Thailand 2026 (excerpt)

January 20th 2026 The village near Mae Sot

Today we leave the village. So many moments i have not written about. Hard to contain Spirit. In five days so much connection has been felt. The familiarity between us is real. Yo said it dark early morning sipping coffee under the stars around a smoldering fire.He looked up to the sky “They love you”. I feel shy saying it to myself, but I don’t think it is coming from my ego. They do love me. And more importantly, I am in love with them. They are familiar to me. I have karen feet, but not the karen tongue. I sense them in my bones, some sort of resonance. I feel this place knows me…or I know it. We know each other. I want to return and be of service to them, their ways and wisdom. To learn the language. I want to teach english to anyone who wants to learn. That ability opens up so many doors of communication, but I want to help preserve their culture. Their way of life is precious, valuable and of the earth. 

Tiga Pa and Yo, cousins. We stay on Tiga Pa’s land when we go there. Yo is my connection to this village.

The valley where the village is settled.

The Sun is coming up over the eastern ridge. The sounds of children, motorbike, birdsong rise from the valley with woodsmoke from each home waking. We met many grandparents yesterday. We hugged and held hands. They call us their youngest sister because in their origin story, the Karen are the first children of Ho Ku, the earth. White people, called Ko La Wa, are the youngest. The story goes that they were given instructions with their written language on a piece of bamboo parchment from the heavens, from the sky, Mo Ku. but the people were too focused on working in the fields harvesting rice so they left the writing on the ground and forgot about it. The hen and her chicks came round and scratched it in to dust. This is why they only have an oral language. 

Being blessed by the SHaman’s wife. Yo in the foreground and Mr. Beautiful in the back.

I will always remember the first time I saw Yo. I remember the first grandparent I met and the first home I entered, and the first word I learned; Mu’u, Fire. I remember firsts only because there have been so many and will be many returns to grandma, and friends, reunions, and connection. They are a beautiful people and I am honored and blessed to be devoted to them. Ocho ocklay, blessings upon you.