Faces of my village.

I am an Expat living in a small village of maybe 200 people in central Thailand. The village of Ban Chong Kho is a few minutes from the larger city of Phimai. It is a farming community, where rice is the main crop. A few people raise ducks, geese, chickens, cattle and buffalo as well. We have two main roads, and about 4 smaller roads. Two long dirt roads connect us to other villages. This village and one other share an elementary school. We have no stop signs, no street lights, and almost no traffic. You can find a 7-11 just a few kilometers down the road in the next village! No McDonalds anywhere near! I have been here a few years now, trying to capture the spirit of this place and share it with anyone that cares to stop and look. Each village here in Thailand may look similar, and there are thousands like this one, but the people make each one unique and special. Most everyone is always working, even the very old. There is a government subsidy to the old, but it would only buy a few bags of rice a month, so most find ways to gather food from the fields and canals where fish are numerous and plants provide some nutrition. Many photos are pre-covid 19 times, though most are post covids. Out in the fields when you work alone, people don't wear masks. But when in public, all wear them. The local city of Phimai, with about 10,000 residents, there are about 100 current cases as of July 21, 2021. We have a few here in our little village. No one here has had a vaccine yet, as of August 2021. Just about everyone is happy to have their picture taken. I am proud to be a part of this village, and thanks to them for letting me into their lives.