What is Lahu...?
Lahu is the name of one of the many 'hill tribes' of northern Thailand. They originated in southern China and over the decades have spread across Myanmar, Laos, and northern Thailand. Currently there are about 25,000 Lahu living in Thailand. They have their own language, traditions, culture, etc. There are even 4 different types of Lahu tribes. (Red, Yellow, Black, and She-leh)
Now don't be confused... they don't run around in loinclothes with spears banging on drums all the time or anything. They pretty much all have electricity. (Thanks mostly to projects sponsored by the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest currently reigning monarch.) Most of the newest generation even has cell phones.
But anyways... back to the story--
To make a long story short (shortER maybe), boy meets girl, boy likes girl, etc...
'Unbeknownst' to the teachers, apparently sparks fly, emotions run high, and when I return to Thailand, there's a wedding invitation sitting on my desk.
Atiwat-- groom to be-- excellent soccer player, good guitarist, hard worker... he shall be missed.
Fon -- bride to be -- excellent singing voice, athletic, hard worker, received the "Most Improved" award at graduation last year.Obviously when living in close proximity day in and day out with only 20 students or so, you develop fairly close relationships. So off to the mountains to the wedding we go...
The trip began with about a 4-hour public bus ride from my village to Fang (a launching point in the hills of Northern Thailand). (at about 80 baht ... = $2 and change) Sorry, no pictures here. I just refuse to take pictures through dirty glass. :)
From there we took 3 different sawng taew rides to get to the right village...
On the sawng taew. Sawng taews are essentially taxis. Pickup trucks with camper shells and two benches in the back for passengers. [hence the name... sawng (Thai word for 'two') and taew (Thai word for 'row' or 'bench')] They run regular routes all over Northern Thailand for decently cheap. 3 students came along with us. This is Lanunan, our only 3rd year student this year. He's Burmese Kachin (tribe). Lanunan's always good for a huge smile, a good story from his previous life in Myanmar (Burma), and a jam session with a guitar. Excellent voice... we totally pulled off "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (Creedence) at graduation last year with him belting it out at the top of his lungs. For Journalism class this year, I'm having him start a blog of his own. He can post whatever he wants, but I'm encouraging him to tell some stories I've heard over the last year or two from his past. The things these people deal with will blow your mind. I will post a link to his blog once it's up and going.
Lanunan's post montion-sickness face from Ralphin' out the back. :) Cruel Ajan!... I know. (In case you didn't know... Ajan is the Thai word for teacher/professor... which is what all my students call me.)
Being in the back of a moving truck, through glass, on steep hills and sharp curves isn't exactly ideal scenery photography conditions. So... when we got to the right village, an old student of mine took me up further into the mountains on his motorbike to get some good shots of the mountains and visit some people. [Mom... feel free not to watch the video. Helmets were unavailable and I had to chose-- Life experience? or safety?] :)
Pretty much all Lahu people in northern Thailand are farmers. Corn seemed to be the most popular crop. Some places had been terraced off into rice paddies, but truly anything will grow here. Plenty of water and rich soil.
Corn's not the only thing they grow. The pretty purple flowers on the side of the road here and there are opium plants. Thailand is very strict on drug usage. Even small amounts of marijuana can leave someone stuck in Thai prison for up to 20 years. Opium, however, is legal only for hilltribe people to grow and possess... but not sell. Thankfully it wasn't prevalent in the village I was at. It's really sad... many hilltribe people become addicted and 'do nothing with their lives.'
The bride's family's home. Bamboo walls, straw roof... with a TV inside.
Two hours before the wedding starts, the bride (in the orange soccer jersey) is serving everyone breakfast just like any other day.
Mahula with Lanunan. So cute you wanna just ball her up and put her in your pocket.
Snacks before breakfast. Some kinda spicy tofu/tapeoka something. Kind of a snotty texture but pretty good!
The green stuff, on the other hand... not good. Some kinda gelatin something. Probably from sticky rice powder. Warm bean milk on the side.
Bathroom, shower, sink, etc. The concrete section to the left is for bathing. Just use the little bowl and pour it on as needed. Really not too bad... thankfully it wasn't cold season. Squat toilets like that are fairly common in any rural, non-westernized area. Word to the wise... if you're going on an extended stay to a hilltribe area-- drop a deuce before you go.
The village meeting hall where they had the wedding. Nothing too fancy, just some balloons and a backdrop we helped make and set up the night before.
Oh, boy... the balloons. While we were helping set up the night before, we helped blow up these heart balloons. Keep in mind I'm travelling with three of my male students. (19 -25 years old or so) So I'm trying to fight back my own immaturities, but with WiChai (student) flat out laughing at Ajan Nathan blowing up these 'busty' balloons... there was no holding back a giggle or two.
I would like to personally thank the 7-eleven on the way for carrying batteries (best -or should i say 'most expensive' - they had) that lasted for all of 5 or 6 pictures before my camera died right as the wedding began. So this is the only one I got. But don't be too disappointed. They pretty much never smiled the whole time... which I thought was odd. The Lahu preacher, however, did go on... and on... and on... about something. Nothing really unique and elaborate about the ceremony. The parents signed a marriage agreement, then Fon and Atiwat did too, a peck on the cheek and they were married. Atiwat (groom) told me later how glad he was it was all done with...
He'd had a pretty rough time of it. He seemed a little awkward the whole time he was there. (This was not his village)
Come to find out, he had to try several times to get her family to agree to let her marry him. "Ajan... I think that they... they... uh... hate."
Poor guy... oh well... he won in the end!
After the wedding, they had a huge meal for the whole village. Buffalo, beef, chicken, plenty of pork, fish, etc. Good stuff with people playing karaoke, etc. Camera still dead, though. :(
Directly across from the meeting hall was a Thai Army camp. We were only about 10 kilos from the Myanmar border (where skirmishes occassionally break out). We were in what is called the Golden Triangle. This is the border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. Over the last couple decades, it has been a major drug trafficking area. Drug runners can escape from one country's police by simply running across the border to another country. With jungle and mountains everywhere, it's impossible to guard every border crossing.
Motorbike seat decal. I've been in a foreign culture long enough now that VERY little surprises me. This, however, really amazed me. How did the little Calvin-like boy peeing on Ford, Chevrolet, etc. thing make it all the way to a Lahu village motorbike seat?
As soon as the dinner was done, though, we split with the bride and groom and some family/friends to Atiwat's village for a little get-together. Don't be surprised if nobody looks very happy inthe video. A 3-hour ride in the back of a pickup truck... in the rain. Nobody was in the best of moods. Thankfully we had a tarp to hold over our heads when the rain got really heavy.
Lanunan and Wichai (students) followed on a motorbike... I'm glad they didn't die.
On the road to Atiwat's village, Japur (my student) pointed out this orange tree plantation where he and Atiwat worked before coming to Legacy. They picked oranges in the sun from 7-5 for 120 baht a day. ($4 US)
Atiwat's house. Once again, this whole village was fed... some kinda noodle stuff. This is where the happy couple will stay eventually. (after going BACK to Fon's village that same night where they have to stay for 3 days and 3 nights... not sure why)Both of my second year students (WiChai and Japur) are also from this village so they were/are all best friends together at Legacy.
Japur and Ajan Nathan. I got a chance to come visit his home for a bit and meet his family. Their family's home basically consisted of a small bamboo room with a dirt floor and a raised platform made from bamboo that took up half the room (what we're sitting on). Here, they sit, eat, and sleep all together as a family.
Japur and his father. They were clearly much poorer than any of the other households I visited. (despite his father's ability to speak not 1... not 2... but SIX languages) Come to find out, Japur's father sold their farmland to pay the 40,000 baht (a little over $1000) for Japur to get a Thai ID card. Imagine that... selling the only thing of value your family owns just so your son can BUY his way into the society of the country in which he already lives... and the chance of becoming a full Thai citizen. He also changed his name to Uarowet so he can have a more Thai-sounding name. That's how racist this country can be sometimes. Just by changing his name to a Thai name, he'll be more likely to get a better job after he finishes here at Legacy.
Despite his poor upbringing, Japur/Uarowet is an incredibly positive, happy person. At school, he's always incredibly helpful, studies hard, and never complains about anything.
"They say it takes poverty... to let you love a toy." -Pleas
This guy was hangin' out by the teacher house yesterday.
And of course... a giant sunflower for the poo-ying suay ti Amerika.
Reason #48 I Like Living in Thailand:
Fairly frequently (like last night) when walking to my apartment from school I'm greeted by a passerby on a motorbike stopping to ask Bai Nai? (Where are you going?) Then a ride is offered in case I don't want to walk. It's so refreshing to see strangers that trust each other like that. I don't know about you, but when I'm in the States, I tend to look the other way when I drive by hitchhikers or people walking down the highway. Maybe Americans have just become so cynical and scared of becoming the next 'shock-and-awe-story-victim' on CNN. Now I'm by no means an America-basher. I'm proud to be an American. [cue the music... where at least I know I'm free...] But seriously... I love my country and miss you all very much. I had such a good time with family and friends over the last few months. Those of you who know me closely know that I was a bit bummed to be leaving again. Just know that even so... I'm truly happy to be here again... I just wish you could be here to experience it with me.
Until next time, sawadee khrup... chok dee (Good luck!)
~Nathan Kimmons
17 June 2552 (or... 2009 to most of you!)
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Cool-looking swan.
...for about 5 mintues. Till they tell us to do it all the way back... 5 times each. Yea, right.
