We were waiting for the rain to
stop. The head of the village was telling our group of their practices and
traditions, trying to entertain us until it was safer outside to travel. The
persistent rain forced him to then go into how they work and survive in such a
rural place. It turned out that everyone in this village and surrounding
villages made a living off of harvesting rice. As my curiosity began growing to
the point where I actually began asking questions, I was interrupted by clear
skies. A local farmer then led us on a bike ride around their village and
surrounding rice patties. The rest of the group that my girlfriend and I were
with seemed as if they thought they were in Cancun for spring break. The
villagers who got back to their farm work stared at them as they jumped into
the mosquito infested fields to take selfies. As we noticed a trend of them
lagging behind to take their photos, then catching up with us and the villager,
my bike’s tire amazingly blew out. YES! The “tour guide” then told the rest of
the group how to get back, and proceeded to walk my girlfriend and I around the
patties. I took this opportunity to ask him about his life. His family works
everyday to maintain the rice. Rain or shine. If they loose a crop, they don’t
eat. They work to feed their kids until their kids can work to feed them. As
the walk was coming to an end he told us that they make about $200-250 a year.
If this wasn’t shocking enough, he
then proceeded to tell us about the other villagers who have found a way of
making much more profit. Mining. The presence of gems found in the mountains
surrounding the area they live in has caused companies to hire people from the
villages for a much higher wage than that of rice farming. Blinded by money,
everyday these villagers blow holes in the mountains that keep their villages
and crop safe. The villages in Mai Chau are slowly becoming less sustainable.
Once they begin showing a dependency on these outside sources, it will become more
and more of necessity to rely on them to survive.
Even though the beauty of Mai Chau
was overwhelming, during the rest of our stay I was haunted by thoughts of the
future for this area. How many more generation will it last? How long will it
be before all of their cultures traditions and practices are forgotten?
On the last morning there I went on
a walk to watch the sunrise. Not knowing where to go, I followed a boy and his
brother as they lead their family’s cattle to feed. They turned around
disturbed by my foreign presence, then proceeded to smile. Though, I was
saddened by thoughts of their future, I forced a smile back then proceeded to
look for the sun.
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