.  Feel free to check out their Web site to learn more about the clinic that was built, the school houses, and microfinance project.  If you read just a few entries in the Warm Heart blog, you will have a sense for some of the challenges they face every day: http://blog.warmheartworldwide.org/

Here is a great summary of what they are doing and why they are doing it:

In our village, third of the population lives on less than 75 cents a day. Four dentists serve 54,000 residents. Many of the Hill Tribe villages see a doctor once a year and are cut off from medical care during the rainy season. During the dry season there are no jobs for thousands of agricultural workers. Kids see no opportunities at home and leave for the cities in their teens. But with just a sixth grade education, they do not have a chance. Still, the little they earn is a boon for the families they have left behind. Without them, Phrao stagnates; when they return, it is too often because they are unable to work any longer because of HIV/AIDS or occupational injury. It’s a vicious cycle – no hope for the future and no investment in the future create the self-fulfilling prophecy that Phrao offers no possibilities to those who want to get ahead. 


What would you do? Where would you start? Who would you talk to? 

Warm Heart exists to stop such vicious cycles. How? Warm Heart gives individuals and communities the tools to launch a productive, self-sustaining virtuous spiral that promotes individual development, community and cultural regeneration, and economic growth through entrepreneurship.

I will know more about exactly what I'll be doing when I arrive in-country, and will post more as my adventure begins!