On September 17th, we departed for Yasothorn, which is approximately 2 hours outside of Khon Kaen. The drive there was speckled with a gorgeous sunset, lots of rice fields that were the prettiest shade of jade green I have ever seen in my life, and cow herders walking beside the street with a trail of cows following behind. My friend Ana and I were roommates, and we decided to jump out at the first house that was available for 2 girls, and we made the best choice! Our yayee (grandmother) and paw (grandfather- the correct term is da) didn’t speak any Thai, which made it hard to communicate with them, but they had hearts of gold and always made sure that we were comfortable and happy. We slept at their house, but had all of our meals at their daughter’s house, P’Choo, because she and her family had a kitchen. That first night, I helped her to cook dinner, which consisted of fish, eggs, vegetables, and rice. It was great to be able to see how Isaan people make their dishes: lots of fish sauce, soy sauce, canola oil, fresh ingredients, and always made in a wok. After scarfing down dinner, yayee, Ana, and I walked back to our house under a night sky freckled with literally hundreds of luminescent stars and a clear view of the milky way. It was probably the most magnificent view I’ve ever seen in my life. When we arrived at the house, Ana and I were setting up our mosquito net, and discovered a 3 inch cockroach on it. We desperately tried to fling it off, but to no avail. As a last resort, we called yayee in to save us, and she responded by laughing, then grunting, taking her show off, and squashing the cockroach into a pile of nothingness with her bare foot. At that moment, Ana and I looked at each other and knew that we were in good hands.
The next day, Ana and I woke up at 6 AM to roosters calling, after spending a night listening to the dogs next door howling at all hours and with seemingly no intention. I groggily took a shower, but was son wide-awake after splashing cold water all over my body. We then helped our yayee pick mini lettuce heads out of her garden, and then washed them to bring to P’Choo’s house. We had a hearty breakfast, and then went to the rice mill, where P’Choo and her father work, to help prepare food for the school children as a way to educate them about organic farming. After eating lunch at school with the children, Ana and I returned to P’Choo’s house and rested on hammocks for roughly two hours since it was too hot to go into the fields. We just talked and looked out at the pond that surrounds the house. It was extremely relaxing, and much needed, after days of running on empty. At 4 PM, we went with yayee to the family’s vegetable field and helped her collect peppers, greens, and banana leaves.
After many attempts to communicate by way of speaking Thai, listening to her speak Isaan, hand movements, and smiles, Ana and I walked to yayee’s house to begin our profiles, which are interviews of someone of your choosing. I chose to interview P’Choo, so we met her and Ajaan John (our translator), and I was able to gain the most insight on her life and the village in a matter of minutes! I learned that she and her entire family farm organically after her father was diagnosed with stomach cancer as a direct result of farming with toxic chemicals 15 years ago. She also told me that it is impossible to make a living solely off of farming, and that one must have another job, such as working in a rice mill, to make ends meet. P’Choo is extremely active in promoting organic farming. She is the main teacher for integrating organic farming into the elementary school’s curriculum, and she has tried to prevent chemicals from being imported to her village, but has not heard back from the government. My interview with P’Choo revealed so much of who she is to me. Not only is she a mother, a daughter, a wife, and an amazing cook, she is also an activist, a teacher, and an amazing human being fighting for the health and livelihood of her entire village.
Later on, Ana interviewed our paw, and it was interesting to hear another point of view. Our paw explained that he found out he had gotten stomach cancer after his doctor at the regional hospital told him 10x that nothing was wrong, but when he went to the Khon Kaen hospital they correctly diagnosed his illness. He said all of this without a trace of bitterness, and when asked about his upbeat disposition while discussing such an upsetting situation, he seemed unfazed. Instead of wallowing in literal sickness, he decided to tell his fellow farmers the truth that their own government hid from them: pesticides and herbicides can have terrible side effects, not only to the environment but also to the farmer and consumers. The entire family now stands as a symbol of perseverance and dedication to such a worthy cause.
Yet again, we walked home underneath a sky full of brightly lit globes that illuminated the Milky Way weaving its way through a black backdrop. It reminded me just how beautiful the world and its inhabitants are, and to never underestimate the power of human beings.
The next morning, Ana and I woke up at 4 AM and were picked up 45 minutes later to go to the Green Market. The Green Market is an organic market that was created by Yasothorn farmers a year ago. It is a huge feat for them because it allows them to sell their produce as well as spread awareness about the benefits of organic, integrated farming. The market is tiny, most of the stalls sell the same things since they don’t have chemicals that allow them to plants certain plants out of season, and its busiest time of day seems to be from 5-6 AM. The farmers there see all of those aspects as problems, so they consider the market to be a work in progress, but they have much to be proud of. I helped my friend’s parents since mine weren’t there, and it was really fun. Sagar, my friend, and I were able to sell a bag of passion fruit to my friend, Morgan, for 10 Baht, which I thought was a raging success! I was so impressed that a relatively small amount of farmers were able to put together an entire market by themselves to not only help themselves, but to also help those who eat/produce chemically grown food.
At 9 AM, we had an exchange with some of the farmers at the Green Market, and it was so great to hear from them after actively participating in what they had created. I learned that there are only a few organic farms in all of Thailand, that they campaign on behalf of organic agriculture in hospitals, schools, and department schools, that they hope to have 30 stalls in a year, and that much of the next generation is not interested in farming. The points that piqued my interest the most was that organic farmers and non-organic farmers get along really well and that organic food is sold for either the same price or lower price than chemically grown food. Kara, a friend of mine, pointed out that in America, organic food is a status symbol, whereas in Thailand it is simply about helping yourself and others lead a healthier life. In America, organic food is only accessible to those who can afford to buy it, and people get in huge debates about organic vs. non-organic. In Thailand, there is no price distinction between organic and non-organic food, and it is not a posh lifestyle choice, it is a matter that is solely about health and protecting those one loves…That is why neighbors do not fight against each other. When those neighbors are ready, the organic farmers will provide them with everything they need to help them through the difficult process (in the 1st year, one’s yield will decrease by 50% when transitioning to organic farming).
Afterwards, we travelled to a different part of Yasothorn and met with the Alternative Agricultural Network (AAN). The AAN is composed of 3,000 farmers (out of 65 million in all of Thailand) who all farm organically. The AAN aims to promote self-reliance and to create relationships between the producer and consumer. The exchange with the farmers was extremely informative because I came into this program knowing very little about agriculture (whether in Thailand or the U.S.). Sadly, I was informed that China imports many fruits into Thailand, and that China’s produce is more affordable for Thais than the fruit that is locally grown. As a result, Thai farmers can’t compete, and are slowly going bankrupt or being forced to export their food to Europe. The AAN has a lot of pressure because as one of the leaders said, if it fails then only 2% of farmers in Thailand will be small-scale, as has happened in the U.S. To end the exchange, the group was told to bring awareness of these issue and free trade back to the U.S., which I plan on doing. I see these people work so hard, and I know that I can’t go home and simply forget about them and their courageous struggle.
When Ana and I got back to our village, we took a really nice walk through the street as the sun was setting on the rice fields. At that moment I truly realized how lucky I am to be in Thailand. Then, we had dinner at P’Choo’s, and from the start, it was obvious that her son disliked both Ana and me. Yet that night, he came from behind me and clutched my arm. I was so excited at the thought of having finally won him over, but when I turned around and he saw my face, his face contorted into a look of complete terror. He then looked around, spotted his mom, ran to her, and then burst into tears when Ana said that I was truly part of the family. He only grabbed me because I look like P’Choo from behind…Just another day in the life of Katie Steinhardt, haha!
The next day, Ana and I woke up at 6 AM, and helped P’Choo make the most delicious breakfast. We had fried rice because I had told her that that was one of my favorite dishes, fried eggs, and fresh vegetables picked from their garden just that morning. Then, we went to an exchange with the local herbal medicine doctor. We all made herbal compresses, and we were allowed to keep them! He said something that really struck me, which is “short-life food causes you to have a longer life, while long-life food causes you to have a shorter life.” It was simply put, but it’s so true, and I never even thought of it like that before he mentioned it.
Afterwards, we had an exchange with the villagers of Yasothorn, which went really well! I learned that switching to organic farming actually decreases farmers’ debt because they do not have to pay for chemicals, and they don’t need to buy food to feed their families. Yet, many farmers refuse to switch to organic farming because they only see the short-term, consequences, which means that they only see that their yield after the first year will decrease, and that their fields will have to be restored with nutrients, which takes roughly 3 years. However, those who did switch to organic farming saw more animals come back to their fields, and the soil and their health improved. The main thing that I took out of the exchange was that you had to love organic farming to pursue it because it took a lot of hard work in a nation that frowns upon those who don’t use chemical fertilizers. Lately, I have become increasingly aware of the fact that I need to decide a career path, and this talk made me realize that I need to choose something that I love because I want to have as much passion and fight for what I do for a living as they do about their livelihoods.
When we returned back to our village, Ana, Tommy, Dan, and I went for a walk, and ended up playing volleyball with a bunch of local kids. It was so much fun to interact with them, and of course, we all became extremely competitive about it, which made it rather silly. After dinner, Ajaan Pote and P’joy (our driver and mentor) came to our house to translate a conversation between Ana, myself, and our family. Ana and I thanked them for having us and told them how delicious (sep in Isaan and aroy in Thai) the food was, and how wonderful the overall experience was of being able to live and farm with them. It’s great because the entire family then told us that they were interested in us coming back to visit them, and Ana and I are planning on going back in November, during one of our 2-day breaks, to help them harvest the rice during rice season!
The next day began with chaos and confusion. Ana and I woke up and then walked to P’Choo’s house because we couldn’t find anyone at our house. We helped P’Choo make breakfast, but then had to leave without eating because we were leaving at 7:45 AM to leave Yasothorn and go to Roi-Et. Yet trying to tell the entire family goodbye and that we couldn’t eat with them because we had a deadline and were afraid that we were holding all of CIEE back was very difficult to exchange. We finally left the house, albeit 10 minutes after our pick-up time, with yayee in tow. When we got to her house, she and paw gave us departing presents, which are beautiful block-shaped pillows that are all the rage in Isaan. It was the sweetest gesture, and just another example of how generous the people are.
At Roi-Et we had an exchange with some NGOs and AAN farmers who were in the process of switching their cassava and sugarcane farm from chemically treated to organic. They began the switch 2 years ago, but they have a lot of land, so they are doing it little by little. Plus, the farm is indebted to both the sugarcane and cassava companies already, which means that the farm needs to ensure that it meets the quota of how much crop it produces so as not to become more indebted. It was amazing to see how hard these farmers work, and how terribly they’re treated by these huge companies, and yet they still have the energy and morale to fight back. They turn the soil instead of setting the fields on fire once the crops are out of season to help reduce global warming, and they have begun to grow fruit trees, beans, corns, and pumpkins to practice integrated agriculture.
We then took a tour of their land, which is huge, and we were able to see all of the plants. It was amazing for me to learn that 10 sugarcanes only earn the farmers 10 baht (30 cents), which does not come close to covering the costs of producing sugarcane. Plus, the farmers directly asked if any of us were from Korea, and I raised my hand and told them that I was. That made all the difference because in the next minute, I was standing next to a farmer having my picture taken with him. I was ecstatic because most of the white kids on the program are always asked to have their picture taken, so I finally felt that my time to shine had come.
Next, we were on our way to Kalasin, where we had dinner and then set up shop at a new home stay. I stayed with Haley, Jenny, Rani, Maina, and Kati, and our house was the most picturesque, glorifies tree house. We weren’t actually living in a tree house, but it seemed like that because it was nestled in between the trees, was very open, and was made out of wood. It was wonderful! We had a paw, meh, p-seouw, and our p-seouw’s husband, all were very nice and great cooks!
Our last day of the entire agricultural unit began with a great start! We had an amazing breakfast of red, indigenous rice, eggs, pork, and som tom (spicy papaya salad). We then hopped into our paw’s truck and rode to his farm, which reminded me of a petting zoo. There were cows, chickens, ducks, and pigs! We were also able to take a tour of his farm, which is stunning. His fields are completely organic, and he even has a fishpond! He said that it only took him 1 year to transfer to organic farming, which is a rare occurrence since it is such a hard transition, both financially and physically. Sadly, he mentioned, as did many people during our exchanges, that his daughter wasn’t interested in taking over his farm when he’s no longer able to do it. I found this to be the saddest thing because he worked so hard to get his farm to be what it is today, he stands as an example for the rest of the community as a success story for organic farming, and he’s done all of this because he believes in chemical-free agriculture. It would break my heart if no one took over, and his farm ceased to exist after everything he’s been thorough and all that it stands for.
After the tour of paw’s farm, we had our final exchange with P’Bamrung and P’Yoowah. P’Bamrung is the advisor to the Assembly of the Poor, and he’s the leader of the regional Tambon Administrative Organization, which works to eliminate governmental corruption and promotes self-sufficiency. P’Yoowah is the regional coordinator of the AAN, and he even came to the U.S. in 2006 to hear about small-scale farming in the U.S. The exchange with them was great because it focused more on international trade policy and globalization. They thought that while globalization had good consequence, it also had bad ones for many of the rural poor in many undeveloped and developing nations. They also stressed the importance of getting all of the facts. For instance, Starbucks sells free trade coffee, but Starbucks was the corporation that got the free trade label to only mean that 2% of the product is free trade as opposed to the original 5% that was required. It was an eye-opening discussion between the farmers and NGOs and the students where all sides voiced opinions, ideas, and information.
We then left to return to Khon Kaen, and it was a bittersweet goodbye. I was both sad to leave because I had had one of the most amazing times, but I was also happy to return to a place where I have a room to always go back to and just relax in. This unit of the program has taught me so much about human nature. While there are many people who are power hungry and greedy, there are also those who will fight until the end to make sure that their marginalized voices are heard. The people I met changed my life forever because they were able to show me the heart’s capacity to love and care for others even when faced with some of the most challenging situations. I will never forget my paw, the farmers, or the NGOs, who taught me that there is true beauty in fighting against injustice.
P.S.- I just uploaded a lot of new pictures to flickr!
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