Seeds Project: Coconuts

Sand confers two principal disadvantages when one considers planting crops- it holds neither nutrients nor water. The obvious answer to this problem is coconuts.

Coconuts are like nature's tootsie roll pop- it's very difficult to get to the delicious center. The reason it's so difficult is because of the thick outer husk surrounding the coconut shell containing the white meat. This husk may be thick, but it's also light and feels kind of spongy. The spongy characteristic is what makes it valuable to us as that will retain water, and the husk itself will add nutrients to the soil (as a form of mulch).

Maew, Anne, and I went to gather some a little while back. A local landowner offered us access to a massive pile of husks located behind his house. We backed the little, white pickup truck up alongside and went to work, filling it to the brim. We then went and dropped them off at Bong's house and made another run. Bong will take the pile and, using machetes, chop the husks into mulch which we'll then mix in with the sandy soil beneath the shade shelter. The husks will also be used to serve as planting pots beneath some of the vertical poles for vines (as shown in my previous SP post). I'm very excited by how the Seeds Project creatively uses the available resources and am glad to be a part of it.

It will take more than the sun to sap Anne of her energy

Maew caught a shot of me topping off our first truck load

Our Online Thai Photo and Video Gallery!

Love the pictures but hate having to sort through my (Derek's) annoying writing? There's an app for that. It's called Shutterfly, and we've posted a gallery of most of the pictures taken so far along with the video of Bangsak beach. We'll be posting more albums as we fill up our cameras so stay tuned. I'll try and post an entry here each time we add a new album, but feel free to check it out if you ever need to kill some time. Kendra's done a great job setting the webpage up and there are plenty of photos that haven't yet been shared in the blog.

Just visit http://kendraderek.shutterfly.com/

Reflections from Kendra

I feel sorry for car grills. What I mean by that is, until today, I didn't know how much they suffered from flying bugs. I was on the scooter coming back from the preschool today, and in order to keep my pants from continually whipping my thighs in the wind, I rolled them up. Then the bombing began. Bugs came from out of nowhere, splatting against my skin and leaving a trace of their instantaneous death behind for me to wipe up. It felt like needles, and then I knew how cars must feel after long rides.

While sitting at lunch, we saw a lizard that was quite large. It had bristles up its back and was a bright salmon color. It did little push-ups on the tree beside us, and Derek suddenly became a kid in a candy store. He jumped up to get a better look, again regretting that our camera was in our bedroom. He has a similar reaction when we see any gecko-like creatures. There is a clear-colored (if that can be a color) gecko that lives in the hallway: his name is Frederick. He has been hiding recently - maybe he found a girlfriend ;)

There have been a few dishes and products here which have successfully piqued my interest/disgust and which, were I a braver traveler with a stronger stomach, I might try - if for no other reason than to one day brag about the experience at a party thrown by someone important. They are:

* Soft-shelled Crab flavored Pringles

* Dried water bug soup

* Roasted pig cartilage

* Seaweed and Grilled Shrimp flavored Pringles

* Shrimp crackers

* Dried cod snacks

* Cow tongue

These are just the ones I can recall from memory, but don't be fooled. Thailand has an array of healthy and delicious food on which we dine daily. The farthest I've ventured was to have seafood fried rice, which contained squid. It was cooked, but it was still purple (no batter or anything) and it still had all its tentacles and suckers. I ate it all and didn't die, which I figure is great news!

When fish is served, it's served WHOLE - eyes looking at you and everything. One strange thing I've noticed is that they dry these fish until there seems to be nothing left that is eat-worthy, and somehow, they sell them. I don't know exactly what dish takes on these dehydrated swimmers, but someone's got to be eating it, and I sure hope it isn't us!

The Seeds Project: Shade Shelter

In Kendra's post she introduced you to our five new friends who, following an intense outreach project in Indonesia, are trekking across Thailand. While they were with us here in Khao Lak (staying in the Homestay houses, providing valuable feedback and financial support for the program), they did a great job helping with the Seeds Project. Joining Maew and Anne, they drove to a bamboo forest and chopped down some bamboo to use as the structural framework for the shade shelter we're building. The shade shelter will serve as a protective shield against the blazing sun that hits the Taptawan village. Not only is the soil sandy, but trees are sparse and this results in direct sunlight that's too intense for the more fragile cash crops we're trying to develop.

A shot of the skyline from the Seeds Project Site. This is why we need to create shade.

I arrived at Taptawan (the sea gypsy village) to find the framework almost fully built, with a pink plastic ribbon material being used to lash the bamboo poles together. Larger poles were used for the vertical and horizontal beams, while smaller poles were laced between them to support the roof of coconut palm fronds.

Lashing the bamboo pole framework. The Thais, out of a cultural preference for light skin and self-protection, often wear long sleeves when outside

Doing some lashing myself. My height makes it much easier to reach. Comically, I can easily see over the aisles in the local grocery stores.

One of the lashes frames Maew, Jai, and Bong working in the background

After lashing some remaining pole segments together, we drove to collect the dried fronds.

View of the jungle where we gathered some of the fronds

 

Using the machetes as necessary, we cut and collected 6-12 foot long fronds and transported them back to the Seeds Project (SP) site. The site itself is a clearing next to the house of Bong, the local woman who Step Ahead is assisting in developing this little agricultural area. Step Ahead works towards empowering the local community to work towards bettering their situation and so we're working alongside the villagers in getting the SP established. The hope is that, as the villagers see the success of Bong's site, they'll incorporate similar agricultural sites at their own houses.

But that's the long-term goal. The task at hand is to lay some coconut tree palm fronds. The surprisingly heavy fronds were carried from the truck and laid alongside the shade shelter, where they were then placed on top of the bamboo pole roof framework and lashed in place. Small fronds were then added as necessary to keep a nice smattering of dappled sunlight on the ground below.

Cutting a notch in the stem of one of the large fronds to facilitate lashing it to the roof framework. And an excuse to use a machete.

Kendra always reprimands me for being obscured by shade in photos. In this image, that's the whole point.

Working in the direct sun with your hands constantly at head level wasn't exactly strenuous but it also wasn't quite a party either. A break in the shade with an icy glass of coca cola was quite refreshing, though, and had me ready to hit the shelter again.

A refreshing coke in some shade. I'm kneeling in this picture, using a cup cleverly cut from a plastic bottle.

The finished result, for now at least. This shot includes about a quarter of the roof.

We ended the day with about 40% of the roof covered in fronds. We'll need to collect some more to cover the remaining segments and then lace smaller sticks between them to keep the frond strands from hanging down. The result should be a sturdy, organic structure that will protect the little crops as they grow.

One other aspect of the shelter that I think is interesting is the coconut husk basin at the base of some of the vertical poles. The husks will retain fertile soil that will be added and the pole will provide support for vines that will be planted. The vines will havce two main benefits- they'll produce fruit that can be used for consumption, and they'll add a nice spritz of green color to offset the tan of the structure.

After the couple hours of work in the heat, we had some fun driving over to one of the villagers houses and following some local women down a long path to the beach where they were gathering clams. The remote beach was well away from the reach of tourists and low tide made for long sections of clear, shallow water. Taking my shoes off and walking through the warm-water on the soft, white sand was a pleasant reward for an afternoon of hard work.

A beautiful meadow we walked through on the long walk to the beach. (Shout out to Jordan- "Don't go into the long grass")

My view down towards my feet as I walk through the shallow tidal flats. The light refraction made a mesmorizing pattern on the soft sand below.

A picture perfect shell resting on the beach

A trip to Bangsak Beach

The juxtaposition of hard work with heavenly beach retreats will apparently be a common theme of our stay here in Thailand. While we work hard on teaching English and assisting local projects during the week, the weekends award time to explore the area and discover some of the incredible sights Khao Lak has to offer.

One of these is just a 20-minute scooter ride up the road from the center. Driving north, we took an unmarked left and reached a narrow street that closely parallels the coast. We drove along just a quarter mile (passing over a bridge where Kendra took the below shots), all the while having our gaze continually distracted by the turquoise water visible between the palm trees.

A shot from the bridge that led to the beach

The view immediately left of the above image. Note the straw-thatched huts.

We parked the scooter along the street and set up shop on some comfy, padded lounge chairs in the shade along the beach.

The beach itself has powder-soft, light-tan sand with turqoise water and is framed by pine and palm trees along its length. Numerous shells of all shapes and many different colors litter the beach and the bath-warm water is an inviting retreat from the heat of the sun. After a short dip, cooling off in the shade with a warm, gentle breeze coming off the sea is a very inviting place to read a good book or just nap and soak it all in.

My terrifyingly accurate impersonation of a tourist as I stand along the walkway adjacent to and just above the beach. Those little huts seat guests of the restaurant on the opposite side of the street. We had lunch there- just 40B (~$1.30) for a delicious fried rice dish

Rows of colorful benches complemented the scenery while some local residents rest in the shade beneath. Kendra and I have both noticed that there are fewer dogs here than in India and Guatemala, and just about all of them have appeared to be in excellent condition.

Walking down to the beach. I'll let most of the rest of the photos speak for themselves.

Here my backside ruins an otherwise beautiful shot.

My view as we rest in the lounge chairs. The Andaman coastline is a very gracious host. Kendra and I were praising God and thanking all of our supporters continually during our visit to the beach. It was gorgeous and very rejuvenating.

Thanks for your prayers

Just to give a quick update: Kendra got fairly sick during the middle of the week with Heat Exhaustion. She was dehydrated and anemic and ended up having to rest for a few days. She is feeling much better now ... thank you for your continued prayers for our health!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This weekend was filled with celebrations for Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year. Fireworks were going off outside while I was in the shower, and I thought it was our toilet, about to explode! While sitting at dinner the other night, Annie pointed out a red star in the distance. They were "wishes", miniature hot air balloons that people send into the sky with their hopes and dreams...and the first was followed by several others. If we find them here, I'm sending one up (naturally with no indended recipiant). My Valentine's Day gift was so very romantic...Derek surprised me with Calamine lotion!

We visited one of the preschools that Step Ahead supports on Thursday. We spent the morning with about 25 Thai children, helping them to make paper flowers for Valentine's Day. After the project was completed (completely by the 4 teachers and ourselves, since the project was too difficult for the kids), they took turns bowing in front of Derek and myself to say "please" in Thai so that we could give them each a flower and a candy bar. Half of the kids proceeded to shove the candy into their mouths, and the other half felt sorry that they hadn't, because no sooner had all the children received their prize than the teachers promptly collected them to keep until the end of the day.

They sat in a circle in the middle of the room and sang us the ABC song. About half of the kids wore a type of uniform, red shorts and a light purple shirt. I'm not sure what the policy was about dress, because the others were wearing all sorts of random things. We attempted to teach them the Itsy Bitsy Spider when prompted to teach a song (it's the first thing that came to mind), and although they had NO idea what the song was about, they enjoyed teasing us as we tried to make the spider crawl with our fingers. I know there's a trick to it, but I couldn't remember how to do it properly, so we just mangled our fingers until they were satisfied. We were both reminded why Christ was so drawn to children in their innocence...they were adorable!

We had to leave to visit Thai Totes to meet the women that Step Ahead employs. Outside the structure probably 20 monks had gathered, which surprised Maew. They usually aren't found in the villages and rarely leave the temple as a collective. They had gathered to lead the locals in prayer/chants, which we've recorded for your viewing enjoyment.



We met the women who make the bags for Thai Totes and one of them taught me how to sew the leather cuffing on to the bottom of the bag. It is much more difficult than it seems, since you have to stick a very long needle into the bottom and feel around for it inside without jabbing yourself. Then, when you turn it around, you have to stick it through until you get it in the right place, which isn't easy since you're shoving it through thick "straw" strips.

We recently met a group of five men who are visiting. They are all trekking through southeast asia until they either head home or go to a Bible school in Taiwan in March. They are friends of Annie and have added an exciting dynamic to our little group. They work for YWAM (Youth with a mission) and are coming from extensive volunteering in Indonesia. They have been given nicknames by the locals: Crab, Fish, Ocean, Squid and...the last one is escaping me. They're staying at one of our home stays in the local village and are waiting on God to know how long they will be with us. We were given nicknames as well, two days after arriving, since they couldn't pronounce our names correctly. Derek's is pronounced "Da-won" which means Sun, and mine is pronounced "Dao", meaning Star. So, you see, they gave our guests names that were along the same theme...

We held a Valentine's Party yesterday, which was supposed to begin at 4 (that means it actually began at 5) and during the party, the power went out for a good half hour, the longest period we've seen so far. We ate by candle light and enjoyed all the things we had slaved over all day. Derek had helped to roll spring rolls and Annie and I baked a bazillion sugar cookies in our tiny "easy bake" oven, which had one rack and only one small pan that would fit inside. The hot pads were so warn through that it was like grabbing the pan without one, so I let Annie get the cookies out :-) We were struggling to keep the cookie dough cold enough to roll out and the extreme heat was melting them to the counter tops. They turned out well, and helped to satisfy my longing for something with real SUGAR in it. We hid a few away in our little fridge and I'm going to slowly work away at them...I'll save them for a rainy day. That is, unless Derek gets to them first ;-)

Step Ahead- Integrated Community Development

Kendra and I are three days into our first work week here at Step Ahead and I can't tell you how excited I am about being able to serve with this amazing organization. But I can blog about it.

English and German Language Instruction.

As the number of Speedo-clad tourists painfully demonstrates, the local economy of Khao Lak is heavily dependent. upon tourism. Having the ability to speak English conversationally or even fluently is a significant advantage. As advertised on the front of the center, Step Ahead offers English and German instruction to members of the community in order to assist them in greater utilizing the tourism segment of the local economy. Kendra and I will be serving as English teachers throughout the duration of our stay, operating as the instructors for month long English courses of various levels of proficiency.

We began this Monday with our first course. We will be teaching 2 two-hour courses each day, but with the tourism season in full swing, we're just at one course for the moment. Our students are adults and currently at level 2 of the program. Each lesson consists of grammar, pronunciation, reading comprehension, and conversation and is taught out of our Step Ahead course book.

Our favorite part of the course is how it incorporates the Christian faith. The reading selections that we have are excerpted sections of Scripture. Engaging parables from the Gospel are not only at the proper difficulty level for the students, but also expose them to the life and teachings of Christ.

The time passes quickly in the classroom and I'm glad to not only be able to assist community members in enhancing their skillset, but also share Christ with them.


Special Projects

Thai Totes

The Thai Thotes program, managed and supported by Step Ahead Khao Lak, allows women from a nearby village the opportunity to maintain a successful means of support in the wake of the devastating 2004 tsunami. The women handcraft tote bags of exceptional quality and sell them in the United States. On Tuesday, we were afforded the opportunity to visit each of the special projects and we stopped first at Thai Totes.

Sign above the door at the Thai Totes Project Building in a small village north of the center.

The sign adjacent to the street.

Pulling up to deliver some fabric and leather for the tote bags just arrived from Bangkok, we were greeted warmly by one of the women from the door into the building. Kendra and I had met her at church just a few days prior when we'd attended with a small congregation (15 or so people) in a chapel nearby. We walked into the single-room work area and were able to see the bags (in various states of completion), supplies, and equipment placed about. Beautiful red tile was framed by the brick wall and served as a cool respite from the 90 degree heat outside.

Maew and Jai from Step Ahead Khao Lak begin sorting and processing the new shipment of supplies.

A white board inside the room has 'Thai Totes' written along with a page sharing the following quote (in both English and Thai):

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."
-Mother Theresa

Finished totes adorn one of the walls.

The work continues. Some of the supplies are the wrong color and will have to be returned.

I'm happy to be surrounded by Totes. My shiny face may be the source of my new name. As 'Derek' is hard to pronounce for Thai speakers, I have been dubbed 'Dawan,' which means, 'Sun.'. And here I thought it was for my sunny disposition ...

Wrapping up processing the new order.

Anne Briggs, on the right of the image, is another volunteer at Step Ahead arriving just after Kendra and I. Arriving fresh from China, she'll be here for 8 weeks. Here's a fun fact if you don't believe in coincidences - Anne's a member of Kendra and my class from Whitworth. We both knew her at Whitworth and she arrived completely separately from us. She caught Kendra on Skype and mentioned that she was in Thailand and Kendra responded, "Really? Where are you staying?" To which Anne replied, "Downstairs."

I don't need to tell you that that's an insane coincidence. But we're glad to have her here to work alongside. She's awesome.


The Seeds Project.

An elderly man carries a satchel down a narrow sandy path that serves as one of the roads in this village of 600 people. Extremely close to a gorgeous beach with lazy palm trees overhanging the powder-soft, white sand, one wonders how life could not be perfect in this idyllic setting. But the answer to why it is lies in the roead itself. The sand, which makes frollicking on the beach so enjoyable, also makes the land inarable. Without sufficient nutritients or the ability to retain enough moisture for crops, the village is without a way to sustainably produce food.

Enter the Seeds Project.

Step Ahead Khao Lak provides the knowledge and support to assist members of the village in converting the land into one which can produce viable crops.

Take this picture, for example. Step Ahead has not only brought in the proper crops to grow in the area's idiosyncratic soil, but also devised the means by which renewable fertilizer can be produced and incorporated into the earth. Water laced with remnants of food (like the ground bones of fish-many of the villagers are fishermen), compost formed by compiling vegetation, and chopped up coconut husks (the 1 "- 2" husks are spongy and retain moisture while also fertilizing the soil), are all means by which Step Ahead has helped these villagers develop an agricultural system. I am extremely excited by this project and will be quite heavily involved in it throughout the next 6 months.

A new plot of fertilized land begins to sprout some crops.

These plants being grown are very similar to green onions and will be valuable at the local markets.

This plant may seem like a benign frond, but beneath its appearance lies a unique taste that's described as being like a spicy lemon - it's lemon grass, a very valuable plant in these parts.

While we were touring one of the plots, a whacking noise drew us to the other side of the house where two little girls were using long bamboo shoots to dislodge cashews from a cashew tree. The girls should be in school, but its too expensive for the parents to transport them. "Everything changed after the tsunami," Maew told me. It destroyed many elements of the local infrastructure and made a difficult life much harder. But projects like the Seeds project will not only provide food, but also financial support to allow for the education of the village's children.

The Home Stay Project

The Seeds Project is inextricably linked to this project. My photos hardly attest to the fact that the village is a virtual recreation of the Garden of Eden. The tropical vegetation, gorgeous weather, proximity to the beach, and beautifully built huts and houses make for a seemingly utopian environment. But the difficulty of life causes a reduced emphasis on the aesthetics of one's property, and garbage and 'scrub brush' regions are scattered throughout the otherwise gorgeous area.

The Home Stay Project is an effort by Step Ahead to have the community develop a service wherein tourists visiting Khao Lak can elect to live the life of an authentic Thai. They will reside in a beautiful little huts, lifted off the ground on stilts, with a straw-thatched roof and intricately woven walls. They'll accompany the fishermen as they work at sea and take a nap in a hammock slung in the cool shade beneath their hut above the sandy floor.

To make this a viable project, however, the aforementioned aread need to be cleaned up. The arable plots produced by the Seeds Project will turn areas that were previously unsightly grassy areas into neatly arranged rows of vibrant crops.

I'm excited to say that I'll be able to take on the Home Stay Project firsthand as I live the life of a Thai, if only for a day or two, and photodocument my experiences. I'll then be able to use the material that I generate to help develop a website for the program.

One of the huts for the Home Stay Project where visitors will sleep.

Kendra walks through the village.

While we were touring the Home Stay site, we came across a villager using his three trained monkeys to retrieve coconuts from the tops of the tall palm trees. You can see one of the little monkeys backlit by the sun partially up the trunk of the tree near the center of the image (on the right side of the trunk).

Kendra and I are extremely excited to begin and continue our work here with Step Ahead Khao Lak. We don't know what the next few months unfold, but we are honored and thrilled to be able to have this experience and serve God in Thailand. Thank you to everyone for supporting us-we couldn't do it without you.