Tewan (Hill) Somdungpornchai
Q: What tribal group are you a part of?
A: Karen
Q: How old are you?
A: 27
Q: How many siblings do you have?
A: I have 2 older brothers.
Q: How many years have you been with ITDP?
A: Just about 2 ½ years.
Q: What are your duties?
A: I’m an Agricultural field staff working in the Ma Oh Jo area. I work with setting up demonstration centers to be able to experiment and show the villagers proper techniques in growing vegetables and raising livestock. I also experiment with growing different vegetable seeds to find varieties that are better adapted to our specific region.
Q: Are you enjoying it so far?
A: I am, and I’m still learning learning so much.
Q: What do you like most about working in development?
A: I enjoy being in the mountains and working with villagers most of all. I understand where they are coming from because I grew up in similar communities, so it only feels right to be able to give back. I also enjoy the opportunity of getting to work with volunteer groups when they come over.
Q: You do spend a lot of time with teams. Do you enjoy it?
A: I enjoy it a lot! I’ve made some very good friends over the past 2 years and I always look forward to making more. I also get a chance to practice my english!
Q: So explain to me why your nickname is Hill?
A: Well, it’s simple actually, but when I was a kid, my favorite shirt to wear was an old tommy hilfiger shirt and I wore that shirt ALL the time. Eventually, my friends started calling me Hill.
Q: What about in your spare time. What do you like to do?
A: I enjoy watching action movies. The Avengers movies are probably my favorite.
Q: Do you have a favorite American food?
A: (Laughing) I do. I love KFC!
