Who would have thought that I would have been able to hike in the forest for 6 hours? I certainly knew it was a challenge and going to Omgoi for the coffee trip was definitely a challenge both physically and mentally for me. But before I proceed here is some background information about the trip:
The trip is led by Mr.Gangi, where 15 students go to Chiang mai in order to learn about the community in the first night, specifically to talk to Fairnist’s current suppliers of coffee. Then, as a group we will be hiking into the mountains of Omgoi which is an approximately 6 hours of a hike. Where, once we reach we will do a needs analysis and work with the following projects : making a video, interviewing, collecting statistics and a working with the virtual reality camera. Where the aim of this trip is to provide sustainable work and income for the communities specifically living in Omgoi which was already done for the workers in Chiang Mai.
Prior to the trip these were my personal objectives and aim from the trip:
I will be growing as a person as I am challenging myself to embrace this chance as a learning opportunity. I decided to go on this trip to have a new experience and to go out of my comfort zone, as I am not very used to going out to the wilderness. But also I was not good friends with anyone who was on the the trip. A challenge will be to adapt to the lifestyle in Omgoi as I have never been up there and I am expecting to experience culture shock as I realize that my lifestyle is very different to there's because I am very privileged and take basic needs for granted. Another challenge I will face that will potentially allow me to grow is going on the long hike, as I am not a big fan of going into the mountains and just walking. Doing this will make me stronger and learn new skills of hiking and different techniques to ensure I don't fall off when going up steep parts of the mountain. Another challenge that I may face is not using my phone, as in Bangkok I use my phone quite a lot and am quite attached, but in Omgoi there is hardly any signal and chargers which will again challenge me and allow me to grow and appreciate the world
After going to the trip I was able to develop a different perspective on their way of living and on my own as I began to realize all the things that many of us including myself have taken for granted. Firstly, the 6 hour hike in was very challenging as the last time I had done this extensive cardio was years ago in the year 10 hike. Not only this, but the mindset I had to keep was so important as In the beginning of the hike I tended to complain a lot about being tired but I was too busy being selfish to realize that other people are struggling as well. As a task of hiking a mountain / forest is challenging due to the extensive distance but also the amount of uphill versus downhill. But in the middle of the first hike up, I decided to change my mindset in order to have a positive mindset and rather of criticizing nature to appreciate the fresh air and the things around me such as the trees and the pleasant view of the mountains. Moreover, I was able to understand the importance of the concept “slow and steady” and that “everyone is at different levels”. As when getting into the hike, I always wanted to be ahead of the “pack” however as I started to get more tired I realized that it was better for me to pace myself in order for me to not over exhaust myself but also ensure that I was able to have energy to finish the hike. After thousands of steps, the feeling when we reached the village was amazing; a combination of relief and happiness. BUT, the reality of how different the village lifestyle and the surroundings hit me. There were mud pigs casually walking in the pavements (I wouldn’t call it a street). And... there was no wifi. As much as not having connection to wifi seemed to suck this experience allowed me to enjoy and understand my surroundings which include the view from the mountain but also to engage more with the community; both my new friends in the NIST community but also the Omgoi community. By not having Wifi, I thought it would have been hard, however it was quite easy. Thus at the moment of not having wifi, I was able to understand how addicted myself and society have been stuck to technology and has forgone the importance of nature and things as simple as the fresh air and the cold breeze.
Moreover, to ensure that I was in the wilderness here are a few things that I dealt with in the stay that has allowed me to be more appreciative of my life at home in the city. COLD SHOWERS.... COLD BUCKET SHOWERS. It took a few splashes to get used to it however every time going back to the cold bucket showers was a challenge. Moreover, waking in the morning at 6am hearing the chicken singing was quite exciting. But, coming outside at 6am was strange as it was still dark was exciting as well. However, going to brush my teeth without having a running sink allowed myself and my fellow friends to think of how to solve this problem. We took our water bottles and improvised and successfully brushed our teeth. But again, this made me realize how important the little things actually are. Additionally, walking through the community allowed me to change my perspective, everyone was actually socializing and talking to each other. Surprising to see, in the city majority of us are busy in a different world. However, majority of the community in Omgoi were busy socializing with each other and with us. Us learning from them, them learning from us. However, one of the highlights other than interacting and learning about the community and successfully adapting to a different lifestyle for a few days, was playing a Thai version of football with the kids in the society. An additional highlight was that a group of my friends and I who decided to take a short hike up the mountain (around 25 minutes) in order to see the water tanks but also try to get some wifi signal. Yes, there was wifi signal and I was about to get hooked back but then I realized after using my phone for a few minutes that I’m on a mountain and that I should be enjoying the fresh air and view rather than my phone. Before I conclude, I wouldn’t forget to mention the experience of entering a (very undeveloped) toilet and seeing a humongous spider on the ceiling; which was quite terrifying. However, as a whole, this trip has allowed me to overcome many challenges and go out of my comfort zone which has changed my perspective and view of how beautiful nature actually is. But also how, I take the simple things for granted as the fresh air up in the mountains which can’t be compared to the heavily polluted air in our city.
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