"The house on the mountain has no lights... no TV... no running water... no cinema... no massage parlor... no club, bar... no cola... Fanta... Pepsi" I've heard this song for a long time. As a city dweller, who would have known that there is an area in the country that has no electricity, no phone signal, and not even Pepsi for sale? If I hadn't experienced it myself...

Of course, many people's cool dreams must be like wanting to be a kind-hearted mountain teacher, teaching underprivileged children. Once I heard about the "Rural Teacher" project of the Mirror Foundation for a long time, but I never had the chance to go. This time, I had to set an opportunity for myself to try it out. I called that person, but they were busy, and this person was busy with work. In the end, I decided to travel solo for the first time in my life. Ha ha ha... it would be nice...

Click here to learn how to become a teacher >> http://bannok.com/volunteers/

For us, we signed up for the 166th "Heart of the Mountain Teacher" program on June 25-28, 2015. This time, we went to Ban Mae Haeng, Mae Sao Subdistrict, Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai Province. The village has solar power with battery backup for essential use. During the continuous rainy season, there will be no electricity. We were lucky because the day we went was during the continuous rain. :) The villagers there are Lahu people. They have their own language, Lahu, which sounds like watching a Korean series without Thai subtitles. Only children who have attended school can speak Thai. As for the elders, the language we can communicate with is sign language. When we go anywhere, we have to make friends with the children to be our personal interpreters. It's like being in Seoul, haha.

After a long introduction, let's take a look at what volunteer teachers do.

June 24, 2015

We started by packing our bags...oops! I mean, we left the capital at 6:30 PM. We chose to use the Bangkok Bus Terminal - Ban Tha Kham service, a P.1 bus. The driver took it easy, stopping at every small station, continuing on and on.

June 25, 2015(The first day of learning)

8.30 a.m. We arrived at our destination, Fang District, Chiang Mai Province (14 hours... too long T-T)

At 9:30 AM, Mr. Ton Sung from the Mirror Foundation picked us, the rural teachers, up to gather at the Mae Sao Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) to introduce the Mirror Foundation and provide an orientation. We introduced ourselves to each other to prepare for the upcoming activities in the village and school. We played a buddy game, drawing lots to find housemates, and then had lunch together.

The first meal as a teacher.

13.00 น. Start the adventure

A rural teacher walks about 4 kilometers into the village. Understanding the saying that life has its ups and downs, sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill, passing through orange, longan, and lychee orchards, skirting the hills, and sliding down the slopes. It's quite enjoyable.

Crossing the stream... some of us stumbled and fell, as is our style.

Around 3:00 PM, we arrived at Mae Haeng village. It was beautiful, living up to the fatigue and hardship of the journey. And we learned one truth: the village here... is accessible by car via a concrete road.

Everyone looked at each other with a hidden meaning deep inside, haha.

Upon arriving at the assembly point, the rural teachers dispersed to their respective accommodations arranged by the team.

And this is our home… a vintage bamboo house, decorated in a fusion style with colorful fabrics to add a touch of chic to the building.

After packing up their belongings, the children were led by the hand. The teachers invited each other to go to the waterfall. Before going, Teacher Pi Tong from the mirror reminded the teachers that when going to the waterfall, the teachers must take care of the children. The teachers all agreed.

As they reached a small waterfall in the village, the children eagerly showcased their impressive diving skills to the rural teachers. The teachers were left speechless, watching in awe as the children performed daring jumps and slides on the rocks. Even Siam Park, with all its grandeur, would have to bow down to this display of natural talent.

Okay, kids, take care of your teacher, okay?

After playing in the water to our heart's content, it's time to cook our own food... and this is our kitchen.

Opening the door...ta-da!!!... We found...a pile of firewood...almost burnt out... We, the AF house members, found a pile of firewood... We were not as surprised as we were to find a pile of firewood that was almost burnt out... We, the city girls, looked at each other with wide eyes... It seems that we will be hungry tonight.

…the fire flared up again..

And here is the face of the young girl Supaporn (blue pants), our talented hero. I secretly tell you that the children here have very good self-help skills and are very responsible for housework. While the teacher is cooking, the children will automatically help to clean the dirty dishes without being asked.

During mealtimes, the teachers would be surrounded by their fan clubs. Wherever they went, the children would help them carry their belongings.

Surrounded by fans like a celebrity.

7:00 PM We will have recreational activities, games, and music with the children of the entire village. This will be followed by a stage presentation introducing the history of the village, a question-and-answer session with the village leaders, and a summary of the activities planned for the next day.

**June 26, 2015 (First Day of Teaching and Learning Activities)**

8:00 a.m. Rural teachers and students salute the national flag in front of the flagpole.

Let's play some recreational games to stretch and exercise before we start the lesson.

Let's start the lesson!! Each teacher tried their best to lure and motivate the children. They were very dedicated.

12.00 p.m. The teachers have lunch together. Today, the teachers will bring food from home to share and eat together.

After lunch, the rural teachers dispersed to perform their assigned duties. Responsibilities were divided into 3 groups:

1. The recreational group is responsible for organizing activities with the children.

2. The teaching and learning media group is responsible for improving classrooms and creating teaching and learning media.

3. Playground construction team: For strong and energetic teachers, responsible for overseeing the improvement of the playground area for the children.

..The rain is drizzling.. We have to give a big hand to the teachers who made the outdoor playground special.. They didn't give up at all..

7:00 PM Leisure activities of rural teachers Summarize the activities of the past day and prepare activities for the next day.

June 27, 2015 (Second Day of Teaching and Learning Activities)

Waking up early... let's explore the village a bit... Most of the villagers here believe in their ancestors and Christianity. This is the church of Mae Haeng's house.

Most of the villagers' houses here are built from whole bamboo stalks, which are flattened into planks like wood boards. These are used for flooring and house walls.

The local food court at Mae Haeng's house has both noodles and desserts. This shop is the best because it's the only one in the whole village.

The village paths are concrete roads, sometimes uphill and sometimes downhill, but not tiring at all (=. = ')

The learning center of the Thai hill tribe community... where the children study... has one full-time teacher, Kru Akkaradech, who is responsible for all levels.

Another style of house in Mae Haeng

Along the way, you can easily spot companions such as chickens, buffaloes, black pigs, and dogs on the roadside.

Is this... Kurobuta... right?

What are you looking at? Taking pictures in a hipster style... accidentally spacing out

Hipster bookshelf

8:00 AM Meet at the school. Teachers and students helped plant vetiver grass on the path leading down to the waterfall to prevent soil erosion.

Teachers and students worked together to plant vetiver grass with great enthusiasm.

After planting the vetiver grass, the teachers dispersed to carry out their assigned duties. They improved the condition of the classrooms, made teaching materials, participated in recreational activities with the children, and continued the construction of the children's playground from the previous day. The rural teachers worked together with full effort.

The children are diligently coloring.

12.00 p.m. Lunch together. Today, the adults kindly made authentic Khao Soi for the teachers and children.

After successfully completing the assigned activities, the teachers and children played sports together with great joy, falling and rolling around a bit.

After playing activities until tired, it's time to enter the kitchen

7:00 PM Tonight at the village square, there will be a performance of "Lahu Culture" by villagers and children in the community :)

..The teachers are really enjoying themselves. ..

After the villagers' performance was over, it was the teacher's turn to perform for the villagers to watch. They laughed so hard their jaws almost fell off.

**June 28, 2015 (The Day of Farewell)**

Waking up early to enjoy breakfast at the largest commercial district in the village :)

What I got was 5 packs of sticky rice with grilled pork, the 5 baht sticky rice was bigger than my palm, and 4 boiled eggs with herbs, all for 70 baht.

Saying goodbye to the little minions... One of them is named "Ja Sum", a very talented child... But when you enter the city, change your name, my child... Hearing the name doesn't make me feel good.

This person's name is Rachaneegr.. Sweet smile.

Behind the scenes

Girls' Gang

Cheese :)

What are you talking about???

Mule..This style is trending

"Smile"

The naughtiest boy in the village is Phutiphong...

Smile please.

Tell me to do the coolest pose...

Our playground :)

The original text is in English. It is a paragraph with a line break.

Here is the translation:

The translated text is in English. It is a paragraph with a line break.

The children are happy... The teacher is happy too.

Is this an angel??

Behind the scenes

"Friendship" made me realize that traveling alone isn't so bad after all..
..The journey made every second that was yet to come seem exciting..and every second that passed seemed meaningful..
..Thank you for our decision this time, it made this trip more memorable than any other..
..Thank you for the hardship that taught me to be patient..
..Thank you for the lack that led to generosity..
..Thank you for the smiles and encouragement that created friendship..
..Thank you for the sharing and helping that created good memories.. .
..Thank you to the village without electricity that allowed us to spend time together to the fullest..
..Thank you for the dirt that stained my shoes, the hot sun, the rocks I stepped on, the cool water..it made me feel like my old self was back again..

When I came alone, I took the bus and felt indifferent..but on the way back, I don't know why I was sitting there smiling to myself.

Rural Teacher Generation 166 "Heart of the Mountain Teacher"

Thank you :

- Teacher Art and Teacher Mali kindly provided some activity photos here.

• Layzue Kongprakhon Sister May of the mirror for the memory clip of the rural teachers.

-Thank you to the Mirror Foundation for the great project that gave us good memories together :)