My Greasy Face

Well tonight at dinner, I managed to once again humiliate myself. After eating a very lovely dinner of shrimp with coconut milk soup, I decided I wanted to wash my hands. I asked the girl where the washroom was and she pointed to the right, at which point I made a sharp turn in the exact direction she was pointing. Immediately I heard a huge bang and felt pain all over my face. Unfortunately, and completely unannounced to me, there was a pane of sparkling clean glass immediately to the right of me, with the door slightly to the left. The immediate shock of the pain turned to extreme embarrassment when I remembered there were two foreign guys sitting in the restaurant watching the whole thing. And, I think even more humiliating than walking into the glass, was the face sized grease stain I left on the window - thanks to my persistently greasy face. All I could say was, "oh my god." They tried to be gracious about it but I think they really just wanted to laugh their asses off, basically as I am doing right now thinking about it. I hope they clean that window tomorrow so I never have to see that greasy face stain looking back at me again.
As you can see, I am in a new town with new adventures. I left Mae Hong Son on the 18th, with one night in Chiang Mai and am now in Mae Sot for the week. I had a very nice week of goodbyes in MHS. As with all goodbyes, much of the focus is on food. The students cooked all morning to make a lovely lunch for me (the food is on the white plates on the table) and they presented me with very thoughtful gifts. One of my students even did a thank you speech in English - I was so proud! I had to apologize for being the worst English teacher - I think I have permanently messed up their understanding of adverbs. But it was so much fun with them and I really could see their confidence grow over the last couple of months. When I first arrived they were so shy to say anything (English or Burmese) but by the end, they were trying to have English (and sometimes Burmese)conversations with me outside of class - big progress! I think another huge milestone is helping them to understand and love the fun side of education, in complete contrast to what they have been used to in Burma (silence and beatings). What I love about this program I worked in is the commitment to building the esteem and confidence of the young women. When, I see them, as I have been fortunate enough to do, out talking to the elder members of their community about women's rights, I think the success of the program shines through.
My co-workers also had a lovely dinner for me - see photo of the fish (I didn't get a photo of the frog) - followed by a an extremely robust round of karaoke. Everyone is so thoughtful and kind and have been so generous even though many do not have much to give. It is pretty humbling.
I also said goodbye to the little old guy at my local store. Although we can't really verbally communicate because of language barriers, we could tell each other that we liked one another and were sad to say goodbye. I love when communication doesn't need words.
Other photos, I wanted to try those pink eggs you see everywhere, which we determined with a 10 minute look through the Burmese-English dictionary, are soaked in limestone. I am still not sure. Inside they are black and transparent (see the photo of the salad - those black things are those pink eggs). The taste and texture are interesting. And I finished off my last day in the camp by chugging a huge mug of Karenni homemade wine. Good times! I am also loading a video of the weaving workshop and a tiny glimpse of the camp road. One hour there and back every time. I have a longer funny video of the trip but my co-workers would kill me if I posted it. So, I will share when I am home.
Now that I have arrived in Mae Sot, I realize and am grateful for the utopian life I was living in Mae Hong Son. Mae Sot is a border town. I saw my first Thai rat here after 15 minutes of being in the town. Enough said.
I am starting my research tomorrow. I am excited to see the other camps and feeling excited and a bit nervous about the interviews. I hope it all goes well.
I also want to say a huge thank you to my dear friends and their family for using their annual Christmas donation to make a significant contribution to young women displaced on the Thai-Burma border. Next year the women studying to further their education and empower their communities, will have hole free tables, white boards that actually erase and other school supplies to support their growth and development. Thank you so much!