House Of Love – The Movie

At long last, we present the trailer for House Of Love.

We’ve been back for 2 months now and a lot of people are asking “what’s up?” with the movie.  Great question.  We’re in the midst of Phase II of the project which includes transcribing and translating about 35 hours of footage.  We’re almost done with the interviews in English and our wonderful translator is diligently working on the Thai interviews.  Oh yeah, and we have interviews in 3 tribal languages too (Akha, Lisu and Lahu).  Total we’re going to have 5 languages in this documentary (here’s a quick piece of advice for all of you aspiring documentarians:  if you want to make life easier for yourself–don’t put 5 languages in your first documentary).  Thus, we’re “slowly digesting” all of our footage and prepping for Phase III (scriptwriting/editing). 

Meanwhile, speaking of digesting we’ve posted a clip of us eating fried bugs.  Yes, Thailand’s version of KFC.  This footage may offend some of you by totally grossing you out.  But, trust us, fried bugs–like every other exotic food–ends up tasting just like chicken.

Bon Appetit!

Keith, Fred, Mike and Brad with the House of Love family and their new shades.

Last night was our last time with the kids at the House of Love.  After shooting 1 interview and some coverage shots we put the cameras away and just hung out.  We sang together, hugged, prayed and said our goodbyes.  As a “thank you” gift we gave each one of the kids a pair of sunglasses.  It seemed appropriate since our sunglasses seemed to be their favorite toys whenever we were with them.

Saying goodbye was emotional for all of us.  Several of the kids began to cry and so did we.  Even though we don’t speak the language it’s amazing the strong connection you can make with people just by spending time with them and trying to understand each other.  Taw, one of the teen girls at the House, colored a picture for each of us and gave it to us as we left.  Oy gave Keith a long hug and cried.

Before our trip we were worried that the kids would not like us or our cameras.  Who could blame them as no one likes to have a camera in their face all the time.  But, these kids were super hospitable and welcoming.  They not only allowed us in their house with our cameras, they allowed us into their hearts.  Whatever happens with the footage remains to be seen.  But, for sure, we’re all taking away a richer sense of compassion, joy and friendship–from 28 kids that we didn’t even know two weeks ago.  Leaving is harder than we all expected.  We’re all looking forward to getting back to our kids and families.  But we’re dreading a sense of reverse culture shock as we head back to the land of mortgage payments, $5 Happy Meals, Super Malls and deadlines.  Much of what we worry about seems so trivial over here and maybe that’s because it is.  The kids at the House of Love don’t have much materially compared to most Americans but they are rich when it comes to Love.  They’ve got a lot!

We interviewed Noon, a former staff member who is from the Karen tribe.  Having worked closely with the kids for 6 years she was able to share  quite a few stories with us. One of which was about a boy, who died of AIDS. At one point in the interview she began to break down and cry. I think most of us in the crew had the same feeling, like useless objects. It’s natural (for some) to want to comfort and encourage, when someone is hurting, but the language gap sometimes leaves you feeling useless. I cant help but think of my own family and how fortunate we are. Their faith in the face of hardship and cruelty is what strikes me the most.  Its inspiring to see how it has grown and changed so many lives for the good.

Mike Jackson on the Mic as we interview Oy

We also interviewed Oy, one of the House of Love family members who happens to be deaf.  Oy is a pretty amazing person.  She’s very upbeat, expressive and extremely fun to be around.  All of us noted that Oy is one of the kids we’ve connected with the most–even though she cannot hear us and we don’t know sign language.  However, her ability to communicate is extraordinary.   Oy told us via a sign language interpreter that she hopes to go back to her tribe someday and work with the deaf.   She also wants to go to a special school for the deaf in Washington, D.C.  And trust us, if you met Oy, you’d quickly see that she is not going to let much stand in the way of doing what it takes to reach her goal.  She’s a real “go-getter” and exciting person to be around.   It may sound trite but it’s more than appropriate to say that words cannot describe our admiration for Oy.

We have only 2 more shoot days left.  Frankly, it’s hard to believe.  We’ve got to do so much since we landed late last Saturday night.

Keith and Fred--doing whatever it is they do.

Today we shot an interview with Kehm, the Director of the International Justice Mission in Thailand.  IJM works on getting legal status for Ethnic minorities in Thailand.  As Kehm said today “Without citizenship, there is no hope for the hill-tribe people.”  Unfortunately, that is the reality.  Without citizenship, ethnic minorities are denied the best jobs, education and have to pay for healthcare–which can force them to do things they wouldn’t do if they had a way of making a living.  Thus, they sometimes turn to hollow promises of jobs in other cities and become vulnerable to being “trafficked” by unethical people who sell them into domestic servitude and prostitution.  Many ethnic minorities here do not speak Thai either so it is very difficult for them to survive in this society.  There are some happy exceptions though, like Kehm, who is Akha and a lawyer and is working to give back to his people.

Kim with one of her kids, Nuchanee, and staff member Stephanie Gay

We also did our final interview with Kim Brown today–which was a great way for us to tie up loose ends in our House of Love story–now that we know the kids personally.  Kim told us great stories about some of the kids we’ve been following for the past few days.   It’s amazing and inspiring to us that Kim has such a love for all 28 of these kids.  She knows each of them personally.  Each day after her “day job” she goes to the House of Love and spends time with the kids, checks on the ones that need help and cares for the ones that are hurting.  As her sister said “Kim is a true Mom at heart”.  We’ve been impressed by the way kids love and respect Kim.  It really is a family here.  We’ll be sad to go.

We’ve spent the past few days interviewing kids from the House of Love.  These are kids from a totally different culture and upbringing.  Yet, their hopes and dreams are the same as the kids from our home town.  They want to be teachers, doctors, nurses.  They want to love and be loved, have fun and laugh.  Some of the older girls at the House of Love confessed they talk about boys, discuss who is cute and which celebrity they’d like to have as their boyfriend.  Some even have “Teen Beat” type posters of Asian hunks hanging on their walls.  These are all such normal parts of being teen-agers.

Keith with 3 Teens from the House of Love--walking to get ice cream

There are differences though.  These kids live with the reality of HIV everyday–something most American teens are removed from.  Yesterday, we interviewed Ajai, a 17-year-old boy who has lived at the House of Love for several years.  He broke down in tears when he told us about his former room-mate who died from A.I.D.S. three years ago.  We were tempted to stop the interview but he wanted to tell us the story of how his roommate was his best friend.  He told us all that he learned from his room-mate before he died and how they prayed together as he was dying. Ajai misses him terribly.

Fred with Da--the first House of Love resident

After the interview, Kim went to talk with Ajai to see how he was doing.  He said he was sad but that was normal for him when he talked about his best-friend who had passed away.  Unfortunately, death is an ever-present reality at the House of Love.  Yet, these kids don’t face death or the death of their friends alone.  They are surrounded by a support group of people who love them beyond the sting that death brings.  Love is not just for the happy times.  In fact, true love is probably most powerful in the midst of grief and heart-ache.  These kids have a special home that nurtures honest communication, deep friendships and unconditional love.  Despite the sadness of the interview, we felt comforted knowing these kids are learning how to love and seem more than willing to give it away to anyone who needs it.

Our first day here was filled with activity. We first met with the owners of the guest house where we’re staying to hear about some of their experiences here and to get a brief orientation to the city of Chiang Mai. Next we walked to the currency exchange office to convert dollars to baht, and then began scouting locations for our shoot. We visited the open markets where locals buy their food and other necessities, walked past some of the many surrounding temples, generally got our bearings and began building our shot list.

A little after noon, Kim Brown and her co-worker Stephanie Gay collected us at the guest house and took us to the House of Love. We were introduced to all the children and the house mothers (we had decided earlier that we would not take any equipment with us on our first visit to the house). On our first visit we just wanted to focus on the children, begin to get to know them, and hopefully establish some rapport. The children were gathered into a large circle, and we sat on the floor as each child introduced him/herself and Kim shared a few words about each child to provide us with some background about where each child was from and the ethnic group to which they belong. They sang two songs to welcome us—with one of the house mothers playing guitar. They were surprised and delighted when we responded in kind. Fred and Mike played guitar, I played harmonica, and Fred sang for them. Next they gave us a tour of their house, taking great pride in showing us their sleeping areas. Finally we all went outside to play together. The children were very sweet and engaging. Some of them are quite hungry for attention, while others remain reserved. There are a few real characters—many of them having grown up on the street before being brought to the House of Love.

Brad Shooting Lahu Women

The last several days have been a blur. We’ve been writing and shooting interviews of children, Kim, her partner Amnuayporn, the healthcare coordinator Nok, two house mothers and the house father. We’ve also shot a large volume of b-roll: city scenes; open markets; children at the day care center; routine daily activities around the house and office; children arriving home from school, putting away their things, washing and cuing up for dinner, saying grace, eating, participating in evening worship, and playing at the HOL. We also filmed the free rice distribution in the urban slums (for parents who sign contracts promising they won’t send their children to work in the night bazaar). I hit a bit of an emotional low that day after a conversation with Nok about a particular child who died of AIDS. Some of what she recounted seemed all too familiar—and it was a painful reminder of my early experiences with friends who died of this dread disease. The depth of the squalor and poverty we saw in the urban slums hit each of us hard. It is impossible to reconcile some of the suffering evident here—it delivered a stern rebuke for ever thinking we don’t have enough of anything.

Wednesday we filmed the morning routine at the Hose of Love–showing how remarkably well the children get up for school each morning, wash, brush teeth, do chores (big chores like clear the drainage canals, sweep the yard, pick up trash, et cetera), put on uniforms, brush and braid each other’s hair, get in cue for breakfast, and then climb into the truck to be taken to school. Later that afternoon, we spoke with Dr. Prasit Leepreecha, Professor at Chiang Mai University, and Coordinator of the Center for Ethnic Studies and Development. He provided much-needed background and fortified our appreciation and undestanding of the problems facing both the individuals and communities served by the Health Project for Tribal People (HPTP) and House of Love.
Yesterday we visited the Hill Tribe Villages of the Lisu, Karen, Lahu, and Akha

KEITH SHARING TEA WITH HIS NEW BEST FRIEND

Ethnic minorities in the mountains near the Thai/Burma border. We met and spoke with several villagers, shot a lot of b-roll, and conducted many interviews with the assistance of program staff who served as our interpreters. It is amazing to be half way around the world and speak with a pair of elderly gentlemen (70 and 86 years old) who voice the same concerns we have about the negative influence of globalization and the worries of parents about children who separate from their families, break apart from their communities, and suffer the negative influences beyond their ability to help. We also helped fuel the local economy: each village had many fine handicrafts to sell and so both are hearts and our baht went out to them.

One of the most touching moments occurred when I was asked to follow a Lisu women to her home so that she could show me more of the bags that she constructs from used clothing. As I was waiting in the shade of her broad porch, her husband stood from his seat by the small fire in front of their home and offered me a cup of tea. As I sat and sipped tea with him, we couldn’t communicate much, but I was able to make my appreciation clear. We sat silently for a while looking up at the mountain cliff beyond the family’s dwelling until the others finished their activities and joined us. It was a real treat and a special moment. Once the others joined us, more goods were displayed and more tea was poured. We interviewed his neighbor who is a prime example of the people whom these organizations hope to help. Here is a man who has worked hard and struggled mightily against adversity to make a life for himself and his family. He has been displaced and he has fallen along the way, but he has rallied and rebounded from the darkness of heroin addiction–and the loss of many friends. He has started a family and moved to the village o his wife’s people where, with the love and support of family and community, they might have a chance to do well. He has aspirations for his children–and is driven by a great hope that they will benefit from the support of family and ethnic culture that he never had.

We continue to be both heartbroken and inspired by what we see. We’ve been blessed and touched by our experience, and only hope that we can do these individuals, communities, and their stories the justice they deserve by telling their story well.

Brad and Bank--One of the little boys from the House of LoveBrad and Bank--One of the little boys from the House of Love

We’ve been here 4 days now and capturing alot of footage.  It seems so clinical to just call it “footage” as in front of the lens are some the most difficult stories we’ve ever heard.  Yesterday, we interviewed a Lahu man who is recovering from back surgery.  Meanwhile, his wife just had a baby so they currently have no way to earn an income.  To feed their family the man is forced to take his 5-year-old son to the Night Bazaar to sell flowers for 5-Baht a piece (about .15 cents).  Tourists are more inclined to buy from little children so parents often ask them to go sell late at night to support the family.  This, of course, has it’s consequences.  The kids then are often too tired to go to or perform well at school and without education the cycle continues.

Yesterday morning, we shot the daily wake-up routine at the House of Love.  We’ve never seen 30 kids get ready for school, do chores, eat breakfast and brush their teeth without anyone having to tell them to do so.  Amazing!  We’re lucky to get our kids to school on time–let alone have them do morning chores before the day even begins.

Unfortunately, yesterday morning had it’s own scary moment when one of the kids complained of a rash and “prickly” sensation in his hand.  Kids without HIV would probably just ignore this.  But this little boy was HIV-Positive and everything needs to be taken seriously.  After a doctor was  called, the decision was made for him to go to school and hope that the rash went away.  Otherwise, he could have taken a medication that would have made him tired and kept him home from school.  The little guy decided to “tough it out” and the rash went away during the schoolday.  It’s amazing how the little things we take for granted must be watched closely.  And trust us, everything is watched very closely by the excellent, caring staff at the House of Love.

Hi All!  We made it Chiang Mai this morning (Sunday 2/22) at about 1:00 a.m.  We were greeted by Kim and her co-worker Stephanie Gay.  Then, it was off to our simple but very clean and comfortable Guest House (www.cmbluehouse.com).  It’s 95 degrees over here everyday but that’s refreshing compared to the cold of Columbus. Our flights were uneventful but long (27 hours total travel time).  We’re excited to get started!  We head over to the House of Love today to meet the kids and hopefully endear ourselves to them.  Kim said candy works well for that.  Kids and Candy–the universal language of friendship.  Above is picture we took before leaving the Columbus Airport.  More to come later…

Thanks for reading,

Fred, Brad, Mike, Keith

Hey All!

The tickets are bought–we leave Feb. 20 for Chiang Mai.  Filming begins on Feb. 22.  Meanwhile, we found a cool article on Kim and the House of Love from People Magazine in 2003:

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140102,00.html

Thought you might dig it.  More updates are coming soon.  Check back often.