Village Life
Last week we went with the REACH team to Ubon Ratchathani province in northeastern Thailand. The purpose of the trip was for the REACH team to learn more about Thai culture through experiencing life in the countryside (where most Thais live or come from) and to visit with a church group there.
Our family stayed in the very small village of Palanchay with Mae Khun, an elderly lady who is one of the leaders in the church. She was a very kind hostess and particularly enjoyed talking to Silas – and he was fascinated by her. It was encouraging to see her dedication to the church and she had some amazing stories about miracles that she's witnessed as part of the church's prayer team.
The pace of life in the village was a big change from Bangkok – we had lots of time on our hands and we weren’t always sure what to do with ourselves! Although we enjoyed the break we all agree that we’re happy in the city!
We also had to adjust to some different kinds of food – fried salted fish for breakfast, sticky rice for every meal of the day, a mixture of fish, mango and onions, etc. We weren’t sure how the kids would handle the new diet but they all did really well. In fact, Eliza did a better job of eating there than she normally does at home! The most difficult part of the time was just being out of our element and not knowing what was going to happen next. Mae Khun had to spend a lot of time at the church and we were left behind wondering whether she was going to come back to cook supper or if we should try to fend for ourselves. We also had to get used to bucket showers and washing the dishes on a table outside. But all in all it was a good adventure and we were able to laugh at our own confusion and ineptitude.
Mae Khun's house - we all slept downstairs on a raised platform under mosquito nets. We weren't sure how sleeping as a family would go - but the kids behaved very well. We all went to bed really early and were woken by the roosters in the morning.
Mae Khun makes and sells brooms.
Much of the activity in the village takes place in front of the houses (or under the houses that are built on stilts) where it's shady and cooler than indoors. People spend a lot of time there - eating, working, napping, and socializing.
Several neighborhood kids enjoyed coming over to check us out and learn a little English during our time there.
We ate all of our meals like this - on a mat on the porch.
Silas enjoyed napping in the hammock.
Every morning the monks from the nearby temple would walk out to collect alms.
On our last morning Mae Khun was cooking us a breakfast when the songtaew (large truck with benches in the back) that we were taking to the Laos border came by. She quickly bagged up the food and we took it with us and ate it at the bus station. The girls loved the fish and I had to fight with them to get my share!
-Tom