Finding a Purpose

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  Mae Sot, Thailand
Wednesday, November 4, 2009

I stopped in Vientiane to get a long term visa for Thailand, and found myself mesmerised by watching limitless documentaries on the bombs that the US dropped on Laos, simply to keep communism at bay. More bombs were dropped there than on any other country, even though the US denied having any involvement in Laos. So why are farmers continually being maimed or killed by the 30 million bombees still lying around the countryside? I could write several pages on the injustices...... but on to Thailand.

When I first arrived in January, it was suggested that I might want to do some volunteer work on the Thai/Burma border. I was definitely not interested, and wondered “who might be helping whom” if I actually went. Two months later, the idea of searching out some volunteer work was somewhat more appealing, so I gradually made my way across the country to the small town of Mae Sot, stopping briefly in several towns along the way. Phitsanulok had to be my worst night of the trip so far

01 Vientiane splendour

. The noise went on for the entire night, and it was so hot that I went under the cold water shower at least ten times during the night - but it would only cool me down for ten minutes or so.

After arriving in Mae Sot, I went in search of Thant (a Burmese refugee) to ask whether there might be any volunteer work available. Within an hour, I was on the back of a motorcycle en route to a Burmese migrant school half an hour out of town. It just so happened that their summer semester was about to begin the following day, and I was asked to be their English teacher. Having taught English in Japan for 18 months (albeit 36 years ago), I readily agreed to take up this new challenge. It couldn’t be that different, could it??

I arrived at the school the next morning, expecting to divide the children into classes to assess their levels of English comprehension, and to discuss curriculum and teaching materials with the Burmese teachers. Instead, I was placed in front of 35 children ranging in age from six to nineteen, and told “TEACH”!! No guidance, no curriculum, no materials - just “TEACH”. In addition, all six of the Burmese teachers were in the classroom, eager to pick up any English that might be offered.  I had no choice - my brain went into overdrive as I conjured up anything and everything from my past that might have a bearing on the present situation

02 Last day in Laos

. I changed the topic every ten minutes or so, covering basic themes including colours, numbers, days of the week, and even parts of the body - aided by that great tune “Head and shoulders, knees and toes”!

Exhaustion set in as soon as the morning lesson was over, and I rushed back to Mae Sot to start searching out possible lesson plans. Not much time for that, as I had also committed to teaching English to six refugee Buddhist monks in the afternoons. They were all young men who had participated in the 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma, had escaped to Thailand where they received UN refugee status, and were awaiting resettlement to the US.  They had not been able to visit or even contact their families since arriving in Thailand more than a year earlier. When I told them about Mike, they assured me that they would be my sons, and started calling me “Mom”. Did I mention the tears??
                                              
There was no public transport to either of my volunteer jobs, so I had no option but to rent a motorcycle to get to work. It’s been years since I last drove a Honda 125, but after only hitting the gate once during a five minute practise, I felt ready to go. I very quickly became adept at driving on the left side of the road, at easing my way through a traffic jam, and even at coming under attack by large buckets of water. Yes, I was there for the three day Water Festival or Songkhan. Meant to wash away dirt, sorrow and demons of the past year and bring in happiness for the coming year, it seemed to be simply good family fun, with everyone (myself included) completely soaked for the entire three days. Actually, it’s a super way to cool off from the extreme heat and humidity in mid April

03 Overflowing classroom

.

I feel very close to Mike and Gerry when I’m whipping along on the Honda, and often find myself talking out loud to them. I expect they’re laughing their heads off at me, but I hope they’re just a little bit proud as well.

Life was fast becoming a whirlwind of work, with every free minute spent in planning for the next lesson - grammar, songs, stories, games, and whatever else might hold the attention of the students. Each day brought more children to the classroom, as Burmese mothers risked their freedom by bringing their children across the Thai/Burma border under cover of night. In many instances, this would be the only opportunity for them to receive an education. Through teaching I began to feel truly rejuvenated, although the ever growing classroom of students was disconcerting to say the least.

But just like on TV, help was on the way! The two friends I met in Laos, Debbie and Laura, had e-mailed me independently from Indonesia and northern Laos. They both were getting tired of just travelling, and wondered whether there might be work for them in Mae Sot. “No shortage of work here” was my prompt reply, so the three of us ended up together again - and what a team we made! By the end of the semester, over 100 students were crammed into the open air classroom, eager to join in the food and festivities that we had organized. But it was we three who were left with tears rolling down our cheeks, listening to their enthusiastic voices belting out “We are the World”. They who have so little, gave us so much love and hope.

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04 The smile that says it all	05 Me and my monks	06 You want MORE??	07 Cute or what
08 Peacemonk	09 Is that face cream or icing?	10 OK, let's go!	11 End of semester goodbyes
12 Shopping for Burmese gems	13 Refugee camp grannie	14 The morning after - refugee camp	15 Mm - delicious fried worms and cockroaches

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