June 21st

June 21st – Again, today is a Shabbat day. Despite not being a particularly enforced Shabbat (we can, for example, turn on lights and exercise to the point of sweating) there are rules in place forbid us from traveling any considerable distances.

So today is mostly a day of recovery and relaxation. Some people do yoga in the morning. Most of us sleep-in though. In total, I probably only slept for an half-an-hour past our normal wake-up time of six-forty-five. Down stairs a group of local children had gathered for a Saturday environmental learning session outside of their regular schooling. The outdoor class put on by the Foundation lacked desks and consisted more of songs and dance to keep the children entertained. Song and dance are fine, but it is difficult to sleep through.

Given that I was one of the few up eating breakfast, the teacher asked if I would teach a bit about global warming from my experience in the United States. The prospect was a little intimidating but seemed perfectly doable with the help of a translator. Soon I was joined by another participant and two group leaders. After introducing ourselves, I figured I would talk a bit about my own experiences in environmental activism, which had mostly to do with using renewable energy sources rather than dirty forms from coal and the such.

Part way into my story, it became clear that I wasn't being particularly clear. One of the leaders stopped the story to see if the children knew where electricity came from. After several creative answers (the air, the sky) someone finally said fuel. They had heard of coal and were familiar with petrol. However a follow-up question about how many children had electricity in their homes revealed that only four out of thirty did.

I found this quite fascinating for two reasons. First, it was amazing to imagine that only 15% of all the children here had electricity when every building we passed had access to electricity. Secondly, it was amazing that these children were studying about conserving the environment and global climate change, something that is almost entirely manufactured by industrialized CO2 emissions.

We decided to take a different tact and discuss the importance of trees in combating global climate change. This is a lesson that is crucial in an area where land owners level forests for the production of rubber from rubber trees. For many, especially the poorest, the forest provide a source of income and offer plants and animals for people to eat. For all, the forest is a natural sponge for heavy rainfall. Lacking a natural forest results in accelerated erosion and causes rivers to swell, flooding houses and crops.

Following some enjoyable dancing with the children, all the participants gathered for an afternoon hike. It turned out to be a good display of the morning's lesson. Walking along the main road, I could peer inside the wooden houses or small sundry shops and see old and young taking naps, watching a bit of television, or listening to music. A turn up the path led to a two-lane dirt road. Here, the electrical wires did not follow us.

At first we are greeted by rows of rubber trees. They are planted in rows, with cups at the bottom to catch their sap. There is an odd trick of the eye that from the side the grove looks like a homogeneous forest of scattered trees. As I walk forward, the lines slowly take shape revealing their meticulous depth into the landscape. And as I continue forward, the image dissolves again.

Along the way the sky opened with torrents of water. Everyone seemed to enjoy the rain, and some took to skipping in it. Meanwhile natives passed us with sharp looks from under their umbrellas. (As an illustration of how much Thai people don't like to get wet, the following day we passed a motorcyclist in the rain wearing a full poncho and holding an umbrella just above eye-level as he drove.)

Eventually, we reached the village where our guide resided and would lead us off the beaten path. He was a short, older man who had the habit of chewing betel nut leaves. The leaves taken with bicarbonate produces a mild drug effect similar to amphetamines. It also stains teeth a wicked brownish red, that gives the appearance that the person is bleeding from the gums or has just eaten an animal raw. He carried a machete and wore a sarong and flip-flops. In addition, he wore a t-shirt that clashed with everything else about him.

Without introduction, we followed him into the forest in search of a particular waterfall. Wet, decaying leaves made it difficult for people with hiking boots to make progress. Meanwhile, our guide in a dress and shoes without traction scaled a 60 degree slope without pause. We slowly and carefully followed up, while some group members without proper shoes fell a few times.

To add to the difficultly of the trek, our guide pointed out a particular type of bush that we were not to touch. The only problem is that to us everything in this forest looked foreign and equally untouchable.

Despite the machete, it was the middle of the rainy season and there was too much fallen debris to make it to the main waterfall. We satisfied ourselves with the peacefulness of a stream. In my mind, there was also something very tranquil about the knowledge that we were only a few kilometers from the village without electricity, a few more kilometers from the village with electricity, and only a few more kilometers to a full town of infrastructure and street lights. In cities, it is easy to forget the interconnection we play with nature. Out in this wilderness it is impossible to ignore.

Our guide led us out of the forest and took us to the farm where he works. The farm is run by the foundation and allows stateless people to work the land an profit from its proceeds. The farm grows not only rice, the main crop of the region, but also vegetables gardens and fish ponds for a sustainable source of nourishment. Here too, it is impossible to ignore the dynamics humans play with nature.

For me, the days events were a wonderful reflection. Although I am deeply passionate and concerned about the environment, I generally think of it as a dichotomy; I live in the city and nature exists outside. Being in this place makes it obvious that co-existence with nature, in one form or another, rather than division, is the only sustainable lifestyle.