We started off our first full day in Chiang Rai by visiting the Chiang Rai Starfish School and talking to an Akha legal aid. She is the first female lawyer of the Akha people. She told us some interesting and saddening stories about tribal women's lack of rights. For example, in one story a women was abused by a male neighbor and after reporting it, her and her family were arrested for not being legal citizens (hill tribe communities are not considered citizens of Thailand). Sad circumstances like this one discourages more hill tribe women from reporting personal experiences of abuse or assault. The lawyer at Starfish is working to encourage women to report these incidents and believes that starting small at Starfish could lead to big change throughout the whole country--and hopefully it does. While we were at the Chiang Rai Starfish, however, I couldn't help but feel sad from missing the Chiang Mai Starfish students and staff we just left yesterday. On the plus side, we can start emailing them all to keep in touch and help with the students' English. :) After the school, we visited a beautiful Akha village and got some yummy soup at a restaurant. Then we took a lovely longboat ride down the river all the way to our hotel. It was probably one of the highlights of this trip for me. It was not only relaxing, but beautiful to see the all the greenery. We have probably taken every form of transportation on this trip. And to end the day we had some free time by getting to relax by the pool. I'd say it's a successful day.
