The universe conspired to make things happen.
- Aoyumi Jung
- Nov 19, 2019
- 6 min read
19.11.2019
Happy World Toilet Day.
Watch Inspiring Documentary Film of Mr Toilet – Jack Sim.
From 11-14 October, 2019, these 4 days marked 3 events that I did for the first time.
First, I skipped classes at GSSE.
Since I embarked on this learning journey, I have never thought of taking studies for granted. Although I skipped this time, I had the right reason for the course of action, not staying at home to sleep. Every day during this time, I got up at 5:30 and went to bed at 12:30, with regular 4 hours travelling back and forth. I sought some accommodations in BKK to save time but it didn’t work out. However, I discovered effective bus lines and different vehicles to transport in between BKK and Rangsit, I got used to sitting in eco-buses without AC, inhaling dust and stopping uncountable times to take and drop passengers. I could earn an amount of money that is almost enough for 4-month spendings (if used properly) over 4 short days. This is such good news, but I didn’t take taxi to save time, I would save it for my travelling expenses back to my hometown. The feeling of spending the money made by myself is truly wild. No dependence. No pressure. No worry. 2020 is coming! I already sketched out the bucket list that I will accomplish next year, the first year of a new decade. Will share soon.
Second, I worked as an interpreter at a professional program.
When we hear something strange and interesting, I guess the first tendency of people is to ask how you get to know the chance. My answer would be both destiny and effort, as always. I was running into debt last Sunday, the semester almost ended and already spoilt my wallet. The most costly expense is on procedures as a foreign migrant to Kingdom of Thailand, along with my passion for café, and more. It is hard to resist myself from not drinking it though I had enough sleep at times. Café is more like an inspiration to work more focusedly and creatively. Besides, I found myself slightly passive in class last week, I participated in it by my best, yet it does not seem to trigger my brain hard to think on a practical side of life. I was hungry to improve my thinking and my communication by doing translation. I asked around and spent 1 day searching though different groups and websites. Immediately next morning, the magic came. I jumped in words, like “is it real?”. A cool job posted in the Vietnamese students group in Thailand popped up to my newsfeed shortly. I had an important presentation of my Civic Engagement Project on the final lesson, I didn’t want to skip, I miss Ajarn Pannin. I thought for a while about the cost and gain, how to arrange things suitably. Interestingly, I didn’t know who my customers were to serve, I fell in love with the program’s agenda, not the people I would meet. I thought thoroughly about my contribution to my team up to that point, it was adequate, my absence could be the space for them to shine, I am so tired of checking others’ jobs. Let them take over the tasks with joy, and some of my final inputs, logically. Then I took the job.
Third, I learnt about cooperative and inclusive women empowerment approach.
This point might be related to “luck”. It is my first time to interpret an academic topic, luckily, it links closely to my current major at school. However, I never dig deep into any field of women empowerment, and especially the co-operative model. Just 2 week ago, I consulted the “Micro-finance for women” paper of my brilliant friend in our Development Studies course, I gathered a slight digestion of women organizations and initiatives. I am familiar with development terms, but not in Vietnamese, which is miserably funny and challenging. And if had it been the fear for this shortcoming, I would not have gone for this opportunity. My expectation was to pick up as much articulation and thinking skills as possible. Then I received luck thanks to my generous “teammates” who I acted as a bridge connecting them with the course content. Even for now, I feel super embarrassed reflecting on such awkward moments when I could not come up with any proper Vietnamese words I understood. My mind went blank like an idiot. Without their kind acceptance towards my “amateurism”, I would have blamed myself much, of course I have to accept my own immaturity.
Out of my little expectation, one impressive dot warmed my heart was the friendliness and loveliness of the team from the Highland region in Vietnam. I never expected we built such a tight bond at the end of everyday. Since the first day, they stayed back talking to me before dinner, they immediately requested the organizers to save me a sleeping slot at the hotel. I couldn’t take it for the program policy. Especially, these people are working actively in coffee co-ops, they brought me back home intangibly. They carried along my hometown, my earlier journeys, my passion for coffee, new practice for interpretation skills, new knowledge of cooperatives and business, new inspiration and ideas for my social entrepreneurship studying, new understanding of climate change policy, observation of passionate youths in Southeast Asia and eye-opening about the movement of women empowerment around this world.
One thing I didn’t feel at peace was how they stressed themselves to buy gifts for friends/ relatives back home. It is heavily rooted from our culture of hospitality and materialism where people appreciate one another through gifts. They were not at ease when not discovering good presents to bring home, by the time we came to Asiatique, a heaven of decent shopping for tourists. From a positive side, I got a time to take care of people like what I do with Lens on Mekong people. I enjoy the task so much, though I don’t have time to take care of myself or shopping, I like the responsibility to keep an eye on people and make sure they are not lost around. Eventually, I am their sister who both helped them through among the alien land and blew in happy wind into their experience. It all cost effort and time, ended up being worthwhile.
Let move to the “academic subject”! From my subtle understanding previous, co-operative is the organization working on agriculture, managed by the government. One time only, I searched for “cooperative website” which left no impression for me. The point is usually near education and environment advocacy, not agriculture collaboration. In fact, my teammates enlightened me about the beautiful work of cooperatives ongoing and thriving in Vietnam. It is the model where unexperienced organizations could come together, learn skills and knowledge to develop their business, there is no limit for area of business, excepting cases that are supported by FairTrade. Additionally, the government get involved in imposing regulation policy, not impose the way cooperatives work, meaning they have high autonomy of operating the organization.
“Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations. Cooperatives bring people together in a democratic and equal way. Whether the members are the customers, employees, users or residents, cooperatives are democratically managed by the 'one member, one vote' rule. Members share equal voting rights regardless of the amount of capital they put into the enterprise.” (Reference)
FairTrade empowers certain cooperatives that meet such standards as quality, objectives, principles to create a more prosperous and inclusive ecosystems of cooperatives. This Women Leadership Learning Course is offered by FairTrade, gives outstanding representatives of Co-ops in SEA countries including Thailand, Laos, the Philipines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, opportunities to learn and contribute back to their communities. The learning model is well-structured as divided in 3 main phases for learners to easily approach knowledge and apply it in practice within space blended in courses. The topics are locally and globally essential namely human right policy, women leadership, communication barriers and conflict resolution.
A mediating and learning journey in Thailand
Hang told me recently, the learning journey in Thailand is like a meditation journey. It is true. The speed of living is slow enough to constantly reflect and disrupt myself. It is available enough to jot down all flow of thoughts in retrospect. It is generous enough to take adventure back to my beautiful memories and across the land. It is peaceful enough to live every mindful moment and create distant dots. It is inspiring enough to learn Thai and dive in the holistic culture. It is wide enough to walk on many trees and green shattered sky, gaze at branches of trees behind the water spring. It is deep enough to wander around and continue moving.
P/s. The next step is to accumulate more Vietnamese vocabulary to not only understand the mother language, but also to articulate my own thoughts and translate others' into words. Unique me, I am travelling to Highland at the first week of Jan, 2020. See you all soon!
Comments