the birth of an idea...

The idea was hatched at Ban Yafu village during a 2-day trek in the hills of Chiang Rai in Dec 2007. Guided by Kitt, we visited the Akha and Lahu hill tribes and learnt about their interesting but fast vanishing cultures. We also enjoyed the beautiful untouched sceneries of Thailand's northern most territories.

Kitt is from the Karen tribe whose parents are rice farmers. He grew up helping his father in the rice paddy so he knows the A-to-Z of growing rice. It then dawned upon us that as city folks, we knew so little about rice - a staple food that we grow up on. When we think about rice, we think of ready packs of it in supermarket or provision shop. How many of us are truly able to appreciate that behind every grain of rice lies many months of labour under the sun and rain, and tender loving care by the farmers in the paddy.

We thought how wonderful it would be for us to experience the life of a rice farmer and learn first hand the planting of rice in a paddy field. An after dinner chit-chat with Kitt in Ban Yafu thus grew into a joint project for us in 2008.

the plan

Incidentally, the sowing season in June and harvesting season in November fall right into the school holiday periods in Singapore. We decided to try out the experience for ourselves as a family in June and November 2008.

Jin and I are particularly pleased that this will be a life lesson, learnt experientially, for our daughter, Robyn (9+), on "You reap what you sow" and "Delayed gratification (sowing and reaping are in different seasons)". It's also a back-to-nature experience for us all.

Our plan is to collaborate with Kitt to offer this magical planting rice experience to other interested families and children in 2009.

>> Rice Planting Experience on 8-14 June 2008