Through Their Eyes… is an ongoing series of articles and videos showcasing the unique experience each volunteer has at their site through a visitors’ eyes.
Mia Buffington, Kiera Hurley, 135 YinD
Volunteer Visited: Emily Hoffmeister, 135 YinD
Volunteer’s Site: Nong Bua, Mukdahan
Why did you visit?
For the long Mother’s Day weekend and to see Isaan for the 1st time! We both went. starting in Ubon Ratchathani, then to Mukdahan, and ending in Nakhon Phanom. Emily had visited both of our sites, and we have visited each other’s, so we had to complete the circle and see the place that Emily calls home!
What did you do in their community while visiting?
In Mukdahan city, we got to start our trip with bowls of delicious Kao Piak, or Vietnamese noodle soup. We weren’t aware of the strong Vietnamese influence in Mukdahan, so that was a very yummy way to learn about it. Next, we headed to visit the famous Phra Ya, a very large Naga statue with shimmering blue-green scales and a fierce face. The temple is situated at the top of a hill, and you can touch the giant Buddha statue’s fingers while looking across the Mekong River into Laos.
A short car ride away, and we are entering Nong Bua, Emily’s site. One road runs through her town connecting both her site and Gretchen’s, a volunteer from 136! Gretchen generously allowed us to borrow her bike and helmet so we could all be mobile together. Pulling up to Emily’s house, we were immediately bombarded with puppy love. Emily has 4 cocker spaniels with long, fluffy ears that jumped and barked all over us the whole weekend. After settling in for a bit, we were ready to get out on the town.
A light rain drizzled on us as we biked through lush green rice fields to get to the dam. We passed by cows, bulls, flowers, hammocks, and roadside markets, soaking up every bit of it. Climbing the stairs to reach the top of the dam, we realized we were being blessed with a rainbow!!! It’s so rare to see a rainbow here, and it felt so special to bear witness to it for the rest of the evening. The dam was glistening with sparkles from the sun, and we knew we had to get closer. Biking down to an inlet of the marshy grounds, we found an area to frolic in together. The terrain was filled with grassy mounds and even a giant spiral shape in the ground. Everything about the experience seemed magical and filled with charm.
Dinner time called for a classic Thai meal of muu gra tat. None of us had ever gone to muu gra tat without a Thai friend in attendance, but we felt confident in ourselves. We each had our roles for a successful dinner: Mia placed the meats in the pot, Emily managed the water and vegetables, and Kiera was on ice and beer duty. We worked together and eventually were all full and ready to shower the smells of the day off ourselves.
Evening time was relaxing as we played with Emily’s silky cat, fantasized about what kind of fairy powers we would each have, and watched Practical Magic.
The next morning, we popped over to the neighborhood shop for chicken-on-a-stick to eat with our sticky rice and coffee. Fueled up, we hopped back on our bikes for a ride through the rice fields and into the rubber tree forest. We spent some time making TikToks and lounging on hammocks. On our way back, a big dog was sitting on the back of a motorcycle staring at us, and we laughed so much all the way home.
Emily then took us on a tour of her 3 schools and SAO. Her Anuban school had a playground where we played to let our inner children out. We went to her local restaurant to eat pat grapow muu with kai dows, which were very delicious. Next, we went over to the local cafe for our drink of choice, accompanied by a drawing session.
That pretty much wraps up everything we did in her community while visiting! It was a short, 1-night trip, but we saw all of her important landmarks and got a feel for where she lives!
Where does Emily live?
Unfortunately, Emily’s youngest sister, Bright, whom we have both met on FaceTime so many times, and who has been such a big part of Emily’s experience, was out on a trip with her mom, so we didn’t get to meet her. However, we spent a lot of our time getting to know her host dad, who always had a smile on his face and welcomed us with open arms. We also got to meet her other host sister, Best, whom we had the pleasure of getting to know, despite her being a little shy. Her house is located directly across the street from a beautiful wat where lots of community events are held, putting Emily in a prime location in Nong Bua. The house is filled with all of the amenities you could want or need, with two new bathrooms and even a movie theatre room equipped with AC and reclining chairs. Emily’s room is filled with warm, personal touches that encompass her personality so well. Her walls are covered in paintings and tapestries, her desk full of books, and her whimsical jewelry collection is on display. It was so fun getting to have a sleepover in it, even if Mia was sleeping diagonally on a mat on the floor 555. We were woken up sweetly in the morning by her host dad having warm cups of coffee ready for us, and the cats and dogs roaming around to give us love. We felt very welcomed in her home and are so grateful they opened their doors to both of us!
How are Emily’s schools, teachers, and students?
Since we visited over a holiday weekend, we didn’t get to meet any of the teachers or students, but we got to see all of the places Emily works at throughout the week. You could really see the personality shining through at each school. At her Anuban school, there were tons of beautiful art murals on the walls and ground, creating a labyrinth of colorful energy. We even got to see the new coffee stand that her high school students are going to be running!
What were some highlights from your trip?
It’s hard to pick one highlight from the trip when the whole thing was truly so amazing. Biking around under the rainbow in the sprinkling rain while looking out over the massive reservoir was a magical moment I don’t think any of us will ever forget. But the hospitality from her host dad and his eagerness to show us around Mukdahan made the whole experience one of a kind!
Sticky Rice 
Share your thoughts