Life is Good . . .

It has been about two weeks since my last entry (besides "happy holidays") and I find myself at that place again where I'm not exactly sure where to begin. If I could write daliy there might be more ease to this but I have neither the access or the desire to be on the computer quite that often. So here goes . . .

Life is good. The other day I found myself walking barefoot down the dirt path to the bathroom from the kitchen/community space. It seems like a simple enough task, walking to the bathroom, but it dawned on me suddenly as I was enjoying the feel of the soil under my feet and the warm sun on my skin, I am in Thailand. I am living in Thailand, in a farming community where I spend my mornings and afternoons building with the earth, tending to the many gardens, and building a new relationship with the land. It was a profound moment in which I felt deeply how blessed I am.

The work here continues to be rewarding and when I water the gardens in the evenings I am constantly amazed at how quickly things grow here. They have no lack of enery from the sun! The weather has been getting hotter and hotter by the day (although the nights remain quite cool) and as the main focus of our work has shifted from farming to building it has made for some HOT, tiring days of hard labor.

Our hard work, however, has proven to be worth it as we have seen how quickly one can build with adobe. With over 1000 bricks already made and dried in the sun we recently began constructing the walls of the meditation/community center we are building. In about 5 days we were able to lay a concrete foundation (nessesary only because of a termite problem in this area) and stack walls about 10 feet high. The construction of many vaulted windows slowed us down a bit, but proved to be a fun challenge. Once the walls are completed our next task will be to plaster and paint (using materials from the earth) which should be a nice change of pace. (Some folks have emailed with questions about adobe. Nicole and I both would love to chat with anyone about it when we get home, and I also encourage you to google it a bit-- there is a long history of adobe building in many places throughout the world. It's very interesting.) I try to spend some of my free time here reading and talking to folks about other methods for growing food crops and building and will be excited to continue exploring and expiermenting when we get back home and am always eager to share and exchange knowledge with others.

Yesterday we had a field trip from the farm where we visited 3 other projects in the area that have a focus on any or all of the following: sustainability, self-sufficiency, earthen building, organic farming, and healing. It was a wonderful, but busy, day where we were able to see a diversity of approaches to living on and with the land. The first project we stopped at was based on the King's philosophy of integrated agricultural management for economic self-sufficiency (The King in Thailand is very into sustainability and has done much to promote his philosophy and offer trainnings that people might become self-sufficent as well as build a more localized economy). This project showcased many ponds for rasing both fish and frogs, poultry, and pigs whose pens were linked to a tank that utilized thier manure for producing methane gas. This methane fuels burners for cooking. Amazingly enough, 3 pigs can produce enough methane gas to cook 3 meals a day for 10 people! Our second stop was a healing center. This project was started by a thai couple who had farmed the land for many years using pestisides and chemical fertilzers. Eventually the man collapsed in the fields as a result of prolong pesticide exposure and they realized they couldn't continue this way. At this point they converted to an organic farm using a beautiful canal system for irrigation. At this point they decided to grow food only for themselves (not for market). They proved sucessful and slowly grew into a healing center where people can now come for treatments or for trainings to be healers. It was an incredibly beautiful picture of alternative health care. Our third stop was an artist residence where folks come to stay for a month at a time to work on projects that culminate in a big show. This project included earthen buildings that used various methods including adobe, and earth bag construction as wells as unique artists' touches.

Today we are in Chiang Mai again for a short break and will be back to the farm for a New Years party. As always it is nice to take a quick jaunt to the city for a soft bed, warm shower, and a little internet time to catch up with folks . Today we were lucky enough to randomly come apon this huge breakdance battle. Yes, a breakdance battle and a pretty serious one at that-- prizes totaled over 10,000 baht (about 300 US dollars). Nicole urged me to sign up, but I didn't have the confidence and I wasn't sure if the novelty of being the only white person in the competition would be an advantage or a disadvantage . I did however think of Tyler who could have faired pretty well in the competition! Needless to say, it was a fun suprise. Much love to all . . .

Katie