Maybe I Need the Burmese


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July 20th 2010
Published: July 20th 2010
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All week the students had midterms. Thankfully that meant a break from teaching, but that also meant proctoring exams. Monday and Tuesday I co-proctored with none other than our landlady (she's an English teacher). I don't know what changed or shifted but the Thai teachers seemed more relaxed. Perhaps it was my blundering hula hoop display that broke down some walls. I'll have you know that P'Nid (my new aunt here) and I were both hooping with the best of them by midweek! It was so much fun to see them lower their guards and play. Wednesday rolled around and I was stuck proctoring outside for half the day. That was less than fun as I was pretty sure the flies were going to eat me alive.

All of a sudden it was Thursday! That night we hosted a couch surfer from Germany. If you've never heard of couch surfing, by all means, open another tab right now and type in couchsurfing.org. You meet the most interesting, amazing, sometimes weird, inspiring people. David, the couch surfer, got drug along to an impromptu work dinner. That evening we found out that we had to go to the immigration office the next
Mmm goodMmm goodMmm good

P'Nid sampling some juicy wild fruit...I don't know what it's called.
morning in Mae Sot. I've wanted to visit this town for a while now and even threw an extra t-shirt in my bag just in case the 3 of us decided to stay overnight. Mae Sot is famed for being a hotbed of illecit, illegal activities. The far western edge of the city bumps up against the Moei River, which forms a natural border with Myanmar. Anyway, enough with the geography lesson. You can google it if you're really interested.

After a typically over-cramped van ride on winding mountain roads and a couple of hours at immigration we were finished. Next stop, the "border" market, otherwise known as the Rim Moei Market. As we were leaving James and I decided to walk on the outside of the market, along a street that runs parallel to an elevated cement walkway. Dotting the walkway were Burmese vendors. Just as I was telling James I love witnessing how the music that emanates from his guitar is able to break down linguistic, social and cultural barriers, a Burmese man asked to play it. Little did I know the power of this act and the chain reaction it would set into motion. What followed
You make what with those leaves?You make what with those leaves?You make what with those leaves?

At lunch one day we learned how to make Thai handicrafts
was to be the most eye opening, soul wrenching two hour walk of my life!

We met a a man named Mr. Sam who did something incredible. He opened up to us. He shared his personal journey and told us the countless journey's of many of the other's surrounding us. Our walk really began when he said something to two machine gun clad Thai military men who cheerfully returned my hello and let us stroll past them. We saw the official border crossing. A simple, jam packed boat captained by a man with nothing more than an extremely long pole. This wasn't what we set out to see though so we continued on. As we were walking along my imagination took me back to the years when the pathway was lit by what could have been stunning lamps. When children laughed and dashed between the legs of lovers out on an evening stroll along the river. That is no more. Instead there are massive lights perched a-top tall poles that make sure nothing gets past a most certain watchful eye.

We eventually came upon the not so official border crossing. I felt exhilarated and scared as hell to
Call me Miss GraceCall me Miss GraceCall me Miss Grace

P'Nid trying to teach me some Thai dance moves, but my hands don't bend backwards like that!
imagine what those boats brought back and forth. He pointed out some things such as oil and hydrochloric acid drums. I stood there thinking about the sad fact that far more precious cargo is trafficked across those waters, human traffic. We eventually made our way into a Burmese shanty town of sorts. As I practiced saying hello in Burmese I couldn't help but notice how welcoming the people were. Yes, they pointed us out as we approached, but if they weren't already smiling they did so as soon as my blubbering hello passed over my lips. The harshness of their lives and the reality of their everyday struggle to survive greeted us with each family we saw. Hearing Mr. Sam explain what they do to make it through another day, what they are reduced to, was like a blade cutting straight to my heart. The twist of the dagger was seeing one of the seven sewing sweatshops that employ illegal immigrants. We didn't go inside, we didn't have to. My mind strained for a closer peek as we walked up, simultaneously my heart throbbed to look away.

I caught a bus home that night. The previous idea of having an evening out on the town nauseated me. For most of the two hour ride home I wept. Yep, through four military/police checkpoints, on a bus full of Thai and Burmese, I cried my eyes out. At the last stop the guard stood and stared at me, eventually walked past, checked everyone's documents behind me and, upon returning to my seat, just looked me up and down again before going on his way. Funny thing was, as soon as we started walking with Mr. Sam the malaise I had felt earlier in the afternoon vanished. At one point I turned to James and told him of the energy I felt surging through my body, how I instantly felt drawn to the Burmese. And to think that was only five minutes into our walk.

I spent much of Saturday and Sunday hyper-aware of my emotions. Prior to leaving the Philippines I had to book an onward ticket from Thailand. Part of the whole one way, visa granting fiasco. I met many travelers during my stay in Dumaguete City and Apo Island. When I would ask them where to go or what their most memorable trip had been, hands down it
Breakfast anyone?Breakfast anyone?Breakfast anyone?

Fish and frogs and organs, oh my!
was Myanmar. Over and over again I would hear, "Oh, you have to go there!" or "You must meet the people, they're amazing!" So, months ago I booked a ticket to Rangoon; I think they were right. Karen told me on Saturday, "Maybe the Burmese need you." I just chuckled and replied, "Maybe I need the Burmese."



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James shocked everyoneJames shocked everyone
James shocked everyone

by reading this sign in Thai!!
Van to Mae SotVan to Mae Sot
Van to Mae Sot

Full of energy...
Not so full of energyNot so full of energy
Not so full of energy

I crashed out for the whole drive to Mae Sot!
Immigration OfficersImmigration Officers
Immigration Officers

need music too.
Thank you for the Fight Club quotesThank you for the Fight Club quotes
Thank you for the Fight Club quotes

"You are not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank..."


20th July 2010

Energy bcomes action.
Maybe you and Burma need each other. I wonder what the world would be like if we allowed ourselves to be so touched by places or people and actually chose to get closer to them instead of further away. What a different world we might create around us. Thanks for the inspiration!
21st July 2010

P'Nid is so stylish! Also, let's go to Mandalay!
22nd July 2010

The world would rock! That's what it would be like :)
22nd July 2010

She's stylish pretty much everyday! I should give her money and have her go shopping for me. And yes, lets go to Mandalay!

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