It is near impossible for me to explain or describe my feelings surrounding the CBT March trip. I have avoided having to answer any real questions for the last couple of weeks since I have arrived back at home. Mostly I just find that explanations and descriptions simply escapes me. I realized that nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to experience on this trip and the little I assumed to know paled in comparison to the actual reality.
It was personally fulfilling to visit the villages with the intention of doing good, yet at the same time it was embarrassing for me to assume that I was the one that knew best. Often I felt a very soft young man amongst strong and capable people. It is easy for me to recall visions of those we have worked most closely with. Many of them possess wise and caring faces with deep laugh lines etched into their cheeks, and stained hands carrying traces of what they know most - their land and their embroidery. Their ability to create products out of their natural environment, their resourcefulness and work ethic made me question my ability to have the answers. I found it odd to be teaching people that were my elders and more capable than I – however, in the context of tourism I am certain that our knowledge was incredibly valuable to them.
Are we making a difference in the villages we work in? The question burns in all of our minds and it has to. We cannot assume to be doing any justice if the hard questions remain unasked. In this regard, conviction is our most powerful tool and nothing has helped us more than this. We have all come to the conclusion that, above all else, what we needed to know beyond a doubt is that we have done everything in our power to make this project a success for the people of Ta Phin and Lao Chai. Beyond this level of effort exists an outcome that could not have been attained regardless.
It may seem as though I am challenging our presence in the villages and challenging the idea that our project can help improve the quality of life in the villages. We all fear that our best will not be good enough - not because the training we're delivering is not essential, but more because the issues are so vast and what is at stake is so precious. Change is imminent for the communities regardless of our presence, and at the moment villages like Ta Phin lack the capacity to steer tourism in a desired direction. In this model of tourism development the villager is at a significant disadvantage. Our training evens the playing field - providing a voice and an arena for the Red Dao or Black Hmong to express their interests and concerns in the community. Our project doesn’t just revolve around teaching the villagers about tourism businesses or home-stays, it also gives power and choice to the less fortunate. I fully believe that we are playing an essential role in the consultation process for the leaders in the community and contributing to a gradual improvement on the quality of life in the villages.
It is impressive to think of how the Red Dao or Hmong peoples have been living traditionally in the region for hundreds of years –subsequently- change comes very slowly. I watched intently – as we all did - for small victories. The trip had many big successes that involved community stakeholders at every level and I was fortunate enough to witness the process. It is, however, natural to be in a position of wanting - wanting to see success and to see immediate results - and I found this the hardest part of the trip. I constantly had to remind myself that wanting to see us rushing into big changes was selfish and naive. Rarely do rushed results make sustainable long term impacts and no community serves as a better example of this than the village of Ta Phin. How do we know what is best and what will work in the community? Quite simple: we ask them.
Is it up to us - Capilano U, HOU, the student volunteers and PATA - to make the difference? Yes, certainly we are all acting as a catalyst for change in the region and our involvement makes us partly responsible for what that change may mean or look like. I personally feel, however, that success does not belong to us. Some portions of it may, but unless the success belongs to the H'Mong and Red Dao peoples or their local government then we will not have actually succeeded. At times it was hard to swallow the feeling of wanting and hoping for something dramatic to happen while I was there. Again, however, success does not exist if we impose change on our own terms - changes must be adopted by the local stakeholders and must be representative of their wishes. We cannot assume ownership over what success is - if this happens then success stops the day the project is finished. I have to remind myself that our goal is to build upon local capacity to manage tourism over the long term, not to manage tourism for them while we are there.
Since arriving home a couple of weeks ago I have been attempting to absorb everything that has happened. In my reflections I have decided to remove all of my personal reservations as to what success for the community may look like. Everyone in the CBT team played their roles exceptionally well and we have every reason to count the small victories on the trip. Change does not happen overnight and offering our best will contribute to creating a better tomorrow for all of the stakeholders involved. Many questions are yet unanswered and only the future holds the truth for such things. For now, at the very least, I can say with full confidence that the part I played in this project has proven to be a highlight of not only my education but of my life as well.
At any rate the time has come to move forward and focus on the upcoming Hanoi Open University (HOU) team trip in May and the coming Capilano U/HOU team trip in June. I am sure that Capilano U students Taryn Bodrug and Louise Wirtz will have every bit as great an experience as all of us involved in the March trip. I can’t wait to see what happens next…..
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