The Mae Tao Clinic has a new website, and the ability to accept online donations!! Check it out if you get a chance.
www.maetaoclinic.org
Peace,
Annie
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
★最終回☆
ビルマ小児医療資金(BCMF: Burma Children Medical Fund)
クリニックの小児科にやってくるケースの中で、手術や高技術の治療さえ受ければ完治する確率の高いのにもかかわらず、治療費の払うことができない為そのまま死を待つしかならない子供達が沢山います。そういった家族の為に2002年、アメリカからクリニックにボランティアにやってきた小児科医の手によってビルマ小児医療資金が創立されました。現在はタイ出身、オーストラリア育ちの看護婦カンチャナの手によって継続されています。しかしBCMFに見当されるケースの数は年々増え続けており、カンチャナ一人では大変な状況で、『手伝ってくれないか』と言われ最後の数週間、BCMFのお手伝いをすることができました。お手伝いした仕事の中、一番個人的に影響を受けたのがスポンサーや投資者の為のプレゼンテーションの作製。各ケースを報告しなければならないので、子供達の生い立ちや病状など詳しく学ばされ、ショックでした。ケースの殆んどは腫瘍の肥大、中には手遅れの癌のケースもあります。他には心臓病、腸閉塞、フィスチュラなど、発見さえ早く、適当な治療を受ければ死亡という結果にはならない病気が多くありますが結局、クリニックにやってくる人達、特に幼児達は年中ジャングルの中で逃げながら生活をしている上、貧困、そして小数民族差別の為にビルマ国内で医者の診療を受けることが不可能なので、皆悪化してからやってきます。クリニックにはタイの大病院の様な手術施設や治療に必要な器械や技術者がおりません。その上、殆んどの患者は法律的に認められてない(違法に国境を越えた為)ので病院に簡単に委任することもできません。そんな中、BCMFは世界中からスポンサーや投資者をさがして小児患者の治療と延命に努力をしています。とても心に残る経験ができました。
お別れ会
私達の出発する数日前に、ドクター・シンシアとクリニック事務のスタッフがお別れ会をしてくれました。行われたのはクリニックのすぐ傍にあるドクター・シンシアの家のお庭です。お庭は公園として近所の人々が利用できるようになっていて、お別れ会にも沢山の近所の子供達や近くに住むクリニックのスタッフが来てくれました。ちゃんとプログラムまで組んでくれて、ドクター・シンシアと難民中学校の校長先生はスピーチまで挙げてくださり、その上難民高校の校長先生はギターで歌を歌ってくれました。私とアニーも一言ご挨拶をしましたが、アニーが途中で涙ぐんでしまったので私もギターで歌を歌って感謝の気持ちを伝えました。その後、難民学校の生徒達からプレゼント(カレン族の民族シャツ、バッグとTシャツ)を頂き、皆で写真を撮ってアイスクリームを食べて最後のお別れを告げました。
ただ3ヶ月だけボランティアしに来ただけなのにこんなに良くしていただいて本当に嬉しく光栄に思います。今回仕事を通して出会ったカレン族やビルマ人のクリニックや学校のスタッフ、本当に素晴らしい人達です。出会う事ができて本当に良かったです。これからもビルマに平和が訪れるまでがんばってほしいと願います。私も自分が出来ること、これからもやっていきたいと誓います。
**************************************************************************************************
これで2007年夏のメータオクリニック経験記録の書き込みは終わりますが、これからもビルマ関係の情報、手に入り次第アップロードしたいと思っております。ご期待下さい！
クリニックの小児科にやってくるケースの中で、手術や高技術の治療さえ受ければ完治する確率の高いのにもかかわらず、治療費の払うことができない為そのまま死を待つしかならない子供達が沢山います。そういった家族の為に2002年、アメリカからクリニックにボランティアにやってきた小児科医の手によってビルマ小児医療資金が創立されました。現在はタイ出身、オーストラリア育ちの看護婦カンチャナの手によって継続されています。しかしBCMFに見当されるケースの数は年々増え続けており、カンチャナ一人では大変な状況で、『手伝ってくれないか』と言われ最後の数週間、BCMFのお手伝いをすることができました。お手伝いした仕事の中、一番個人的に影響を受けたのがスポンサーや投資者の為のプレゼンテーションの作製。各ケースを報告しなければならないので、子供達の生い立ちや病状など詳しく学ばされ、ショックでした。ケースの殆んどは腫瘍の肥大、中には手遅れの癌のケースもあります。他には心臓病、腸閉塞、フィスチュラなど、発見さえ早く、適当な治療を受ければ死亡という結果にはならない病気が多くありますが結局、クリニックにやってくる人達、特に幼児達は年中ジャングルの中で逃げながら生活をしている上、貧困、そして小数民族差別の為にビルマ国内で医者の診療を受けることが不可能なので、皆悪化してからやってきます。クリニックにはタイの大病院の様な手術施設や治療に必要な器械や技術者がおりません。その上、殆んどの患者は法律的に認められてない(違法に国境を越えた為)ので病院に簡単に委任することもできません。そんな中、BCMFは世界中からスポンサーや投資者をさがして小児患者の治療と延命に努力をしています。とても心に残る経験ができました。
お別れ会
私達の出発する数日前に、ドクター・シンシアとクリニック事務のスタッフがお別れ会をしてくれました。行われたのはクリニックのすぐ傍にあるドクター・シンシアの家のお庭です。お庭は公園として近所の人々が利用できるようになっていて、お別れ会にも沢山の近所の子供達や近くに住むクリニックのスタッフが来てくれました。ちゃんとプログラムまで組んでくれて、ドクター・シンシアと難民中学校の校長先生はスピーチまで挙げてくださり、その上難民高校の校長先生はギターで歌を歌ってくれました。私とアニーも一言ご挨拶をしましたが、アニーが途中で涙ぐんでしまったので私もギターで歌を歌って感謝の気持ちを伝えました。その後、難民学校の生徒達からプレゼント(カレン族の民族シャツ、バッグとTシャツ)を頂き、皆で写真を撮ってアイスクリームを食べて最後のお別れを告げました。
ただ3ヶ月だけボランティアしに来ただけなのにこんなに良くしていただいて本当に嬉しく光栄に思います。今回仕事を通して出会ったカレン族やビルマ人のクリニックや学校のスタッフ、本当に素晴らしい人達です。出会う事ができて本当に良かったです。これからもビルマに平和が訪れるまでがんばってほしいと願います。私も自分が出来ること、これからもやっていきたいと誓います。
**************************************************************************************************
これで2007年夏のメータオクリニック経験記録の書き込みは終わりますが、これからもビルマ関係の情報、手に入り次第アップロードしたいと思っております。ご期待下さい！
Sunday, September 2, 2007
ギボン、アジア象と難民キャンプ
さてさて、3ヶ月という時もあっという間にすぎてしまいました。8月に入ってから急に忙しくなり、ブログにも御無沙汰してしまいましたが、最後の書き込みをする前にもう少し近況についてお知らせしたいと思います。
タイの動物保護(ギボンとアジア象)
メーソット滞在中、二度に渡って動物保護センターに行く機会がありました。最初はメーソットからさほど遠くない地点にあるギボン(猿の親戚。猿との違いはしっぽが短いのと、地面を人間の様に二足で歩くこと。)の保護センターに行きました。もともとこのセンターはアメリカから引退生活を静かに送るためにやってきたご夫妻が、タイの地元密猟者が売りにきたギボンの赤ちゃんに出会ったのをきっかけに設立されました。その後、タイ各地でショーやペットなどとして虐待されたギボンや捨てられた猿達の保護に積極的に励み、今では60頭程のギボンと猿達が生活しています。以前タイのジャングルには沢山のギボンが住んでいましたが長年に渡って制御されていなかった密猟のため今現在その数は急激に減り、もうほとんど野性のギボンはタイに残っていないそうです。数年前に残念なところ創立者が密猟者の手によって殺害され、残された奥さんはアメリカに戻ることを決意し、センターは現在タイの動物保護団体により経営されています。私達は赤ちゃんギボンにミルクをあげたり、センターにいる様々なギボンや猿達の生い立ちについてお話を聞いたり、色々な事を学びました。
そして数週間後、チェンマイ郊外にあるアジア象自然公園(Elephant Nature Park)に行きました。自然公園はレクというタイ山岳民族の女性が、タイ国内でのアジア象の酷使を止める為に1995年に創設し、現在に渡って象の保護と医療を行っています。タイの文化では象は神聖なる動物として崇拝されていますが、現実的に象は家畜、そして労働動物として使われています。自然公園はそのようにタイの農業や観光のトレッキングなどに使われ、怪我や病気、そして虐待されて弱った象達を確保したり、状況が酷い場合は買い取ったりしながら象の治療と保護活動を行っています。創立者のレクは2005年にタイム誌(TIME Magazine)により表彰された『アジアン・ヒーロー(Asian Heroes)』という賞をドクター・シンシアと共に受賞しました。
保護されている象の中にはビルマ側山岳地帯で地雷によって怪我をした象もいて、地雷という武器は人間だけではなく動物まで傷つける惨酷なものだとひしひしと感じました。そんな象達に私達は餌をやり、川に一緒に入って身体を洗ってあげたり、普通タイ観光ではできないようなとても思い出になる経験ができました。これからタイに観光する予定のある人達がただ象乗りをしたりショーを見たりするのではなく、自然公園の様に動物権利に従っている団体やグループを通して観光してくれたらいいなと思います。
メー・ラ難民キャンプ
メー・ラ難民キャンプはメーソットから車で約1時間程の所にあり、タイ国内では一番大きいビルマ難民キャンプです。約20年前(ビルマの軍事クーデターと民主化運動のデモの起こったすぐ後)に設立されて以来、難民の数は増え続け、今では約7万人の人々が国際NGOとタイ政府によりキャンプにて保護されています。メーソット最後の週末は、ニューヨークからKaren Women Organization (KWO: カレン女性組織)にてボランティアに来ていた現地で出会った友達に連れられてキャンプ内にあるKWOのオフィスに行ってきました。キャンプはとにかく大規模で、とても美しい断崖のふもとを何キロにもわたる草の屋根がつらなっています。残念ながら一日中雨が降っていましたが、KWOのスタッフ(TとK)に連れられて彼女達の家に行き家族に会ったり、キャンプ内のマーケットに行ったりしてキャンプ内で難民の人々がどういった生活をしているのか学ぶことができました。キャンプは常にNGOや国連の団体によって支援されているため、配給や教育施設、そして医療施設などの設備がメーソットの様な移民労働者の町よりも整っています。マーケットでも殆んどの日用雑貨、洋服、そして食料が売ってあり、近くの畑で働いている難民の人達は野菜や穀物などをキャンプに持ち帰り販売しています。メー・ラキャンプは想像以上にしっかりしていて嬉しく思いました。でもだからと言ってキャンプでの難民生活は簡単だとは言いきれません。Tは私と同じ年代で、出身はビルマのカレン州ですが、彼女の妹と弟はキャンプで産まれキャンプで育ち、キャンプの敷地から一歩も外に出たことがありません。自分の祖国の土を踏んだこともありません。妹さんは英語が上手で、これからももっと勉強してどこかの大学に進学したいと教えてくれました。
カレン族の人達は皆親切です。ただ見学にきているだけというのにTの家族は私達のためにお昼ご飯を作ってくださり、帰る際に『お友達になれて嬉しい。私達のこと忘れないで。又、必ず会いにきてね。』とTはプレゼントまで下さいました。私は彼女達のこと絶対忘れません。そして又、必ず会いに行きたいです。
絞めくくりの書き込みは又数日後にしますのでお楽しみに！
English speaking blog readers! We are so sorry for the absence. We will wrap things up with few more posts in coming days. Please stay tuned!
タイの動物保護(ギボンとアジア象)
メーソット滞在中、二度に渡って動物保護センターに行く機会がありました。最初はメーソットからさほど遠くない地点にあるギボン(猿の親戚。猿との違いはしっぽが短いのと、地面を人間の様に二足で歩くこと。)の保護センターに行きました。もともとこのセンターはアメリカから引退生活を静かに送るためにやってきたご夫妻が、タイの地元密猟者が売りにきたギボンの赤ちゃんに出会ったのをきっかけに設立されました。その後、タイ各地でショーやペットなどとして虐待されたギボンや捨てられた猿達の保護に積極的に励み、今では60頭程のギボンと猿達が生活しています。以前タイのジャングルには沢山のギボンが住んでいましたが長年に渡って制御されていなかった密猟のため今現在その数は急激に減り、もうほとんど野性のギボンはタイに残っていないそうです。数年前に残念なところ創立者が密猟者の手によって殺害され、残された奥さんはアメリカに戻ることを決意し、センターは現在タイの動物保護団体により経営されています。私達は赤ちゃんギボンにミルクをあげたり、センターにいる様々なギボンや猿達の生い立ちについてお話を聞いたり、色々な事を学びました。
そして数週間後、チェンマイ郊外にあるアジア象自然公園(Elephant Nature Park)に行きました。自然公園はレクというタイ山岳民族の女性が、タイ国内でのアジア象の酷使を止める為に1995年に創設し、現在に渡って象の保護と医療を行っています。タイの文化では象は神聖なる動物として崇拝されていますが、現実的に象は家畜、そして労働動物として使われています。自然公園はそのようにタイの農業や観光のトレッキングなどに使われ、怪我や病気、そして虐待されて弱った象達を確保したり、状況が酷い場合は買い取ったりしながら象の治療と保護活動を行っています。創立者のレクは2005年にタイム誌(TIME Magazine)により表彰された『アジアン・ヒーロー(Asian Heroes)』という賞をドクター・シンシアと共に受賞しました。
保護されている象の中にはビルマ側山岳地帯で地雷によって怪我をした象もいて、地雷という武器は人間だけではなく動物まで傷つける惨酷なものだとひしひしと感じました。そんな象達に私達は餌をやり、川に一緒に入って身体を洗ってあげたり、普通タイ観光ではできないようなとても思い出になる経験ができました。これからタイに観光する予定のある人達がただ象乗りをしたりショーを見たりするのではなく、自然公園の様に動物権利に従っている団体やグループを通して観光してくれたらいいなと思います。メー・ラ難民キャンプ
メー・ラ難民キャンプはメーソットから車で約1時間程の所にあり、タイ国内では一番大きいビルマ難民キャンプです。約20年前(ビルマの軍事クーデターと民主化運動のデモの起こったすぐ後)に設立されて以来、難民の数は増え続け、今では約7万人の人々が国際NGOとタイ政府によりキャンプにて保護されています。メーソット最後の週末は、ニューヨークからKaren Women Organization (KWO: カレン女性組織)にてボランティアに来ていた現地で出会った友達に連れられてキャンプ内にあるKWOのオフィスに行ってきました。キャンプはとにかく大規模で、とても美しい断崖のふもとを何キロにもわたる草の屋根がつらなっています。残念ながら一日中雨が降っていましたが、KWOのスタッフ(TとK)に連れられて彼女達の家に行き家族に会ったり、キャンプ内のマーケットに行ったりしてキャンプ内で難民の人々がどういった生活をしているのか学ぶことができました。キャンプは常にNGOや国連の団体によって支援されているため、配給や教育施設、そして医療施設などの設備がメーソットの様な移民労働者の町よりも整っています。マーケットでも殆んどの日用雑貨、洋服、そして食料が売ってあり、近くの畑で働いている難民の人達は野菜や穀物などをキャンプに持ち帰り販売しています。メー・ラキャンプは想像以上にしっかりしていて嬉しく思いました。でもだからと言ってキャンプでの難民生活は簡単だとは言いきれません。Tは私と同じ年代で、出身はビルマのカレン州ですが、彼女の妹と弟はキャンプで産まれキャンプで育ち、キャンプの敷地から一歩も外に出たことがありません。自分の祖国の土を踏んだこともありません。妹さんは英語が上手で、これからももっと勉強してどこかの大学に進学したいと教えてくれました。カレン族の人達は皆親切です。ただ見学にきているだけというのにTの家族は私達のためにお昼ご飯を作ってくださり、帰る際に『お友達になれて嬉しい。私達のこと忘れないで。又、必ず会いにきてね。』とTはプレゼントまで下さいました。私は彼女達のこと絶対忘れません。そして又、必ず会いに行きたいです。
絞めくくりの書き込みは又数日後にしますのでお楽しみに！
English speaking blog readers! We are so sorry for the absence. We will wrap things up with few more posts in coming days. Please stay tuned!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
8888(シッレーロン)祈りの灯
========================
8888(シッレーロン)祈りの灯
======================== 1988年8月8日（シッレーロンの日=８が４つの日）、当時一党独裁下に あったビルマ全土で反政府民主化デモが行われました。国の民主化 活動をリードしていた学生たちをはじめ、僧侶なども参加する全国規模 の平和的なデモ行進でしたが、軍はこの鎮圧に武力を行使し、8月8日 からの3日間で、デモに参加した1000人以上が殺害されました。この デモによって、1962年以来の一党独裁は終わりました。しかし、その後 クーデターによって軍が全権を掌握し、現在までビルマでは軍事政権が 続いています。 19年前のシッレーロンに象徴されるビルマ民主化活動のなかで命を 落としたすべての人々のために、一日も早いビルマの民主化のために、 アウンサンスーチーさんとすべての政治囚の解放のために…… 8月8日午後8時8分、ともに祈りましょう。
場所： 名古屋市栄 栄バスターミナル北・噴水南 （地下鉄栄駅14番出口）
日時： 2007年8月8日（水） 19：30～20：15
主催：SCDB(ビルマ民主化支援会）
共催：アムネスティ・インターナショナル日本わやグループ
連絡先：SCDB（ビルマ民主化支援会）ココラット info@scdb.org ====================================================
SCDB（ビルマ民主化支援会） 〒460-8691 名古屋中郵便局 郵便私書箱174号
SCDB URL : http://www.scdb.org/ E-mail : info@scdb.org ==============================================
8888(シッレーロン)祈りの灯
======================== 1988年8月8日（シッレーロンの日=８が４つの日）、当時一党独裁下に あったビルマ全土で反政府民主化デモが行われました。国の民主化 活動をリードしていた学生たちをはじめ、僧侶なども参加する全国規模 の平和的なデモ行進でしたが、軍はこの鎮圧に武力を行使し、8月8日 からの3日間で、デモに参加した1000人以上が殺害されました。この デモによって、1962年以来の一党独裁は終わりました。しかし、その後 クーデターによって軍が全権を掌握し、現在までビルマでは軍事政権が 続いています。 19年前のシッレーロンに象徴されるビルマ民主化活動のなかで命を 落としたすべての人々のために、一日も早いビルマの民主化のために、 アウンサンスーチーさんとすべての政治囚の解放のために…… 8月8日午後8時8分、ともに祈りましょう。
場所： 名古屋市栄 栄バスターミナル北・噴水南 （地下鉄栄駅14番出口）
日時： 2007年8月8日（水） 19：30～20：15
主催：SCDB(ビルマ民主化支援会）
共催：アムネスティ・インターナショナル日本わやグループ
連絡先：SCDB（ビルマ民主化支援会）ココラット info@scdb.org ====================================================
SCDB（ビルマ民主化支援会） 〒460-8691 名古屋中郵便局 郵便私書箱174号
SCDB URL : http://www.scdb.org/ E-mail : info@scdb.org ==============================================
Monday, July 16, 2007
The day with the children
This weekend was the first weekend in about a month that we stayed in Mae Sot, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Our friend Shelly, a local representative of the Body Shop NZ and Children on the Edge visits boarding houses and schools on weekends to bring supplies and organize various activities that they can participate. We were lucky enough to be invited to TMK Boarding House near Po Phra this weekend, to help her run activities that could entertain about 100 kids ages 9 thru 20. TMK Boarding School has been faced with about 50% increase in the number of boarding children since the beginning of this year due to heightened conflict in the nearby Karen village in Burma. In the small clusters of huts, about 6 adult teachers care for approximately 100 boarding students, and 200 students during the school days.
The ride on the rented passenger truck was smooth and fun, with me, Annie, Ilana, British Shelly and Sophia chatting away in the bed among bags of vegetables and boxes of school supplies despite the questionable weather that loomed over the area. The other Shelly (the boss) drove the truck, and Trudy, an Australian teacher who teaches in Mae Sot based migrant school sat in the cab. Once we arrived at the school, we unloaded the supplies and items for today's activities that we purchased in Mae Sot the day before. In the meantime, the children flocked to Shelly wanting to hold her hands and help her carry the supplies. Without further ado, we hastily got ourselves to the classroom where children were already seated waiting for us, and were greeted by cheerful "hello!" as we walked in. We all introduced ourselves in Burmese after the boss Shelly explained a little bit about what the day entailed. There were two teachers that were with us throughout the day, and they translated what we said to the children. So the day of fun began, a day much reminiscent of the field day that we had growing up, mere memory of it bringing back the excitement and made all of our mood lift.
First, Annie, Brit Shelly and myself took the older students who were interested in learning about First Aid to another classroom, while Ilana, Sophia and the boss Shelly carried out face painting and Trudy taught how to make bracelets. In the crash First Aid class, we taught eager children signs & symptoms of diarrhea and infections, how to stop bleeding, how to care for minor ear infections, how to clean a wound and put a bandage or gauze over it, and how to splint. We emphasized "washing hands" as the primary and absolutely necessary step one should take before and after treating someone who is hurt or sick. Kids loved the demonstrations, and were all enthusiastic when we had them volunteer to be the patient or the care provider. Annie, the pioneer of universal precautions, pounded the concept of hand washing to these kids’ brains, and was extremely pleased when we quizzed them at the end and asked “what is the first thing you do if your friend gets a cut” and received a loud clear answer in unison: “wash your hands!” After we were done with the First Aid, all the kids who attended it wanted to shake all of our hands, all giggly and shy, and told us “thank you very much” in perfect English.
Because a couple of girls who were ill were to be taken to a clinic with Shellies and Sophia, the arts & crafts were continued with Ilana, Annie and Trudy. In order to prevent them from being overwhelmed by the hoards of older students pouring out of the First Aid class, I decided to take some energetic boys to play a game of bingo. The bingo cards were not the kind you can punch out the numbers, so they had to use little plastic markers to indicate their progress. There was a moment when I thought the boys were about to fight over them, but with a regal direction from the older boys they distributed democratically and the rest of the game went smoothly until three young ones all reached bingo. I wish I had prizes and for a brief moment I thought about giving them 5 baht coins, but I realized that was a really bad idea, so we just clapped for them and congratulated them. They seemed happy anyway, just to have won the game, so I was pleased.
Since the rain continued to persist and the clinic crew was still not back yet, Annie and I began putting out large papers for mural painting. Even with limited colors of paints distributed among a dozen or so children, they painted beautiful pictures, mixing colors to make new colors that they desired. Watching boys and girls create shapes and people and scenery and objects, I cannot help but reassure that art is such a wonderful medium for children to express themselves, and how it is a shame that many American public schools do not invest in keeping art classes. It is therapeutic, and every child should have a chance to dwell in their creativity because that nurtures senses, and appreciation for small beauty that is all around us thriving even in the harshest environment. I think it can teach children something more necessary as a human being than multiplication tables and spelling.
Sadly, these children only get one full meal a day (dinner). Throughout the day we had to sneak out to the truck to snack to prevent ourselves from getting dizzy or queezy from hunger. I cannot imagine how these growing children can sustain themselves on a single meal and still be so full of vitality and hope. I thought about how privileged and lucky I have been all my life. I daydreamed about having a feast with these children, supplying them with limitless amounts of food that they have only seen in pictures. Nonetheless, two pigs were slaughtered (yes, we heard the squealing, and yes, we saw them gut and skin them) and half of the vegetables we brought were chopped while we played, older children (boys and girls) leaving activities to dutifully prepare one meal that they all live for, for hundred-and-some mouths.
Once the Shellies and Sophia and the two sick girls (one with tonsillitis and another with malaria, as they were diagnosed) returned, we left the arts & crafts for a short while and went to their church for some music sessions. It was absolutely phenomenal. The children opened with Burmese songs with choreography accompanied by the band (guitar, bass, and drums), and the beauty of it all put me in a trance and made me have to hold back my tears. It was so emotional to hear these children who grew up running away and hiding if not nearly killed sing without any withholding, without any worries or bitterness for that brief moment, united in solidarity through creation of music. I live for music, and it gave me more reason to keep it that way. Then Brit Shelly played a couple of songs on her guitar, followed by a sing-along of “you are my sunshine” to which the boss Shelly and Trudy choreographed. After that I played one song on a guitar, and then naturally, I had to reveal my beat boxing. Kids LOVED it. They thought it was the coolest thing in the world (well, I think it’s the coolest thing in the world too), and they made me keep going for a while, which was embarrassing but also wonderful because I could see the kids completely mesmerized, copying what I was doing beaming with smiles. So I divided the children into 4 sections and had each section make a sound and put them all together for a giant beat boxing chorus. It was so much fun. Then the boss Shelly remembered that the drummer could sing a Karen hip-hop/rock song so we made him sing while I beat boxed. All of it was so satisfying. So awesome. Since the children wanted more music, we decided to teach them a verse from “somewhere over the rainbow” and concluded with a song sang by a student and the band. Like art, music is a food for the soul. Medicine for the mind. You don’t need money or expensive instruments or intensive training to make music. All you need is your willingness to create sound, noise, rhythm. I guess in a way I was in my inherent state then, because making music with others, connecting with people through music is something that comes so naturally to me like breathing. I enjoyed the every sound the children made, and I prayed that the music can continue to guide their lives in the days to come.
While we were busy making music, the rain stopped and the sun peaked out a little, so we decided to do some outdoor activities we had planned. First was the egg race. There were about five teams, all lined up giddy from all the fun, excited to compete. Each team got an egg on a spoon, and they had to carry it like a batten while they ran a relay. Then we played egg toss race. Then Annie and I taught a bunch of boys how to play kick-ball. I enjoyed seeing the boys strategizing and team working despite their competitiveness. The game got very heated at certain points, but both teams dealt with it well, and showed amazing sportsmanship that I wish western athletes could have.
We ended the day with Brit Shelly and Sophia dancing with a small group of children to “head shoulder knees and toes” and “hokie pokie” played on the radio that Sophia generously bought for them. I loved watching them dance together and laughing. I love children. They are the holders of the future. They are the seeds of peace. I am happy to see that despite their arduous lives, they were still able to act childish, live in the moment, play hard, and laugh about nothing. So many children all over the world lack chances to act like children. Their expectations are either too high or too low. I hope the educators realize this and give children chances to be themselves. Even in the US, even in Japan. Let them play. Let them be broken. Let them be children.
Some things are the same no matter where you are – the girls were more vocal and more willing to volunteer or speak up, while boys giggled in the back poking fun at each other or at the girls in the front. In almost all activities, girls stuck together in one area, and the boys stuck together away from the cluster of the girls. Not to emphasize gender binary stereotypes (because there was a boy with a sparkly belt who only wanted to play girls, and some girls painted beard and mustache on their faces and wanted to play like boys), but in general boys were more enthusiastic about kick-ball game and played with a bamboo football constantly, while girls continued with painting, bracelet making, and wanting to have flowers and butterflies painted on their faces. All in all though, they were all extremely well behaved, treated each other with respect, and younger children listened to older children who cared for them. This kind of camaraderie is something I have not seen in children I have encountered in a long time. I am so proud of every single child I worked with today. I hope I get to come back an
The ride on the rented passenger truck was smooth and fun, with me, Annie, Ilana, British Shelly and Sophia chatting away in the bed among bags of vegetables and boxes of school supplies despite the questionable weather that loomed over the area. The other Shelly (the boss) drove the truck, and Trudy, an Australian teacher who teaches in Mae Sot based migrant school sat in the cab. Once we arrived at the school, we unloaded the supplies and items for today's activities that we purchased in Mae Sot the day before. In the meantime, the children flocked to Shelly wanting to hold her hands and help her carry the supplies. Without further ado, we hastily got ourselves to the classroom where children were already seated waiting for us, and were greeted by cheerful "hello!" as we walked in. We all introduced ourselves in Burmese after the boss Shelly explained a little bit about what the day entailed. There were two teachers that were with us throughout the day, and they translated what we said to the children. So the day of fun began, a day much reminiscent of the field day that we had growing up, mere memory of it bringing back the excitement and made all of our mood lift.
First, Annie, Brit Shelly and myself took the older students who were interested in learning about First Aid to another classroom, while Ilana, Sophia and the boss Shelly carried out face painting and Trudy taught how to make bracelets. In the crash First Aid class, we taught eager children signs & symptoms of diarrhea and infections, how to stop bleeding, how to care for minor ear infections, how to clean a wound and put a bandage or gauze over it, and how to splint. We emphasized "washing hands" as the primary and absolutely necessary step one should take before and after treating someone who is hurt or sick. Kids loved the demonstrations, and were all enthusiastic when we had them volunteer to be the patient or the care provider. Annie, the pioneer of universal precautions, pounded the concept of hand washing to these kids’ brains, and was extremely pleased when we quizzed them at the end and asked “what is the first thing you do if your friend gets a cut” and received a loud clear answer in unison: “wash your hands!” After we were done with the First Aid, all the kids who attended it wanted to shake all of our hands, all giggly and shy, and told us “thank you very much” in perfect English.
Because a couple of girls who were ill were to be taken to a clinic with Shellies and Sophia, the arts & crafts were continued with Ilana, Annie and Trudy. In order to prevent them from being overwhelmed by the hoards of older students pouring out of the First Aid class, I decided to take some energetic boys to play a game of bingo. The bingo cards were not the kind you can punch out the numbers, so they had to use little plastic markers to indicate their progress. There was a moment when I thought the boys were about to fight over them, but with a regal direction from the older boys they distributed democratically and the rest of the game went smoothly until three young ones all reached bingo. I wish I had prizes and for a brief moment I thought about giving them 5 baht coins, but I realized that was a really bad idea, so we just clapped for them and congratulated them. They seemed happy anyway, just to have won the game, so I was pleased.
Since the rain continued to persist and the clinic crew was still not back yet, Annie and I began putting out large papers for mural painting. Even with limited colors of paints distributed among a dozen or so children, they painted beautiful pictures, mixing colors to make new colors that they desired. Watching boys and girls create shapes and people and scenery and objects, I cannot help but reassure that art is such a wonderful medium for children to express themselves, and how it is a shame that many American public schools do not invest in keeping art classes. It is therapeutic, and every child should have a chance to dwell in their creativity because that nurtures senses, and appreciation for small beauty that is all around us thriving even in the harshest environment. I think it can teach children something more necessary as a human being than multiplication tables and spelling.
Sadly, these children only get one full meal a day (dinner). Throughout the day we had to sneak out to the truck to snack to prevent ourselves from getting dizzy or queezy from hunger. I cannot imagine how these growing children can sustain themselves on a single meal and still be so full of vitality and hope. I thought about how privileged and lucky I have been all my life. I daydreamed about having a feast with these children, supplying them with limitless amounts of food that they have only seen in pictures. Nonetheless, two pigs were slaughtered (yes, we heard the squealing, and yes, we saw them gut and skin them) and half of the vegetables we brought were chopped while we played, older children (boys and girls) leaving activities to dutifully prepare one meal that they all live for, for hundred-and-some mouths.
Once the Shellies and Sophia and the two sick girls (one with tonsillitis and another with malaria, as they were diagnosed) returned, we left the arts & crafts for a short while and went to their church for some music sessions. It was absolutely phenomenal. The children opened with Burmese songs with choreography accompanied by the band (guitar, bass, and drums), and the beauty of it all put me in a trance and made me have to hold back my tears. It was so emotional to hear these children who grew up running away and hiding if not nearly killed sing without any withholding, without any worries or bitterness for that brief moment, united in solidarity through creation of music. I live for music, and it gave me more reason to keep it that way. Then Brit Shelly played a couple of songs on her guitar, followed by a sing-along of “you are my sunshine” to which the boss Shelly and Trudy choreographed. After that I played one song on a guitar, and then naturally, I had to reveal my beat boxing. Kids LOVED it. They thought it was the coolest thing in the world (well, I think it’s the coolest thing in the world too), and they made me keep going for a while, which was embarrassing but also wonderful because I could see the kids completely mesmerized, copying what I was doing beaming with smiles. So I divided the children into 4 sections and had each section make a sound and put them all together for a giant beat boxing chorus. It was so much fun. Then the boss Shelly remembered that the drummer could sing a Karen hip-hop/rock song so we made him sing while I beat boxed. All of it was so satisfying. So awesome. Since the children wanted more music, we decided to teach them a verse from “somewhere over the rainbow” and concluded with a song sang by a student and the band. Like art, music is a food for the soul. Medicine for the mind. You don’t need money or expensive instruments or intensive training to make music. All you need is your willingness to create sound, noise, rhythm. I guess in a way I was in my inherent state then, because making music with others, connecting with people through music is something that comes so naturally to me like breathing. I enjoyed the every sound the children made, and I prayed that the music can continue to guide their lives in the days to come.
While we were busy making music, the rain stopped and the sun peaked out a little, so we decided to do some outdoor activities we had planned. First was the egg race. There were about five teams, all lined up giddy from all the fun, excited to compete. Each team got an egg on a spoon, and they had to carry it like a batten while they ran a relay. Then we played egg toss race. Then Annie and I taught a bunch of boys how to play kick-ball. I enjoyed seeing the boys strategizing and team working despite their competitiveness. The game got very heated at certain points, but both teams dealt with it well, and showed amazing sportsmanship that I wish western athletes could have.
We ended the day with Brit Shelly and Sophia dancing with a small group of children to “head shoulder knees and toes” and “hokie pokie” played on the radio that Sophia generously bought for them. I loved watching them dance together and laughing. I love children. They are the holders of the future. They are the seeds of peace. I am happy to see that despite their arduous lives, they were still able to act childish, live in the moment, play hard, and laugh about nothing. So many children all over the world lack chances to act like children. Their expectations are either too high or too low. I hope the educators realize this and give children chances to be themselves. Even in the US, even in Japan. Let them play. Let them be broken. Let them be children.
Some things are the same no matter where you are – the girls were more vocal and more willing to volunteer or speak up, while boys giggled in the back poking fun at each other or at the girls in the front. In almost all activities, girls stuck together in one area, and the boys stuck together away from the cluster of the girls. Not to emphasize gender binary stereotypes (because there was a boy with a sparkly belt who only wanted to play girls, and some girls painted beard and mustache on their faces and wanted to play like boys), but in general boys were more enthusiastic about kick-ball game and played with a bamboo football constantly, while girls continued with painting, bracelet making, and wanting to have flowers and butterflies painted on their faces. All in all though, they were all extremely well behaved, treated each other with respect, and younger children listened to older children who cared for them. This kind of camaraderie is something I have not seen in children I have encountered in a long time. I am so proud of every single child I worked with today. I hope I get to come back an
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
御無沙汰しております。
昨日、メーソット市内にあるカナダ人経営のレストランで夕食をとった際にテレビでBBC国際版の番組、『最前線の看護師 - Nurses on the Frontline』というシリーズが放送されていました。報道されていたのはビルマ、カレン州の悲劇。カレン州はメーソットのすぐ隣り、国境沿いに流れる川をまたぐ『友情の橋 - Friendship Bridge』を渡った地点から東西南北に広がる山岳地帯の州です。カレン州の山々には主にお米や山菜の栽培で静かに暮らすカレン民族の人々が生活していましたが、ミャンマー軍による民族虐待と惨殺により今ではほとんどのカレン族の人々がジャングルの奥地に逃げ込み、隠れて生活しています。ミャンマー軍は反軍事派のレジスタンスを狙撃するために民主化を望むカレン族の村を襲い、火を放ち、家畜を奪い、ジャングルの各地に地雷を埋めて無差別に攻撃しています。そんな中、反軍事派の『ビルマ解放隊 - Free Burma Rangers(FBR)』という自衛隊が山奥に入りカレン族の人々の護衛と医療を行なっていて、そのじょうきょうが報道されていました。メータオクリニックにも『山岳医療隊 - Back Pack Health Worker Team』があり、FBRと同じように僻地に入りカレン族の治療を行なっています。無菌室も何もない山の中でこういった医療隊は地雷によって重傷の怪我をおった足の切断や、弾丸摘出手術、そしてお産の手助けなどを行なっています。そんな過酷な様子がこの番組で映されていて、こういったことがすぐ私の傍で起こっているなど本当に信じられませんでした。
今年に入ってから内戦は悪化した傾向にあります。クリニックでも幼児の死亡率が上昇、ほとんどが重度の栄養失調の為です。メーソットに難民としてくる子供達の数も今年に入ってから急激に増えて、学校も寮もとても厳しい状態にあります。今日も難民学校を支援しているアメリカの団体がオフィスに来て先日提出し
た報告書について話し合い、資金を増やす為に追加で提案書を作ってくれと言われました。
昨日仕事の合間にドクター・シンシアとお話しした際に『このクリニックを始めた時、ここまで規模が大きくなると思ったか』と聞いたら、『実は3ヶ月ほどでビルマに帰るつもりだった』と笑いながらおっしゃいました。それだけビルマのじょうきょうは劇的に悪化していったのでしょう。今現在もこういったナチスやkkkを思い出させる様な悲劇が起こっているなど信じられません。ビルマにはいつ平和が訪れるのでしょうか・・・。
*****************************************************************************
週末には友達数人とウンパンに行ってきました。ウンパンはアウトドア好きの旅行者のパラダイスで、登山者や川下りで有名です。私達もアウトドアのガイドを雇い、とても素晴らしい自然のジャングルの中を三日間にわたり満喫してきました。初日はトラックでメーソットからウンパンまで盛大な景色の中、くねくねし
た山道を四時間かけて移動し、かわいらしいロッジに一泊。そして次の日は3時間ほどラフトで川を下り、温泉に入って、そこから4時間のトレッキング。ほとんどが昇り坂だったのでかなりしんどかったです。夜はキャンプ場でキャンプをして、終日はタイで一番有名な滝まで行き、またトレッキングとラフティングを続けて帰路につきました。写真はこの書き込みの前日の英語の書き込み↓につけたので見てね。
今年に入ってから内戦は悪化した傾向にあります。クリニックでも幼児の死亡率が上昇、ほとんどが重度の栄養失調の為です。メーソットに難民としてくる子供達の数も今年に入ってから急激に増えて、学校も寮もとても厳しい状態にあります。今日も難民学校を支援しているアメリカの団体がオフィスに来て先日提出し
た報告書について話し合い、資金を増やす為に追加で提案書を作ってくれと言われました。
昨日仕事の合間にドクター・シンシアとお話しした際に『このクリニックを始めた時、ここまで規模が大きくなると思ったか』と聞いたら、『実は3ヶ月ほどでビルマに帰るつもりだった』と笑いながらおっしゃいました。それだけビルマのじょうきょうは劇的に悪化していったのでしょう。今現在もこういったナチスやkkkを思い出させる様な悲劇が起こっているなど信じられません。ビルマにはいつ平和が訪れるのでしょうか・・・。
*****************************************************************************
週末には友達数人とウンパンに行ってきました。ウンパンはアウトドア好きの旅行者のパラダイスで、登山者や川下りで有名です。私達もアウトドアのガイドを雇い、とても素晴らしい自然のジャングルの中を三日間にわたり満喫してきました。初日はトラックでメーソットからウンパンまで盛大な景色の中、くねくねし
た山道を四時間かけて移動し、かわいらしいロッジに一泊。そして次の日は3時間ほどラフトで川を下り、温泉に入って、そこから4時間のトレッキング。ほとんどが昇り坂だったのでかなりしんどかったです。夜はキャンプ場でキャンプをして、終日はタイで一番有名な滝まで行き、またトレッキングとラフティングを続けて帰路につきました。写真はこの書き込みの前日の英語の書き込み↓につけたので見てね。
Monday, July 9, 2007
heart break.
we just got back from dinner at canadian dave's. bbc world was on the TV and it was showing a series called "nurses at the frontline" and of course, the segment was on Free Burma Rangers (FBR) medics and nurses. it really shook me because they said the footage was taped from 2004 into 2007, in karen state, which means it is happening right now, just few miles from where i am sitting. there were stories of raids, 16 year-old mine victim who told his friends to shoot him, and stories of truly innocent farming people being forced into the forest to hide from being killed. there are infants born in the jungle without hope of survival. there are children living in fear without any family members that are alive. i have been encoutering these stories for over a month now, and i still cannot get over it. i don't think i ever will.
i also had a chance to chat with dr. cynthia today, after discussing about one of the school projects i'm involved with. we talked about the clinic's hardships and its accomplishments, and i asked her if she had any idea that her efforts would bloom into something as big as where the clinic is now. she said when she first came here, she meant to be here for three months and then return to burma. she looked at me and smiled after telling me this, in a mixture of contentment and sadness. i will never forget that. i will always look up to her and the clinic. i will follow her footsteps.
i have a lot in my mind now. again, thinking, feeling, about the pain and suffering that exist right around the corner. it is no longer something i read in the book or hear on the news. i could smell the burning villages if i wanted to. i could hear the cries of the karen people if i listened. the faces of these people are in front of me everyday at the clinic.
i want it to end.
i also had a chance to chat with dr. cynthia today, after discussing about one of the school projects i'm involved with. we talked about the clinic's hardships and its accomplishments, and i asked her if she had any idea that her efforts would bloom into something as big as where the clinic is now. she said when she first came here, she meant to be here for three months and then return to burma. she looked at me and smiled after telling me this, in a mixture of contentment and sadness. i will never forget that. i will always look up to her and the clinic. i will follow her footsteps.
i have a lot in my mind now. again, thinking, feeling, about the pain and suffering that exist right around the corner. it is no longer something i read in the book or hear on the news. i could smell the burning villages if i wanted to. i could hear the cries of the karen people if i listened. the faces of these people are in front of me everyday at the clinic.
i want it to end.
Speedos, rummy of death, spider shrils, big boy, and the forces of nature
Another weekend of wonderful adventures - Greg, Annie, Ilana and I decided to take the Umphang trekking/rafting trip at the last minute. Andy (aka daddy) had to work so he couldn't come, which was sad and we all missed him tremendously throughout the weekend, but Greg (aka grandpa - don't tell him we call him that) kept us cheparoned.
DAY 1
Friday morning we got picked up by our guide Peetuk in a hooded pickup, slightly nervous and curious of what the weekend entailed. After stopping at the (name will be placed here)waterfall , Peetuk told us that there are about 1200 curves on the road to Umphang, so the girls took the anti-motion sickness pills and Greg sat in front, while I settled myself seated forward on the floor of the bed with an ipod. Music is my medicine. The drive was absolutely gorgeous, although yes, it was curvey and I am glad I did not get ill - the girls were passed out on the seats in the bed, and I somehow got stuck with the job of holding their bodies when the truck hit the hairpins so that they wouldn't fall. The view was just simply breathtaking. It was like a scenery from a postcard or a special on discovery channel; the mist was rolling in and out through the lush green of the jungle that continued far into the horizon, creating an illusion that we were flying through the waves of a green leafy ocean.
We drove passed numerous corn fields and rice fields, as well as Umpyiong refugee camp that we had only known in the proposals and reports we wrote, and stopped for thai omlette lunch at a rest stop. We continued further into the jungle, occasionally passing Karen and hilltribe people's simple huts.
Umphang is a small mountain town popular for tourists who seek aquatic and alpine expeditions. Since it is a rainy season, there were hardly anyone there when we arrived, which we found exciting. It's at a little bit shy of 1000 m above sea level, and consists of many trekking, rafting, and kayaking tour groups and attractive lodges that cater to western taste of vacation. We were brought to one of them, which we absolutely loved - wooden log-house compound surrounded by various tropical fruit trees and exotic flowers. Peetuk collected some star fruit (which became a staple during our trip) from the tree and told us to rest a little before he took us on a trek to (name will be placed here) waterfall. So Greg and Annie went to sleep, while Ilana read and I wrote. Then we put our hiking gears on and went out (Annie was so groggy from the motion-sickness pill which was quite funny...) in the soft quiet drizzle, out to what seemed like an endless patch of rice paddies. Then Peetuk led us through the ledges of the rice fields (where Greg continuously slipped into the rice paddies and made Peetuk yell out "Mind the rice Mr. Greg!"). He told us that during the dry season, you can drive through where the rice pddies are and get closer to the waterfall, which made sense because there was no trail. We were just following the footsteps of rice farmers who use the ledges to go check on the growth of their precious crops. So we continued on, getting muddy to the knees, ducking under the trees and crossing the small river by walking across slippery logs. The utter simplicity of it all, the childish drive for adventures through the rice paddies and the log crossing made me feel giddy, reminding me of my Japanese heritage and how the sight of all this was somehow familiar, in my blood, even though I was born and raised in a big city away from untouched nature. Parts of this trail was pretty tricky, slippery from wet leaves and mud. But we made it to the fall, which was very pretty and Greg went swimming in his Speedos while the rest of us sat and had some sunflower seeds and took multiple pictures. On the way back, Peetuk found us tart wild limes which we tasted (and Annie accidentally squirted into her eye) and learned that hilltribe people use them to keep snakes away. All tired, giddy and expremely happy, we made our way home to our lodge, thankful for the hot shower waiting for us.
We were ravenous by the time Peetuk picked us up again for dinner. We were brought to a restaurant just down the street from our lodge, and multiple platters of delicious Thai food were served: broiled whole fish (sorry for being ignorant but i couldn't tell what fish it was... may be an equivalent of Japanese tai fish?), fried egg salad, coconut tom yum, and port stir fry and endless supply of rice! I LOVED THEM ALL. They were trully delicious whether it is because I was hungry, because I was happy, I ate like I had not eaten anything in days, and enjoyed every bite. Full belly and a day of travelling hit us like a hammer and we were all of a sudden exhausted, ready to hit the pillow. Peetuk took us back to our lodge, and told us about the following day's plan, and left us to sleep. Lulled by jokes and stories told by each one of us we slowly dosed off into dreams in our cute bunk-bedded bungalow.
DAY 2
My watch alarm went off sooner than expected, and there was a hint of sun leaking into the bungalow through the skylight. I awoke the rest of the team and packed my bag for the rafting/trekking, double bagging everything inside my pack with plastic bags. After another delicious meal of Thai breakfast (spicy shrimp salad, salty egg salad, boiled rice, fried pork, and fried dough with condensed milk) we were brought to the upstream boat drop-off point on the Umphang river before it meets Mehklong river where we will be rafting for the rest of the weekend. We met the rest of the crew, a cook, a river guide, and his girlfriend. So we all pile onto the pink rubber raft much like the ones used in the North America, with Peetuk's hand made (very very well made) paddles, our camping gears, and food supplies for the next couple of days. The river was fairly fast flowing and contained few grade 1-3 rapids. Soon after the launch we merge onto Mehklong river, and the scenery begins to evolve into jagged clifs decorated with bamboos and teek trees and fig trees. The sun was out by then, unexpectedly and completely to our surprise. Everything was beautiful. 
The bottom of the clifs that soar above our heads were stolactites of all sizes dripping rain water like thin laces into the river. Magpies and dragon flies in many different colors kimmed the suface of the river we were embraced by the peace of the nature, alive but serene. We ate star fruits when we got hungry, and we hummed when we felt the music emerging from the insides. Peetuk told us stories about caves we came acrosss, and the vegitation we encountered. Annie continued to jump for any tickle on her leg or a sight of a bug in her vicinity, nearly jumping off the boat a couple of times our of erachnophobia. Everyone except for Greg and I were sympathetic and helped her stay spider-free. Along the way, we docked shortly to swim in the hot spring (ah, the joy of a natural spring! Halleluia for being Japanese!), and then to have lunch; another scrumtuous meal prepared by the restaurant back in Umphang, carefully packed in individual to-go boxes.
After another couple of hours of rafting, we reach our destination where we repacked our packs with sleeping bags and put on our hiking shoes (well, for Ilana, a pair of gum-boots and bumble bee wool socks that came up to her thigs, which made her look like either a commando or a Jersey farmer gone wrong). We left the boat, rafting gears, the raft leader and his grilfriend who planned to fish overnight at the site. There were a couple of other people there fishing, tying their hammocks onto bamboo posts they made, carefully pitched under the cliff where they were shltered from rain. Oon, the cook led the pack, and Peetuk stayed on the tail. Annie and I followed Oon most of the way, joined by Ilana in the middle of it, until we were too behind from Oon and too far ahead from Greg and Peetuk so we were essentially hiking on our own. The trail was half paved and half unpaved, 75% of it uphill, at at least 45 degrees slope. It was hard. The bitter recognition of how out of shape I am punched me in my face. My right hip-felxer (which I had hurt before) began to throb, but kept a good spirit singing rugby songs because the scenery and the scent of the rich vivacious forest could not do anything but give me vitality. The weather held up, and the time passed fast while three of us girls chatted about life and took fun pictures.
We hit a Y after a few hours (which turned out to be the entrance to our camp site) and since there were no Oon in sight, we decided to wait for Greg and peetuk, swarmed by mosquitos and fighting back with deet. Then it happened. We heard voices of our loving grandpa and Peetuk, and the sight of Greg's bare, lanky legs. He arrived in his speedos, socks and hicking shoes still intact, waving and smiling wildly at us. The three of us bursted into uncontrollable laughter, and Ilana took a fantastic portrait of Greg flaunting in his outfit making a peace sign with his hand. That photo, my friends, will be framed and hang on my wall in honor of the craziest middle-age man I have ever met whom I secretly admire to become. So we make the last 300 m poking fun at Greg and laughing, to the comp site where there were already some tents pitched by other trekkers. Exhausted and hungry, we propped our stuff on the benches and stretched, while Peetuk busily set up the tents and Oon hastily began preparing our dinners, and Greg terrorized the women at the concession stand by still flaunting in his little speedos, strangers at the concessing stand, strangers laughing and connecting through odd humor that somehow lacks border.
After the cold shower, we began playing rummy. Greg didn't remember how to play it, so we taught him how, and Ilana continued to learn (she was a rookie a couple of weeks ago) until we were interrupted by yet another delicious meal prepared this time by Oon. We were greeted with chicken soup, pork and green beans stir fry, vegitable stir fry, and mixed drink made with Thai-style sake in a beautifully hand carved bamboo cup (made at the camp that day). We again devoured everything like we were animals, truly enjoying the momment of unrestrained contentment. Oon came to the table when we were finishing up, and showed us tricks on a string, by which we were thoroughly amused, and began our rummy tournament by the candle light that ended up making everybody to hate me revealing their competitive nature. The point is, that I won, landslide, getting far from Annie who was at the lead in the begining with my face-card runs and three-of-aces. Ilana started off in the middle but Greg who scored negative 60 in the first round somehow outdone her and ended up at the bottom. I had a lot of fun while each one of them bitterly (and obviously half jokingly.... at least I thought so...) commented on how it's fun because I was winning. Darn tough crowd. By the time the lights were turned off (we were all pitched under a roof where there were lights) we were all exhausted and the bugs got really bad so we decided to call it a night. Except excited Peetuk came to each tent and told us that he found a glow-in-the-dark mushroom and showed us pictures he took. I think Annie was passed out by then, but Greg, Ilana and I went out and checked it out. It was phenomenal, utterly psychadelic! It was a genuine glow-in-the-dark shroom shining green like a night light at the edge of a concession stand. Ilana and I felt even more adventurous, so we headed out to the bathroom where we kept hearing mysterious barking sound to find out who was making the noise. We were acting like a couple of teenagers at a summer camp. It was nothing but fun. We found out it was a little dinky frog with a monsterous croaking while Ilana tried to scare me by "boo"-ing. After the satisfaction of successfully finding out what it was and a slight dissapointment of it being just a frog, we went to sleep in the tent, cozy in the complete darkness and the silence, little flickers of fire flies fading as the depth of sleep took over our consciousness.
DAY 3
As the sun came up so were the campers. I had forgotten about this aspect of camping. Luckily they did not start making a lot of noise until my watch alarm went off so I was able to doze in and out of sleep until the momment I had to get up. I re-packed my pack which was begining to smell (I'm sure you wanted to know that detail) and got out of the tent for a fresh air. The sky looked slightly sketchy, and by the time we sat down for breakfast it was begining to pour. Feared by nothing, we got out to the Namtok Thi Lo Su waterfall, the most famous waterfall in the entire Thailand, that is just about 1.5 km away from the camp site. The waterfall was just beautiful. I got the same soul shaking sensation I get whenever I'm standing by an amazing creation of the forces of nature; a sense of connecting with the past, the monumental power of earth that made first man shake at the sight of the beauty the way it touched me now. The mist rested in crystaline beads on our eye lashes and we all took momments of peace to ourselves indulging the view. I could not help but sing my favorite river song (even though I can't quite remember the second line of the verse... ha ha ha) and appreciate everything that made my presence there possible.
Annie, Ilana and I hiked out of the waterfall before Greg and Peetuk, because yet again, Greg went swimming in his little speedos. We had early lunch after that, prepared by Oon and enjoyed by all, some egg-tofu soup and stir fry of various types. Magically, by the time we were leaving the camp to trek back to the raft, it stopped raining, and so we were once again back on the trail, climbing uphill that seemed like forever.
It felt shorter though, because the length of the uphill was actually shorter on the way back. We were happy about that. Once we reached the cave where our river guide and his girl friend awaited, they had already got the boat nealy ready, and had caught a good sized catfish. We had some starfruit to regain some energy before getting on the raft, and we were off again, afloat on the Mehklong river to make our way further downstream. Then Annie jumps up to the sky at the sight of a spider. Then we pass some wild orange orchids. Then Annie stares down at the tree branch that was about to brush her head to make sure the spider was not jumping on her. Then a gigantic (quite phallic) stalotite with Peetuk grinning in the back yelling "The big boy!" A boat full of laughter. We hit a strong white water and the front half of the raft gets splashed with cool water. More laughter. Then a long high-pitched shrill like someone was getting killed. A rather giant spider on Ilana's knee that the river guide's girlfriend swiftly got rid of. We laughed so damn hard then, that everyone's stomach hurt. I don't think I have had this much fun in a while. Everything was so perfect. I loved every momment of it. As we made further downriver, we heard some trees fall that we all fell silent for, to hear every break of every branch, to imagine the size and the type of the falling tree, thinking about how long it lived and why it was finally falling, until the forest regained its normal sounds.
At Peetuk's call for "paddle harder please!" we turned our raft onto a merging stream upstream, paddled hard for few meters and reached our final destination. The raft got pulled out of water as soon as we got out, was deflated, and soon after, the truck arrived to pick us all up. deflated raft and gears on the top, all of us piling onto the hooded bed among our packs and leftover star fruit and the freshly caught catfish. Peetuk was making jokes with catfish, moving its jaws and trying to make it talk as I drifted into shallow sleep lulled by the roaring engine of the truck beneath my feet. We were brought back to the cottage where we stayed the first night where we were able to take a shower. After the shower we were fed some pad thai and Thai sweets, and all got back onto the truck (the bed was lined with bamboo mats and cushions for our comforts) and made our way back to Mae Sot. The ride home was curvey and we all got kinda car sick... (except for Annie, of course) I was knocked out from the motion sickness pill, and wished I could keep sleeping as we rolled into our lovely Mae Sot.
I truly enjoyed this expedition, and I recommend anyone who is in the area to do it. Esapecially if you have extra love for wilderness and adventures, go contact Peetuk! I will put the contact information here in the near future.
DAY 1
Friday morning we got picked up by our guide Peetuk in a hooded pickup, slightly nervous and curious of what the weekend entailed. After stopping at the (name will be placed here)waterfall , Peetuk told us that there are about 1200 curves on the road to Umphang, so the girls took the anti-motion sickness pills and Greg sat in front, while I settled myself seated forward on the floor of the bed with an ipod. Music is my medicine. The drive was absolutely gorgeous, although yes, it was curvey and I am glad I did not get ill - the girls were passed out on the seats in the bed, and I somehow got stuck with the job of holding their bodies when the truck hit the hairpins so that they wouldn't fall. The view was just simply breathtaking. It was like a scenery from a postcard or a special on discovery channel; the mist was rolling in and out through the lush green of the jungle that continued far into the horizon, creating an illusion that we were flying through the waves of a green leafy ocean.
We drove passed numerous corn fields and rice fields, as well as Umpyiong refugee camp that we had only known in the proposals and reports we wrote, and stopped for thai omlette lunch at a rest stop. We continued further into the jungle, occasionally passing Karen and hilltribe people's simple huts. Umphang is a small mountain town popular for tourists who seek aquatic and alpine expeditions. Since it is a rainy season, there were hardly anyone there when we arrived, which we found exciting. It's at a little bit shy of 1000 m above sea level, and consists of many trekking, rafting, and kayaking tour groups and attractive lodges that cater to western taste of vacation. We were brought to one of them, which we absolutely loved - wooden log-house compound surrounded by various tropical fruit trees and exotic flowers. Peetuk collected some star fruit (which became a staple during our trip) from the tree and told us to rest a little before he took us on a trek to (name will be placed here) waterfall. So Greg and Annie went to sleep, while Ilana read and I wrote. Then we put our hiking gears on and went out (Annie was so groggy from the motion-sickness pill which was quite funny...) in the soft quiet drizzle, out to what seemed like an endless patch of rice paddies. Then Peetuk led us through the ledges of the rice fields (where Greg continuously slipped into the rice paddies and made Peetuk yell out "Mind the rice Mr. Greg!"). He told us that during the dry season, you can drive through where the rice pddies are and get closer to the waterfall, which made sense because there was no trail. We were just following the footsteps of rice farmers who use the ledges to go check on the growth of their precious crops. So we continued on, getting muddy to the knees, ducking under the trees and crossing the small river by walking across slippery logs. The utter simplicity of it all, the childish drive for adventures through the rice paddies and the log crossing made me feel giddy, reminding me of my Japanese heritage and how the sight of all this was somehow familiar, in my blood, even though I was born and raised in a big city away from untouched nature. Parts of this trail was pretty tricky, slippery from wet leaves and mud. But we made it to the fall, which was very pretty and Greg went swimming in his Speedos while the rest of us sat and had some sunflower seeds and took multiple pictures. On the way back, Peetuk found us tart wild limes which we tasted (and Annie accidentally squirted into her eye) and learned that hilltribe people use them to keep snakes away. All tired, giddy and expremely happy, we made our way home to our lodge, thankful for the hot shower waiting for us.
We were ravenous by the time Peetuk picked us up again for dinner. We were brought to a restaurant just down the street from our lodge, and multiple platters of delicious Thai food were served: broiled whole fish (sorry for being ignorant but i couldn't tell what fish it was... may be an equivalent of Japanese tai fish?), fried egg salad, coconut tom yum, and port stir fry and endless supply of rice! I LOVED THEM ALL. They were trully delicious whether it is because I was hungry, because I was happy, I ate like I had not eaten anything in days, and enjoyed every bite. Full belly and a day of travelling hit us like a hammer and we were all of a sudden exhausted, ready to hit the pillow. Peetuk took us back to our lodge, and told us about the following day's plan, and left us to sleep. Lulled by jokes and stories told by each one of us we slowly dosed off into dreams in our cute bunk-bedded bungalow.
DAY 2
My watch alarm went off sooner than expected, and there was a hint of sun leaking into the bungalow through the skylight. I awoke the rest of the team and packed my bag for the rafting/trekking, double bagging everything inside my pack with plastic bags. After another delicious meal of Thai breakfast (spicy shrimp salad, salty egg salad, boiled rice, fried pork, and fried dough with condensed milk) we were brought to the upstream boat drop-off point on the Umphang river before it meets Mehklong river where we will be rafting for the rest of the weekend. We met the rest of the crew, a cook, a river guide, and his girlfriend. So we all pile onto the pink rubber raft much like the ones used in the North America, with Peetuk's hand made (very very well made) paddles, our camping gears, and food supplies for the next couple of days. The river was fairly fast flowing and contained few grade 1-3 rapids. Soon after the launch we merge onto Mehklong river, and the scenery begins to evolve into jagged clifs decorated with bamboos and teek trees and fig trees. The sun was out by then, unexpectedly and completely to our surprise. Everything was beautiful. 
The bottom of the clifs that soar above our heads were stolactites of all sizes dripping rain water like thin laces into the river. Magpies and dragon flies in many different colors kimmed the suface of the river we were embraced by the peace of the nature, alive but serene. We ate star fruits when we got hungry, and we hummed when we felt the music emerging from the insides. Peetuk told us stories about caves we came acrosss, and the vegitation we encountered. Annie continued to jump for any tickle on her leg or a sight of a bug in her vicinity, nearly jumping off the boat a couple of times our of erachnophobia. Everyone except for Greg and I were sympathetic and helped her stay spider-free. Along the way, we docked shortly to swim in the hot spring (ah, the joy of a natural spring! Halleluia for being Japanese!), and then to have lunch; another scrumtuous meal prepared by the restaurant back in Umphang, carefully packed in individual to-go boxes. After another couple of hours of rafting, we reach our destination where we repacked our packs with sleeping bags and put on our hiking shoes (well, for Ilana, a pair of gum-boots and bumble bee wool socks that came up to her thigs, which made her look like either a commando or a Jersey farmer gone wrong). We left the boat, rafting gears, the raft leader and his grilfriend who planned to fish overnight at the site. There were a couple of other people there fishing, tying their hammocks onto bamboo posts they made, carefully pitched under the cliff where they were shltered from rain. Oon, the cook led the pack, and Peetuk stayed on the tail. Annie and I followed Oon most of the way, joined by Ilana in the middle of it, until we were too behind from Oon and too far ahead from Greg and Peetuk so we were essentially hiking on our own. The trail was half paved and half unpaved, 75% of it uphill, at at least 45 degrees slope. It was hard. The bitter recognition of how out of shape I am punched me in my face. My right hip-felxer (which I had hurt before) began to throb, but kept a good spirit singing rugby songs because the scenery and the scent of the rich vivacious forest could not do anything but give me vitality. The weather held up, and the time passed fast while three of us girls chatted about life and took fun pictures.
We hit a Y after a few hours (which turned out to be the entrance to our camp site) and since there were no Oon in sight, we decided to wait for Greg and peetuk, swarmed by mosquitos and fighting back with deet. Then it happened. We heard voices of our loving grandpa and Peetuk, and the sight of Greg's bare, lanky legs. He arrived in his speedos, socks and hicking shoes still intact, waving and smiling wildly at us. The three of us bursted into uncontrollable laughter, and Ilana took a fantastic portrait of Greg flaunting in his outfit making a peace sign with his hand. That photo, my friends, will be framed and hang on my wall in honor of the craziest middle-age man I have ever met whom I secretly admire to become. So we make the last 300 m poking fun at Greg and laughing, to the comp site where there were already some tents pitched by other trekkers. Exhausted and hungry, we propped our stuff on the benches and stretched, while Peetuk busily set up the tents and Oon hastily began preparing our dinners, and Greg terrorized the women at the concession stand by still flaunting in his little speedos, strangers at the concessing stand, strangers laughing and connecting through odd humor that somehow lacks border. After the cold shower, we began playing rummy. Greg didn't remember how to play it, so we taught him how, and Ilana continued to learn (she was a rookie a couple of weeks ago) until we were interrupted by yet another delicious meal prepared this time by Oon. We were greeted with chicken soup, pork and green beans stir fry, vegitable stir fry, and mixed drink made with Thai-style sake in a beautifully hand carved bamboo cup (made at the camp that day). We again devoured everything like we were animals, truly enjoying the momment of unrestrained contentment. Oon came to the table when we were finishing up, and showed us tricks on a string, by which we were thoroughly amused, and began our rummy tournament by the candle light that ended up making everybody to hate me revealing their competitive nature. The point is, that I won, landslide, getting far from Annie who was at the lead in the begining with my face-card runs and three-of-aces. Ilana started off in the middle but Greg who scored negative 60 in the first round somehow outdone her and ended up at the bottom. I had a lot of fun while each one of them bitterly (and obviously half jokingly.... at least I thought so...) commented on how it's fun because I was winning. Darn tough crowd. By the time the lights were turned off (we were all pitched under a roof where there were lights) we were all exhausted and the bugs got really bad so we decided to call it a night. Except excited Peetuk came to each tent and told us that he found a glow-in-the-dark mushroom and showed us pictures he took. I think Annie was passed out by then, but Greg, Ilana and I went out and checked it out. It was phenomenal, utterly psychadelic! It was a genuine glow-in-the-dark shroom shining green like a night light at the edge of a concession stand. Ilana and I felt even more adventurous, so we headed out to the bathroom where we kept hearing mysterious barking sound to find out who was making the noise. We were acting like a couple of teenagers at a summer camp. It was nothing but fun. We found out it was a little dinky frog with a monsterous croaking while Ilana tried to scare me by "boo"-ing. After the satisfaction of successfully finding out what it was and a slight dissapointment of it being just a frog, we went to sleep in the tent, cozy in the complete darkness and the silence, little flickers of fire flies fading as the depth of sleep took over our consciousness.
DAY 3
As the sun came up so were the campers. I had forgotten about this aspect of camping. Luckily they did not start making a lot of noise until my watch alarm went off so I was able to doze in and out of sleep until the momment I had to get up. I re-packed my pack which was begining to smell (I'm sure you wanted to know that detail) and got out of the tent for a fresh air. The sky looked slightly sketchy, and by the time we sat down for breakfast it was begining to pour. Feared by nothing, we got out to the Namtok Thi Lo Su waterfall, the most famous waterfall in the entire Thailand, that is just about 1.5 km away from the camp site. The waterfall was just beautiful. I got the same soul shaking sensation I get whenever I'm standing by an amazing creation of the forces of nature; a sense of connecting with the past, the monumental power of earth that made first man shake at the sight of the beauty the way it touched me now. The mist rested in crystaline beads on our eye lashes and we all took momments of peace to ourselves indulging the view. I could not help but sing my favorite river song (even though I can't quite remember the second line of the verse... ha ha ha) and appreciate everything that made my presence there possible. Annie, Ilana and I hiked out of the waterfall before Greg and Peetuk, because yet again, Greg went swimming in his little speedos. We had early lunch after that, prepared by Oon and enjoyed by all, some egg-tofu soup and stir fry of various types. Magically, by the time we were leaving the camp to trek back to the raft, it stopped raining, and so we were once again back on the trail, climbing uphill that seemed like forever.
It felt shorter though, because the length of the uphill was actually shorter on the way back. We were happy about that. Once we reached the cave where our river guide and his girl friend awaited, they had already got the boat nealy ready, and had caught a good sized catfish. We had some starfruit to regain some energy before getting on the raft, and we were off again, afloat on the Mehklong river to make our way further downstream. Then Annie jumps up to the sky at the sight of a spider. Then we pass some wild orange orchids. Then Annie stares down at the tree branch that was about to brush her head to make sure the spider was not jumping on her. Then a gigantic (quite phallic) stalotite with Peetuk grinning in the back yelling "The big boy!" A boat full of laughter. We hit a strong white water and the front half of the raft gets splashed with cool water. More laughter. Then a long high-pitched shrill like someone was getting killed. A rather giant spider on Ilana's knee that the river guide's girlfriend swiftly got rid of. We laughed so damn hard then, that everyone's stomach hurt. I don't think I have had this much fun in a while. Everything was so perfect. I loved every momment of it. As we made further downriver, we heard some trees fall that we all fell silent for, to hear every break of every branch, to imagine the size and the type of the falling tree, thinking about how long it lived and why it was finally falling, until the forest regained its normal sounds.At Peetuk's call for "paddle harder please!" we turned our raft onto a merging stream upstream, paddled hard for few meters and reached our final destination. The raft got pulled out of water as soon as we got out, was deflated, and soon after, the truck arrived to pick us all up. deflated raft and gears on the top, all of us piling onto the hooded bed among our packs and leftover star fruit and the freshly caught catfish. Peetuk was making jokes with catfish, moving its jaws and trying to make it talk as I drifted into shallow sleep lulled by the roaring engine of the truck beneath my feet. We were brought back to the cottage where we stayed the first night where we were able to take a shower. After the shower we were fed some pad thai and Thai sweets, and all got back onto the truck (the bed was lined with bamboo mats and cushions for our comforts) and made our way back to Mae Sot. The ride home was curvey and we all got kinda car sick... (except for Annie, of course) I was knocked out from the motion sickness pill, and wished I could keep sleeping as we rolled into our lovely Mae Sot.
I truly enjoyed this expedition, and I recommend anyone who is in the area to do it. Esapecially if you have extra love for wilderness and adventures, go contact Peetuk! I will put the contact information here in the near future.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Minglah bar, knee kaung jah lah? (Hello, how are you guys?)
We have officially entered the rainy season.... We have not seen a "real" sunshine in days... Seriously, my old birks have molded and I am currently contemplating how to clean them up. The laundry nearly dries. Everything is damp and kinda sticky.
With the change in the weather came common colds and infections, plaguing all the foreign workers. Luckily neither Annie or I have been sick yet (other than a few short lived GI malfunctions) so cross your fingers.
I have learned recently, that there are more inpatient deaths at the clinic than I was aware. Various medical students who are on rotation here at the clinic have informed me that they have lost their patients in the last few weeks. The reason, they say, is an unfortunate inability of the clinic to be able to spend money on differential techniques to diagnose the patients - in other words, they cannot spend money on running multiple tests like blood smears, x-rays, and CAT scans on severely ill patients, thus not able to come up with treatment that could be advantageous. This, I believe, is a mere fact of the hardship that the self-sustainable free clinic such as the MTC faces; the extreme version of managed care that from outsiders may seem unfair or inadequate. I personally think that the clinic is doing a fantastic job considering the grave circumstance under which it operates. The structure of managed care is a necessity at a place like the clinic, because they only have a limited amount of resources and money. They have to triage who could be cured from the treatment and medicines that they have, and thus the expensive tests and referrals to a local hospital can be maximized in their benefits. I understand that it sounds cruel, but otherwise the efficiency of the clinic will diminish, and so would its resources. I do feel bad for these driven medical students whose honest wishes are to save people's lives. They say they feel helpless, and that they are frustrated for not being able to use their pocket money to run diagnostic smears and x-rays and refer for treatments at the hospital. I think I would feel the same way if I was actually in the clinical units. Only because I see the overall outcome of the clinic and its progress over the course of its existence (as part of my job) am I able to see that its system does work, and that it has saved the lives of numerous individuals who would have otherwise been lost. I am very much at awe of how self-sustainable (which is typically the main problem many locally run non-government recognized non-profits face) the clinic is, and how well educated the medics and staff are (mind you, they are all taught at the clinic and its affiliates). Dr. Cynthia is truly my hero, and I am honored to be working with her on a daily basis.
So some fun things:
Yesterday was my 26th birthday, and my wonderful friends here (a diverse menagerie of Americans, Brits, Canadian and New Zealander) threw me a party. Annie and Ilana did a relay of cooking in the afternoon, frying tortilla chips and making grilled cheese sandwitches and tomato soup from scratch. Caroline made delicious fruit salad and brought the highlight of the drink selection we had; the "Mc Hammer" whiskey. The table was decorated with candles and flowers, and they got me a cake with two cats (signifying my Tiki and Tembo that I miss so incredibly) on it that actually said "Happy Birthday Yumi" and other cute decorated small cakes that were so tastey. Seriously, this was one of the bestest birthdays I have ever had. We played music on guitar, sang along, and hung out while it continued raining outside. It was a cozy night of good company and good food, laughs and discussions, and I am so lucky and fortunate to have these friends who love me and care for me in this tiny town of Mae Sot.
*******************************************************
Last weekend, a whole bunch of us (mostly the folks I mentioned in my birthday story) took a motorbike to Taksin Maharat National Park. Andy found a little cabin that we could stay, so we decided to give mortorbikes a try. The most of the drivers were new at this skill, so the passangers (including myself) was difinately skepitacle of actually making it to the park without dying, since we all knew that the road to the park is windy mountainous road that are often cruised by large overloaded trucks that ignored the trafic lanes(remember the government minivan trip I mentioned before...). But the weather held up (until right before we reached the park) and the ride was actually very nice and beautiful although yes, two folks had flat tires, and yes, we almost ran out of gas, and Ilana and I went passed the actual park and had to make our way back uphill, in the rain and the wind, through motorvehicle accidents, and nearly gotten run over by two cars and almost flipped ourselves over into the ditch. HA HA HA. No joke. Not funny.
We ended up renting a larger cottage shared with 12 (?) of us unlike the original plan of staying in the two smaller units. It overlooked the beautiful hills of the park, and the fog came rolling in and out like my beloved San Francisco. Anyway, after lunching on a plate of spicey pork rice, we went on a hike which I absolutely loved. It was very much an authentic jungle hike, some on the paved road but mostly in the wet trails that required some bush whacking and trail blazing. All through the hike you could hear the loud cries of cicadas, and exotic birds poked their heads out from time to time. Misty wind blew through the valley and it just felt really refreshing. We first went to the "Big Tree" that the park prides itself on, and to the water fall where some of us went wading. BUT this is where the nightmare (particularly for Ilana) officially began. The LEECHES. I mean, they were EVERYWHERE. If you stood still for even for 5 seconds, they were literally all over your feet, up your legs, sucking blood out of you. The survival of the fittest at its best, and we were not the fittest. Obviously none of us enjoyed this, but most of us pulled ourselves together and decided to hike out of the jungle as soon as possible. Ilana, bless her heart, was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED. I kept hearing screams in the back (because I decided to lead the pack) time and again, and we took turns ripping the little creatures off of her feet because she could not touch them. Finally when we were few kilos from the trailhead, she says I can't take it anymore, and takes off, running full speed through steep uphill like a wind. Later I recommended her that she should join a cross-country team, and have her teammates place leeches on her feet.
Nonetheless, we all got back to the cabin safely, got washed up - Caroline's feet were completely covered in blood regardless of her socks and sneakers - and had a great evening of card playing and feasting in the stormy jungle weather. The planning of the trip home was rather stressful, because the weather was crappy when we got up, and one of the drivers test drove the bike and skidded and fell, scraping his arm. But we worked things out, and the one bike and myself along with three other girls were driven out of the park by the truck all the way to Mae Sot, and the rest actually drove the bike without any incidents, except for Andy's bike whose transmission blew just outside of Mae Sot, and had to flag down a nice trucker who brought him back to town.
We were all exhausted by the time we got back, but I trully enjoyed being out in the wild, taking a break from the daily life of Mae Sot.
We also started taking Burmese lessons! We will give you a report on that in the near future. I love it. My favorite phrase is:
"Twey yadda wanta ba deh" which means "I'm glad to meet you!" :D
With the change in the weather came common colds and infections, plaguing all the foreign workers. Luckily neither Annie or I have been sick yet (other than a few short lived GI malfunctions) so cross your fingers.
I have learned recently, that there are more inpatient deaths at the clinic than I was aware. Various medical students who are on rotation here at the clinic have informed me that they have lost their patients in the last few weeks. The reason, they say, is an unfortunate inability of the clinic to be able to spend money on differential techniques to diagnose the patients - in other words, they cannot spend money on running multiple tests like blood smears, x-rays, and CAT scans on severely ill patients, thus not able to come up with treatment that could be advantageous. This, I believe, is a mere fact of the hardship that the self-sustainable free clinic such as the MTC faces; the extreme version of managed care that from outsiders may seem unfair or inadequate. I personally think that the clinic is doing a fantastic job considering the grave circumstance under which it operates. The structure of managed care is a necessity at a place like the clinic, because they only have a limited amount of resources and money. They have to triage who could be cured from the treatment and medicines that they have, and thus the expensive tests and referrals to a local hospital can be maximized in their benefits. I understand that it sounds cruel, but otherwise the efficiency of the clinic will diminish, and so would its resources. I do feel bad for these driven medical students whose honest wishes are to save people's lives. They say they feel helpless, and that they are frustrated for not being able to use their pocket money to run diagnostic smears and x-rays and refer for treatments at the hospital. I think I would feel the same way if I was actually in the clinical units. Only because I see the overall outcome of the clinic and its progress over the course of its existence (as part of my job) am I able to see that its system does work, and that it has saved the lives of numerous individuals who would have otherwise been lost. I am very much at awe of how self-sustainable (which is typically the main problem many locally run non-government recognized non-profits face) the clinic is, and how well educated the medics and staff are (mind you, they are all taught at the clinic and its affiliates). Dr. Cynthia is truly my hero, and I am honored to be working with her on a daily basis.
So some fun things:
Yesterday was my 26th birthday, and my wonderful friends here (a diverse menagerie of Americans, Brits, Canadian and New Zealander) threw me a party. Annie and Ilana did a relay of cooking in the afternoon, frying tortilla chips and making grilled cheese sandwitches and tomato soup from scratch. Caroline made delicious fruit salad and brought the highlight of the drink selection we had; the "Mc Hammer" whiskey. The table was decorated with candles and flowers, and they got me a cake with two cats (signifying my Tiki and Tembo that I miss so incredibly) on it that actually said "Happy Birthday Yumi" and other cute decorated small cakes that were so tastey. Seriously, this was one of the bestest birthdays I have ever had. We played music on guitar, sang along, and hung out while it continued raining outside. It was a cozy night of good company and good food, laughs and discussions, and I am so lucky and fortunate to have these friends who love me and care for me in this tiny town of Mae Sot.
*******************************************************
Last weekend, a whole bunch of us (mostly the folks I mentioned in my birthday story) took a motorbike to Taksin Maharat National Park. Andy found a little cabin that we could stay, so we decided to give mortorbikes a try. The most of the drivers were new at this skill, so the passangers (including myself) was difinately skepitacle of actually making it to the park without dying, since we all knew that the road to the park is windy mountainous road that are often cruised by large overloaded trucks that ignored the trafic lanes(remember the government minivan trip I mentioned before...). But the weather held up (until right before we reached the park) and the ride was actually very nice and beautiful although yes, two folks had flat tires, and yes, we almost ran out of gas, and Ilana and I went passed the actual park and had to make our way back uphill, in the rain and the wind, through motorvehicle accidents, and nearly gotten run over by two cars and almost flipped ourselves over into the ditch. HA HA HA. No joke. Not funny.
We ended up renting a larger cottage shared with 12 (?) of us unlike the original plan of staying in the two smaller units. It overlooked the beautiful hills of the park, and the fog came rolling in and out like my beloved San Francisco. Anyway, after lunching on a plate of spicey pork rice, we went on a hike which I absolutely loved. It was very much an authentic jungle hike, some on the paved road but mostly in the wet trails that required some bush whacking and trail blazing. All through the hike you could hear the loud cries of cicadas, and exotic birds poked their heads out from time to time. Misty wind blew through the valley and it just felt really refreshing. We first went to the "Big Tree" that the park prides itself on, and to the water fall where some of us went wading. BUT this is where the nightmare (particularly for Ilana) officially began. The LEECHES. I mean, they were EVERYWHERE. If you stood still for even for 5 seconds, they were literally all over your feet, up your legs, sucking blood out of you. The survival of the fittest at its best, and we were not the fittest. Obviously none of us enjoyed this, but most of us pulled ourselves together and decided to hike out of the jungle as soon as possible. Ilana, bless her heart, was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED. I kept hearing screams in the back (because I decided to lead the pack) time and again, and we took turns ripping the little creatures off of her feet because she could not touch them. Finally when we were few kilos from the trailhead, she says I can't take it anymore, and takes off, running full speed through steep uphill like a wind. Later I recommended her that she should join a cross-country team, and have her teammates place leeches on her feet.
Nonetheless, we all got back to the cabin safely, got washed up - Caroline's feet were completely covered in blood regardless of her socks and sneakers - and had a great evening of card playing and feasting in the stormy jungle weather. The planning of the trip home was rather stressful, because the weather was crappy when we got up, and one of the drivers test drove the bike and skidded and fell, scraping his arm. But we worked things out, and the one bike and myself along with three other girls were driven out of the park by the truck all the way to Mae Sot, and the rest actually drove the bike without any incidents, except for Andy's bike whose transmission blew just outside of Mae Sot, and had to flag down a nice trucker who brought him back to town.
We were all exhausted by the time we got back, but I trully enjoyed being out in the wild, taking a break from the daily life of Mae Sot.
We also started taking Burmese lessons! We will give you a report on that in the near future. I love it. My favorite phrase is:
"Twey yadda wanta ba deh" which means "I'm glad to meet you!" :D
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
freedom
upstairs in our house, there is a phrse pasted onto the siding that reads:
"the purpose of freedom, is to free someone else"
this phrase has been ringing in my head a lot recently. i've hit a certain kind of a "block" where i feel like i'm on the verge of jumping off the cliff to join the revolutionaries, go off the radar into the thickness of the jungle that does not exist on the map. because only there, can people make a diffrence.
i was out to a bar called thaime's with all the foreigner friends in town in a hope to have andy perform a song at an open mic. i had gone to the thaime's few times and enjoyed it. it has a log-cabin-like decor with lots of lights and has east-meets-west atmohphere. but my being there this time made me hate this place and resent my own presence in the bar among westerners with western thoughts and premature understanding of freedom that allows them to forget the fact that some burmese poeple who crossed the border illegally just few blocks up the road are hiding away in the darkenss of the night, hoping to be spared of being caught by the patrol police while looking for something to eat. with an australian man belting out mrs. robinson, and a drunk french dude with a burmese tattoo proclaiming that tonight is a solistice and that french people party all night for it, i could not help but to think about what eh moo paw and eh na moo and other burmese friends and their genuine longing to be able to go shopping and just hang out in town without fearing that the cops will catch them or having to pay off the cops once they are caught. they are just like us in their mid-twenties just wanting to do a mid-twenties thing. and they can't. but we - highly educated, blinded by the humanitarian ideals, dressed in expensive clothes probably made by burmese factory workers, laughing about nothing and pounding down beer - were completely detached from these truths that we are supposedly helping. at that momment, all i wanted to do was to go home, grab andy's guitar, bike over to the clinic and play music among people who are and will be confined in this little space, just content for the fact that they are not constantly being raided, or that their children's fevers are going down. people of our age who had an opportunity to receive education up to 10th grade are acting as teachers/guardians/parents to orphans, feeding them, bathing them, comfort them if they are sad, never knowing what it's like to be among friends sitting around playing music and drinking away the night in a simple bliss of freedom. how can i not feel guilty? how can i not wish myself to be able to share this with them? may be i felt it more because i have their faces and their skin. i know that many wonder "who is she among white faces?" and i know it comes with a certain bitterness. the bar was just so stuffed up with good-hearted western values that blatantly ignored the needs of the people that we are meant to serve. i've heard many of these people say "i can't believe they do this," "i can't believe they don't do this" "we need to get them technology" "they would love to be resettled in the US" and i keep my distance from them.
i am not a hard-a**. i love having fun, hanging out at the bar or otherwise, and i am all for doing things i enjoy to keep myself sane so that i can continue the work. i just realized, that my work is not to bring my values to them, or to encourage refugee resettlement abroad. i want to lend my hands to get them what they want - to live comfortably with freedom, in a place where they belong - viallges in the hills of beautiful burma. and the fact is, we usually forget that in our naturally western drive for "humanitarian" deeds. we all do it to satisfy ourselves to a certain degree, but i desire to let myself be dissolved in the people's values and truly hear their voices as if the words are spoken in my own tongue. the cacophony of comfort from the fellow westerners at the bar somehow made their calls apparent in my ears. i hope you realize i'm not trying to be judgemental of others. it is mostly a criticism of myself, and my weakness to not be able to leap over to the other side. and i am completely over generalizing everyone that's here. i am sure there are some who have made the similar revalations and doing the right thing.
i think annie and i are going to try to plan a hang-out time with our burmese friends at one of our schools. hope it will be realized.
"the purpose of freedom, is to free someone else"
this phrase has been ringing in my head a lot recently. i've hit a certain kind of a "block" where i feel like i'm on the verge of jumping off the cliff to join the revolutionaries, go off the radar into the thickness of the jungle that does not exist on the map. because only there, can people make a diffrence.
i was out to a bar called thaime's with all the foreigner friends in town in a hope to have andy perform a song at an open mic. i had gone to the thaime's few times and enjoyed it. it has a log-cabin-like decor with lots of lights and has east-meets-west atmohphere. but my being there this time made me hate this place and resent my own presence in the bar among westerners with western thoughts and premature understanding of freedom that allows them to forget the fact that some burmese poeple who crossed the border illegally just few blocks up the road are hiding away in the darkenss of the night, hoping to be spared of being caught by the patrol police while looking for something to eat. with an australian man belting out mrs. robinson, and a drunk french dude with a burmese tattoo proclaiming that tonight is a solistice and that french people party all night for it, i could not help but to think about what eh moo paw and eh na moo and other burmese friends and their genuine longing to be able to go shopping and just hang out in town without fearing that the cops will catch them or having to pay off the cops once they are caught. they are just like us in their mid-twenties just wanting to do a mid-twenties thing. and they can't. but we - highly educated, blinded by the humanitarian ideals, dressed in expensive clothes probably made by burmese factory workers, laughing about nothing and pounding down beer - were completely detached from these truths that we are supposedly helping. at that momment, all i wanted to do was to go home, grab andy's guitar, bike over to the clinic and play music among people who are and will be confined in this little space, just content for the fact that they are not constantly being raided, or that their children's fevers are going down. people of our age who had an opportunity to receive education up to 10th grade are acting as teachers/guardians/parents to orphans, feeding them, bathing them, comfort them if they are sad, never knowing what it's like to be among friends sitting around playing music and drinking away the night in a simple bliss of freedom. how can i not feel guilty? how can i not wish myself to be able to share this with them? may be i felt it more because i have their faces and their skin. i know that many wonder "who is she among white faces?" and i know it comes with a certain bitterness. the bar was just so stuffed up with good-hearted western values that blatantly ignored the needs of the people that we are meant to serve. i've heard many of these people say "i can't believe they do this," "i can't believe they don't do this" "we need to get them technology" "they would love to be resettled in the US" and i keep my distance from them.
i am not a hard-a**. i love having fun, hanging out at the bar or otherwise, and i am all for doing things i enjoy to keep myself sane so that i can continue the work. i just realized, that my work is not to bring my values to them, or to encourage refugee resettlement abroad. i want to lend my hands to get them what they want - to live comfortably with freedom, in a place where they belong - viallges in the hills of beautiful burma. and the fact is, we usually forget that in our naturally western drive for "humanitarian" deeds. we all do it to satisfy ourselves to a certain degree, but i desire to let myself be dissolved in the people's values and truly hear their voices as if the words are spoken in my own tongue. the cacophony of comfort from the fellow westerners at the bar somehow made their calls apparent in my ears. i hope you realize i'm not trying to be judgemental of others. it is mostly a criticism of myself, and my weakness to not be able to leap over to the other side. and i am completely over generalizing everyone that's here. i am sure there are some who have made the similar revalations and doing the right thing.
i think annie and i are going to try to plan a hang-out time with our burmese friends at one of our schools. hope it will be realized.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
近況
久しぶりに書き込みします。
まずは近況から・・・。
仕事の方は着々と進み、ドクターシンシアから頼まれていた提案書の返事が今日きました。アメリカでよく使われる旅行ガイドブックの会社、『ロンリー・プラレネット』からの募金の成立です。返事がくるのに時間がかかったけど、どうやっらお金は送ってくれるようです。クリニックの小児/幼児科病棟3年報告書の作成にはカルテからデータを計算しなければいけないのでまだまだ時間がかかれりそうです。
週末は、バスに乗ってタイの北部にあるチアンマイという街に遊びにいきました。チアンマイは日本で言ったら京都のような所で、歴史的なお寺や建物、仏像や遺跡が豊富に残っているとこです。チアンマイは750年前にラナ州の主都として栄えた川沿いの街で、金、銀や鉄等の工芸でも有名です。その為、観光客も多く、多彩なレストランやバーが並び、日曜日の夜には旧主都の名残のお堀と壁際で大規模なお祭りの様なバザーがあり、おみやげショッピングには欠かせない所でもあります。それからチアンマイは『ゴールデン・トライアングル』と呼ばれる、タイ、ビルマ、そしてラオスの国境が交じ合う地点に近く、山の奥で生活している民族の人達(主にモン族)も沢山住んでいる所でもあります。『ゴールデン・トライアングル』は以前三国が政治的に対立していた頃に山の奥地に住む民族の人々を巻き込んでの戦争や惨殺、虐待があった地点でもあり世界的に悪名も高く、現在では売春の為にエイズ感染率が非常に高いということで公衆衛生や医学的な注目を浴びています。
さてさて、ここで少しメーソットの食生活についてお話します♪
こちらで一番思うのが、『お米社会の国の食べ物は美味しい！』ということです。クリニックのすぐ隣にも田んぼがいくつかあり、この間出勤した際には田植えをしていました。こちらでは麺類もお米で出来ているのが多く、こしがあってとにかく美味しいです。それから魚もよくつかわれていて、屋台ではよく日本的な、串に刺さってある魚の刷り身だんごやかまぼこを火鉢で焼いて売っています。鳥肉や豚肉の炒めものも色々あり、味も激辛から甘いものまであります。元々さほど辛い物好きではありませんでしたが、今ではけっこう好んで食べるようになりました(でも辛いものはものすごく辛い！辛いというよりか口の中が痛いです！)。ビルマの食べ物にはみょうがやしょうがも使われていて口当りがよく、食べやすいです。でも、市場に行くと蛙やゴキブリも売っているんですねぇ・・・。 かえるはともかく、ゴキブリはやっぱり避けたいっ！まぁ、イナゴの佃煮は食べたことがあるから同じ様な物だと思えば大丈夫・・・！?！?
そんな所です。ご報告までに。☆★☆★
まずは近況から・・・。
仕事の方は着々と進み、ドクターシンシアから頼まれていた提案書の返事が今日きました。アメリカでよく使われる旅行ガイドブックの会社、『ロンリー・プラレネット』からの募金の成立です。返事がくるのに時間がかかったけど、どうやっらお金は送ってくれるようです。クリニックの小児/幼児科病棟3年報告書の作成にはカルテからデータを計算しなければいけないのでまだまだ時間がかかれりそうです。
週末は、バスに乗ってタイの北部にあるチアンマイという街に遊びにいきました。チアンマイは日本で言ったら京都のような所で、歴史的なお寺や建物、仏像や遺跡が豊富に残っているとこです。チアンマイは750年前にラナ州の主都として栄えた川沿いの街で、金、銀や鉄等の工芸でも有名です。その為、観光客も多く、多彩なレストランやバーが並び、日曜日の夜には旧主都の名残のお堀と壁際で大規模なお祭りの様なバザーがあり、おみやげショッピングには欠かせない所でもあります。それからチアンマイは『ゴールデン・トライアングル』と呼ばれる、タイ、ビルマ、そしてラオスの国境が交じ合う地点に近く、山の奥で生活している民族の人達(主にモン族)も沢山住んでいる所でもあります。『ゴールデン・トライアングル』は以前三国が政治的に対立していた頃に山の奥地に住む民族の人々を巻き込んでの戦争や惨殺、虐待があった地点でもあり世界的に悪名も高く、現在では売春の為にエイズ感染率が非常に高いということで公衆衛生や医学的な注目を浴びています。
さてさて、ここで少しメーソットの食生活についてお話します♪
こちらで一番思うのが、『お米社会の国の食べ物は美味しい！』ということです。クリニックのすぐ隣にも田んぼがいくつかあり、この間出勤した際には田植えをしていました。こちらでは麺類もお米で出来ているのが多く、こしがあってとにかく美味しいです。それから魚もよくつかわれていて、屋台ではよく日本的な、串に刺さってある魚の刷り身だんごやかまぼこを火鉢で焼いて売っています。鳥肉や豚肉の炒めものも色々あり、味も激辛から甘いものまであります。元々さほど辛い物好きではありませんでしたが、今ではけっこう好んで食べるようになりました(でも辛いものはものすごく辛い！辛いというよりか口の中が痛いです！)。ビルマの食べ物にはみょうがやしょうがも使われていて口当りがよく、食べやすいです。でも、市場に行くと蛙やゴキブリも売っているんですねぇ・・・。 かえるはともかく、ゴキブリはやっぱり避けたいっ！まぁ、イナゴの佃煮は食べたことがあるから同じ様な物だと思えば大丈夫・・・！?！?
そんな所です。ご報告までに。☆★☆★
Monday, June 11, 2007
poolside.
yumi may have already written about this....but we found the mae sot central hotel!! sunday afternoon, under the scorching sun, we set out on our bikes and found it, like 20 minutes from the downtown area, somewhere off the main highway. it was so nice. there was a bamboo bar AND a massage hut. andy said it was pretty obvious that we were from "the other side of town," showing up with our backpacks and me, looking like complete trash, swimming in my clothes. but its a feeling i've grown quite comfortable with - we've decided that most of the time i look like one of the lost boys from peter pan. but it didn't matter. we sat by the pool in those nice lounge chairs, reading our books and getting sunburned. caroline from canada came to meet us, we ate at the hotel restaurant. and on the way home we stopped for popsicles. it was the greatest day.
tonight i think we're going to rent a dvd...we try to only do it once a week cause its so expensive. and we've developed a taste for only those movies that are completely, utterly detached from reality. cartoons of any kind. star wars. a series of unfortunate events. the chronicles of narnia. we love it :)
alright, i guess that's its for now.
hope everyone is doing well, miss you all xoxoxox
annie and yumi
tonight i think we're going to rent a dvd...we try to only do it once a week cause its so expensive. and we've developed a taste for only those movies that are completely, utterly detached from reality. cartoons of any kind. star wars. a series of unfortunate events. the chronicles of narnia. we love it :)
alright, i guess that's its for now.
hope everyone is doing well, miss you all xoxoxox
annie and yumi
Saturday, June 9, 2007
beautifuls.
Students participated in The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child this year, and awarded Dr. Cynthia
Older students in their outdoor classroom
Future pop-stars!?
Girls weaving at their dormitory
Friends
Burmese people wear Tana-ka, a ground tree product mixed with water as sunscreen and a make-up
Boys peeking from the bed of the principal's truck serving as a "school bus"
End of the school day
Girls at a School eating Burmese noodle bowl at the convocation of the new academic year
ex pats, dogs in heat, fish balls, and unidentifiable noise on the tin roof
so some updates here. just so that everyone is aware, the previous two posts have been written in japanese, so if you don't have japanese language kit installed onto your computer you probably got a jarble or boxes instead of letters... thanks for my friend who kindly notified us about it. ;)
1) the food here is AWESOME. despite our original intent to be careful of what we eat to avoid GI problems, yumi has broken all the rules and have been drinking water with ice, frequenting "fish balls" on a stick from a street vendor, and adding spices in everything she eats. luckily, no serious stomach problems (knock-on-wood...) yet... more on fish balls: there are two kinds you can get - ones that are very much reminiscent of japanese "kamaboko" which are my favorite, and the others that are like japanese "surimi dango" which are little more fishy and i like less. regardless, you can get them with this sweet-and-sour sauce sort of like the sauce "drunken fish" (from a Thai restaurant in providence) come in, which is scrumptous.
2) the town of mae sot is an interesting place. we are thousands of miles away and yet it is a hub of americans. including "greg" from CSI who is visiting different migrant/refugee communities with an American organization that supports Burmese freedom. he left his head-shot picture with his autograph and a message: "be cool, stay in school" at one of the schools with which we work closely. among the young academic-activist-hippie-yuppie Americans are these ex-pats who probably goes off the map and becomes unreacheable by any mode of communication frequently. they are easily spotted because of their scruffy aloha-type-shirt and the natural ability to blend in the crowd of short, dark-haired, Asian people.
3) and the streets are filled with stray dogs, mountain dogs, little dogs, big dogs, expensive dogs, tame dogs.... the list goes on. they just rule the streets and things have been especially bad lately. a lot of them have been chasing each other, fighting, and barking ceaselessly. today, we saw one mount another one and made us realize that all this fuss has been because they were in heat!
4) we have a fouth roommate named lola, a giant gecko with red patterns (about a size of my foot or longer) who likes to come out at night and scare us. for the longest time, we thought she was stuck in the kitchen and felt some sympathy, but yumi believes that she actually enjoys living here because there are lots of other little geckos which i'm convinced that lola likes to chomp on. the little geckos are super adorable. they chase bugs on the ceiling or on the wall, and lift their heads and seach their peripherals. very cute. UNTIL today one of them caught a good sized beetle and it was obviously too big for this little guy's jaw. so he decides to bang the poor bug on the ceiling while it's caught in the mouth to kill it so that it won't wiggle so much. only, he used his force too much - he ended up throwing the bug onto yumi's head.
5) and the unidentifiable noise outside on our tin overhang by the front door... it is creepy. it sounds like an animal's claw, but not all of us agree. yumi thinks it's a cat or a monkey. andy thinks it's a dog. annie thinks it's a dead body.... whatever it is, it always happens at night, passed 9pm, without any signs. just a series of big bangs and thumps.
regardless, our lives in mae sot continues...
1) the food here is AWESOME. despite our original intent to be careful of what we eat to avoid GI problems, yumi has broken all the rules and have been drinking water with ice, frequenting "fish balls" on a stick from a street vendor, and adding spices in everything she eats. luckily, no serious stomach problems (knock-on-wood...) yet... more on fish balls: there are two kinds you can get - ones that are very much reminiscent of japanese "kamaboko" which are my favorite, and the others that are like japanese "surimi dango" which are little more fishy and i like less. regardless, you can get them with this sweet-and-sour sauce sort of like the sauce "drunken fish" (from a Thai restaurant in providence) come in, which is scrumptous.
2) the town of mae sot is an interesting place. we are thousands of miles away and yet it is a hub of americans. including "greg" from CSI who is visiting different migrant/refugee communities with an American organization that supports Burmese freedom. he left his head-shot picture with his autograph and a message: "be cool, stay in school" at one of the schools with which we work closely. among the young academic-activist-hippie-yuppie Americans are these ex-pats who probably goes off the map and becomes unreacheable by any mode of communication frequently. they are easily spotted because of their scruffy aloha-type-shirt and the natural ability to blend in the crowd of short, dark-haired, Asian people.
3) and the streets are filled with stray dogs, mountain dogs, little dogs, big dogs, expensive dogs, tame dogs.... the list goes on. they just rule the streets and things have been especially bad lately. a lot of them have been chasing each other, fighting, and barking ceaselessly. today, we saw one mount another one and made us realize that all this fuss has been because they were in heat!
4) we have a fouth roommate named lola, a giant gecko with red patterns (about a size of my foot or longer) who likes to come out at night and scare us. for the longest time, we thought she was stuck in the kitchen and felt some sympathy, but yumi believes that she actually enjoys living here because there are lots of other little geckos which i'm convinced that lola likes to chomp on. the little geckos are super adorable. they chase bugs on the ceiling or on the wall, and lift their heads and seach their peripherals. very cute. UNTIL today one of them caught a good sized beetle and it was obviously too big for this little guy's jaw. so he decides to bang the poor bug on the ceiling while it's caught in the mouth to kill it so that it won't wiggle so much. only, he used his force too much - he ended up throwing the bug onto yumi's head.
5) and the unidentifiable noise outside on our tin overhang by the front door... it is creepy. it sounds like an animal's claw, but not all of us agree. yumi thinks it's a cat or a monkey. andy thinks it's a dog. annie thinks it's a dead body.... whatever it is, it always happens at night, passed 9pm, without any signs. just a series of big bangs and thumps.
regardless, our lives in mae sot continues...
Monday, June 4, 2007
又々学校へ
今日もまた学校に行き、子供達の写真を撮ったり話を聞いたりした後、スタッフの報告書を書く手伝いをしました。
とにかく難民の人達の英語の上手なのにはびっくりしました。特にクリニックの看護師や学校の先生達はまれに高校にも行っていないのに英語で会話をしたり文章を書いたりと、とても流暢です。ビルマ解放のためには国際的な協力が必要だということで皆、一所懸命学んでいるということです。結局、日本の子供達は中
学校から高校まで英語を勉強してもそういった意気込みがないから話せないのかもしれませんね。
そんな勤勉な人々なのにもかかわらず、子供達の行く学校には何もありません。中には平均して生徒一人につき鉛筆一本しかないという学校もあり、私達が学校についた時、『文房具のサンプルを届けにきてくれたのかと思った』と先生が言って笑っていました。メーソットのタイ人の学校は何でもあるし、街の文房具屋さんでも豊富にあるのに・・・とてもかわいそうです。だから今日アニーと二人で故郷の母校や文房具屋に手紙を書いて学校に文房具や洋服を送ってもらおうと心にきめました。
さっそく手紙を書いてま-す♪
もし学校に直接何か送りたいという方は私の方までメール(ruggerkio@hotmail.com)をお送りください。
最後に、ビルマ救援に関わっている日本人ジャーナリストのホームページを見つけたので見てみてください。
とにかく難民の人達の英語の上手なのにはびっくりしました。特にクリニックの看護師や学校の先生達はまれに高校にも行っていないのに英語で会話をしたり文章を書いたりと、とても流暢です。ビルマ解放のためには国際的な協力が必要だということで皆、一所懸命学んでいるということです。結局、日本の子供達は中
学校から高校まで英語を勉強してもそういった意気込みがないから話せないのかもしれませんね。
そんな勤勉な人々なのにもかかわらず、子供達の行く学校には何もありません。中には平均して生徒一人につき鉛筆一本しかないという学校もあり、私達が学校についた時、『文房具のサンプルを届けにきてくれたのかと思った』と先生が言って笑っていました。メーソットのタイ人の学校は何でもあるし、街の文房具屋さんでも豊富にあるのに・・・とてもかわいそうです。だから今日アニーと二人で故郷の母校や文房具屋に手紙を書いて学校に文房具や洋服を送ってもらおうと心にきめました。
さっそく手紙を書いてま-す♪
もし学校に直接何か送りたいという方は私の方までメール(ruggerkio@hotmail.com)をお送りください。
最後に、ビルマ救援に関わっている日本人ジャーナリストのホームページを見つけたので見てみてください。
Sunday, June 3, 2007
日本語でこんにちは！
やっと日本語で入力できるようになりました。
使いなれないプログラムなので少しずつ書いていきます。
まずは勤務先のメータオ・クリニックについてご紹介します。
英語を読める方は是非クリニックのホームページへ行ってみてください。
メータオ・クリニックはタイの西側、ビルマとの国境沿いにあるメーソットという街にあります。(注:ビルマは現在ミャンマーと呼ばれていますが、民主化を望むビルマの人々、主にカレン族やモン族の難民達は祖国を現在にわたって『ビルマ』と読んでいます。)クリニックは1988年に女医、シンシア・マウン博士によって設立されました。ドクターシンシアご本人もビルマ民主化運動に参加されていたビルマ人で、急激に悪化した軍事政権による無差別虐待を逃れるためにタイへ移民。そして彼女のように移民してきた人々や、地雷によって負傷したのにもかかわらず治療を受けることができない民族の人々を救う為にクリニックを設立しました。それ以来、ドクターシンシアとスタッフの努力、そして世界各国からの支援を受けながらクリニックは成長し、今では年間10万人を越えるほどの患者をかかえる病院になりました。現在クリニックでは外来だけではなく、入院施設や義手/義足の手配、それから予防接種の配給や産後ケアまで配慮できる施設になっています。その上、メータオ・クリニックは遠くビルマの奥地から治療を受ける為にくる患者が短期滞在できる下宿もあり、孤児や難民キャンプで生活する子供達の学校の設立そして支援もしています。
私は現在クリニックのボランティアとしてNGOから資金を集めるための年間報告書や提案書の作成を行なっています。昨日は提案書に関わっている難民学校に行き、スタッフや子供達のインタビューを行い、どれだけ自分や他の平和な先進諸国に住む人達が恵まれて平凡な毎日を送っているか痛感しました。それなのにアメリカも日本も国連もASEANもビルマ救援をなぜもっとしないのだろうか。湾岸戦争から始まって中東部国々が主に話題になっているからだろうか?話によれば北朝鮮のキム・ジョンイルが先日ビルマを訪問し、もともと結んでいた友好関係をさらに深める話を進めたというのに・・・。
それではまた時間のある次第、報告しますね。☆ 愛川有美
もし日本語でもっとビルマについて読みたい方は[BurmaInfo: ビルマ情報ネットワーク]日本ビルマ救援センターのホームページをご覧下さい。
使いなれないプログラムなので少しずつ書いていきます。
まずは勤務先のメータオ・クリニックについてご紹介します。
英語を読める方は是非クリニックのホームページへ行ってみてください。
メータオ・クリニックはタイの西側、ビルマとの国境沿いにあるメーソットという街にあります。(注:ビルマは現在ミャンマーと呼ばれていますが、民主化を望むビルマの人々、主にカレン族やモン族の難民達は祖国を現在にわたって『ビルマ』と読んでいます。)クリニックは1988年に女医、シンシア・マウン博士によって設立されました。ドクターシンシアご本人もビルマ民主化運動に参加されていたビルマ人で、急激に悪化した軍事政権による無差別虐待を逃れるためにタイへ移民。そして彼女のように移民してきた人々や、地雷によって負傷したのにもかかわらず治療を受けることができない民族の人々を救う為にクリニックを設立しました。それ以来、ドクターシンシアとスタッフの努力、そして世界各国からの支援を受けながらクリニックは成長し、今では年間10万人を越えるほどの患者をかかえる病院になりました。現在クリニックでは外来だけではなく、入院施設や義手/義足の手配、それから予防接種の配給や産後ケアまで配慮できる施設になっています。その上、メータオ・クリニックは遠くビルマの奥地から治療を受ける為にくる患者が短期滞在できる下宿もあり、孤児や難民キャンプで生活する子供達の学校の設立そして支援もしています。
私は現在クリニックのボランティアとしてNGOから資金を集めるための年間報告書や提案書の作成を行なっています。昨日は提案書に関わっている難民学校に行き、スタッフや子供達のインタビューを行い、どれだけ自分や他の平和な先進諸国に住む人達が恵まれて平凡な毎日を送っているか痛感しました。それなのにアメリカも日本も国連もASEANもビルマ救援をなぜもっとしないのだろうか。湾岸戦争から始まって中東部国々が主に話題になっているからだろうか?話によれば北朝鮮のキム・ジョンイルが先日ビルマを訪問し、もともと結んでいた友好関係をさらに深める話を進めたというのに・・・。
それではまた時間のある次第、報告しますね。☆ 愛川有美
もし日本語でもっとビルマについて読みたい方は[BurmaInfo: ビルマ情報ネットワーク]日本ビルマ救援センターのホームページをご覧下さい。
Saturday, June 2, 2007
assignments assignments...
so the first couple of days were slow, just kind of observing everything and getting to know the facility and the staff. even then, we have encountered many memorable momments like witnessing a malnourished boy (skinny, with blotches of bleached hair) throw up a live worm and being scolded by a mother for it, and a neonate a size of a kitten...
we did, however, tag along to dr. cynthia and eth war one day to check up on all the schools for burmese refugee children that mae tao clinic helps to run. some schools are attached to the boarding houses (well, more like a shack, and in some cases, a building is used as a class room during the day and sleeping corridor by night), because many of their parents are either deceased, still trapped in burma, or at the refugee camps where resources are scarce and schools are not well run. it was really interesting to see though, that about half of these schools had at least one computer. the juxtaposition of the leaf-made roofs and the fairly new desktop computers was quite amusing. we also picked up a girl (and her devoted teacher) who was suffering from high fever due to malaria (as we found out later).
finally, after three days of sitting around and trying to establish our existence and our commitment to the clinic, we have finally seemed to gain enough trust and friendship to actually take on multiple projects that could be helpful to the clinic staff and dr. cynthia. it started off with dr. cynthia's request to write up a three year report for a grant for children's health program that was expired in march, followed by the request from the medic in charge of data collection (leo) and analysis to translate each department based burmese exit interviews and general quality assurance surveys into english (obviously with a help from a medic "moon star" who speaks very good english). the surveys are very basic, but impressive in terms of their contents and subjects. we will continue to translate all the surveys they currently use, and we may have to create a new survey and conduct it to assess the maternal child health/disease recognition in the pediatric department in the near future.
AND today, we got new assignments from dr. cynthia to write a proposal in response to funding offers from australia and thai independent organizations specidically to help refugee children's education. we were then taken around to interview children, school teachers, and dorm parents by a teacher who is a representative of the clinic's refugee children education department called Children Development Centre (CDC). the stories they told us were heart wrenching, and we were constantly holding back tears. these stories will follow soon...
in the meantime, please visit:
Karen Women's Organization (in charge of organizing border crossing for women, children and their families, orphanage at the refugee camps, and social support for internally displaced women in burma)
The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (support organization that highlights and recognizes children and their allies in harships through publications, awards, and funds - dr. cynthia won an award recently for her effort to help children)
we did, however, tag along to dr. cynthia and eth war one day to check up on all the schools for burmese refugee children that mae tao clinic helps to run. some schools are attached to the boarding houses (well, more like a shack, and in some cases, a building is used as a class room during the day and sleeping corridor by night), because many of their parents are either deceased, still trapped in burma, or at the refugee camps where resources are scarce and schools are not well run. it was really interesting to see though, that about half of these schools had at least one computer. the juxtaposition of the leaf-made roofs and the fairly new desktop computers was quite amusing. we also picked up a girl (and her devoted teacher) who was suffering from high fever due to malaria (as we found out later).
finally, after three days of sitting around and trying to establish our existence and our commitment to the clinic, we have finally seemed to gain enough trust and friendship to actually take on multiple projects that could be helpful to the clinic staff and dr. cynthia. it started off with dr. cynthia's request to write up a three year report for a grant for children's health program that was expired in march, followed by the request from the medic in charge of data collection (leo) and analysis to translate each department based burmese exit interviews and general quality assurance surveys into english (obviously with a help from a medic "moon star" who speaks very good english). the surveys are very basic, but impressive in terms of their contents and subjects. we will continue to translate all the surveys they currently use, and we may have to create a new survey and conduct it to assess the maternal child health/disease recognition in the pediatric department in the near future.
AND today, we got new assignments from dr. cynthia to write a proposal in response to funding offers from australia and thai independent organizations specidically to help refugee children's education. we were then taken around to interview children, school teachers, and dorm parents by a teacher who is a representative of the clinic's refugee children education department called Children Development Centre (CDC). the stories they told us were heart wrenching, and we were constantly holding back tears. these stories will follow soon...
in the meantime, please visit:
Karen Women's Organization (in charge of organizing border crossing for women, children and their families, orphanage at the refugee camps, and social support for internally displaced women in burma)
The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (support organization that highlights and recognizes children and their allies in harships through publications, awards, and funds - dr. cynthia won an award recently for her effort to help children)
a note for travellers to mae sot
so the reluctance to write into the blog has nothing to do with a shock or our health or access to the internet. we've just been swamped (all of a sudden) with new assignments that dr. cynthia has trustingly given us, and also yumi has been trying to figure out the language setting and photo setting on the laptop that she bought. we will tell you more about our assignments and strife we have encountered concerning internally displaced people of Burma, but first, we just have to note some travel precautions, because we think it will be helpful to anyone who plans to come to mae sot, since it is not clearly stated ANYWHERE.
first, be aware that the direct bus from bangkok (leaves from mo chit northern bus terminal, closer to the new airport) to mae sot (also spelled "mae sod" occasionally) only runs in the evenings, and the schedule is limited. the better way is to catch a "wee ai pee (VIP)" bus bound for chiang mai that stops at tak. luckily our bangkok metered taxi driver was nice enough to find the ticket counter for such bus, but we believe, it's at the window #20. to our knowledge, the bus to chiang mai (thru tak) runs pretty frequently, throughout the week. the travelling on the bus comes with a roadside lunch stop which yumi ate (but there was a dead bug in it...) and felt fine, as well as bready snack and few cups of soda. the ride is about 6 hours, and it is pretty comfortable. once you're dropped off at the bus stop at tak (yes, be aware it is not a big terminal) you can be adventurous and just haul your bags and cross the multi-lane intersection onto the road diagnal to the bus stop, or if you are like us, you can take a tuk tuk (usually some waiting at the bus stop, but you can always have the ticket counter attendant get you one) to the "mimivan" termial. from there, you can take the orange, white and blue tiny minivan all the way to mae sot for 50baht (we believe). they drive pretty darn fast through the misty jungly highway, but yumi enjoyed it while annie was slightly traumatized. it took us about 1.5 hours, but make sure to call your host either in bangkok or tak, so that he/she can come pick you up at the minivan dropoff or have an address ready in thai so that the driver can bring you to where you're supposed to be (which we failed to do and suffered the consequence...). just a note - we ended up being dropped off at the clinic, but i would minimize the mention of the clinic around police and other government officials, because of the illegal refugee status among many that live, work, and are treated at the clinic.
we hope this is helpful to some of you prospective volunteers because other foreign volunteers we talk to have all faced difficulties getting into mae sot.
oh, and the japanese version of the blog and the photos will hopefully be uploaded soon...
first, be aware that the direct bus from bangkok (leaves from mo chit northern bus terminal, closer to the new airport) to mae sot (also spelled "mae sod" occasionally) only runs in the evenings, and the schedule is limited. the better way is to catch a "wee ai pee (VIP)" bus bound for chiang mai that stops at tak. luckily our bangkok metered taxi driver was nice enough to find the ticket counter for such bus, but we believe, it's at the window #20. to our knowledge, the bus to chiang mai (thru tak) runs pretty frequently, throughout the week. the travelling on the bus comes with a roadside lunch stop which yumi ate (but there was a dead bug in it...) and felt fine, as well as bready snack and few cups of soda. the ride is about 6 hours, and it is pretty comfortable. once you're dropped off at the bus stop at tak (yes, be aware it is not a big terminal) you can be adventurous and just haul your bags and cross the multi-lane intersection onto the road diagnal to the bus stop, or if you are like us, you can take a tuk tuk (usually some waiting at the bus stop, but you can always have the ticket counter attendant get you one) to the "mimivan" termial. from there, you can take the orange, white and blue tiny minivan all the way to mae sot for 50baht (we believe). they drive pretty darn fast through the misty jungly highway, but yumi enjoyed it while annie was slightly traumatized. it took us about 1.5 hours, but make sure to call your host either in bangkok or tak, so that he/she can come pick you up at the minivan dropoff or have an address ready in thai so that the driver can bring you to where you're supposed to be (which we failed to do and suffered the consequence...). just a note - we ended up being dropped off at the clinic, but i would minimize the mention of the clinic around police and other government officials, because of the illegal refugee status among many that live, work, and are treated at the clinic.
we hope this is helpful to some of you prospective volunteers because other foreign volunteers we talk to have all faced difficulties getting into mae sot.
oh, and the japanese version of the blog and the photos will hopefully be uploaded soon...
Monday, May 28, 2007
hi all! everything has gone surprisingly well, considering we don't speak, read or understand a word of any of the languages spoken here, and had almost no plans or reservations. and we almost missed our flight out of new york city. our night in bangkok was fine, got up early and took a 6 hour bus ride to tak. at tak, we took tuk tuks to the bus station, and got on a little orange bus for a 1 1/2 hour ride up into the mountains, through the jungles, it was very beautiful. there was a moment of panic when we arrived in mae sot at night without our hostel address and unable to communicate with anyone, but after some hand gesturing we were able to convey that we were headed to the clinic, and everything worked out. our hostel is great and run by a really nice lady - running water, a pseudo-shower, and a fair number of mosquitoes, geckos and mosquitoes. but our bed nets work great. and today we got bikes to scoot around mae sot in. mae sot is a cute town, and we were quickly directed to places like borderline cafe, the local hangout for NGOs, expats, and activist types :) this morning was our first day at the clinic, it was pretty overwhelming. eth war gave us a tour of the medical village and then, a la immersion therapy, just stuck us in different departments - yumi was in labor and delivery, i was in outpatient pediatrics. its unbelievably sad, and the language barrier is wicked frustrating - we have found that even our little thai phrasebooks are useless, as everyone is speaking one of the three burmese dialects. so we're not sure what we'll be assigned to do yet, but we're meeting with dr. cynthia tomorrow morning.
alright, off to dinner. we'll write more later, and figure out how to attach photos
much love from mae sot
annie and yumi
alright, off to dinner. we'll write more later, and figure out how to attach photos
much love from mae sot
annie and yumi
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Departure
Finally it is here. We leave in less than 24hrs. At least I (Yumi) am experiencing a mixture of emotions that is hard to describe with words. Definitely a bit of fear, a bit of homesickness, a bit of excitement, and a bit of determination. I am still worried about catching the right bus in Bangkok on Saturday to head out to Mae Sot. Neither one of us could find clear information as to when the bus leaves, how much it is, where the bus station is relative to where we're staying on Friday night, etc. At least the flight is non-stop so we can just sleep and may be I will worry about it some more when we land...
I guess the next time we write, we will (hopefully) be in Thailand!
I guess the next time we write, we will (hopefully) be in Thailand!
Monday, May 21, 2007
FOUR days left...
We are finally counting down the days. We finally have everything sorted, from vaccinations to our place of residence to the bed nets. All we do now is go!
Thank you so much for those of you who have donated needed items for the supply drive. We are delighted to be able to bring what we received to the clinic.
So... just a little map here to show you exactly where we will be. City of Mae Sot is home for many Burman refugees (mostly Karen, some Hmong), and international relief workers who work at the refugee camps and the Mae Tao Clinic. Burma is still under a dictatorship and is a military nation, with a social hierarchy that discriminates against hill-tribe people such as Karen and Hmong. Many of them flee Burma in a hope for a better life in Thailand, a semi-democratic nation, though the effect of long-lived caste system still prevents tribal people from accessing any medical care. As a result, many refugee children are used as child labor force, women resort to commercial sex work, and men migrate in and out of urban centers of Thailand for work. Mae Sot is truly a "boarder town" in a sense that it acts as a "home base" for many of these people who do not have a "home" elsewhere, and also as a place for foreign aid that support the refugees and their local allies.
Thank you so much for those of you who have donated needed items for the supply drive. We are delighted to be able to bring what we received to the clinic.
So... just a little map here to show you exactly where we will be. City of Mae Sot is home for many Burman refugees (mostly Karen, some Hmong), and international relief workers who work at the refugee camps and the Mae Tao Clinic. Burma is still under a dictatorship and is a military nation, with a social hierarchy that discriminates against hill-tribe people such as Karen and Hmong. Many of them flee Burma in a hope for a better life in Thailand, a semi-democratic nation, though the effect of long-lived caste system still prevents tribal people from accessing any medical care. As a result, many refugee children are used as child labor force, women resort to commercial sex work, and men migrate in and out of urban centers of Thailand for work. Mae Sot is truly a "boarder town" in a sense that it acts as a "home base" for many of these people who do not have a "home" elsewhere, and also as a place for foreign aid that support the refugees and their local allies.
Friday, April 27, 2007
PROJECT MAE TAO - SUPPLY DRIVE!
Dear Friends,
We are two Brown University Master of Public Health students who have been accepted to go spend a summer at Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand. The clinic is located in Mae Sot, on the western border between Thailand and Burma. We will be working with the clinic’s 5 physicians, 100 health workers and 40 support staff to provide free and much needed medical care to an estimated 150,000 refugees, immigrants, landmine victims, and abandoned children, all of whom have been displaced by socio-political oppression, civil war and poverty.
We are writing to let you know about Project Mae Tao, a medical supply drive we are organizing in an effort to bring items that are either too expensive or not available for purchase to the clinic this summer. Mae Tao has provided us with a list, and we are inviting local and affiliated hospitals/clinics to donate specific medical items that require clinical supervision and items that are needed in bulk.
How can YOU help? The clinic is also in need of items that could easily be purchased in a drug store or wholesale stores, or things that might be sitting in your basement not being used. Here are some of them:
- Powder/tablet oral rehydration therapy (HydraLife, Gatorade, etc.)
- Over-the-counter supplements (multivitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, etc.)
- Sterile gauze, bandages, gloves, masks
- Stethoscope (Littman)
- Clinical methods books (History taking and Physical exams)
- Obstetric picture books
- Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine
- Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine
- Pharmacology and Medicines books
- The Merck Manual
- Physician’s desktop reference books
- Medical dictionaries (English, English-Thai)
If you are unsure of what to donate, or have any questions about the drive, please feel free to contact either one of us. We can arrange pick-ups (from your homes or your work) in the greater Providence area. The main drop-off box will be located on the second floor of 121 South Main Street, Master of Public Health student lounge area. For more information about the clinic, please visit: www.maetaoclinic.org
Thank you in advance for your support. Please help us bring hope to the Mae Tao Clinic.
Peace,
Annie Thacker RN, MPH candidate (Anne_Thacker@brown.edu)
Yumi Aikawa MPH candidate (Yumi_Aikawa@brown.edu)
We are two Brown University Master of Public Health students who have been accepted to go spend a summer at Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand. The clinic is located in Mae Sot, on the western border between Thailand and Burma. We will be working with the clinic’s 5 physicians, 100 health workers and 40 support staff to provide free and much needed medical care to an estimated 150,000 refugees, immigrants, landmine victims, and abandoned children, all of whom have been displaced by socio-political oppression, civil war and poverty.
We are writing to let you know about Project Mae Tao, a medical supply drive we are organizing in an effort to bring items that are either too expensive or not available for purchase to the clinic this summer. Mae Tao has provided us with a list, and we are inviting local and affiliated hospitals/clinics to donate specific medical items that require clinical supervision and items that are needed in bulk.
How can YOU help? The clinic is also in need of items that could easily be purchased in a drug store or wholesale stores, or things that might be sitting in your basement not being used. Here are some of them:
- Powder/tablet oral rehydration therapy (HydraLife, Gatorade, etc.)
- Over-the-counter supplements (multivitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, etc.)
- Sterile gauze, bandages, gloves, masks
- Stethoscope (Littman)
- Clinical methods books (History taking and Physical exams)
- Obstetric picture books
- Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine
- Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine
- Pharmacology and Medicines books
- The Merck Manual
- Physician’s desktop reference books
- Medical dictionaries (English, English-Thai)
If you are unsure of what to donate, or have any questions about the drive, please feel free to contact either one of us. We can arrange pick-ups (from your homes or your work) in the greater Providence area. The main drop-off box will be located on the second floor of 121 South Main Street, Master of Public Health student lounge area. For more information about the clinic, please visit: www.maetaoclinic.org
Thank you in advance for your support. Please help us bring hope to the Mae Tao Clinic.
Peace,
Annie Thacker RN, MPH candidate (Anne_Thacker@brown.edu)
Yumi Aikawa MPH candidate (Yumi_Aikawa@brown.edu)
decree
keep your eye on my finger
and listen to the sound of my voice
get your subliminal decree and your false security
be all that you can be
in hospitals and schools
airports and banks and bars
big ones on street corners
little ones driving by in cars
glowing through countless
bedroom curtains at night
that 20k tone
and that pale blue light
saying
daddy knows best
yes, this is the news
in 90-second segments
officially produced
and aired again and again and again
by the little black and white pawns
of the network yes men
while the stars are going out
and the stripes are getting bent
cancer, the great teacher
has been opening schools
downstream from every factory
still, everywhere fools
are squinting into microscopes
researching cells
trying to figure out a way
we can all live in hell
well
step back
look up
you'll see i'm dimming the sun
but you won't, will you?
the stars are going out
and the stripes are getting bent
ani difranco
and listen to the sound of my voice
get your subliminal decree and your false security
be all that you can be
in hospitals and schools
airports and banks and bars
big ones on street corners
little ones driving by in cars
glowing through countless
bedroom curtains at night
that 20k tone
and that pale blue light
saying
daddy knows best
yes, this is the news
in 90-second segments
officially produced
and aired again and again and again
by the little black and white pawns
of the network yes men
while the stars are going out
and the stripes are getting bent
cancer, the great teacher
has been opening schools
downstream from every factory
still, everywhere fools
are squinting into microscopes
researching cells
trying to figure out a way
we can all live in hell
well
step back
look up
you'll see i'm dimming the sun
but you won't, will you?
the stars are going out
and the stripes are getting bent
ani difranco
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)