Working with the Karen people

Misty morning in Noh Bo

2012-01-30T20:34:00.002+07:00

Naw Lay Lay has already been awake for a while,
preparing breakfast for the whole family.

The view from our bridge connecting our house and toilet.
A much better view for brushing my teeth then my own tired face in a mirror.

Pee Pee is feeding the chickens. She kind of talks their language too.
She is the calmest and nicest lady you can imagine!

The Norwegian Board on a visit.

2012-01-17T12:21:00.000+07:00

I am in the lucky position of having a board in Norway that is both skilled board members and my close family. It was a pleasure to have them joining the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team at the border for some days. One of them was unfortunately not able to come this time, but with the husbands of the rest also attending, it was a great group of 6 people to share our work and life with!

The Ga Yaw Ga Yaw board and husbands.

To be better acquainted, the Norwegian board were working side by side with the Karen team on the building site. Big fun! It might also have contributed to give the visitors a genuine sense of how we work and cooperate on an everyday base. I am impressed and proud of the knowledge shown by the end of their stay!

Making adobe.

A well deserved brake after uncommon work in the heat.

There were also time to meet and talk without working. I think both parts were happy to get to know each other and learn about the other parts work for the same organization.

For me, a really touching moment!
The Norwegian team got a small insight in the Karen situation and my colleagues stories.

Ga Yaw Ga Yaw!

It was also time for some sightseeing. We took them to see all of our projects and a little more!
Thanks to Koe Taw for great guiding and translation job!

In Myawaddy, the border town, looking over to Burma.

Maw Kwee.
The kids were singing and telling about their new school!

2011

2011-12-24T23:37:00.000+07:00

Inspiration!!!!!

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000+07:00

Peggy and P Jo`s house at Pun Pun Farm

Interior from Peggy and P Jo`s house

P Jo - founder of Pun Pun Farm

One of the leading places for adobe building in Thailand is Pun Pun Farm in Mae Taeng north of Chiang Mai. www.punpunthailand.org. When I first arrived in Thailand, I was fortunate to meet up with people connected to this amazing place and went there to learn how to make adobe bricks and buildings.

That is soon to be three years ago! Now, 16 colleagues and 6 adobe buildings later, it was a dream come true to bring some of Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team there! For us, travel is a big challenge. It requires some kind of papers, timing, and the right persons in the right mood, so we ended up a bit fewer the planned, but Ga Yaw Ga Yaw: step by step.... !

CLC - Chiang Mai Life Construction

Adobehouse at CLC

Marcus - head of clc!

CLC - Chiang Mai Life Construction

www.chiangmailifeconstruction.com

is also an amazing place that use adobe as material. CLC is a construction company and has a bigger focus on architecture and business then Pun Pun Farm, but they also run workshops. Albert was lucky to join one of them earlier this year and made it possible for us to make them a visit too.

The travelers:

Albert and Franc also got some "Thai-girls-take-picture" inspiration

Koe Taw and Phillipa reading adobe literature at Pun Pun Farm.

One of few picture where I stand still....

We are really grateful for the opportunity to see these places and meet the truly inspiring people who runs them. For us, these were days of new knowledge, adjusting of the old one and heaps of new ideas! We have already shown pictures and told stories to the rest of our team, and we are looking forward to further cooperation with Pun Pun Farm and CLC in the years to come!

Slab finished!

2011-12-09T18:10:00.000+07:00

We are finally done with concrete work for a while! Indoor and outdoor slab, the retaining wall and trenches are done! The ground has finally dried up and we are ready to start adobe production!

Detail from the meeting between outdoor slab, trench and path

Ga Yaw Ga Yaw in action!
First day of adobe production on the MTC project

Adobe bricks.
After approximately a week in the sun they are ready to be used

Our bikes got stolen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-12-01T15:28:00.001+07:00

We slept and did not notice before the next morning, but they literally locked us into our house, cut the gate open and took our two motorbikes!!! AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess that`s the price of living in a smugglers town where everyone is involved! Still frustrating! Really frustrating!!! It was our savings, and we had no such thing as insurance! Still, in a town like this, there`s no need in crying for help and justice! That was all too late the moment it happened! F***!!!!

It suddenly made much more sense why everyone have dogs though!

So, meet our new bodyguards....................:

Scary 1 and Scary 2

Looking good!!!

2011-11-15T20:36:00.000+07:00

New teamshirts! Yeah!!

Monday-morning-blues....

2011-11-14T13:06:00.000+07:00

Monday morning meeting.

We start every week with a small meeting, talking about the week that went, and planning the one to come.

I love these calm early mornings with my fantastic colleagues!
Here are some of them:

Sunday

See Da Pa

Hser Eh

Eh Thoo

Eh K`Prue

Koe Taw

Peter

And then; off to work!

Phillipa planing the ground and preparing it for the concrete slab.

Phillipa, See Da Pa and Oo Klo measuring the trench.

Eh Thoo putting the final touch to the stonewall

The site.

A new familymember

2011-11-14T11:00:00.000+07:00

My fantastic "parents" have got a beautiful little daughter. She was born on 7.th November and was a big girl: 3,8kg! Arn Le Mo is happy, but sceptic, big brother and I am the proudest "big sister"! She is gorgeous. Looking forward to see her growing up and learn to know her, like I know Arn Le Mo.

The proud parents:)

The beautiful little girl.

Ai, ai, what now......

Klee Mo Kee

2011-11-08T21:49:00.001+07:00

We regularly get some support from family and friends and other people that have heard about or work. These gifts are giving us the opportunity to support schools and single students across the border, that needs a little help.

One of the schools we have been supporting for a while is Maw Kwee, a school with 30 kids across the river for our village.

This is their report for last month:

30 students and 4 teachers.
Cost for one month, no salaries:

Rice 5 x 700 = 3500 baht
Dry fish 1 x 500 = 500 baht
Broom 4 x 25 = 100 bah
Medicine 10 x 20 = 200 baht
Basket 6 x 30 = 180 baht
Food 5 x 50 = 250 baht
Fishpaste 10 x 60 = 600 baht
Soap 1 x 100 = 100 baht
Mamals noodles 4 x 155 = 620 baht
Coockingpowder 1 x 255 = 255 baht
Candles 1 x 300 = 300 baht
Coockingoil 1 x 330 = 330 baht
Onions 1x 140 = 140 baht
Chillies 1 x 270 = 270 baht
Sardines 1 x 648 = 648 baht

Total: 8243 baht = 1500 kr
That is 30,- kr pr student pr month!!!

MTC Trainingcenter: Work in progress!

2011-11-04T13:21:00.000+07:00

As the weeks go by, our work is slowly progressing. It`s fun to see the project develop and we are enjoying every day of it!

Here`s some pictures from the last weeks.

Bamboo reinforcement for the concrete slab

Ready for concrete

Smoothing the slab with a black color layer

Not my best skills....

Pre making the wooden roof beams

Hser Eh

Landskapsfabrikken

2011-10-28T22:54:00.001+07:00

I am really proud to announce that from now, and for years to come, I will be part of the fantastic Landskapsfabrikken in Norway. I will keep on my life and work here with Ga Yaw Ga Yaw at the border, but in stead of searching for a place to work in Norway every summer, I have a base, a really great base, with Andreas and Inge in Oslo. In time, I might also be able to combine the two on a more regular base, who knows. All I know is that I am really happy and proud to be part of two such great teams!

Please check out: www.landskapsfabrikken.no

Food

2011-10-27T11:48:00.000+07:00

Compared to a normal western kitchen, the cocking facilities here might be seen as sparse, but that does not influence the taste!

Our "kitchen" at the MTC trainingcenter

Karen food is delicious! Rice three times a day with vegetables of the season added spices like garlic, chilly and curry powder.

Pumpkin curry, one of my favorites!

This time of year the sugarcanes are ripe and harvested, and some of the pure sugar are burned and sold in banana leafs as candy. Yummi!!!!

Pure burned sugar! It does not get sweeter:)

Delicacies are however not my favourites!!!

Not hungry right now......

With a little help from our friends

2011-10-26T14:56:00.000+07:00

Mike and Aimee has been working for BGET (Border Green Energy Team) here on the border for several months already. They have mainly been based in our village, Noh Bo, where they have been working on a new land that is to be transformed to a permaculture centre. Check out www.bget.org.

It`s always fun with people who share the same interests! Also great to see other examples and get feedbacks on our own work, so thanks to Mike and Aimee for sharing their work and taking the time to visit us at the trainingcenter.

Albert and Mike

Albert, Aimee and Mike

Morning atmosphere

2011-10-21T11:04:00.000+07:00

Morning atmosphere: Mae Sot from the outskirts

Morning atmosphere: ricepaddies on the way to MTC Trainingcenter

Three wise Ga Yaw Ga Yaw`s

2011-10-21T10:55:00.000+07:00

The big "concrete-slab-for-the-office-day"

2011-10-13T12:50:00.000+07:00

To avoid undesirable joints in the concrete floor, the best thing is to make the entire slab in one go. So for the office, we decided to work on until finished - or too dark. We started out at 7 in the morning, and 12 hours later, the slab was almost done. Almost. The next morning we learned that making the last finishing smoothing part in the dark, might not be such a great idea after all. It`s not too bad, but the first part look so good, we will have to improve the last part too. But all in all, the result is acceptable, the effort done by the team was impressive, and it was a great day!

The office.

The beams mark the frame for the concrete slab that has to be made during this day. The room in the back has already got bamboo reinforcement placed, the front room still has to be prepared.

Because of the wet land, trucks can not drive all the way to the slab, so we have to carry sand and gravel in ricebags from the drop point to the concrete mixer, a distance of around 15 meters. I have no clue how many kilos we carried during this day, but to call it a real workout is for sure not an underestimation!

Koe Taw

Pah Me

Phillipa in charge of the concrete mixer.

We tested out different color combinations, and ended up adding a touch of black color.

Work in progress

Peter, with the finishing touch, as always!

Sunset! Beautiful light, a cooler breeze, and ready for the final effort!

Albert washing the finished part of the slab to make it even more smooth.

Pah Me and Si Da Pa filling up the last part.

With Si Da Pa`s steady hand the floor becomes flat,...

...and with his calm and thoughtful manners and good overviewing skills, the work moves easily on.

even though it gets a bit dark...

Almost finished!

Norway - 1 week visit!

2011-10-08T20:24:00.000+07:00

I was fortunate to be invited to give a presentation at the Norwegian Landscape Architect Foundations (NLA) autumn conference held in Oslo 30/9. This was a part of "The Week of Architecture" taking place the same time.

NLA autumn-conference in Oslo 30 sept.

Albert has been working on the border for years now, we really appreciate his cooperation, and was delighted he wanted to join on a one week intensive trip to Norway. 10 days: 9 presentations, 2 meetings, heaps of people to meet and some sightseeing! And he did not complain! Thanks Albert!

Albert and Line in Norway

On the top of Oslo! My very good friend John Christer work at NSW architects were we where lucky to be invited to give a presentation. They have a fantastic view from the roof terrace of their office! Here with Albert and his friend Gina, who came all the way from Barcelona to meet up with us.

Oslo, as seen from NSW roof terrace!

We also did some sightseeing:) Fun to see Oslo as a tourist sometimes!

Vigeland park in beautiful autumcolors!

The operabuilding by Snøhetta.

On the roof of the operabuilding

Gina, Albert and Line

We even went to IKEA! Direct from the jungle to IKEA, hmmm, kind of cultural chock, but nice. Also nice to experience each other in a western environment. We have been working together for a year, but now I also know "western Albert" and he knows the "western me" - Same same, just a different wrapping. Thank you to John Christer and Henning for lending him the clothes!

It does not get more Oslo then this! Yummi, hot cappuccino from Evita coffiebar in Brogata:)

I was also happy to take Albert and Gina to see one of my favorite places and meet some of my favorite people: The farm of my aunt and her husband.

Kårstad

Kårstadvannet - and yes, we did swim!

Stonewall

2011-09-27T04:53:00.000+07:00

To avoid land sliding from filled masses under the big house already on the land, we decided to build the areas first stone wall! Some might call it a bit european...... but with good access to cheap stones and less costs on concrete, we decided to try it out as an alternative to a pure concrete wall. The result might even look beautiful? Time will show!

Phillipa discussing the shape and how to build the stonewall.

We wanted to use limestone instead of cement, but with a system of concrete named after animals, not with a code, it was not that evident. We ended up with Masoury Cement - or the rocket as it`s called here.

Ee Po Pa placing the stones

Pah Me and Ee Po Pa cooperating on the wall.
The blue pipes are for drainage and will be cut and adjusted when the wall is finished.

Classroom foundation - beam - iron reinforcement

2011-09-26T15:49:00.000+07:00

The foundation for the classrooms is slowly growing - Ga Yaw Ga Yaw! We have started the iron reinforcement, and the sizes, shapes and placements of the classrooms are now more visible. It looks good!

Home made equipment to bend the iron.

Pre made iron reinforcement.

Reinforcement placed.

Fastening iron.

Detail, fastening the iron.

Last check! Looking strong!

Digging, digging, digging!

2011-09-13T14:48:00.000+07:00

When we first started this project two weeks ago, the site was still an old rice paddy, made to be flooded every year. This is not consistent with classrooms, office and public spaces, so our main concern until now has been preparations in terms of digging trenches for water flow. We have also started the groundwork for the foundations.

We have been digging A LOT!!!

The site after two days

The site after two weeks

The ground consists of more clay and silt then we had expected, so we had to rethink our plans a bit and make more and deeper trenches then first thought.

Heavy rain also gave us some extra challenges!

But now it`s working!

Taking a break in the shadow, ready for next challenge - a stone wall preventing further land sliding in connection with filled masses under an existing house on the site.

Snakes!

2011-09-11T14:22:00.000+07:00

I often get the question: don`t you fear the snakes? The fact is, I that I hardly see them, at least not alive. Before I even get the sense of it, one of my colleagues or the kids have already killed it with their slingshot or by their bare hand. I think this is one of the cultural phenomena's that simply have to be learned from childhood. When I grew up, moose and foxes concerned me a lot more. I know there are different opinions on the danger of these animals out there, but for me, this fear is still kind of present. So the answer is no:

I don`t normally fear the snakes!

BUT:

That does not mean I appreciate their existence in my immediate vicinity!

So many colors...

2011-09-09T09:24:00.000+07:00

This place is filled with colors! Especially now in the end of rainy season, the almost fluorescent green leafs surrounding us, are making a colorful frame for everything. Then it`s the flowers, the bugs, and colors of peoples clothes. If you add the sound of crickets and thousands of frogs, it`s kind of a symphony!

So I have made an attempt to present it black and white.

After all, to me, it`s the atmosphere, the coherence, the humor, "the easy life", the conversations, the love and laughter, simply the people, who make the most beautiful colors of it all!

Working

My dear friends and colleagues who started Ga Yaw Ga Yaw with me,

soon to be 3 years ago:

Peter

Phillipa

Pah Me

Without them I would not have been here now, and my life might have been totally different. You never know, but among other things, I suppose I would not have had an equally close relationship with hoe`s;) That would have felt like relief sometimes, but I don`t mind, and I would not change it for the world!

Line/Nee Ga Mwee

New trainingcenter for Mae Tao Clinic - the first week!

2011-09-07T21:49:00.001+07:00

The first week has been a lot of digging! Both foundation for the houses and water trenches needed to be dug. There`s a lot more water then we expected, so the water trenches are now deeper then first planned.

They seems to work pretty well, but there`s still a lot of water...

..so we are continuously adjusting our plans a bit to improve the conditions before starting the foundation.

We are living on the trainingcenter area in a house that is not yet finished. We have a concrete floor and a good roof above us, and with plastic tarps as walls, the rain does not bother us too much. Everyone has got a madras and mosquito net, and now also a drawer for clothes. My bed is behind the green box;)

Our "home" i also used for meetings,

as workspace,

and kitchen.

The atmosphere is great!

Everyone is working hard and doing their best. We have a lot of fun and enjoy each others company.

Like playing caneball in the sunset!

Albert and Mae Tao Clinic

2011-09-05T21:39:00.000+07:00

Meet our very good friend, Albert!

Albert in action:)

Albert is an architect and engineer from Barcelona and has been working in Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot for soon to be two years. We heard about each other, and sent some architectural questions via common friends for a while, before we finally met. And what a meeting! We talked about everything from construction to materials, natural wind flow, drainage, toilet systems.... you name it! Might be considered a bit nerdy, but for me it was so great to meet someone who has the same interests and also live in this area and really enjoy his work and life here as much as myself. I kind of hoped he could contribute with his knowledge to our team, but I never thought it would lead to such a great cooperation!

Albert is still working for Mae Tao Clinic, and because of him, the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team has now got the chance to build new classrooms and an office for the new training center as part of the clinic. The drawings are done by Albert, with ideas and feedbacks from us.

We are humble, but also really proud, to be chosen to build these houses. We are really looking forward to this job, and are so happy to have Albert on our team!

These are the plans:

The summer of 2011

2011-09-01T22:24:00.000+07:00

I am back in Thailand! Back among my colleagues and already busy with our new project: A new Trainingcenter for Mae Tao Clinic. There will be a lot more about this project for the months to come, and I will also present the new eatingroom for the local Monastery in Noh Bo that my colleagues made while I was away. Also a new school in Maw Kwee will be presented. Because of the schools remoteness, I was not able to update this blog as much as possible before I left. But first: Norway!

What a summer:) I worked like crazy, but enjoyed my stay a lot.

There`s several people I want to thank, so here`s a short resume in pictures.

My sister Anne: She let me stay with her in her apartment the whole time. She`s the best!

My mother

My father

Geir and Christine who got married in Leirvassbu and made their wedding an unforgettable weekend for all of us.

Not to mention all the great weekends they have arranged at Humlungen Fyr this summer!

Humlungen Fyr!

Like a dream to wake up to this view.

Sejin went to summerschool in Oslo this year. So great to combine Mae Sot and Norway life!

Birgit

Arne

And an uforgettable week in Kroatia. Also with Marianne, David, Nadja, Geir and Una!

More great Humlungen time

Great walks, talks and swimming with John Christer

Arne and Matt

A swim in my favorite "Hvamsetra"

And so much and so many more..... Thanks!

Not to forget: Our new sponsor: Asplan Viak: www.asplanviak.no, and the landscapearchitectoffice Grindaker that let me work in their office this summer: www.grindaker.no. Thanks. I enjoyed a lot!

All in all, happy, and more then ready to go back to jungle-life again!

Asplan Viak

2011-09-01T21:41:00.000+07:00

I am proud to present our new sponsor:

Asplan Viak.

www.asplanviak.no

We are really looking forward to the results we yield from our cooperation.

Norway......

2011-08-24T22:24:00.000+07:00

One month ago, a terrible incident stroke my country!

It was crazy!!! Surreal! Disgusting! One crazy man with a sick vision, and so many innocent people`s life`s lost! Here, in my safe and democratic country.

In the middle of it, a feeling of standing together, of solidarity and fellow fights for our freedom of speech and democracy. The total distance of violence and terror. The sympathy with the people who have lost their loved ones and the promise that this cruel action shall not threaten our freedom and democratic way of living. I am so proud of how the government and the royal family has handled this critical situation, not to mention the prime minister who has been the nations unifying point.

Many of the stories told from the horrible hours at Utøya here in Norway are in many ways similar to the gruesome stories told at the border. It`s done by one man, not by a regime, but it has so many cruel similarities. The result for a whole nation is on the other hand extremely different.

I am very fond of the sentence that has been spread through the media the recent weeks: If one man can show such evil, imagine how much love we all can share.

Sometimes money is the only thing that helps.

2011-07-12T01:28:00.000+07:00

My name is Moo Bure Thoo. I was born in Bummer. My father name is Saw lar thoo and my mother name is Naw Lay Lay. I have five brothers.

My parent can’t send we are to school in Bummer. The S.B.D.C they are come in our village they are shorts our Karen people. They are burn our grander and food to eat. We are getting the different life.

I want to continue the study, but I didn’t have money to study. My brothers also want to study they are find the job to continue the study.

Thank you for your help me to study and pay for me the school money and support everything.

May God bless you.

Form Moo Bure Thoo.

I want to thank all of you who has supported us during the last years. We are of course grateful for the support from the companies who makes it possible for us to keep Ga Yaw Ga Yaw going and developing. Thanks to HENT and to Bai as!

Sometimes, some people are also giving a bit of their income, their birthday presents, their thoughts.... These money are mostly given to people who really need it. Sometimes money is the only thing who can make a difference. As for Moo Bure Thoo. Her village was attacked and burned by the junta and she had to stop school. All she needed was the school money and a little money for food. She sent us an application! After talking to her teacher, we decided to support her for the next year. Schoolmoney for the whole year is 500 thb (100 norwegian kroner), and for food at school she has to pay around 200 baht a month.

This is her letter that I have promised to give to the ones making it possible for us to support her. So I thought to put it here would be the best. Thank you!!!!!

Water, water, water

2011-07-04T02:29:00.000+07:00

I have been a really lousy blogger lately, I am sorry for that, but hope you are still around;)

I left for Norway in the end of May, and I am going to stay here until mid August. I have been lucky to get a job as a landscape architect in a really great office in Oslo; Grindaker as, and through this job I both get to keep in touch with my academic relatives in Norway, and earn some money for my own expenses the next year. I also give presentations and tell about Ga Yaw Ga Yaw, The Widowproject, Safe Haven Orphanage and the general situation for the Karen people on the border and try to get more sponsors! Next to this I want to see my family and friends here too, so blogging has had a lower priority for a while. I`ll do my best to improve!

My colleagues on the border keep on working, and they keep on sending me updates. Both economical reports, boardmeeting reports and pictures of their work.

We have started on a new eating room for the monks in the local monastery, I`ll post more from this project later, but first: It has been raining!!!! It`s not a nice feeling to be in Norway and get pictures like this!!! Our house is flooded! The whole village is flooded. What was former rice paddies, are now a part of the extended Moei River. I don`t have the exact numbers, but it looks like it has raised some 15-20 meters or so! Luckily the water is now on it`s way back again, but our adobe 1.floor was half way under water. Well, a good test to see how strong it is against water masses like this!

Phillipa on the railings of the bridge between our house and the toilet house. Normally there is a tiny stream underneath during rainy season, but not like this...

The view from our house: Former rice paddies, now Moei River...

Even the pigs had to move...

The view from the road direction Moei River and Burma. Normally, you can not see the river...

Swimming trees and flooded rice paddies...

New wells in Noh Bo

2011-05-29T13:31:00.001+07:00

Thanks to the workshop participants who arranged a Karen/Ga Yaw Ga Yaw party in Oslo 8. April and at the same time collected money for us, we could finally realize this small, but important project in our village.

We have long wanted to make an appropriate well for some of the houses that does not have a water pipe connected. That`s actually quite many, but these ones really needed a new source for drinking water.

The old well is cracked and dirty, but still in use, also as the only source for drinking water.

To prevent the well to collapse while we dig it, we add one by one concrete ring and remove the dirt underneath it. The deeper we get, the more concrete rings are added.

It`s already a lot of water in the ground, so both dirt and water has to be removed. It`s hard work, but only room for one at a time in the well.

The new wells almost done.

By adding a concrete floor and a roof, we make the wells both cleaner and more functional. The floor prevent wet clay to fasten to the buckets as they are thrown in for water, and the roof avoid leafs. It`s of course a lot more convenient for the people using it too!

The ground was really slippery and dirty, so we got stones from the river to make a lifted foundation. Here on the back of the car, loaded with stones and happy Ga Yaw Ga Yaw colleagues.

Floor in progress.

The floor: Stone foundation with stones from the river, bamboo reinforcement with bamboo from the jungle and concrete with gravel and sand from the river. The cement is produced in Thailand and purchased in the nearest town.

Roof is up!

Roof: Local timber and aluminum roofplates bought locally. Leafroof would have been cheaper, and from an environmental point of view, maybe also better. On the other hand it sprinkles and will not keep the well as clean as this alternative. It also requires to be renewed every third year, so we chose aluminum plates for this project.

Arn Le Mo giving a helping hand;)

New wells!

From the workshop participants and their friends in Norway,

- via Ga Yaw Ga Yaw...

.... to the happy and lucky users in Noh Bo.

Traditional buildings

2011-05-09T20:24:00.000+07:00

We are making a new school in a remote village named Maw Kwee these days. I will publish more of the work here in the weeks to come, but first I would like to present some of the traditional ways of building in this area. These pictures are all taken during one morning, and only shows a small part of it, but I hope it will give an impression! No nails, no machines, pure nature and handicraft, not to mention an enormous collaborative spirit! Everyone is contributing, and in only a few days a new familyhouse is completed!

The posts are in the ground.

A special sort of roots, kept in water for days and then soft and strong like a rope.

The roots are used to fasten beams and bamboo for the floor.

It looks easy, but I promise, it`s not!

Bamboo is a grass, and hollow inside. It is therefor easy to stabilize a bamboo floor by stepping through a cross plank through the row of bamboo pipes. This again is reinforced with the same roots as shown above, and the floor is stable.

Detail of the fastening of bamboo floor.

It is also fastened underneath.

Detail of the floor seen from below.

The bamboo-pipes are then covered by bamboo sheets, and the floor is ready to use. Depending on when the bamboo was cut and wether it gets exposed to water or not, it will last for a year or four before it has to be renewed.

And this is how all the houses in Maw Kwee and in most Karen villages are build.

Songkran

2011-05-04T16:09:00.000+07:00

It has been Songkran, waterfestival, in Thailand.

The kids in our street had big fun!

Me too!

Academy School!

2011-04-26T16:18:00.000+07:00

Lately, I have had the habit to accidentally drop by Academyschool. Just to take yet another look, check out the temperature, feel the atmosphere and try to see it with new fresh eyes. What could have been done differently, what can we improve for our next project, what are the best qualities that we want to keep with us. Well, all in all we are really happy with it! We have already startet a new project in a little mountain village named Maw Kwee, and both the villagers and the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team wanted to use the Academyschool as a model for the school we are building there. That`s also a compliment for the workshop participants helping us designing it! Thanks!

Primaryschool in Noh Bo

2011-04-22T11:01:00.001+07:00

We finished the first part of new classrooms for primaryschool in Noh Bo last year in August. We made a building, very much similar to the existing buildings at site, but wanted to use adobe (earthen bricks) instead of concrete for the half walls surrounding it. The school was very pleased with this idea. Since it was rainy season and to wet for production of earthen bricks, we decided to make temporary bamboo-walls to be replaced by adobe at a later stage.

It is now hot and dry season, it is holidays at school, and we have been completing our job.

Primaryschool in Noh Bo. Completed with adobe walls.

The front

The back

The classrooms, before and after.

The walls, before and after.

I am really happy to see that we are improving for each project. The adobe bricks are more compact, the walls straighter, the corners are more precise, the finishing layer stronger and the total impression better and better for each time. It is also more clear to us that the adobe walls, to a greater extent then many other materials, helps keeping the temperature stable. Together with focus on wind flow, shadow for the sun and protection for rain in the design process, this makes chilled classrooms that forms good frames for learning.

My friend Sunday got married!

2011-04-13T00:55:00.001+07:00

Finally, a real wedding based on true love! Not a forced performance to satisfy a discarded pastor or stop the cruel gossip of the village. A marriage based on the love of two people! If you are born and raised in a western culture, you might consider this as obvious, but the reality is not like that for many of my friends. You kiss the wrong girl, too bad, your mistake! The payment, well, the rest of your life!!!

These people is however in LOVE! They even got thrown out of bibleschool because they could not keep their hands off eachother. I am a fan! Since the place for the wedding was "on the way" to Chiang Mai, and Koe Taw, Albert and me were heading "in the same" direction the same weekend, we decided to join. Well, "on the way"...... After two hours on a bumpy road to the nearest "town", and another two hours trough deep jungle on a rocky path..... we finally got there. The car survived, we survived, and it was worth it:) Did I mention it was full moon and the most beautiful ride ever. Too dark and bumpy for pictures, but you still have to believe me!

A break, realizing the "on the way" comment was only a partial truth... The atmosphere was however good, and I think we all enjoyed eachothers company. At least I can talk for myself! At this point, we also did not know that the village was more then two hours from the small town we were heading for. We were also not aware it was a road like the road to the refugee camp - more like a path. Luckily we got a local to drive for us, and the ride was beautiful!!!

Dancing queen;)

I am not complaining about our car, but it would have been great if we could see through the windshield, also in rainy weather...

We finally got there and got served delicious traditional Karen food before going to bed on the floor.

Well, for all of you who have never been to a typical Karen wedding in a remote mountain village before, here is what it`s like:

Early morning atmosphere around the kitchen fire.

Sorry for the rough picture, but this is how you prepare a pig for a whole village. The taste is delicious.

All the villagers were busy slaughtering 3 pigs, cutting vegetables and cocking to prepare for the wedding coming up.

Cocking, the jungle way!

I am doing my best to blend in. Next time I´ll wear a hat too! Or is it the green sweater, shit, I am the only one wearing green! I knew it was something!

Close up, for my mum. I can do it;) I even tried to stir in 80, but this technique was not very well known in the village. Understandable though, it got burned!

Koe Taw, however, knew the game and made it just perfect!

A quick sightseeing before the ceremony. It should perhaps be mentioned that all this happened before 8.30 in the morning!

We call it a bike, here it`s more to count as a buss.

I love taking pictures of old people! In this case, they were more then happy to be photographed.

Always with a towel on their head!

One of the few old mens I have seen in the area. Karen ladies for sure survive their males!

The wedding!

The beautiful bride signing the weddingpaper.

Me and the newlyweds.

Happy bridegroom.

For now and forever!

After the ceremony. Food for everyone.

And at 10 o`clock the party`s over and we are "on the road again...tra la la":)

Academy School finished.

2011-04-06T00:23:00.000+07:00

We are really happy with the result! It was a fantastic start with the contributors from Norway (and Spain), and it has been a fun project to work with all the way to the end of it. My colleagues normally eager to make our projects beautiful and functional, but this time they surpassed themselves. They wanted to make a good school for the students, of course, but I presume the strongest drive was to honor their new Norwegian friends.

They really made an impression on us! It became such a great group and we are still talking a lot about our weeks together.

So here`s the finished building, all documented by my colleague Peter:

The ocean-green classroom with extra space for music equipment. I love how the light enters through the small gaps in the gable.

The gaps in the gable is letting light in, but is also letting hot air out. Together with the transparent bamboo wall, it provides good airflow that keeps the classrooms chilled.

The windows are made out of plywood attached to a wooden frame. They are painted in a lighter tone of the same color on the inside then the outside.

The ocean-green classrooms from the outside

The passage between the classrooms. Relaxing area for the students between classes.

Entrance area to the ocean-green classrooms

Happy team, making a wall of honor for our new friends.

The Road of Resistance

2011-04-04T19:40:00.000+07:00

I am not risking my life, not even my legs, to see what is going on the other side of the border. It`s 100 meters away, so I know the sound of a landmine, I can tell the difference in weapons used, I have seen the refugees coming and I know what they are escaping from! I wish I could find a way to tell their stories. This documentary does! And it does it well! http://roadofresistance.com/the-road/

Wall of honor, and one lucky girl!

2011-03-28T17:04:00.000+07:00

Without these people, my work and my everyday life would not have been the same! I love them so much! We work together, live together and spend most of our spare time together, and it`s great!

The one and only: Koe Taw! My second half!

My mother Paw Eh Wah, my dear friend and honest supporter.

Peter started Ga Yaw Ga Yaw together with me, Phillipa and Pah Me, and has been the core of the team ever since. He live together with his wife Mo Ler Paw and their beautiful daughter Jenny. They are my friends, colleagues and neighbors. If they had a door, they would never close it!

Everyones big mum Tasanee is my big sister and companion in the Widow project. She is always one step ahead! I admire her for her knowledge, her courage and strength. The love she shows to everyone around her is amazing. I am so proud to be counted as part of her big and loving family, the Safe Haven Orphanage!

The best architect in the jungle is Albert! He is working at Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, but is recently also incorporated in the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team. With a great sense of humor, unmistakable Catalan accent, eminent social skills, and "the right attitude", we are looking forward to further cooperation!

Windows, bamboo walls and finishing layer

2011-03-20T08:25:00.000+07:00

WINDOWS

The windows are made of pieces of wood, jointed together with no use of nails or other adhesives. Magic...no, just Ga Yaw Ga Yaw work with pride and precision!

Windowframes.

The purple classroom seen from the outside with half the plywood attatched.

Painted plywood is added to the frames, "purpleish"in one classroom and "oceangreenish" in the other. The outside is painted in a darker tone then the inside. The window rail makes it possible to let daylight in, and cover for rain when necessary.

BAMBOO WALLS

Opposite side of the windowrail, each classroom has got a transparent bamboo wall. This wall is withdrawn from the facade and covered by the roof so it will not rain inside.

The transparent bamboowall with the "oceangreenish"windows opened in the back on the opposite side of the classroom.

FINISHING LAYER

The finishing layer is made with sand and clay, sifted into a bucket and added "glue". In this case we use Tapioca Flour bought in the local shop. It is boiled with water until it makes a thick and sticky mass that binds the sand and clay particles together. The mixture is applied to the wall in a thin layer. When dry it becomes a hard coating that makes the rain bounce off.

Tapioca flour, normally used for cocking.

Ste Pha is making the tapioca and water glue.

While I Po Pa and Pah No is sifting the sand

Peter admiring Pah No`s work!

Pah No figured that if he added a bit more water after dried, and worked the surface once more, it became even stronger! And it did!

Looking good, does't it! Even in rainy weather!

Work in progress

2011-03-07T23:11:00.000+07:00

The school fits nicely into the existing buildings on site, it is chilled with a natural airflow and have enough light to form a fine framework for learning. The school is satisfied, the students are looking forward to start using it, and I have to admit I am proud of it and think it looks great too!

To protect from rain, but still get a natural airflow, the workshop decided to raise the walls all the way to the roof, but to leave open spaces for hot air to leave and light to come in.

The open spaces were originally planned as diagonal placed bricks, like Johannes is showing.

We were however worried the diagonal tall bricks would be too weak to carry second row, and after doing some testing, we decided to change it to small open windows instead.

Learning by doing...

Precise corners are always a challenge, but with a steel ruler, a trowel and skilled workers, it`s getting pretty good! The trick is to make the corners first and after it´s dried, smoothly add the plastering layer of the adjacent walls. As long as they are not continuous and let go of the wall, the cracks are ok and enhances the next layers ability to attach.

Ste Pha adding the last plastering layer.

One of the classrooms will contain storage area for music instruments. This area should be closed and is therefor divided from the classroom with a halfwall adobe, completed with bamboo sticks on the top.

The hall between the classrooms are planned as a hangout place for students. Bamboo-benches will be added on the sides.

Academyschool in progress! Finishing layer, windows and bamboo walls are still to be done.

From all of us to all of you:)

2011-03-01T12:23:00.000+07:00

Not a merry christmas this time, but a giant thanks to the workshop participants for the team shirts! We love them!

Noh Bo1, please come back soon! We miss you!

Roof finished

2011-02-26T22:28:00.000+07:00

The roof is finished! The last top cover where put on place wednesday, and we celebrated the happening with some happy- and heavywater:) This week the adobewalls were also adjusted with an extra plastering layer and are now smooth and plane and ready for the finishing coating layer. One side in each classroom is planned to be bamboo, and the frames for these are also completed.

That`s what I call a great week at work!

And this is what I call a great bunch of people!

Peter completing the roof with top-cover.

Roof finished!

Smooth walls and precise corners! I like!

Pah Me and Si Da Pa working on the construction for the bamboo walls.

And now, add bamboo!

Ready for a small celebration of the roof with either a happy- or a heavywater each.

Roofcelebration.

The building with a complete roof.

Academy School, roof almost finished.

2011-02-20T16:51:00.000+07:00

More pictures of the schoolbuilding in progress.

Roof almost finished (Picture taken from boys dormitory as in the last publication).

No doubt my colleagues like to work on this building! The design we made together with the workshop participants seems to work out really well, so we do what we can for further improvements. Like these details for ending the roof, perfect fit to the shape of the roof plates by hand with machete.

The wood, perfect adjusted to the shape of the roofplates.

The school as it looks today (seen from the football field).

Building in progress

2011-02-18T13:03:00.000+07:00

Finally, some pictures from the last weeks progress in finishing new classrooms for the academyschool in Noh Bo. The timber came at the end of last week, so we immediately started on the roof construction and hope to finish the roof this week. It really looks great!

The first part of the roofconstruction. (Building seen from the footballfield for the special interested ones;)

The first part of the roofconstruction. (Building seen from the boys dormitory)

Roofconstruction in progress. (Building seen from the boys dormitory)

Roofconstruction almost finished. (Building seen from the boys dormitory)

White girl finally out of bed...., inspecting the work after weeks sick in bed.

Si Da Pa and Pah No adjusting the timber.

Peter has been the work leader, and photographer;)

Roofconstruction finished, ready for the roofplates. (Building seen from the fotballfield)

Roofplates are connected to the construction. (Building seen from the fotballfield)

With the roof added, we can really see what the building is going to look like, and so far, all involved parts are really happy with it!

Celin did a great patchwork job that ended up in one sign for special 1 and one for special 2. Peter liked it so much, he extended it to be a monument of the year the building was made:)

Life and death.

2011-02-15T11:03:00.000+07:00

Compared to most villages in our area, Noh Bo is kind of developed. We have a road, schools, some shops and a local health center. Living in the jungle still gives some extra challenges. After the workshop participants left us, we got the sad message that our colleague I Po Pa’s son did not arrive hospital in time, and therefore died of asthma on the way to see a doctor. There is no such thing as an ambulance, and no phone signal on the road to contact help, so the little boy died. It was I Po Pa and his wife’s fourth child, but the first without a handicap. Their three children are all suffering from malformed bones. Because of this, they can’t walk, and if you can’t walk, how can you get your self to school? Luckily my dear friends Judah and Diana are supporting this family, but this time, support did not help. We were all helpless witnesses to the roughness life can be sometimes.

Death is a more natural part of everyday life in the jungle. Life and death – if you live, you will sooner or later die. It is of course sad, and family and friends are grieving, but instead of dwelling with the loss, they are to a greater extent celebrating the life that has been lived. The person is gone, but the memories are kept alive and will be among them. A Karen funeral will normally last for three days. The dead person will be laying on the floor, cowered by a blanket, while the villagers are eating, talking, singing, playing, watching a movie (if a tv in town, it will for sure be brought to a funeral…), gambling (!), and staying together. After the third day, the funeral is ended with a ceremony before family, friends and other villagers follow the body to the graveyard were it will be buried or burned (depends on religion and local traditions).

In this case, the body of the child was left in the hospital, and the family only wanted to have a one night ceremony in their house. I Po Pa and his wife are Christians, so the pastor and people from church came to worship. It is a kind of Karen tradition that in some aspects of life, like worshipping, they value quantity! On a regular Sunday, churches are packed the first half an hour, but after an hour it’s obvious that the majority has left. After closer to two hours, the room is almost empty, but the pastor is still talking. It does not matter how many times he repeat himself, the longer it lasts, the better. In this case, it was obviously really sad, so the pastor did well! He talked and talked and talked. Nobody left, but people were more or less falling a sleep. It was late evening, it was getting cold, and we were all really tired. It’s not for me to criticize, I am just observing it, but I have to admit that it was not until after the ceremony, after everyone except the family and the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team had left, that the close and loving atmosphere came to us. We were all sitting there in I Po Pa`s bamboo hut, talking about the past weeks and all the great experiences we have had together. We were laughing, talking, singing and just showed the family and each other that we cared. Karen people are easy going; all you need is a blanket if it’s cold, and some salt to brush your teeth the next morning, so we picked up the blankets left from the workshop participants and slept on the bamboofloor.

It was cold, I was sick, It was my birthday, I was sleeping on a bamboofloor with a thin blanket, it was a funeral, but still beautiful! The close atmosphere among us, the feeling of belonging together, mutual respect and love. It is one of those moments I will keep in my hart forever!

Back to everyday life...

2011-02-07T19:51:00.001+07:00

The workshop participants left Noh Bo early Saturday morning. It was a touching moment! For two weeks we spent all our time together. For every day that passed by, we grew closer and closer, the color of our skin, our background, our language - it did not matter anymore! It was intensive, but great, challenging, educational and fun. Not one day was alike and I think I speak for everyone when I say the two weeks turned out to be like an adventure for all of us!

Now they have left, but they are still kind of here! We talk about them, laugh of our common jokes, watch pictures from the past weeks and keep our new friends memories present among us. I want to share their pictures, so all of you readers can see how beautiful they are!

Albert

Anne-Lise

Audhild & Paw Eh Wah

Celin

Gina

Gunvor

Hilde

Phillipa & Ida

Kristin

Mari

Marta & Peter

Marta

Pernille

Petter

Svein

Johannes & Tore with Peter.

To Anne-Lise, Audhild, Celin, Gina, Gunvor, Hilde, Hilde, Ida, Johannes, Kristin, Mari, Pernille, Petter, Svein, Tore. Albert, Marta and Marta. We miss you!!!!! Today we continued working on the school, but it felt so so empty without all of you! I will do my best though, to keep updating the blog until the school building is completed.

We hope everyone else also will enjoy following the progress of both this and future projects by Ga Yaw Ga Yaw. If you want to support our work, please read the column to the right or contact us for further details. We need more sponsors for building activities, for supporting the children in Safe Haven Orphanage and Eh Thaws Home, and we also need money for food to schools and others that sometimes need a little extra.

And yes, there will for sure be more workshops!

Line/Ne Ga Mwee

Visitors

2011-02-03T21:38:00.000+07:00

Today we started with the coating and finishing layer of the first adobe wall and we're very pleased with the result. Its very motivating to see the progress after spending several days working on the concrete slab.
The walls of the first classroom are now completely built, just one part needs more finishing. We are confident we will finish the walls of the other classroom by lunch tomorrow.

After another beautiful lunch including morning glory, we had the pleasure of two visitors. A hero for the the Karen people, Colonel Ner Dah stopped by to discuss future projects with Line. He will likely be the new leader of the KNU, following in his fathers footsteps.
He is educated in the US and is fluent in English, which is a big advantage when working with international NGOs. It was a honor for our Karen friends to meet one of major persons fighting for their rights.

Also Tassannee and her daugther No Chio from Safe Haven came by with custom made shirts and to show us more shirts, skirts, sharfs etc. We had a lot of fun together and enjoyed this extended lunch break.

In the afternoon we really got to experience what it means to work in the jungle. While lifting adobe stones Mari was bit by a small scorpion. I drove her back to the house and Mue Le Paw took us to a local medic guy. He started massing Maris arm and explained that it would make the poison come out again.
For me this felt very special and just few minutes later Mari was feeling better. If Maris parents are reading this: she is enjoying her third drink this evening. :)

After a hard day of work I was happy to be invited to Philipa and Step Pahs house and meet their mother in law. We (Eh Ler Tha, Eh Twa Twa and Me) enjoyed fresh coconut and were happy to see how our friends live.
On the way to the river me and Step Pah played Caneball with a couple of kids. From here we decided to sprint all the way to the river where we just kept running into the water. It was FUN.

After dinner Peter's daughter Jenny had a surprise for me and Par Dar Yeh. She had asked her grandmother in one of the refugee camps to make us Karen shirts and was very proud to give them to us. Also Pilly, Phillipas daugter made me a Karen bag, being only 7 years old we all find this quite amazing.
We will post pictures later.

Tomorrow we will go to a remote waterfall and hope for a fantastic last day and evening party.

Edit: Due to very slow internet I will post pictures tomorrow or when I'm back in Norway.

Mandag 01.02.2011

2011-02-01T19:34:00.002+07:00

Halleluuuuujaaaaa!!!!

… som vår alles kjære far, Saw Dee bruker å si når han er i et godt lune. Og det er han for det meste. Dagen i dag har vært en fantastisk dag. Etter flere dager med feber og halsbyller og endeløse timer under myggnettingen er jeg endelig på beina igjen og det føles utrolig fint å være tilbake for fullt.

Etter morgenmøte klokka åtte delte vi oss i to grupper team 1 og team 2. Team 1 dro til skolen for å fortsette med å legge betong, mens team 2 dro på en liten utflukt til en grotte som ligger ca en halv time å kjøre fra landsbyen. Vi som var første gruppe ut til grotta var: Pernille, Morris, Gina, Gunvor, Kaw Taw, Pah eh Waa, Philli Pa, Tore, Na Ri Sa Pa, Pah Me og meg. For å gjøre en lang historie kort: Vi hadde det KJEMPE GØY! Grotta var helt enormt stor, vi klatret masse opp og ned og kjempet oss gjennom små sprekker. Pah Eh Waa matte til og med dyttes gjennom et lite hull (litt sånn Ole Brum style) Tore bar oss gallant over en liten elv, Na Ri Sa Pa fikk seg en liten buggie Wooggie på skuldrene til Tore og det hele ble avsluttet med en real fotballkamp hvor alle spilte etter beste evne. Så var det hjem til nok en fantastisk lunsj.

Team 2

Støping av gulv. Gina, Pernille og Pah Me in action.

(Nå kom jeg på at dette sikkert burde vært skrevet på engelsk… Sorry Line du får oversette til Karen.. )

Etter lunsj var det bytte, og team 2 måtte til pers på betonglegging. Det ble en tung, effektiv og bra arbeidsøkt. Vi er veldig fornøyde med dagens innsats.

Nå har vi spist middag, og drukket litt vin og det er tid for blogging. Med min nå gode venn og sengepartner (som i at vi deler madrass og myggnett) Anne Lise sitter jeg nå hos Ole Jørgen og prøver å blogge noen ord.. og skal jeg være ærlig så finner jeg det utrolig vanskelig!! Inntrykkene er så mange og vi opplever så mye, men jeg tenkte jeg kunne skrive noen ord om maten…

Vi spiser utrolig godt her! Det servers tre likeverdige måltider om dagen. Måltidene består av ris (alltid ris), gjerne noe grønnsaker i en slags blanding, kanskje en form for gryterett, ofte noe frityrstekt (banan, blomster, mais, agurk, left-over ris, eller hva det skulle være) og stort sett en klar buljongsuppe. Si Da Mo (kona til Si Da Pa), og Philli Mo (kona til Philli Pa) har flyttet inn i huset for å kokkelere for oss disse ukene. Vekkeklokka star på 03.00 og da fyres det opp på bålet, og frokostlagingen er i gang. Den servers varm og fersk klokken syv. Selv om det føles litt voldsomt å hive innpå en treretters, gjerne fire retters, til frokost merker vi at det er godt å ha mye å gå på når vi jobber fysisk hele dagen. I dag var Johannes oppe klokken fire og bidro flittig på grønnsakskuttingen og kombinerte det like så greit med en lang leksjon i Karen. Hvor mye som som sitter er jeg litt usikker på men det var MYE fnising på kjøkkenet. Når det gjelder kjøtt og råvarer er det fasinerende å se hvordan de lever av at det naturen gir dem. De aller fleste dyrker en del.. greskar, aubergine, bananer, ris etc, og de fleste har gjerne noen høner (og dessverre også haner) og en gris eller to. Ellers så jakter de masse. De spiser alt, rotter, ekkorn, villkatt, villhund, katta til naboen og hunden til onkelen. Alt som kan spises spises. Men man spiser ikke si egen katt eller sin egen hund, noe vi setter pris på etter å ha blitt så glade i Snowy og Tiger.

Mo le Poh lager frokost med ånden som går..

Si da Moe

Nå ringer Ole Jørgen i klokka, klokka er 21.00, det er portforbud og barna skal sove. Altså på tide for oss og gå..

Natta!

Ida (Ar Thu Moe)

Weekend news from Noh Bo!

2011-01-30T22:39:00.001+07:00

Weekend news from Noh Bo!

After a week stay here in Noh Bo it still feels like I arrived yesterday. Although on the other hand I feel so welcome here at Nigo Moi`s family`s house that it`s already feels natural to call it home. Without any blogging experience I failed to post something to the blog yesterday and that is not because of few things to write about!
Therefor will I try to write a summary for the weekend including some of all the pictures I´ve taken!

Saturday, January 29th

After lunch I didn`t go straight back to the building site but stayed at the famliy house until the last working shift. Also Aw Paw (Johannes) was there recovering from yesterdays football game. After washing Snowy (the family dog) it was time for a little photoshoot with some of the children. Clearly, both Aw Paw and Pa Tah Yae (Tore) are pretty popular among the children, but there`s no doubt that Jenny is the diva when it comes to posing for a picture!

Jenny

Back at the academy the work with the concrete slab went on, not directly slow but with the Gaw Yaw Gaw Yaw attitude implanted in everybodys mind. Ida seemed happy for feeling better again after illness and for to be photographed in the work field!

Though the work could seem to go slow sometimes the people are always positive and at the evening summary meetings there are few complains. Still many of often fell that we should have done so much more!

The last thing that was done saturday was making a stable of all the cement bags soming in on a truck while Peter did his finishing touch on the surface of the first step of the concrete floor.

Noh Bo Acedemy!

Fascinating landscapes and warm sun almost all the time.

Peter`s got a huge friend in Aw Paw!

Saturday I finally brang with me the camera to the riverside and got some really nice pictures! This was so far the last day we were allowed to bath in the river because of more tense situation along the border. (Burma is on the other side of the river.)

After another delicious dinner one of the most cheerful nights took place saturday evening. After eating (which we try to do both karen and norwegian together now) we stayed talking, some started to play memo and after a while it was time for some musical activities! Especially the boogie-woogie was a giant success! (even though some felt it was kind of Ko-Ko..)

Posing in front of the pig`s house!

Alemo (Arn Le Mo) is lucky having so many older children by his side!

All matching the adobe-wall

(Paw Eh Wah, Eto Moi, Eto Paw, Per Ni Le)

Dr. Paw Eh Wah

Sunday, January 30th

Trip to Safe Haven Orphanage

After eating breakfast late for a change and also for the first time out in a restaurant in Noh Bo the time had comed for visiting the Safe Haven Orphanage. Here we got a guided tour through the facilities (maybe got some inspiration for future building projects?), we were shown a part of the widow project and many bought some of the nice clothings they`re making. After another rice meal at the orphanage kitchen we got to know the people there through talking, singing and playing. Tae Sa Ni?? was the name of the orphanage`s driving force, trying to give a safe place for the youngest in a district of constant conflict. She seems like a woman with a big heart for the children, the latest news she told us was her doubts of her capasity of taking care of 20 more children because of new conflicts along the Thai-Burmese boarder.

All the children in the orphanage sang several songs for us visitors. An emotional moment for us all I think, the songs were too sad to suit all these wonderful kids! So, when to many tears had dropped, we all song more joyful songs in norwegian. The Boogie-woogie was repeted from yesterday with great success!

The children in the orphanage had made their own fishing pond with many potential meals some time in the future (above). To the left a bridge inside the orphanage and between all the buildings there.

Pah Tah Yae (Tore)

Working with Ga Yaw Ga Yaw

2011-01-27T21:05:00.000+07:00

Today the poles were raised, with exact precision by the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team, together with us. It’s a great experience for us to work so closely with the locals and observe how they use simple tools and techniques to make the construction. We find it very important to exchange knowledge, and we are happy to see how engaged and involved they are in the project.

We learned how to use the machete when cutting the bamboo into strips, which will be used to strengthen the concrete slab. The adobe site is now filled with new stones after an efficient day in the heat.

Stepha, at the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team, invited us to his house after work, to meet his wife and his little daughter (called “have peace” in Karen). They are ten people living in this house, altogether three generations. He was proud to show us his home and his family, and we were honored to be his guests.

Hilde, Kristin and Audhild

tusen inntrykk og vi har tatt første spadetak

2011-01-26T21:44:00.000+07:00

Så sitter vi her blant gresshopper og bambusstenger midt i jungelen, så mange inntrykk på kort tid! Små og store opplevelser absolutt hele tiden og en hane som vekker alle hver eneste morgen - ringeklokke er ikke nødvendig i jungelen! Opplevelser og en annerledes hverdag gjør inntrykkene overveldende, men vi prøver å komme inn i en rytme her og bare nyter time for time.

I dag ble første store produksjonsdag, masse manuelt arbeid med produksjon av adobestein, oppmåling av tomt og graving for hånd. Vi ble delt inn i grupper, noen fortsatte utvikle tegninger og tekniske løsninger for vinnerprosjektet fra i går. Andre dro til skogs for å finne bambus stenger, mens siste gruppe tråkket beina tunge i jorden for produksjon av adobestein. Med litt sang og "adobedans" går arbeidet som en lek :)

i mens vi sitter her er noen av våre medarbeidere ute i nattens mørke og bærer stolpene til de nye klasserommene. I Noh Bo er det ikke tillatt å bære tømmer.... hvorfor? det skjønner ikke vi, for alle vet vi bærer det nå i natt... slik er hverdagen i en flyktningelandsby. Mye som ikke er hjemme, men maten er nydelig!

solen skinner og vi bader i grenseelva mot Burma! takk for idag! celin (zeiiin) & gunvor (gumbahvmo)

Workshop dag 1 og 2

2011-01-25T22:29:00.000+07:00

Endelig har vi kommet til dette fantastiske stedet. Vi har allerede rukket å tenke mange ganger at vi er superheldige som får lov til å være med på denne workshopen, så takk Line, for at vi fikk lov til å komme! Vi har blitt tatt godt imot på alle måter, selv om det ble litt oppstuss da vi skulle passere siste grensepost før Noh Bo. Vi måtte levere pass for deretter å få navnene oversatt fonetisk til thai, for så å bli tatt bilde av (både med digitalkamera og personlig mobiltelefon)... Det ble mange nye kallenavn og mye latter.

Da vi kom fram, ble vi innkvartert i det nybygde Teamhouse, der vi ligger på rekke og rad, tre og tre, under hver vår myggnetting. Etter en, for noen, god natts søvn ble vi vekket av hanene og vi fikk servert deilig frokost på karensk vis: ris og suppe, tofu og nudler. Mmmm. Gode og mette dro vi på befaring på tomta på Noh Bo Academy og fikk hilse på elevene og se klasserommene deres. Vår oppgave blir å bygge nye klasserom til klassene Special 1 og Special 2, som er de eldste og flinkeste elevene på akademiet.

Alle bygningene som tilhører skolen ligger rundt fotballbanen; fotballbanen er på en måte tunet. Tomten ligger øst for fotballbanen, og har kjøkkenet/spisesalen og guttenes sovesal som nærmeste nabo. Bildet under viser kjøkkenet/spisesalen, og tillegg ser man adobesteinen som allerede er produsert.

På vei hjem (som det allerede har blitt) gikk vi gjennom landsbyen og fikk et inntrykk av hvordan folk lever her. Vel hjemme delte vi oss inn i grupper på cirka syv, med en blanding av nordmenn og karenere. Vi skisserte opp hvert vårt forslag til det nye skolebygget. Vi avslutta dagen med et avkjølende bad i elva, som er grensen mellom Thailand og Burma. På bildet sitter Koe Taw med Burma i bakgrunnen.

Dag to fortsatte vi med gruppearbeidet som endte i en presentasjon for rektor på skolen. Sammen med rektor og Ga Yaw Ga Yaw valgte vi hvilken løsning som skulle utvikles videre. På kvelden var vi med å feire lærerne på skolen, med sang og underholdning fra elevene og et virkelig herremåltid.

I morgen starter byggingen (selvom tegningene ikke er helt ferdige) - det blir spennende! Er umulig å skildre alle inntrykkene i korte tekster, men vi kan legge til i stikkordsform: nydelig mat (blant annet villkatt), vakker natur, varme dager, gryntende griser og sist, men ikke minst, fantastiske og smilende mennesker. Overalt!

På vegne av workshopgjengen,

Gina (Ginan), Mari (Morris) og Pernille (Fernileng)

Workshop

2011-01-22T16:39:00.000+07:00

January 2009: Tyin arranged a workshop building a new library at Safe Haven Orphanage. The workshop was for and with architectstudents from NTNU, but my colleagues ended up helping out, and got two intensive and educational weeks with the students.

The library at Safe Haven Orphanage

Phillipa during the workshop in 2009.

Peter during the workshop in 2009.

January 2010: Peter and Phillipa, their families and me, were having a Sunday-trip to Love Mountain - the highest mountain close to Noh Bo. As I was struggling to keep my body from slipping down the steep muddy slopes, Peter and Phillipa was jumping easily next to me, telling about a great idea they had. They wanted to invite Norwegians for new workshop, but this time as a collaboration between Norwegians and Ga Yaw Ga Yaw. A workshop where the participants lived and worked together with us in the village - as equals.

On our way to Love Mountain - the first new workshop-plans were made.

January 2011: The village leader liked our idea. The main sponsor said ok (we will do it as an ordinary project). The best of all: we got more then 30 applications! Students, landscape architects, architects, a carpenter, journalists etc. It was not easy to make a selection, but right now, 15 people are on their way to Thailand. Koe Taw and me are waiting for them in Bangkok, and tomorrow we will all go to Noh Bo and meet the rest of the Ga Yaw Ga Yaw team. The next two weeks we will all stay in the village and together we will design and build new classrooms for the Academy School.

View of the Academy School on the other side of the field.

Koe Taw and me right now, waiting in Bangkok.

We are looking so much forward to it!!! We hope to get the visitors to give daily contributions to this blog, so we hope you are looking forward to it too:)

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T06:05:00.000+07:00

Ga Yaw Ga Yaw Team

We wish everyone a happy new year and hope it will be really good.

So fare, it looks great! We are still working on the Teamhouse, but will have to give it a break during the workshop going on from 23. January to 5. February. During those weeks we have 15 Norwegian Architects visiting (and a Spanish one too) and together we will design and build new classrooms for the Academyschool in Noh Bo. We are looking so much forward to this. It`s going to be intensive and hard work, but also a lot of fun and a great opportunity to increase our knowledge, both on architecture and cultural exchange.

Later this year we will also build a new school in a small village named Maw Kwee, we will finnish adobe walls in the children's school in Noh Bo and build a new kitchen and eatingplace for the local monastery.

We also hope to continue sponsoring the kids in Klee Mo Kee and extend the sponsorprogram for Safe Haven Orphanage and Eh Thaw`s Home.

If you like to contribute, please use account nr: 1503 11 56081, or send an e-mail to lineramstad@gmail.com for information about our sponsorprogram for the children at Safe Haven Orphanage and Eh Thaw`s Home

Happy new year:)

Sweet December = Christmas, the Karen way.

2010-12-16T13:14:00.000+07:00

In my village, Christmas is celebrated in a month to end. December is the coldest month, and in the evening, people are burning candles outside their homes to welcome the kids singing Christmas carols. Some evenings it feels like the whole village is filled with candle lights and christmas carols.

I love Sweet December:)

Teamhouse

2010-12-06T16:03:00.000+07:00

To get some income locally and create more jobs, we have long talked about opening a restaurant/coffee shop with possibilities for bed&breakfast. A kindergarden is also part of our plans, and we need some workspace and a room to keep our equipment. To get hold of ground is not simple and there are numerous projects waiting. We therefor decided to make it a flexible, "all in one", team house. Situated along the main road into the village we assume it will be a natural place to stop, both for village people and visitors. Especially cold ice-coffie is a product we believe will be popular. As "caffe-latte" came to Norway some years ago, everybody now go to the nearest "town" to buy this sweet, cold and delicious drink. Well, everybody... That is a truth with strong modifications! Freedom might be a human right, but it does not apply for illegal-refugees! To travel to the nearest town is not obvious out here!

The design will be influenced by the adobe house we finished a head of the rainy season. There will however be improvements and adjustments for the multiple uses this house will accommodate. Flexibility and open spaces have been key concepts in the design process. We have also focused on adaption to the existing adobe house situated next door, and the outdoor area connecting the two houses into one unit.

Old burned timber posts are as good as new, and easier to get.

It requires good teamwork to cut the posts, ...

not to mention the teamwork required to get the posts in the ground, ...

Si Da Pa making sure everything is as planned.

He is our new team-leader en is taking the whole team one step further.

Arn Le Mo; a future carpenter?

Roof structure coming up.

The team house is situated next to the adobehouse made earlier this year. It is both lower and has a simpler design to adapt to the space left on the property and to fill the requirements for a more flexible use.

Pah Me making bamboo reinforcement for the concrete floor.

The rest getting the sand needed in the river.

A thin slip of soil for flowers is separating the new and existing concrete floor.

Tha Po Kwa preparing the posts for the secondary structure.

Walls are up.

Peter is preparing wood for windows. All available timber has got different sizes, so we make a template to get them equal.

Windows are made without a single nail.

Even the wooden dowels are leftover materials shaped by machete.

And sometimes, someone has some office work to do....

Velkommen til Workshop i Noh Bo.

2010-11-26T22:07:00.001+07:00

Kjære venner, kjente og andre interesserte.

Det er en sann glede og stor ære å invitere til:

Adobe og tverrkulturelt samarbeid,

en workshop i regi av Ga Yaw Ga Yaw i Noh Bo 23/1-5/2-2011

Ga Yaw Ga Yaw er en frivillig organisasjon med fokus på arkitektur og fysisk planlegging. Vi er registrert i Norge, men holder til i Noh Bo, en flyktninglandsby i Thailand, på grensa til Burma. Her bygger vi skoler, barnehjem, lekeplasser og lignende for, og med, lokale flyktninger av Karenfolket. Ga Yaw Ga Yaw betyr sakte sakte, steg for steg, og gjenspeiler filosofien vår om å bidra på et lite og lokalt plan etter hjelp til selvhjelp prinsippet. Etter gode erfaringer fra tidligere workshop`s ønsker vi å invitere arkitekter, representanter fra HENT og andre med tilknytning til byggebransjen i Norge til to intensive arbeidsuker sammen med oss her i Noh Bo i månedskiftet januar/februar.

Landsbyen trenger ett nytt spisested for munkene i det lokale klosteret og vi ønsker å invitere kvalifiserte deltakere til å designe og bygge dette sammen med oss. Vi kan love lærerike og utfordrende dager med tanke på design tilpasset tropisk klima, kulturelle justeringer og begrenset tilgang på materialer. Vi har til vanlig fokus på bærekraft, både i form av økologi, økonomi og kultur, og dette vil selvfølgelig også vektlegges under workshoppen. Språklige barrierer løses greit med praktiske tilnærminger, og kollegaene her har allerede begynt å lære litt engelsk. (Ja, de gleder seg;) Det blir innlosjering privat og i tillegg til faglig utbytte også en unik mulighet til å lære om Karenere og livet i en liten flyktninglandsby på grensa mellom Thailand og Burma.

Foreløpig program:

Dag 1: Informasjon og befaring.

Dag 2: Designkonkurranse og produksjon av adobestein.

Dag 3: Bearbeiding av vinnerutkast og produksjon av adobestein

Dag 4: Byggestart

Dag 12: Ferdigstillelse

Byggeprosjektene våre er i hovedsak sponset av HENT, og vanlige byggekostnader i forbindelse med workshoppen vil dekkes av midlene vi årlig mottar fra dem. For ekstrakostnader forbundet med mat og transport vil vi be om et bidrag på ca 600,- NOK pr pers for hele oppholdet. I tillegg må reise tur-retur Bangkok dekkes av den enkelte.

Månedskiftet januar/februar er en periode med passe temperatur. Det er varmt nok til å lage adobe (byggesteiner av jord og leire som tørker i sola), men ikke varmere enn at det er greit å jobbe. Det er også lenge siden regntiden slik at grumset i elva er borte og det er mulig med en svømmetur etter dagens innsats. For å jobbe med brunfargen anbefaler jeg imidlertid en ferie til sør, enten før eller etterpå. Siden vi er i landsbyen forholder vi oss til lokal kutyme. Det blir sosialt og lite privatliv, men sovefasilitetene er helt ok og maten utsøkt!

Vi foreslår oppmøte i Bangkok, med felles avreise til Noh Bo på morgenen søndag 23. januar. Siste dag i Noh Bo er fredag 4. februar med felles avreise til Bangkok neste morgen.

Høres dette interessant ut: Vennligst send en mail til undertegnende og fortell litt om hvorfor du ønsker å delta og hva du tenker du kan bidra med.

Frist: 17.desember. Begrensede plasser, maks 15 stk!

Påmelding og spørsmål skjer til:

Line Ramstad

mail: lineramstad@gmail.com

mob: 0066 822286300 (Thailand)

mob: 0047 97186681 (Norge fra 15.des til 6.jan)

For ytterligere informasjon om prosjektene og arbeidet vårt: www.lineramstad.blogspot.com

Ser frem til å høre fra dere!

På vegne av Ga Yaw Ga Yaw

Line Ramstad

The situation

2010-11-14T10:28:00.000+07:00

There has been “elections"

The junta friendly did well

Surprise!?!!

NOT!

My friends did not care too much about this well directed game. Their vote would not make any difference! The result was already known! What happens after the poll, is however of everyone’s concern. Now, reality kicks inn! Is what happens in Myawaddy the first step for a massive resistance, or is it just another local fight in the century long conflict? Media is in Mae Sot covering the fights and the thousands of refugees entering Thailand. The big NGO`s are also there, providing food and shelters. It is a disaster and catastrophe, but I can not help wishing for the same attention as 4000 refugees crossed to Noh Bo last year and 250 people were seeking shelter in Tasanees orphanage. No media, no big NGO`s and no food waiting....... It took a while before the most elementary needs were covered, and I will once again show my gratitude to friends and family who supported in the first crucial days.

These are pictures from the refugee situation last year, taken 3 months after the first ones arrived. The rainy season is at this point more or less over.

Temporary shelters

Old lady cooking watersnails from the river.

Some kind of shelter is essential to survive the rainy season out here.

Curious kids!

The way to safety is filled with landmines.

The refugees are now integrated in the big camps, by family members or in the villages, and situation out here is back to normal - for a while.

My neighbor harvesting rice.

Part of next years food supply.

And life goes on......

Home, sweet Noh Bo home!

2010-11-02T20:51:00.002+07:00

I have been home in my Noh Bo home for three weeks now and it has been great!

To unpack my bag, knowing I don`t have to pack it again for a while felt good. The best of all was of course to se my beautiful family, my friends and colleagues again. They were just as happy to see me as I was to see them, and after the first days of jet-leg and the obligatory kill-a-pig-welcoming-back-party, holidays were over and we started our next project. I will tell you heaps about it later, for now - some pics from the first weeks back and from the project my colleagues have done while I was gone. Enjoy:)

A very happy Ne Ga Mwee (me) with Kee Kee and Ta Se Se.

Home, sweet Noh Bo home!

Sunday, chill-out:)

Arn Le Mo with the new hat my fantastic friend Birgit has made for him:)

Movietime!

Time to party!

No party without meat, and all my colleagues, friends and their families showed up to kill the pig and prepare the meat.

This time we even made hot-dogs!

All you need is a pig, rice and some spices - and an empty bottle to fill the intestines. Put it on the charcoal and - hot dogs!

Nothing is waisted! Everyone happy:)

Shopping vegetables at the marked in Mae Tan, the closest "town".

Partypictures are never easy, but it was a great day preparing the food and a great evening back with everyone.

Karenschool in Noh Bo

The local Karen school has 70 kids divided in 7 levels - and three classrooms! No doubt they needed more space! The design is similar to the existing building, but we will replace the bamboowalls with adobe on a later stage.

The new classrooms for the local Karenshool.

Bamboo walls made the traditional way, fastened with iron tread

Toilets were also needed, and here`s the result.

Back in business:)

2010-10-12T16:23:00.000+07:00

And so much for all the blogging this summer...... What can I say, well, it has been busy! I have been working!

I started out as a landscapearchitect in an architectoffice named Cubus. It is situated in a very beautiful Norwegian city named Bergen. Some of my friends have moved there lately, so I was happy to be offered this two month engagement. It was also nice to practice my profession as a traditional landscapearchitect again, at least for a while;) I feel more up to date and it has brought some new impulses to my jungle-life/work.

The architectoffice Cubus

Situated in the beautiful city, Bergen, on the Norwegian westcoast

After Bergen I went to visit family and friends in Belgium for a very short while.

Antwerp has really changed the last years!

A lot of new buildings has popped up, and the city has renovated old areas and buildings in a large scale.

The rail station with a new facade on the back,....

...and some interesting solutions inside

Would have liked to stay longer, but the next job was waiting for me in Oslo.

I was lucky to get a job as a babysitter for the incredible nice and talented kids playing the main characters in the movie Jørgen + Anne = Sant, based on the prize-winning novel with the same name written by Norwegian author Vigdis Hjort. I read this book when I was around 10 - the same age these kids are today. I immediately fell in love the story then, and after following the making of the movie, I will totally recommend it for everyone! It`s beautiful!!! It will be shown on Norwegian movies from 25 february 2011!

From the recording of the movie "Anne+Jørgen=Sant"

The fantastic kids playing the leading roles!

And two more of them:)

Coming to a movie near you (at least if you live in Norway) in february.

Since february this year, HENT (former Heimdal Entreprenør) has been the mainsponsor of all Ga Yaw Ga Yaw`s buildingprojects. Check out www.hent.no! They are a big norwegian entrepreneur who shares some of their surplus with us. Without their help, our building projects could not have been realized! They are also following our projects on a regular base and I was proud to be invited to their office, both in Trondheim and Oslo, to give a presentation of our work for their employees. It was great! Thanks to all of you who was there for your time, for all the good questions and for your support.

As I was working in Norway, my colleagues in Ga Yaw Ga Yaw were busy making new classrooms and toilets for the local Karen school in our village. They finished some weeks ago, and after a period of collecting bambooshots and other food from the jungle, they have spent the last weeks waiting for my return. We have talked on the phone, and even once on skype, and I feel honored that they choose to wait for me before starting the next project. At the same time, I feel a bit guilty for staying away for such a long period, but I could not, and would not, go before my employment in the movie was finished. It was a new and interesting experience to me, and I like to repeat it.

Well, after more then 4 months, I am finally back in Mae Sot, killing some time in Hazel, the local internet cafe, waiting for my ride all the way home to Noh Bo. Can`t wait!

To all of my Norwegian family and friends: Thanks! It feels like the months vanished without me really entering them. It made me really frustrated and tired, but I enjoyed the work, and the memories in my head all the way to Bangkok, to Mae Sot and now, as I am writing them down, is the quality time with you that I had the chance to spend such with. I am a really lucky person who has such a big group of people that I care about and vise versa. Thanks!

Nice summer memories, spending some time at my parents place.

At a cabin with friends.

I want to say a special thank you to the fantastic family of Linn, Stian and Luna who opened their home and shared their everyday life with me while in Bergen.

Linn and Stian

The fantastic Luna!

And thanks to my mother, father and sister too:)

My mother.

My father.

My sister.

Our House!

2010-08-19T20:32:00.002+07:00

I just got this pictures of our house!

The adobe walls are finished.

Can`t wait to be there again!!!

Norway

2010-07-21T03:39:00.000+07:00

Hey there.

Sorry there has not been much blogging lately. I know it is not a smart thing to do if I want to keep having some readers, so for those of you who`s still here, thanks for staying;) I will do my best to keep up the good blog-work for the weeks and months to come.

In my Noh Bo/Mae Sot life, blogging is part of my everyday routine and I enjoy it. Everyday is different, so many things happens all the time and I feel like I have something to communicate. Now I have been back in Norway for a while, and blogging is not that easy. I am living an almost regularly Norwegian life for some months, it does not feels like it is that much to write about. On the other hand, working to earn some money for my own expenses the next year, giving presentations, trying to get more sponsors for our organization and for the orphanage, applying for visa, membership in "NAV utland" etc is also an important part of being a volunteer. If I don`t do this job now, Ga Yaw Ga Yaw will not exist anymore!

And maybe my Norwegian life is not that regularly after all. It is for sure not boring. I enjoy being back in an architectoffice again, getting some new academic input and using my education and experience in a different way then in my jungle-life. I really enjoy giving presentations, showing pictures and telling jungle-stories. Soon I will also be working as a babysitter for some young actors in a childrensmovie. I am happy walking in the mountains (without sweating), being able to drink different sorts of tasty wine and experience good concerts.

Most of all, beyond everything, I am really really happy to be with my family and dear friends again!

I realize I am in a lucky position to be part of two so different worlds, and I will do my best to let this blog include both of them.

An honest description of the everyday situation.

2010-06-22T22:42:00.000+07:00

I usually follow the news on DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma), I admire their work and courage and I think their articles are honest descriptions of the terrible situation for the people in the area.

If you are going to read only one article about it, for now, I recommend you this one. It`s short, to the point, and followed by high-quality pictures taken by locals.

http://www.dvb.no/photos/scorched-earth-karen-state/10221

Our House- Adobe walls under construction

2010-06-21T04:19:00.001+07:00

For months now our house first floor has had temporary bamboo walls and "an open kitchen solution". We have made bricks for weeks, and since the rainy season is getting closer and closer, it`s about time to get the adobe walls finished. The cows finding their way to our kitchen every night will probably get really disappointed, but it`s worth it;)

Peter is closing the kitchen wall - no more "open solution", but windows and walls with a door to our out door kitchen sink.

Our kitchen sink - Ga Yaw Ga Yaw design

Peter and Pah No

I suggested we used leftover timber for the kitchen worktop, but Peter had a better idea. Bamboo reinforcement covered with straw and adobe - much better!

The walls are up, but will be covered with a leveling layer and a finishing coat before they are completed.

Home sweet home!