So Burma... Hows it going?

Well its been over a month here, and for one thing I didn't have to trek 8 hours uphill on a mountain to get to my town unlike my last volunteer experience. Its not a pretty place, its a border town, its dusty, brownish tinge to everything, full of trucks, illegal migrants,illegal drug trafficking(not there is anything such as legal drug trafficking :-)), illegal businesses, corrupt cops, Burmese government spies, Rebel leaders, add to that its one of the poorest places I imagine within Thailand.. Although considering 80% of people here are Burmese its hard to call it part of Thailand anymore.

I know most people don't know much about Burma (Myanmar its new name) but more you learn about it, the sadder it gets... In a nutshell I will tell you the problem in Burma..

It is run by a fascist military government, who are as corrupt as corruption can be.. They have completely lost any moral standing with the Burmese people and the international community. They are not spending a penny on improving the country and instead are selling off their natural resources to many countries.. China being one of them.. not surprisingly ( When was the last time China stood for anything but money), many countries do have economic sanctions on Burma but it is not working... AT ALL!.. The government kills any sign of protest for democracy within the country... Human rights no longer apply in this country, free speech is a mythical rumour, equality between races is not an option... There is constant rebellion by the minority groups, the democracy seeking people and the monks who seek the end to the military government.. In short it is a big mess... And millions are suffering.. I talked to some people who have run away and it is one sad story after another...

There are many Burmese families living in my towns Rubbish Dump. Right in the middle of it, with the rats, the the flies, and with the diseases that surround them... They live here cause they have no money and also so that the Thai police don't deport them back to Burma. They find this a better place to stay than living in Burma.. This is how bad life is in their country....

SO WHAT AM I DOING IN THE MIDST OF THIS BIG MESS... ?

I am working as a teacher with a group of University graduates from Burma. These students have illegally come into Thailand for this course and hope to come out with some more knowledge about English, the problems is Burma, the changes they can make etc.. I am involved in an intensive 3 month course teaching these students Democracy, Human Rights, Computer Studies, and Burmese History. The main aim of the course is to take these underprivileged but determined students to go to University in Thailand, where they can get a proper education that will help their country in the future. These students are applying for scholarships setup by NGO's and to get them they must meet the right educational criteria, and I am supposed to bring them up to that level of education.

So I teach and try to make them understand what is wrong in Burma and how to best deal with it. It has been a very satisfying experience thus far, as I live with the students and gotten to know them at a personal level. For eg. I was marking an Essay they had to write on their family life, and while marking I came to tears just reading their life story. In such simple words the girl told me her life, of no money, no future, parents doing all they can to make their child go to school. Siblings working as maids in cities for $10 a month, so that the younger one's can have an education... They are fighting for the most basics of life... Its touching at a level that you must see to believe.. While I am teaching them, often I seem to forget that back home they barely have any future, and without help they are back to poverty. You see them in class all so happy, singing and smiling, and you forget that they are living on the edge and the drop is far more than I can imagine. I can write pages on their lives, but it all points to one message as written by a student.. "I want to become a somebody one day, but everything in my life is holding me back from my dreams. But I will fight till the end."

Every evening I also go to a nearby monastery and work with ex political prisoners and refugees who happen to be monks who ran away to Thailand. All of them young and old are determined to learn English. Many of them are being given asylum by the US soon, and these monks are keen to be able to speak and voice their opinion on the problems in their country. Working with this group is a special experience, I learn as much as I teach. I have met very interesting people while being here, and got inside information on the situation in Burma.

I have gone to some NGO's housing orphans from human trafficking victims, one of the houses I walked in, I had nearly 40 little children came running to wards me.. These are cute little boys and girls wanting what all kids want, Affection and Love.. They need to to be stimulated, and the poor NGO has only a few staff who are very busy just being able to feed, clothe, and teach these kids... Getting a visitor is like the biggest toy for them... I was there for an hour or two and the kids were literally hanging of my hands and feet.. all wanting to play.. I lifted one little girl and swung her around, and then all of them wanted a go.. Needless to say after 30 'round the world' swings I was very dizzy :-). Unfortunately I couldn't help but feel sadness when I left.. Little beautiful kids and babies, all alone without any parent to give them affection... It seems so unfair..

Time is flying..... Another couple of months and I will leave... But the work will go on.. Until the Military government of Burma is not removed no positive change is possible. They will suffer and they will get poorer... Something has to give Or the future is no future at all..

I am sorry if all my blogs point to the same direction, but where I am this is all you see... Life is not visibly beautiful here.. But one thing I can tell you is that they are still smiling.. all of them.. the young and the old... sharing what they have with me... I only wish I could give more..

yours,

Anukool - ' The man with no plans :-) ' .. Oh by the way its not all bad.. Angelina Jolie was here.. thats right! in themiddle of my dusty little town... adopting another Burmese child...I tried to pass of as a burmese child, but somewhow it didnt work... : -)

Here are some pictures to get a glimpse of what I see....