And you were wondering why I've been spending so much time in the mountains with no shower, electricity or contact with the outside world?! One word: Coffee. :) Haha, liesss, but it IS a nice perk! In fact, the school children were being taught how to make complicated drinks like Mochas and lattes and guess who was the #1 taste tester?! That's right, be jealousy, VERY jealous! ;) But really what keeps drawing me back again and again are these beautiful people. Enjoy!

Mamma Mo

Earlier this week, I found myself on the back of a motorbike, backpack full of camera, audio and video gear, zoom-zooming up the side of a mountain on a road covered in carnivorous, man eating potholes. I like to fancy myself afraid of nothing, but faced with the very real possibility of tumbling off the back of the motorbike and then down down down the mountain, had me nearly peeing my pants.
At the top, I kissed the red dirt and said a thank you to whoever was watching out for me, then got to work. I hiked 6km to the village of a very special student and there I was welcomed into the remote and lovely Karen hill tribe village with open arms. The village leader greeted me and fed me ocean fish and beer (two incredible luxuries) and the village woman crowded into the room, fat babies bobbing on their hips and youthful faces lined with the sun of a hard life.
This beautiful lady in the photo, invited me into her house and stuffed me full of rice and veggies, telling me to "eat mok mok!" We communicated mostly with charades and hand signals and through which I learned that I was to sleep in her house, on the floor, with three other students to keep me safe. It ended up me and five other village kids all armed with their crumpled English books trying desperately to communicate. Neither of us could pronounce the others name so she asked for me to call her "Mo" for "mother" and she would call me "daughter" in Karen. She told me I must come back and stay a long time. Her generosity and kindness warmed my soul!

Karen Hill Tribe Village

More images from our time at Huaysampoi, a remote hill tribe village in Thailand. Each one of us was touched in different and poignant ways by these incredible people.

Photogrpahy Workshop

Last week we gave the neighborhood Burmese refugee and hill tribes children cameras and sent them home with the assignment to tell the story of their life in photographs. A big project for little tykes, yes? Some of them came back with cameras full of unused film and others fully used and reluctant to give back their new toy. After developing the roles of film, the REAL fun began! As I opened each folder I got to peek into their lives, to see the faces of their mother, father, sisters and brothers. I got to see little girls playing dress up in princess clothes and where they sleep on the floor at night. Below is the pieced together story of 11 children's lives. 11 children whose families came to Chiang Mai to escape poverty, cruelty and abuse and who started a new life in this city. These series of photographs give us a rare peek into their personal lives from the perspective of a child. Enjoy!

Introducing the beautiful mammas at Wildflower Home! Each week we head 30mins out of Chiang Mai, down a long pot-holed road (that's usually flooded during the rainy season) to spend some lovely time with these young single mothers to teach them in-come generating workshops. So far we've helped in the leaf printing and seed card production and are continuing with fabric flowers and copper jewelry making! They are phenomenal to work with usually by the end of the day we are holding one of their happy, rolipoly munchkins in our arms!