Notes from the Field: A Vietnamese Student’s Gap Year in Thailand

Editor’s Note:H??ng Uyên Bùi is a Vietnamese student who applied for, and won, the TAP grant in her second language. I’ve chosen not to edit her work in English because, while her grammar and usage might not be fully standard, she communicates her message and her heart fluently. One of the things travel teaches is to reach across boundaries and learn to express ourselves boldy, and learn to listen from the heart. It doesn’t seem right to edit that. Enjoy Uyên in her own words.

After Thai fieldtrip, many friends ask me about my experience. The knowledge I get from the trip (why no one ask me will I intend to have a Thai husband haha just kidding =D)

In reality, I do not know how to express about what I have learned, too much and nothing, both are right.
My memory is quite bad so the notebook and camera are my two powerful assistants. But what I can learn is not only the things that I can learn by heart…but learn with heart, with full of love….

Mab Euang is not the place for us to come and study something like only sufficiency economy philosophy but the one where we really live…and deeply feel the word “kindness.”

There, we feel at home even though it is the first time I have come here. Anyone I talked to, only after some small conservation, all distance seem disappear, even we still had language barriers, and sometimes we could not use speech communication, but we still understand one another, perhaps for love connection.

“Welcome home” the sentence the Lumphra spoke to us the first time I meet him (even though the one he talked to is not me, I still feel so warm in my heart, I thought that maybe the second time I come here I will be welcomed like that =D). Being treated like that made me sometimes forget that I was in Thailand. (but now it is my second home country =D)

There, I did not remember living the busy and bustling city life anymore. I did not know whether the time passed fast or slowly, the whole day on the camp, I did the manual work, more sweet, more sunburnt, but also more laugh, more happiness. I only concentrated on what I was doing, and in the evening, as usual I will completely wrapped up in the computer, the smartphone to check facebook or surf the internet, but at that time I only wanted to wander around, to sit still under the moon, listen to the sound around… well so peaceful…

Although I disconnected with the outside world, I deeply feel my inside world.

There, what have left strong impression on my mind and my heart is the positive power, the power of love, of generosity, of goodness…and also in such a healthy environment like that, a girl who has difficulty in public speaking like me had the courage to express myself, talked about what I had learned, because what I had received was too much but I did not know what I could do to requite , I showed my deep gratitude…
There everyone can become teacher, everywhere is our class, we can learn anytime too as long as we focus on observing and feeling =D

There, one quote that I have etched on my memory is “Money is illusion, food is real”, with Bhutanese students they show their sorry for letting us pay camp fee, they wanted sharing knowledge is free, despite their thorough preparation, their hard-working, their paying for super delicious food, and especially super inspiring speakers. Through what we have learned from the camp, we could assure that the camp fee is completely worthy. Moreover, we were taken to many awesome places that you would not have the chance to come only with money (that is why money is illusion =D), the places that still keep the pristine beauty, with the speed of commercialization and tourism such beauty is so precious…

There, we do not concern too much about the clothes we wore, was it modern and fashionable or not, much more comfortable, the reason I love Mab Euang so much, there life is much easier.

What’s more, with the way of vocative of “you” and “I”, there seems nearly no distance because of the age, all people seem to be equal. Even the way of clothing and speaking of our big idols, they are so simple, friendly and close, they are like our grandfathers. The stories about seed saving, about the difficult long time working with any recognition,…held us in considerable respect. Sharing stories, sharing knowledge, are the main ways of learning here.

That is why everyone can be your teacher and no need to be an expert or teacher to be able to teach anyone. The indispensable thing is enthusiasm, like the Bhutanese, they always encouraged us to ask more questions, as a result, even in barefoot meditation or lunch, we can learn a lot of valuable things.

There, I found so many magical and beautiful things, the colorful houses with traditional characteristic structure of temples land, the way the car stopping before turning for showing respect to others, the natural beauty of the seas, the waterfalls. I found many lovely, kind, hospitable, generous people, the Lumphra who is so enthusiastic and caring that he had thought about where would take us to after the camp in the first day we came, he even intended to take us to his wonderful and astounding hometown if we stayed longer, it is the “private taxi driver” who is so gentle that we had talked together in funny way that he knew Vietnamese so that even though we just talked our needs in Vietnamese he knew almost all of them and do it naturally and his reaction when we make fun of him is always the question “what?” with confusing face. It is the monk who took us to all the awesome places, he is our saver for being only one who know English, he is so sociable and kind in a polite way, it is Pop and Fon who not only took us to an beyond expectation appointment about alternative education in an super cool Ecoschool but also not let us kill time wandering along the big mall, supermarket, huge buildings in noisy and gaudy Bangkok, instead playing so interesting games in a cosy room.

The Thai fieldtrip really has refilled my heart with full of love, love for culture of a sustainable and admirable community where I was welcomed with generosity, warmth and hospitability from super kind and friendly people, love for nature in the sea, the waterfall which still maintain integrity, love for the invaluable knowledge and experience that I have had in Thailand which is now my second home country.