Aung San Suu Kyi ... For real!

It's not everyday that you get to wave at someone you respect and admire! I actually waved at Aung San Suu Kyi today! And basically by accident! I did go to see her house, which actually means seeing the huge locked and razor wired front gate. It was pretty quiet ... Just me standing there taking photos. I then decided to walk along Inya lake, and take a photo from the back. I then got down to the street because I was trying to figure out how I was going to cross the busy highway like street to find a train stop. I was wandering around talking to myself about how impossible it is to get anywhere, when I heard loud music blaring from a truck. I looked down the street and there was a line of vehicles coming towards me all draped in NLD flags and signs. I was totally confused, and probably looked completely stunned. My immediate reaction was to start waving, like I was watching a parade?! I have no idea why I did that, but everyone waved back too! The first cars drove by with young people, followed by a car or two with older members in dress shirts and party pins, and then her car drove by. She was sitting in backseat, and I waved! Only after that did I reach for my camera. Pretty exciting! Right place, right time. I guess it pays to be lost and confused sometimes! 

Meditation Bootcamp

I'm in Burma! Wow! I can't believe it! Rather than sending group emails, I decided to continue my blog from when I was working on the Thai-Burma border, as this feels like an extension of that trip.
My initial plan was to cross the border at Mae Sot where I was stationed when I did my thesis research, but two days before I was to cross, the border closed due to fighting between Karen ethic armies and Burmese military. The closure was due to the new road that is to officially open at the end of the month and that will make travel between Thailand and Burma much faster and easier. The Karen armies have begun collecting illegal tax on the road. The military, who also collects illegally, fired at the Karen to tell them to stop, and the Karen fired back. Soldiers on both sides were killed. In the end, the local people who need to use the road and are being forced to pay bribes to both sides, suffer the most. I ended up flying to Yangon and then took the bus to Mawlamyine.
In Mawlamyine I spent one week at Pa-auk Tawya Meditation Centre, aka Meditation Asskicking. Daily schedule at the monastery is rise at 3:30 am, eat two meals a day: one at 5:45 am and one at 10:10 am and then meditate for 8 hours. Sleeping on the ground, sitting on the ground, getting eaten alive by tropical bugs and sweating like crazy. I am feeling these 34 year old knees as my body felt trashed by the end of day two. For the first three nights I didn't have anywhere to attach my mosquito net, so I had to drape it over  my umbrella and sleep under the open umbrella. I said to my roommates, as I crawled under one night, I'm really starting to get too old for this. Although extremely tough, it was a rewarding experience both culturally and spiritually. It was beautiful to meditate with so many local women and to experience the generosity of the local people. My favourite part was the circle of "Dana" or generosity offered through daily meals. In Southeast Asia, monks and nuns collect alms from laypeople for their daily food. As meditators, we also have the opportunity to participate in the alms rounds. Everyday multiple villagers come to cook and serve the food prepared for the 700+ people who stay at the monastery. For our meals, we would silently line up with our alms bowls, behind the nuns, and collect the food offered in donation. It was magestic to stand silently behind two hundred nuns, under a jungle canopy, to recieve our meals. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn at Pa-auk.
From Mawlamyine, I travelled to Hpa-an in Kaern state. The scenery is absolutely stunning with lush green rice patties, craggy peaks, flowing rivers, wooden boats, bicycles and intricately carved images in numerous caves. Stunning! I decided to see the sites by hiring a motorcycle taxi. My taxi driver's name was Hoe Lay and he was awesome. I saw the sites but he also showed me parts of Burmese life that I would not have experienced on my own including the rambling back lanes full of wooden homes, small waterfalls where teenagers go to makeout and swimming holes where one can sip on sticky rice wine and listen to Burmese rap. How Lay works at this job to practice English so he can go to work abroad, like so many young people who see the future anywhere but Burma. The people say that the government is changing enough to make it seem like there is change, but they will never give up power. It's interesting to see everyone with iPads, smartphones and access to the Internet, and wonder what this opening to the world means for the next generation. 
I am now in Yangon and am reminded how much I love the buzz of an urban centre. Exhausting but fun! And Yangon is an incredible place where even the taxi drivers are fair! Last night when I arrived late due to a broken down bus on the way, I was tired and hungry and got mad at my taxi driver. We both pouted for about 20 minutes, until he put on Pitbull videos and we sang along in Spanish together. We both said we were sorry, and he told me he'd never forget me. The people have been absolutely incredible! Kind, generous, honest, interested, open, genuine and ready for their country to change. I feel like a celebrity as everyone wants to take a photo, practice their English, talk politics and share their thoughts on Burma. It's beautiful. I feel very blessed to be here now.
I'm going to have a few more days in Yangon, and then decide what I'm doing ... Either west to Rakine state or North to Kachin state. I'll keep you posted. Hugs and love! xo

A little bumpy ...

Weaving

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!

Loi Krathang

Almost Finished

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here especially since I have decided to come home at the end of November rather than mid-December. I am trying to wrap up all my projects and also prepare to collect data for my thesis. I have also been able to visit a few other organizations within the camp that I was really interested in learning more about. Especially interesting were my visits to the two women's shelters. One was in a very nice and wooded section of the camp, up a hill and very secluded. It was very peaceful and comforting. The other was right in the middle of a busier section and it seemed to be a lot less protected. It is just so interesting because in some ways these safe houses are so similar to safe houses for women at home. Just with chickens running around. The staff and I talked about the work of the counselors and the programs offered to the women - not so dissimilar to our own programs. But on the other hand it would be incredibly difficult and at times scary to work in this position. The houses and fences are made of bamboo - although strong, they really aren't that good at keeping people out. The staff mentioned that angry husbands have on occasion jumped the fence and jumped on the roof of the house. Although security is provided, it is quite minimal and in an emergency, security comes on foot. Additionally, the women who work in the safe house live in the same community as those families involved with safe house. Staff mentioned that it is not uncommon to have husbands come to their homes to yell at them and threaten them. But the staff also told me that the passion for their work comes from knowing that they are educating the women in the community about their rights and are also providing a safe place for those women who need support. The commitment to the work, requires amazing strength and is pretty incredible.
In my wanderings, I also stumbled upon a weaving workshop! Much of the weaving in this camp is done on large looms like the one in the picture. Some women spin the cotton into thread and the other women operate the looms weaving the cloth. Although it is a large "machine" it is still manually operated by foot pedals. It was really amazing to listen to the looms in operation. Actually really soothing. I could have spent all day in there.
Finally, this past week was the Buddhist festival of Loi Krathang. My co-workers and I sent lanterns into the sky and launched flower boats onto the lake. In putting the flower offerings into the water, it is hoped that the water goddess will forgive you for using her [water]. I hope she does.
I also had a couple new food adventures. My co-worker taught me to make La Pet Thoe - Burmese Green Tea Salad. I bought a whole a lot of packs of pickled tea, so I will make it for you when I get home. Also I finally got to try Mu Ga Ta (?). Very similar to Korean BBQ but you put a big slab of pork fat on the top of the grill to keep it lubed up and then grill any kind of meat you can think of. My choices, beef and shrimp. Popular choices of my co-workers, liver, intestines, and pork fat with a little meat clinging to it. It was very delicious!
A couple of updates: our staff member who was in the accident with the landmine, is still in hospital but is expected to recover with time. She is currently in a body cast which she will likely have for about 3 months. However, with rehabilitation, it is hoped that she will be able to walk and fully recover phyiscally. Thank you for the donations. It really does help, without money, people honestly do not receive treatment here.
My co-worker's in-laws with the orange farm - unfortunately the fighting continues and the entire village has had to flee to the city. It is harvesting time but no one can return to their farms to get their oranges. As well, they have been told that all of their animals (6 cows and 9 pigs) have been stolen or killed by the SPDC (Burmese Army). It is a huge loss for them. Luckily they have family and friends to stay with. For those without any safe place to go, and who have fled to the Chinese border, many are surviving on rice and salt.
A good website to learn more about current events in Burma is www.irrawaddy.org

I am finishing up some peer support training this week and teaching my last English class. Leaving is always bitter sweet. I am moving to Mae Sot on Friday and will be there for a week. I'll try to have a couple more posts before I leave for home.
xo
M