Life as it used to be

While sitting in the living room of a friend's house, her mom brought over a basket of pictures. As we flipped through the images, we enjoyed glimpses into special occasions from her childhood, weddings, funerals, school graduations, family gatherings, and all the fun stories that go along with them.

This picture, from about 25 years ago, stood out to me. Judging from the current shots, for many people in her home village, life still looks similar. However, starting a family in Bangkok would look very different.

My friend's mother is on the far right holding her first son. Apparently a lot of the women in their village became mommies around the same time. Most of them are between the age of 15-18. I'm glad to see the smiles on their faces