Rupert Nelson

Jai Yen Means Keep a Cool Heart: Life Among the Mountain Tribes of Thailand Rupert Nelson

When I moved from that blank space on the map known as Northeast Montana to Thailand in 1963 with a pregnant wife and a three year old daughter, I knew there would be some changes in my life, but I had no idea how great those changes would be and how much the people of Thailand would change my own world view. I learned to be jai yen (cool hearted), instead of angry or frustrated. That is the Thai way. I went as an agricultural advisor to work among theMountain Tribes. This book is about the 33 years I spent roaming the hill country trekking from village to village over the foot trails. The people I came to teach taught me many things. I learned about hospitality, descision making by consensus, and how to live with one another. I shared their shelter, their food, their joys, and their sorrows.