this is one of the really scary fire ants. This one is huge but even the tiny ones can be really really painful.
Me, Tany and our Meh. She got all dressed up for our exchange with the villagers and looked SO cute. She also got really annoyed that we kept taking picture of her.
This is our house.
The view from the kitchen. We basically were living in the most beautiful place ever.
Meh's vegetable garden. They had ten rei of land though (about 8 acres, I think) 8 of which was rice fields.

This blog comes at the end of Unit 1, our first real foray into this program. We were studying sustainable and organic agriculture. I missed the first couple days of the unit due to my rogue appendix but when I arrived, it was amazing. I lived on this self-sustaining farm with two other girls on the program and our meh and paw, who were just the cutest, nicest, warmest, most hospitable people. I felt completely at home with them and I am seriously considering going back when the program is over to help with rice planting. We had exchanges with the Alternative Agriculture Network, which is a nationwide NGO that helps farmers become organic, then we spoke with a man who runs an Herbal Medicine Center, a group of villagers who all farm organically and live in sustainable villages, and finally the governor of the province we were in. We also had a couple chances to have the ajaans (teachers) come translate for us with Meh and Paw and got to know them a little bit. We also used the little Thai we had to communicate and joke around. Paw even told us if we wanted to live there, he would build us a house and give us away when we get married.
I also came out of the whole thing pretty empassioned about sustainable and chem-free foods, which was kind of surprising. I didn't really expect to get emotional about it or want to really change the way I live when I get home. I'm starting to think that if each unit affects me this much, I really am going to be a whole new person when I go back to America. Well, mai ben rei. Then we went on a retreat to sort of regroup. It was so beautiful and relaxing and there was a pool with a waterslide. Besides one little incident involving a snail, the whole thing was really great and brought the group together even more.
Next we are studying Urban Trends, and living in a slum and a landfill community. All of the staff say that this is usually everyone's favorite unit, so I'm excited.
The newest craze to settle over CIEE Khon Kaen is the Silvermav alter ego. On my hospital bracelet, my name was written "Miss Margo Sil Vermav" and now whenever someone is being dramatic or needy or doted upon, they are being Silvermav. Its become a verb, adjective and noun. Don't know why being dramatic and regal and lugubrious would be connected with my name, though.
Anyway, there is a beautiful day outside that I should be taking advantage of.