Local Activities
Another film crew came this week in order to make a promo for TBA. The promo focused on the different activities that take place here. They got the kids to showcase the different areas, and I got to tag along as well.
The first station was the garden. Here we helped collect natural debris for the soil in the raised garden bed. We also got to help plant lettuce, chili peppers, and eggplant. The most fun part was getting to play with the water hose under a pretext of watering the plants.
The second station was cotton processing. We learned about the different steps that go into transforming raw cotton into a shirt. I really enjoyed getting to separate the seeds from the cotton and watching the kids try to turn it into thread.
The third station was tie dye. Unlike my previous tie dye experience, I got to watch how the clothes are boiled in the brown-bark solution.
The last activity involved tasting and learning about the medicinal powers of various Thai herbs. I really enjoyed learning about the often overlooked uses of various plants.
Ultimately, it was a very short crash course in each activity, but it was cool being able to see and practice all the different activities that TBA offers.
Farm Life
On Saturday, Mae Nuch invited me to her farm to learn some Thai skills and to relax in the hammock overlooking the rice paddies. I gladly accepted her offer and was thrilled at the prospects of a relaxing and educational morning. After the short motorbike ride, I made myself at home at the quaint shelter. She had a few chores to complete before we could get started on anything, so she made sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed. I then spent the first part of my morning reading Paradise Lost to the backdrop of a luscious rice farm and the comforting of a gentle breeze.
Once she was finished with her morning tasks, Mae Nugh wanted to teach me how to make Khao Jee (literally, “fire rice”), one of my favorite Thai foods. We sat down on some stools around the tao charcoal burner and she taught me the following process:
- Take handful of sticky rice and mush it onto a skewer. The goal is to form a tight, smooth, cylindrical shape.
- Lightly roast the rice over the fire. Just enough to solidify the shape.
- Beat some duck eggs in a bowl and use it to the coat skewered rice.
- Roast the egg-coated rice over fire, making sure to slowly rotate the skewer in order to evenly cook the egg.
- Let the rice cool enough to be tolerable, and then enjoy eating.
Steps 3-4 can be repeated as desired; I was informed that the cooks at the market only do one pass through, but you should do at least three to four if you want to make it delicious. For variation, you can mix in some rice or sugar during step one. Ultimately, I really enjoyed learning how to cook a traditional Thai food and learned a lot; not to mention, it was quite tasty.
The highlight of my farm adventures has to be when I herded a group of water buffalo. After donning my adventuring hat, I picked up a rope connected to one of the buffalo. I led it out of its pen and the rest of the herd began to follow. Together, all six of us traversing the path to the pond, stopping briefly for a drink of water (them, not me), and then heading to the creek. Upon arriving, Mae Nuch taught me how to tie the buffalo to a stake in order to allow them to play in the water unattended. I was asked if I was afraid of them and honestly, the answer is not really. Sure, I respect their strength and ability, but I had the rope and they knew I was in charge. So long as I treated well, I had nothing to worry about.
Kitty Cat Adventures
In yet another shocking turn in my character development, I’ve acquired a little feline friend. Due to my early rising, I’m the first to go into the kitchen in the mornings. Naturally, this means that I also happen to be the first to face the pair of hungry cats awaiting breakfast. Initially, I just chose to ignored them under the wonderful motto of not my problem. However, one of the cats didn’t like my doctrine on feline affairs. As a result, she decided to attack my ankles during the middle of my morning coffee ritual. I retaliated by picking her up, scolding her, and permanent marking this moment by naming her Ankle Bitter.
I carried about my day and largely forgot about this moment until the following morning. I had just walked into the kitchen and grabbed my coffee scale when all of a sudden, Ankle Bitter came running between my legs, begging for me to pet her. I reluctantly obliged. This pattern continued for many days with our mutual affection growing. Now, she’ll even come sit in my lap while I work.
The culmination of my encounters with A.B. (I decided Ankle Bitter was just too clinical) was when I saw her on the roof. I investigated and discovered her two kittens hiding in the gutter. I couldn’t resist, so I scaled the wall and extracted the kittens. I was worried that A.B. was going to be angry about the whole ordeal, but she was surprisingly content with it. She let me hold and play with the kittens, and even wanted me to pet her during it. (I have yet to name the kittens, so if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know.) In an ironic twist, I went from despising the cats to befriending three.
It would be remiss not to mention the issue of cat overpopulation. Sure, cats (and especially kittens) are extremely adorable and lovely. However, pet cats are an invasive species that can wreak havoc on local environments (source). At least one of A.B.’s kittens is a female, and given the lack of safe, affordable animal care, it is extremely likely that she will end up having kittens of her own. I know there is nothing either of us can do about the situation here, but it is important to be aware about the negative effects associated with pets. Oh, and if you haven’t done so already, please spay/neuter your furry friends.
Laundry (or lack thereof)
Between Pa Lam being gone from the end of last week to the beginning of this week and the cleaning lady for TBA getting injured, I had no way to address the ever growing pile of laundry in my room. Before I continue, I think it’s important to address the question of “Why couldn’t you just do your own laundry?” Believe me, if I could, I would. However, my rabiesesque aversion to Thai water coupled with that fact that unsure of how to laundry here means that I was unfortunately out of luck. The clean clothes in my already minimal wardrobe quickly started to diminish, especially when you consider my newly adopted running habit. Initially, I followed the old advice about wearing your underwear inside out to double their lifespan. However, not only was this super disgusting, it also quickly became unsustainable.
Due to some sound advice (thanks Christen!), I decided to hand wash some laundry. I grabbed my dirty laundry, mop bucket, some liquid soap, and headed to the water container. I filled my bucket up with hot water and soap and then added my clothes. Using my hands, I mimicked the motions of a washer machine and churned the laundry. I then let it for five minutes, rinsed the clothes, and rung them dry. Sure, washing my clothes with a bit of Dove and a lot of guessing was less than ideal, but it worked and got me by until my clothes could be properly washed. I also learned a very valuable lesson: with a little bit of willpower, buckets can be used as both showers and washing machines.
My Weekly Reflection
This week started off slow and I had accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to have much to write about. However, that clearly ended up not being the case. I had a few “big” adventures and collected a few golden anecdotes, It’s hard to forget frantically running around in the dark, desperately trying to find a stick in order to stir your mop-bucket laundry. All jokes aside, it was also a very valuable week in terms of teaching. I wrapped up my crash course English class and learned a few valuable lessons that I will use in the future. For example, it’s important to prioritize student understanding and goals over finishing and following the lessons plans. All in all, it was another amazingly adventurous week.
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