rattan shoot villange visit

A few days ago, we, as ODOP members, had a training to people in a village of Savannakhet Province about stock-able rattan shoot Bin. Rattan in English is 籐 (Tou) in Japanese, หวๅย(Waai) in Thai. And this is called "The Laos Taste" or "Soul of Laos", because every Laos people love it, even if we don't even know the fact that it is eatable.

And normally we can get Rattan for food in raining season but at the same time, we can have a lot of vegetable in markets, so we can't sell by high price and we can't sell a lot.

So our project is trying to stack it in Bins and sell it on the winter or dry season in Laos, and in doing so, we can help income generation for the village people.

In Training, we had more than 40 participants and they are really interested in and expected this support !!!!













Smoke in local way,
Sometimes I saw old ladies eat small woods, I was thinking it's kinda their cultural food...
But Today I found out what is it.... It's the way of smoking......
Look at the pictures below. I tried. I seemed like bloody in my mouth, but it's not blood, and looks really scary. hahaha

People in every village has different life style of my past.
So every time, I'm really interested in leaning from them .

雄揮 / Yuki / ยูกิ

籐を作っている村でトレーニングを開催した。
村の人たちの生活に触れるのは、今までにない経験なので、
やっぱし楽しい

ODOP Project II

My career is unusual
It's All Thanks to AIESEC

Recently we discussed ODOP Project after this pilot project. This is because our project can last for 3 years based on the condition of the donor, which is JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) .　But of cause what we are doing is something we can stop after three years. So now we are thinking about the ODOP Project Version II after 2012 Jan, which is the end of ODOP Pilot Project Version I. Then Version II would be ran by NGO, and Maybe I would be one of the core member of the NGO (for 2,3 years). Maybe would be Project Manager or Project vice director or something =) Sounds nice right, the size of the project is around $1,000,000 ><.

My life is unusual, it's all because of L'espoir team, AIESEC in Japan, and AIESEC in Thailand. The experience gave me the passion to change the world in a positive way, confidence to survive in this unusual life and ability to make difference.

Think a lot, act a lot challenge a lot and change a lot !!!
This experience definitely help your life in your future

雄揮 / Yuki / ยูกิ

Night Market at Savannakhet

Night Market at Savannakhet

A few weeks ago, there was a night market at Savannakhet and we sold some of our ODOP products there. Though this is what I also knew recently, these opportunities are important for this project and producers. It's because basically they have only local market to sell their products, and if we make high value and expensive products, only local market is not enough to gain money based on the cost.

"Market" is one of the topic I will need to think as well as "the level of the quality of each product to be able to start to sell (if we start to sell but quality is not good, nobody would be repeater of the products).

But I can get idea of the system of the "product development"., which is useful for my future.

anyway these pictures are all of some of our products.
Banana fiber bag, Rattan shoot, Rattan Product, incense stick and honey.
looks nice, right??

雄揮 / Yuki / ยูกิ
僕の住んでいるサバナケットで開かれたナイトマーケットの様子。
ここに、自分のプロジェクトからも何品か商品を並べましたぁ

Joss Stick(線香) Villange

Joss Stick (Incense stick) Village visit

(Producers and Material of Joss Stick)

Today I visit to Joss stick Village, actually it's the first time to see how to make and who is making Incense stick/ Joss stick. I was not interested in this product actually, coz it seems really boring. But this visit changed my mid set in good way.

Actually it's wonderful product!!!!! It's really hard to make this product. you know most of the producers of this products are girls who are working at rice farm. And they make it when they don't have to work for farm.

And ODOP Pilot Project (our Project) support this product. Basically they already made it before we approached, so we support to make the quality of it better by inviting trainer from Thailand and advice the package to make it marketable and look for the market to sell.
New oneNew one and old one

Of cause I tried to make joss stick there.

This is the way to dry joss stick that Thai Trainer taught.


This one is the most hard point of the process of joss stick.
we need to make the material pieces using really heavy tool. Woman is doing it for 1 or 2 hours every time. I tried, it's really hard work yea.

And this village has also village fund to support production of joss stick, which is amazing.

I just stay there for 1 hour or so. But I felt I learn a lot of things there.
It's because basically I didn't know the real life of those people.
I hadn't ever visited and experienced.

After this Project before I worked or took master degree,
I may visit many village to stay to study in real life there.
I believe that it makes my life enriched and better.

雄揮 / Yuki / ยูกิ

線香の村に訪れました。線香を作っている人は女性で、線香は、タイやラオスでは、頻繁に使われるものです。一緒に少し作ってみたのですが、やっぱしこれを作るのにも、鍛錬された技術が必要だ。

My New Family and House

My New Family and House

From the last week, I moved at the new house, actually it's too big to stay here alone. There are 3 rooms, one kit-chin and two toilets.... And I stay here alone. Actually it's really tiring keeping my house... Two days ago, I found thousands of ants in my bed room, which means that it's the start of the battle against them. Killed many of them without being bitten. I can call myself winner. Have a look at my house picture.

New Family
Actually they are owner of my house staying next to my house. My mother father, sister and two bogs named GOGO(Black one) and Joy. Joy always bits my shoos and take them away. My parents take care of me so much. Every time they ask me to eat breakfast and dinner together.And my sister, she is my Loas language teacher as well. I feel she teach me Laos very well like real teacher.

Now I have three different lives here.
1. ODOP Project Members
2. Life With My New Family
3. Life talking with my Thai Friends.

It's not related to each other.
But enjoy all of my lives here.
雄揮 / Yuki / ยูกิ

引越しが終わり、引越し先のオーナー家族と仲良くなったよー。
いつもご飯を食べさせれもらったりとか、何かと面倒をみてもらってまーす。
暖かい家族でよかったー