Thailand Update #5

Our group of students and teachers continues to find inspiration and information in their Thailand travels!  The Explorations team has just returned from their hill trek, during which communications were suspended.  This adventure was led by people of the Akha tribe.  On this outing, students hiked through the jungle, while getting a glimpse into the ways aboriginal people of the jungle survived.  This included creating chopsticks & eating/drinking cups using freshly-cut bamboo stalks, fishing in a small creek, cooking over a fire, and enjoying the results!  Here is a report from Claire about the experience:

Hello again from the other side of the world!

 I just showered after hiking out of the beautiful bamboo and banana tree forest.  Our experience so far has been amazing!

Yesterday morning we geared up to walk out of our Akha hill village homestay and into the quiet forest.  Bamboo hung low and we ducked beneath it into a small trail leading us to the river. Rolling up my pants, we listened to our instructor telling our group to begin damming the river.  First, we started to stack rocks and banana leaves to make the first part of the dam and to help divert water to a smaller creek area.  Then we built up a second dam stretching the length of the river made of rocks and filled the cracks with dirt.  This process allowed for water to puddle, and for our soon-to-be lunch to be trapped in the small pools of water. 

Searching for the critters was arguably my favorite part.  The pursuit of our small slippery food had us turning rocks and throwing ourselves into the cold but refreshing water.  I personally found myself covered in fishy creek water, reminding me very much of our own Puget Sound, without the cold air to match the cold water, and, unfortunately, without the large fish.  Most of the fish part of our meal was small crabs, two-inch long fish, shrimp, and the occasional eel.

 

Cooking was a completely different experience.  Between gutting the critters and letting the food simmer in stocks of bamboo over the fire, I found a free moment.  So after splitting a few small fish, and watching an eel squirm around even after we attempted to kill it by relieving it of what we thought was a very important body part, I resorted to watching the bamboo stocks filled with tea and delicious food cook over the open flame.

Thailand Update #4

Our Thailand cluster continues diving into fascinating new experiences!  This report starts with a hike in to explore a cave system — into which a temple had been built — near Chiang Dao.

Lisa writes:

Walking to the caves involved hiking in about 2 miles on a narrow trail.  The forest was rich in the dangling lianas and buttressed trees we have been reading about for our Natural History of Southeast Asia class.  Huge, towering bamboo groves and limestone outcrops were common sights along the trail.   The soil is red and seems to be made of the slickest kind of clay.   We were able to use the hike to ‘ground out’ some of our studies, and point to some of the amazing features of the tropical forest.

When we arrived at the cave, we entered to see several Buddha statues and a large altar.  It was a little mystical!  We then proceeded deeper onto the caves with our two guides carrying Coleman kerosene lanterns.  The rock formations they pointed out were cool.  Several had been given names that made sense; others had names that took imagination I didn’t seem to possess.  The caves were not cool as one might expect, but in fact were quite hot and humid inside.  It wasn’t long before our sweat started to pour.  In that setting, the lanterns added an unneeded source of heat — when the guides came close, is was like a furnace.

We returned to Malee’s for a lunch of water and pineapple, after which we got picked up to go to the Wat (temple) in Fang.  A few students were worried about what might be asked of us in terms of meditation, though everyone was interested in talking with the monks to have questions answered.

Ariel writes from the monastery:

We arrived at Wat Sri Boen Ruang and were invited to attend a round of alms (their word is ‘pindabaat’) with the monks there.  This meant going with three monks and two novices as they made their early morning walk through the streets of Fang.  Giving alms is an opportunity for the Thai people to give the monks food and other gifts, which brings them great good merit and karma.  In return the monks give a chant to honor their good deeds and the food for the day. Many Thais, if not able to give, would honk their horns while driving, or bow as they made there way to work or school, as a sign of respect.  It seemed everyone smiled at the monks as we passed by.  One of the monks informed us that many of the locals were impressed when foreigners visit the temple and follow along on alms in their attempt to learn about Buddhism. 

Afterwards, we attended a ceremony in which the Abbot of the temple presented the five basic precepts of Buddhist practice.  These are to refrain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false words, and drugs & alcohol.  We accepted these precepts.  Then, we went to another part of the temple where there was another ceremony for the locals and monks to give good karma to those living and past.  Phra Greg, one of the three English-speaking monks, then invited us to a meditation session where we learned about walking and sitting meditation. Following that, we heard a talk by Phra Fred, another monk, about Karma and the inner workings of the Buddha’s teachings. It was quite interesting.

Editors Note:  The links above offer several still images and one video of our group’s visit, posted to the Wat Sri Boen Ruang website by the monks.  Take a look and see how our students’ visit to the monastery was viewed from their perspective!

Thailand Update #3

Aidan writes:

Sawadee krap!  I send you all sun and smiles from the other side of the planet!

Today we dragged ourselves out of bed at 5:30 to go visit Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep on Mount Doi Suthep, just outside the city of Chiang Mai.  Still rubbing our eyes, we sped up the mountain, racing the sun.  After about half an hour in a truck taxi, we pulled off the road at a lookout point.  The view was breathtaking!  The lights of Chiang Mai glimmered in the bottom half of our view, mostly still asleep.  A band of thick heavy clouds cut off the rest of the city from view, and the clear, rapidly changing sky above it looked like Heaven.  I’m afraid I can’t accurately describe what we saw, but we took a LOT of photos! 

Hopping back into the truck taxi we sped up the last few miles to the Wat (temple).  Several long flights of stairs shot up from the vendors and stalls clustered at the end of the road.  On either side of the 309 steps, huge golden dragon/serpents greeted us.  From the top, we watched the sun rise over the clouds as we ate delicious pineapple, papaya, and dragon-fruit along with flaky, sweet-corn filled pastries.  We spent the morning on the mountain, exploring the bedazzled temple complex and drinking in the spiritual atmosphere of the heavily visited Wat.

Midday found us back at Eagle House One, our Chang Mai lodgings, for lunch and chill time.  Egg-fried rice is the best, by the way!  Then we got ready for classes.  Coolest thing about learning about Buddhism in Thailand?  Learning about it at a Buddhist Wat!  In preparation for our visit to the monastery and our meditation training, we talked about Buddhism, Karma in particular, in one of the 300 Wats in Chiang Mai.  After removing our shoes, we climbed the stairs to the colorful, mural-covered, gold flashing room where we gazed onto an open carpeted floor.  At the very end of the room was the Buddha statue…  make that plural:  I think that there were at least eight Buddhas looking back at us from under their eyelids, all in various positions.  They were all draped with winter saffron robes and surrounded by images from Buddha’s life.  Before starting to explore, we sat and quasi-meditated, listening to the bells on the roof ring as the wind stirred them.  I felt all the muscles in my back relax in those few minutes. 

After that we headed to Eagle House Two, and had a short class with Lisa under the partial shade of jackfruit trees.  Now, as I’m writing this, other students are getting Thai massages just down the street from this Internet cafe.  Even farther down is the food market where we picked up some snacks for the next few hours.

Let me tell you: for only being in this country four days, I feel like I’ve spent a lifetime here.  I can officially say that Thailand fills the requirements of the label ’HOME’!  Sawadee krap! 

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Abram reports:

We spent a good bit of time at the Elephant Nature Park near Chang Dao.  What an amazing experience!  This facility was established by a woman who began caring for elephants at age 11, then went on to fulfill her lifetime dream of creating a sanctuary for the rescue and caring for injured and abused elephants.  At the Elephant Nature Park, the 37 elephants, ranging from babies to 75-year old adults, are not there to impress tourists or do tricks — they are healing.  And the organization’s mission includes educating people about elephants as well as caring for them, so we learned much while we were there, including the life story of the individual animals.

In Thailand, wild elephants are a protected species.  But domesticated elephants, often used in jungle logging operations, are considered livestock.  For this reason, owners can treat them however they wish — which includes beating and otherwise abusing them.  The students were shown a video of how elephants are “broken” into domesticity, which was painful to watch.  But the time they spent feeding, washing, and caring for the elephants was a pleasure and an honor.

Lisa comments:

“There is nothing quite like holding a pineapple in your hand and then having the four feet of solid muscle that is an elephants trunk wrap around your hand with the delicacy and precision of…  Well, there is nothing quite like it!  So making a comparison is impossible.  The only words I can use to describe it would be: amazing… terrifying… awe inspiring.  Yet the most amazing part about feeding the elephants, I found, was that these giants have an intelligence not immediately apparent.  I saw many of the elephants using sticks to reach obscure itches, and at one point when I took my sunglasses off, the elephant immediately made eye contact with me. The level of connection that took place during that moment surpasses my vocabulary and understanding of communication.”

It was a powerful educational experience for all.  Ariel, especially, found the time with the elephants moving.  She expressed a desire to return at some point, and perhaps fit the Elephant Nature Park into her life goal of caring for animals.

Thailand Update #2

Lisa writes:

We are here in Chiang Mai.  I think this is our third day, but it feels that we’ve been here longer.  Perception is influenced by fatigue, airplanes, and the International Date Line.

Today is National Children’s Day, so there are many activities planned to celebrate.  Yesterday we saw a band parade, jets flew overhead, and the museum offered free admission and games and activities for kids.  Our students joined right in. They played a rhythm/hopping game similar to jump rope, with two long bamboo poles which are beat against the ground in a specific rhythm while the jumper jumps in between them and out.   I remember playing a game like this during grade school.  The clacking sound particularly stands out.

From there we headed to a sister guesthouse to the one in which we are staying for a Thai cooking class.  Each pair of students picked out a main course, a snack and a dessert to prepare.  Think: steamed whole tilapia, panang chicken, pad Thai, sweet & sour soup, green papaya salad, spring rolls… is anyone hungry yet?  Sweet corn and chicken patties, golden delights, sticky rice and mangoes…

After choosing dishes we headed to the market to purchase what we needed.  It was a small market, clean and orderly.  Each stall sold an array of things in any given category.  One stall for curries, one for different kinds of rice.  One for vegetables and one for seafood.  Another for coconut, still another for fruit. It was very much a “one stop shopping spot!”

We took our ingredients home and started by learning how to chop them. Mr. Visutt would demonstrate and we would do our best.  Despite his speed and accuracy — and the fact that he did not look at what he was doing while chopping — he still has all his digits.  So do we, for that matter, but we were far slower and less precise.  The teacher was amazing in keeping the meals organized and tracked. After each course was completed we would gear up to cook the next.  It was really fun, and the flavors were amazing.  I was struck by the artistry, finesse and nuance that is inherent in Thai cooking.  We were so full by 4:30 that we opted out of dinner.

We left and walked for about a mile to an evening market.  After setting boundaries and a meeting time, we entered into the fray.  If it was busy at 5:30, it was absolutely nuts at 7 pm. We were all struck by the presence of so many young Thai at the market.  It was not a tourist event.  I was further struck by the similarity of some of the wares to those found in Guatemala, though again, here the pressure to buy is quite relaxed.  It was a great day.

Thailand Update #1

Lisa writes:

Thailand!  The number of new things we’ve seen and done has already been fantastic. Though no description could be complete, I will do my best.

Coming off the plane was like entering any major city, though the Bangkok airport was surprisingly alive at 1:30am.  Getting through immigration, money exchange and bathrooms took so long that a United Airlines rep came looking for us wondering about the 13 bags still going around on the carrousel!  That was a great and unexpected service.

Some friends of Coop met us and hustled us through to get our taxis to the Shanti Lodge. Unlike in many other countries, there is a notable lack of pressure from drivers and venders to use their service. No mobbing, yelling, or haggling!  This is very nice and lessens the anxiety and hassle of negotiating transport.

We didn’t get to bed until nearly 2:30 am. Sleep was slow to come, despite weariness, as we needed to settle our minds, organize our bags and shuffle about a bit.  The firmness  of the beds was welcoming but the real pleasure came from simply being stretched out and horizontal.

It is hard to say whether morning came early, late or not at all.  Most of us had our sleep interrupted with all the new sounds and excitement pulling on us.  The Shanti lodge has 40 rooms along three corridors and three floors. Its clever design hides that number — the only way to know its true size is the seemingly endless passing of new faces. Even so, it has a small intimate and homey feel.

We gathered at several tables for breakfast and between us our order ranged from a traditional broth soup with veggies to western omelettes.  The rough teak tables and the lights’ yellow glow hid the bustle of the nearby street.  We savored fresh juices –  orange (tasted like tangerine), pineapple, carrot, watermelon and even mixtures of these!

We struck out winding through a market to a bridge across the canal to the main pier. We boarded a large water taxi and exited past the grand palace.

The street along the backside of the palace was lined with vendors with wares like sunglasses, pendants, shirts, and food. Again, the pressure to buy and general hawking was absent.  One man did engage us and with an air of interest and helpfulness informed us that the tiny side road coming out of the palace grounds marked “no entry” was the main gate and was closed for two hours. Quite coincidentally he could arrange to take us on a 2 hour tour of the city… we were not fooled.

Weaving in and out of the displays and carts we rounded the corner and proceeded to the main gate of the spectacular palace.  Once through the line to buy tickets and through a narrow archway, we entered a fabulously decorated hall. We stepped off to the side and had a quick intro to the grounds and reviewed the background of the Ramayana.  This story originated in India some 500 years BCE; in Thailand it is called the Ramakian.  Thai King Rama I began building the palace after the Burmese sacked the capital at Attathaya in 1667. He and his successors translated the Ramakian story and had murals painted to depict it.  We were able to identify familiar characters and scenes from our reading in the murals, which was very cool.

The halls of the palace are decorated with small, thumb-sized mosaic tiles. Many are mirrored which changed as the light hit them  The colors are resplendent — teal, reds, blues and greens offset by golds and silvers. Images of monkey demons, Buddhas, flower motifs, gold chedis, an emerald Buddha… Wow!  At each turn it was more beautiful, with intricate details and glorious colors everywhere.  It did not take long – walking wide-eyed — before many of us became overwhelmed.

Hunger necesitated our departure.  We set out to find food, and agreed to a boat tour along the canals with the understanding that we’d passing a floating market of food venders. This did not happen, but the boat tour was wonderful nonetheless. The boat was about 6 feet wide and 20 feet long with the driver in back aside a huge engine.  Flowers adorned the bow and an umbrella roof protected us overhead.  From the canals we saw lizards 3 feet long, friendly people, amazing trees in bloom, and homes ranging from well-kept mansions to dilapidated hovels.

Coming off the boat tour we finally found a lunch spot – rice and chicken – and with students navigating, we walked back to the pier for our water taxi through a university and narrow-aisled covered market.  In the canals we crossed, we noted fish, eels and even an alligator.  Women were cleaning fish, and trays of dried fish lined the way as well as bins of catfish, turtles, frogs & toads, snails and mussels.  A few students recognized durian fruit and papaya.  Our senses were full!

We had some relaxation time back at the Shanti Lodge, and after dinner and a class session, we headed to bed early for welcome sleep.  Tomorrow we head for Chiang Mai!

Departing for Bangkok!

After months of preparation — and a final push that felt like months squeezed into days — our group has left the soils of North America!  Ten Explorations Academy students, two teachers, and one awesome intern are off on their colossal adventure.

This is Explorations Academy’s tenth annual international expedition.  Each one has offered students a powerful sense of connection to unfamiliar cultures and ecosystems, while also building their understanding of themselves as global citizens.

Here are some comments Lisa gleaned from the students as they awaited their flight out of Seattle:

I can’t believe it takes ten hours to cross the Pacific!  — Ariel
I’m ready for Thailand… not so much the airplane. — James

It’s overcast here at the airport. — Graham

We’re going to miss everyone!  — Sophia
We’re going.  Yah.  I’m tired, though.  — Guthrie
I can’t wait to see a Bangkok sunset!  — Susannah
Stoked!  — Skye
On a plane.  Yeah!  — Claire
Absolutely terrifying and amazing!  — Aidan
It hasn’t quite sunk in yet.  — Katie

We have received word that our group has arrived safely in Bangkok and made a smooth jaunt from the airport to settle in at the Shanti Lodge.  We will provide further updates as they become available, so stay tuned for news.

100 Youth Voices: A Powerful Dialog

A room full of committed people.  An atmosphere of engaged concern.  A mix of friends and strangers, a few passionate speakers, some excellently facilitated discussions, and a lot of good food.  One Hundred Youth Voices was an event designed to inform, inspire and empower young people to become involved in an issue of great local importance.  This may have been the first forum for teenagers to engage in a major issue like the Gateway Pacific Terminal… but given the huge success of 100 Youth Voices, it won’t be the last!

We are very grateful to the 92 teenagers and 35 adults who attended our forum, and special gratitude goes to our presenters and facilitators.  David Roberts led off the evening with an informative talk about the nature of the project.  David used images and graphs to illustrate his points, including a very compelling montage of aerial images of Cherry Point.  This was followed by David Warren, who made the case for development of the shipping terminal, and Lindsay Taylor, who highlighted reasons for not pursuing the project.  Then the discussions began!

In three breakout sessions run by adult-teen facilitation teams, participants got into the core of the issue.  What kind of health effects can be anticipated with such a project?  How will air quality, fisheries, upland habitats, and other aspects of the natural environment be impacted.  How many jobs will the project generate, and how can we calculate the multiplier effect to understand how those jobs will impact our economy?

After delving into these issues and raising questions and concerns about each, our participants reconvened in a large group session called Collective Voice.  There, key points about the terminal project — relating mainly to health, economic, and environmental outcomes — were considered by the now-informed young people.  Again, good facilitation helped participants to take a position and articulate it, while also hearing divergent views.  Careful notes were taken from the Collective Voice session that will be passed along to local decisionmakers so that they know how young people within their constiuencies feel about this important issue.

The event closed with live music and an impromptu dance with a band called Walking Stick of the Giants.  Participants were also invited to give videotaped statements for our project; some form of these statements, once edited, will also be made public.  We offer immense gratitude to all who participated, to our presenters, and to the team of professional facilitators that worked in partnership with our students:  Mary Dumas, Liz Jennings, Sheri Russell, Micah Shanser, Emily Wilson, and Calhan Ring.  We also thank The Majestic for making the space available, to Subway for discounted food, and to the Dispute Resolution Center for their support.

We also thank Gateway Pacific Terminal and ReSources for their informational assistance!

Some comments from participants:

It was really cool that people came and were willing to give their opinions.

I thought it was a really successful event with meaningful discussion.

People really took the event seriously.

More people came and more people got involved than I thought would.

We had good discussions even if some people held back on being fully involved.

It really got me going when we tried to give out flyers at the public high school and they kicked us out!

I was surprised at the depth of the conversations; people really got into it!

It was really fun; everyone got to say what we really think!

Crime & Punishment

– Suzy Wittman

FBI Agent Chip Smith talks with Explorations students

These past weeks have been full of fascinating experiences for all three of our Fall clusters, and the Crime and Punishment Cluster is no exception!  One of the many things that sets Explorations apart is the prevalence of field experiences and guest speakers that enrich our curruclum.  Just imagine having some of these diverse experiences as a teenager!

Last week, our class was honored to host FBI agent Chip Smith (yep, that’s his real name!), who came to Explorations and spoke with our class.  We then headed off to Seattle, where we met with several representatives from the King County Bar Association, Judge Mary Kay Becker of the Washington Court of Appeals, and Doug Honig of the ACLU.  We then headed to court, where we observed several Superior Court trials at the King County Courthouse.

With all these varied viewpoints, our class discussions have ranged from formal lectures to heated debates, but all have offered students the opportunity to weigh their personal experiences and value systems against our society’s methods of dealing with criminal behavior. Several students found it engaging to simply compare the handful of judges we observed and compare their approaches to interacting with plaintiffs, defendants, and juries, as well as the overall tone they set in their courtroom.

Chris works with hair sample data in Forensics

Students have much to say about  what they found particularly meaningful about our field experiences.  They are also having the chance to expand their learning about Crime and Punishment to their science class, Forensics, where they are taking fingerprints and analyzing hair samples.  And their Crime Literature class is keeping them busy, too.

Next week we have visits scheduled with Dave Reynolds of Juvenile Court; Explorations alumni parent Gary Dolin, who works with adjudicated youth, and author Ken Klonsky who co-wrote the biography, “Eye of the Hurricane” about boxer Rubin Carter.  Carter was convicted twice of murder before being aquitted; he later served as the Executive Director of the Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted.  Also upcoming is a talk that will given by Bellingham Police officer and Kyle Morris, a former guard in the Connecticut State Prison system. It is a fascinating process to learn about justice in our country!

100 Youth Voices!

We hope teenagers from all over Whatcom County will join us for this important event.  While news and meetings about the proposed coal terminal just north of Bellingham have been plentiful, to our knowledge nobody before now has convened a forum aimed at ensuring that young people are heard.  100 Youth Voices is that forum!  Please check in at our 100 Youth Voices Facebook page to learn more and to register.

This event will start at  5:30 pm Thursday, November 17th at The Majestic, 1027 North Forest Street in Bellingham.  It offers a concentrated format of presentations and discussions, culminating in the generation of youth position statements.  100 Youth Voices is free to all teenagers who want to participate in meaningful dialog.  Food and beverages will be provided, and the event will conclude with a live music celebration with the Endorfins!  We hope you can join us.

Fall Backpack Rocks!

Explorations Academy students have just returned from the mountains– and it was a spectacular autumnal expedition!  Three groups of students, each with two staff, followed different trails in the North Cascades, each group ascending above timberline among magnificent mountain vistas and frigidly frosty nights.

Although the students didn’t focus very much on academics while in the backcountry, many things were learned.  Some gained a new level of accountability for their equipment, while some developed new ways to interact with (and share leadership of) their group.  For some students, overcoming perceived limitations while carrying a backpack was the primary lesson.  Some focused on biology, geology, or astronomy, while others focused on food — picking alpine huckleberries or polishing their backcountry cooking skills.

Everyone had a good time.  Kassi said, “It is great being up here where the air is so clean and clear.”  Brandon expressed that he really valued “being part of an accepting community.”  And Ariel commented that “Climbing over Cutthroat Pass was extremely challenging… but the mountain views were amazing!”