New School and New Year for the Lahu. 29/1/14. We left for our three day homestay at a remote school today and have somehow ended up deep in the steep hilly country side celebrating the Lahu tribes New Year. There are several tribes that make up the population of Thailand. At least six. They all speak different dialects, have their own beliefs, ceremonies and ways of life. Jim and I had an amazing and wonderful time in their village going house to house and eating incredible dishes and being amazed that we were there sharing it. Our day started with us leaving early for our few days of teaching with seven other volunteers. The people who had taught away from Mirror last week had all had different experiences at their schools. Some had been basically left alone with various classes and given a full load while others loved their school, werent given too many classes and really enjoyed socialising with the rest of the staff. We hurtled along the highway and roads for close to two hours sitting in the back of the truck grateful for our new second hand jackets and our beanies, enjoying a laugh and the changing scenery. After dropping Kim, Rachel and Michelle off at their school we were taken to ours, a series of neat, painted cement buildings surrounding a large quadrangle. Some teachers were playing games with students. The school was well in the country side, apparently a few hours from Chiang Mai. The woman who introduced herself to us, Kwan, teaches second class. She brought us to meet her boss who was constantly on his mobile phone. We had tea and compared schools then Kwan asked us if we would like to accompany them to see another culture in Chiang Ria which is where we came from but she seemed keen for us to accompany them. A bit confused but ready to try anything we went to the driveway where a lot of teachers greeted us and milled about waiting to leave. Eight set off, doubled on motorbikes. Jim and I squashed in the back seat of Thailands equivalent of a Hilux with Kwan and another female teacher. The deputy Eeyk (?) drove and the principal Boon Chom sat in the front. Six or seven more squashed in the tray in the back. After a long drive we pulled up to wait for the motorbikes to catch up. There was a walky talky in the front, a guy in the back had one and two bikers had two more. Where we had pulled up was at the base of some very steep hills and a rough looking dirt track rose steeply up a very steep hill just in front of us. Three of the bikes raced up the hill. Then we followed, all 13 of us in this heavy hilux trying to get some traction on the bumpy hill. The deputy set it into four wheel drive then we slowly lurched our way along the steep hills for ages and ages, clinging on to whatever we could as we lurched and jerked along, up and down, hearts in our throats at times, on the edges of steep hills, scrambling out of ruts. The scenery of these bamboo hillsides was stunning but we were riveted by the apalling road and how we were going to make it. The staff laughed at the running commentary between the handsets and the scouts, the bikers told us if another vehicle was approaching and if the turn was bad. At one stage the principal turned and briefly placed his hand on Kwans forearm. She roared laughing and did the same to me. Apparently his hands were as clammy as hers. Kwan explained that there were six tribes or cultures in the school and that some, like the Lahu kids were too far away to come everyday so stayed at the school. They have around 100 boarders and the government gives the school 13 baht per child per meal. Here, it is 30 baht to the dollar so its nowhere near enough. A lot of the kids are brought to school at the age of five and dont go home again for a month or even longer. I can understand that as we make make our way slowly up and down hills hoping we wouldnt roll over the edge and trying to stay out of the deep ruts. It was taking ages to go relatively short distances. We were on our way to celebrate the Lahus New Year. This was to be the first day of the celebrations and we were going to be lucky enough to join in. No classes today. Finally we came to the village, set at the base of more steep hills, some criss crossed with narrow walking trails. Lots of plain wooden buildings set up on high wooden supports with narrow steps leading to a small verandah. Shutters instead of windows. Women wearing colourful sarongs and belts made of shiny silver coins, the men wearing what looked like short harem pants, shiny or even glittery. The kids wore their best clothes, mostly western style dresses or shirts. We pulled up at the best house near the river and walked upstairs to an amazing feast of various noodle dishes, whole, crispy skinned fish, soups, mince dishes and weird looking sausages or red pasty stuff that was the inside of a pig. And beer, soft drinks, Lahu whisky and more. There was sooo much! And it was delicious. All the meat dishes were pork. But thats what we mostly eat at Mirror too. Throughout the village fat, black, ugly pigs wandered, snuffling about. The cute black piglets followed. Dogs and chickens wandered around, no one was bugging anyone else. There was a great atmosphere and the male teachers were getting into the beer with gusto. Before we left they brought out fried slabs of sticky rice that could be eaten with the end dipped in sugar or condensed milk. I love sticky rice and found this combination wonderful. All this was eaten on a wide verandah edged in slab seating. We couldnt eat all the food, it just kept pouring out. We left after the head of the village had introduced himself, obviously pissed, but very proud of his village and the festivities. We left the house and walked across the road to another house where they brought out more food. Then more and more. We enjoyed the roasted sunflower seeds there as well as the vegies fried with chunks of pork fat. We avoided the fat but loved the flavour it gave to the vegies. We peered over their verandah to watch three boys fishing in the river with sharpened sticks but I was disgusted to see the amount of refuse thrown below the verandah where pigs snuffled. Lots of plastic and packaging. Then it was a meandering walk over creek beds, along dirt paths and up a bit of a hill to another house. And more food and drink. At the fourth house we looked upstairs to see a group of eighteen or so boys acting cool with their tight jeans on, spiky, dyed haircuts, jackets and pendants on a chain. Like all guys that age they were listening to music and ignoring the oldies. There must have been ten motorbikes parked near us and they soon took off on some. We couldnt understand the conversation but I loved watching the women come out with food or sending the kids out with the dishes, watching the cute toddlers and little kids, seeing the puppies wander past or cockerals and chickens with chicks nearby. We looked up to see a small satelite dish on a roof and twisted around one of the metal brackets supporting it, a sausage of pigs intestines filled with more pig stuff. One of the things Id chosen not to eat earlier. At the next house I also viewed slices of raw pig meat drying in the sun on pieces of corrugated tin on the roof of a shed next to a pile of kids shoes. By now I wanted to sleep in a food coma. Suddenly, more excitement! Id been watching kids play in the large open room of the house next door when suddenly the woman came to our side and called out something. Fire! There was some white smoke just past her house. Every one jumped up to look or help. Heaps of people converged on the house and yard. The hut was made of bamboo with a dried grass roof and I assume that cooking in the kitchen area had started the fire. Half the roof was gone. Men were using buckets and scoops plus a hose to put it out. They had it under control in a short time. Kwan did say that fire engines were useless here as they couldnt get here. Any problems with fire need to be dealt with by them only. The food and drink (I dont usually drink soft drinks either) were getting to me and I was fighting not to nod off so at the next house I took out my sketch book and quickly sketched in as many people surrounding the low round, bamboo table on the platform we were sitting on as possible. The staff loved it and enjoyed finding themselves. Yet another house and it was finally time to go so we squashed back in. I was horrified that the heaviest drinkers were riding motorbikes. Thankfully our deputy was sensible. Another hair rising ride and we returned to school late in the afternoon. Kids were playing ball or in the communal area watching a TV set up on the wall. We showered and Jim was asleep by 7.30! An amazing first day here and we still have no idea what the name of this school or district is, lol!
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 11:49:33 +0000
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