A Russian man chose to spend lockdown in Thailand helping a monk build mud houses

• Nikita Proshin left his home in Russia in January to travel for the entire year.
• The coronavirus created a major speed bump in his plans, and he has spent the last five months in Thailand.
• Through a work-exchange program, he's now helping a Buddhist monk build houses.
• The 25-year-old isn't sure what will happen next, but he's planning to "go with the flow" in an effort to meet his 2020 goal of traveling a year without going home.

Nikita Proshin had one goal at the start of 2020: spend the entire year traveling.

Then, the coronavirus spread across the world. Borders closed, flights were canceled, and traveling, for the most part, was put on pause.

While most travelers packed their bags and headed back home, Proshin decided to continue his journey, even if it meant staying in a new destination for months.

Proshin settled in Thailand, and he's recently moved into a monk's home to help him build houses.

The 25-year-old is from Omsk, Russia, and traveled to China five years ago. There, he discovered his passion for exploring.

"An average vacation, like two or three weeks long, is not enough for me," he told Insider. "I wanted more."

He ended up living in China for four years and eventually traveled back home. In 2020, he made a New Year's resolution to travel the entire year. He left with a few thousand dollars and a plan to journey across Asia and Europe.

As news about the coronavirus spread, countries started to close their borders. Proshin was coming from China, and he needed to choose a destination where he could stay put for the foreseeable future. He had initially planned to visit Vietnam, but because Proshin was traveling from China, Vietnam wouldn't let him into the country.

"I made a promise to myself that I would travel the entire year, and I didn't want to break it," he said.

So he headed to Thailand at the beginning of February. He traveled around the country for a bit and settled in a hostel in Chiang Mai.

Eventually, Proshin ended up at a monk's house

Proshin had some savings, but he was quickly running out of money while staying at the hostel. A few new friends Proshin had made at the hostel had heard about a work-exchange program outside of the city. So they all packed their bags and moved into a local Buddhist monk's home.

Work exchanges are common for travelers because they offer a chance to learn about a region's culture through experience. In exchange for a room and food, the traveler will offer work. In this case, Proshin and his friends would build homes.

According to Proshin, Pongmia, the monk, had heard the news about travelers' struggles with getting flights back home due to the coronavirus. Travelers were getting stuck in Thailand without a place to stay and a dwindling budget.

Pongmia chose to launch a work-exchange program to help. Currently, there are about 10 travelers living with the monk's family.

Each day starts before sunrise. With a rotating chore chart, Proshin makes breakfast a few times a week with the monk's mother.

Although they don't speak the same language, Proshin said they can still understand each other.

After breakfast, Proshin spends the morning exploring the local land and working on projects, such as video editing.

In the afternoon, he'll start building. From late afternoon to sunset, the travelers work on the mud homes. In addition to being a Buddhist monk, Pongmia is also a trained chiropractor.

"As I understand, in half a year, [the buildings] will be a chiropractic school and meditation retreat," Proshin said.

The brick structure was already built by the time Proshin arrived, and he's currently working to plaster the structure in a mud. A few more houses will be built in the area.

"Every single one of us, we do it not to save money, not to have a place to stay, but for such a unique experience," he said.

Proshin has traveled through Thailand and said he's visited many temples and places of worship, but until now, he's never spent time with a monk in his home.

"Every single day, it's an exciting time," he said. "First, we get to do something we've never done before. Second, we all understand that this is a situation we won't be in again. And third, we just learn a lot about different kinds of lifestyles."

The traveler's biggest lesson has been that 'life is easy'

A common Thai expression floating throughout conversations is 'sabai sabai.' The closest English translation is 'comfortable,' but it goes deeper than physical comfort.

The phrase can be seen as a reflection of Theravada Buddhism's influence on Thai culture and its go-with-the-flow attitude.

For Proshin, staying at the monk's home has been sabai sabai.

"Whatever is going on in your life, it's a reminder that you can take it easier," he said.

The monk's home is filled with a diverse group of people

His favorite part of the work exchange has been getting to know people he typically wouldn't encounter.

"I'm talking to people and learning from people that I usually don't meet in my life," he said.

The home is filled with people from Europe, China, Thailand, and across the world. Proshin said they've shared conversations about everything from the afterlife to their favorite meals.

"They have their own beliefs and have their own reasons to come here," he said. "And I really like to see how different people can be."

The home has also shared a diverse spread of food. Proshin said he's learned to cook some traditional Thai meals, and travelers have also shared dishes from their home country.

Proshin said he's shared Russian meals, while other travelers have shared meals like pasta and sushi.

"There's an endless wealth of opportunities to learn and to improve," he said.

Proshin doesn't plan to head back home anytime soon

Proshin said he plans to stay at the monk's house for another two or three weeks, and then he'll head to another area of Chiang Mai.

Proshin travels and moves frequently in an effort to never get bored with the location he's in.

"I would rather be here a short time and have a happy memory about this place," he said.

Once that happy memory is created, he'll relocate. But he doesn't plan to head home until the year is over.

He said his decision to stay abroad during the pandemic was "easy." He made a promise to himself, and he said his family supports his decision.

"If I'm happy with it, if I'm comfortable with it, they are happy, too," he said.

But Proshin doesn't have plans for the future

"My plan is no plan," he said.

Proshin travels for experiences, so he's waiting for the next experience or opportunity to come his way.

His visa has been extended until July 31. If it's re-extended or if borders reopen, Proshin will decide where to head next.

"If the borders reopen, it will literally be any country around Thailand," he said.

He had initially planned to travel to Myanmar next, then Nepal, Pakistan, and India.

But he won't forget the hospitality this monk has shown.

"The experience I get here is something I will remember for a long time," he said.

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