Transformation... theatre, life, living and being...

It is my 7^th week in Thailand and at Makhampom and, what a journey it has been…

Clearly, I am a little slack on the blogging! Between two Facebook accounts and two email addresses - my own and the Makhampom Reunion account, Skype, Chats, Video calls and every other bit of amazing access to communication, the blog has been the last on the list.

Today is a very hot and steamy day in Northern Thailand! There is a photo of 'my office' below... “My office”, as you can see in the photo below is pretty hard to handle! Mountains, rice fields, banana trees, dragonflies and butterflies everywhere and the odd lazy dog in the midst… you can see that my working conditions are really pretty ‘organic.’ My partner asked me yesterday, after I showed her a photo of ‘my office’ how I will go when I need to head back to Green Square. Ironically, the only ‘green’ in Green Square are the plants that I managed to smuggle in one day. Apart from that, it is ‘green’ in the sense of carbon neutrality and energy saving whereas Makhampom, is green in every way. So, I might need to smuggle in some more plants and meditate each lunch time recalling the Makhampom surrounds…

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on some key strategies for Makhampom around enterprise development, making application to VIDA (Volunteering International Development Australia) to host a position here at Makhampom next year for 12 months – Community Theatre and Circus Facilitator, finalising the 2011 Reunion program and, have just spent the weekend in Bangkok attending the Theatre for Transformation Showcase.

Theatre for Transformation (photos below) is a three-year program, funded by the United Nations and Thai Health Fund to support young people across Thailand to share their stories and current issues that are of interest to, what is called, the new generation. This happens through a series of workshops with Makhampom facilitators across the country to produce a performance. Each group then showcases the work in their local community and region. From this showcase, three groups are chosen, from each region, to represent at the larger showcase in Bangkok. He they will receive feedback from well-know actors and theatre academics.

I saw approx 15 performances on Saturday (yes, it was a long day 1 – 9pm – all in Thai) addressing a range of issues from family, generational disconnection, technology and its impact on community, displaced communities (refugee communities with very little rights in this country – cannot even receive access to medical treatment outside their village), relationships between young people and parents, violence, war, the inequity of difference and much much more. It was a very insightful and fabulous afternoon – truly.

Have spent some time hanging out with Xris Reardon from Third Way Theatre in Melbourne who is here for the next 18 months working on an AVI (Australian Volunteers International) assignment with an NGO called GABFI – working with marginalised communities through theatre. We, along with other AVI volunteers went to a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms in Bangkok on the weekend. You can see photos of Condom Man below! This organisation works to raise awareness and funds to support HIV education, awareness and prevention throughout Thailand.

My time here is proving to be spacious, inspiring, delicate, soothing and full of interesting learnings and funny stories.

Patience is becoming my new best friend!

With love,

Jade