A Spicy Week in ECHO

En Min Saw

“HUAHUAHUAHUAHUA…” Matthew Strong’s (12) contagious laughter echoed through the atmosphere. At 5:30a.m. on Sunday morning, the Northern Thailand Impact Team led by Ms. Munson, Aunt Jan, and Mr. Pagee embarked on their technology-free journey to discover more about agriculture. About ten tiring hours later, they arrived at the Chiang Mai International Airport, at which they were greeted with three vibrant red songthaews.

Surprisingly, the ride from the airport to the outskirt of Chiang Mai only lasted half an hour. The songthaew entered an enclosed area—the ECHO Research Center. At this center, the staff works hard to experiment with different methods of seed storage, which enables local farmers to grow consistent crops and prevent wipeouts of certain species. While gazing at a sheet of green rice paddies bathed under the sinking sun, the students couldn’t help but gasp at the beautiful view. “If I type ‘meadow’ into Google, this is actually what comes up,” exclaimed Mandy Lim (12), holding up her fingers to frame the paddies.

The next day, replenished with energy, the team was eager to get down and dirty. The morning began with a tour of the ECHO compound, through the compost station, plantations, the mirror-like pond, a mini barn, and seed storage rooms. The staff also explained to them the goals of this trip: complete the earth-bag house for seed storage, remove water plants for compost purposes, and assist in the seed plucking, germination, and storing processes.

The earth-bag house was a round-house with bags filled with mud as walls, thatched with straws. This allowed the temperature in the house to fluctuate less and therefore store seeds better. The students were tasked with the job of covering the interior and exterior with a thick layer of mud to solidify the building. Getting right to work, they had to first prepare the mud. To do so, a combination of soil and rice husks were made into a volcano-like shape then filled with water. The students stepped in the mixture in a circular motion while the mud gradually took shape. This mud was then slathered on the walls. Of course, cheeky Dalat students had to throw dirt on each other and start mud fights. Everybody was relatively amused amidst the labor work.

The tale of the pond with the infestation of spiders and snails was well-known by the entire team. To remove the water plants for compost purposes, the team had to submerge themselves in waist-deep pond water to remove the plants. What was the worst part? The pond was filled with spiders, both tiny and large. Many members took up the courage to enter the “evil” pond despite their fear of insects. These water plants were then chopped up and played a significant role in the compost. Layers of fresh plants, followed by dried plants and cow manure, were compressed into a large cake-like mold with the constant pouring of water. According to the ECHO staff, this procedure speeds up the compost process by more than eighty percent.

Although managing seeds wasn’t as labor intensive as the previous jobs, it was a very tedious process that required patience. From retrieving the seeds to storing them, a lot of work was poured into this procedure. Along with the work, the students gained a few insights on the methods of seed storage.  

Free time and snacks were the rewards for the team’s hours of dedication under the sun. “Yo, who’s down to play a massive Spicy Uno game?” Duncan Magruder (11) offered.

Munching on chips and cookies, the students all responded with excitement. Spicy Uno became one of the staple board games of the Northern Thailand Impact Trip. The team did not survive one day without it. After a few days, Joel Kelley (11) introduced everyone to a game called “Murder in the Dark,” which provoked the detective side of the players. It was played in a dark compound, which made the situation even more nerve-wracking and thrilling. Other than that, the team swam in the pond, played casual games of badminton, volleyball, and ping-pong, and reflected about their day.

In a blink of an eye, six days flew by. Before the team even knew, they had to say goodbye. Bags packed, the leaders and students heavy-heartedly climbed onto the songthaews and returned to reality. Even though the trip ended, it was the beginning of the formation of new relationships and the strengthening of existing relationships.

“This Impact trip made me grow spiritually and taught me how to handle unexpected situations well. It also brought me closer to people I didn’t expect to bond with. During work, we lifted each other up through encouragement and motivation, and that truly solidified our relationships,” expressed Seong-Min Kim (12).