8 days, 8 kids, 4 cameras, 1 inspiring woman, 2 nutty foreigners cycling in the mid-day sun...
Ajan Seewigaa, who directs the Bahn Ruam Jai project 7 kilometers north of Chiang Mai, runs a tight ship. The students, from about age 6 to 20, are orphans who come from hill tribe villages in Thailand's north. They attend Thai schools and live at BRJ. Students cook, clean, harvest rice, tend a large bountiful garden, and tend to over 40 stray dogs. Seewigaa looks after them like a mother hen; she also works for land rights with farmers and is constantly looking for ways and means (i.e money) to do all this.
There are dorms for boys and girls, kitchens, chicken coops, meeting rooms, and offices. Everything is well-cared for. The kids watch Thai music videos, practice break dancing, sing, giggle; like kids everywhere.
7 kilometers isn't a great distance t, but at 12 noon in late March on a 4 lane highway, it's pretty brutal. Somehow our excellent planning had us pedaling into town and back at high noon on 2 consecutive days....
They made some great images and took care of us beautifully.
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