The Next Step

So... I lied.

The last post was titled 'Signing Off'.

However, Rachael and I are now continuing with our work by seeking sponsors for approximately 50 children at Kyauk Set school in Burma.

Kyauk Set is a Burmese school which we visited while staying in Mae Sot with Dianne & Judah. The school provides education, food and general support to the children and families in this poor community. If this school did not exist, the children would not receive an education and would be stuck in the cycle of poverty. This school gives the children a future.


Child sponsorships costs $25 a month and are tax deductible.

Interested?

nathanmdalton@gmail.com
JEM
Help Save the Kids

Signing Off

This is the final blog from Nathan & Rachael’s adventure in Thailand and I just wanted to share a couple of brief retrospective thoughts and hopes for the future. (Sorry, nothing revelatory, deep or philosophical here)

What we’ve learnt:

• People are people wherever you go.
• We don’t always know what is best.
• Rather than getting answers and giving solutions we were left with more questions and less certainty.
• Keep smiling.

Future hopes:

• To live life simply, healthily and with an eye on the big picture.
• To appreciate the truly a lucky country we enjoy but be humble enough to learn from other cultures.
• To support the worthy people and projects we met and became involved with.
• The south-east Asian region will find peace, a liberating and democratic government that supports all people.

As Rachael and I return to normal life we look forward to journeying through life with you, supporting each other and helping where possible.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Songkran

Yes – it’s true that I’m back in Australia but that doesn’t mean I am through sharing some experiences here.

Last week was Songkran in Thailand. Songkran is a 3 day public holiday throughout Thailand, Burma and Cambodia to celebrate their New Year. It is also a 3 day water fight – anywhere, anytime.

I spent Songkran in Bangkok and the festive spirit throughout the city arrived at just the right time given the recent political turmoil.

Some friends from my previous time in Thailand took me to a few different locations to ‘play Songkran’. Armed with a water gun for babies we headed tom some of the hot spots. (Having said that, pretty much anywhere is a hot spot as it’s near impossible to walk 100m down the road without getting a bucket of water thrown on you along with some powder wiped across your cheeks)

When we arrived at our destination it was only a matter of seconds before we were saturated from head to toe. Children, mothers, grandparents, young girls, ‘red shirts’ men, infants, any and all were involved in the activities; throwing water at anyone within shot. And surprisingly, everyone enjoys it. Everyone. No one gets grumpy, frustrated or narky at a bucket of ice cold water poured down ones back or baby powder covering ones face. Everyone smiles. If you don’t want to get wet, don’t go outside. There was such a respectful spirit among all. If one was splashed unexpectedly, there was no revenge or ‘I’ve got to get them back’ or evil stares; just smiles, laughter and respect amongst all.

I unfortunately can’t help but feel that this festive spirit may not be possible in Australia. It wouldn’t be long before someone took it the wrong way and snapped back. But maybe I’m wrong.

Maybe we can learn something from Songkran.

Red filled streets in Bangkok

DISCLAIMER: I am an ignorant white Australian who has spent just over 6 months total in Thailand. If I state something that is incorrect, please forgive me. However, I'll just share my experience and what I've picked up from talking to people and reading on-line news articles.


As you may have heard, Saturday, April 10, 2010 is a day that will be remembered in Bangkok for a long time. During that afternoon and evening 21 people were killed as a result of the conflict between the 'Red Shirts' and the government police and army.


To give a little back-story, in 2006 the prime minister of the time, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted for being corrupt (he swindled approx $2billion) and a new government installed. Again in 2008 there were more protests by the 'yellow shirts' who shut down the airport. It was then that the new government got full control of the country and was backed by the army and supported by the upper class. The current protests by the 'red shirts' support the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) which is former prime minister, Thaksin's, party. The red shirts have been protesting peacefully in Bangkok for the last month in a festive and friendly spirit. There have been some minor conflicts with the police but the tension has been building with red shirts storming parliament and the police turning off the red shirts TV station, only to have the red shirts re-take the station the next day. However by Saturday, April 10, tensions were at breaking point and violence erupted on the streets of Bangkok.

On April 10, I decided to take my camera and head to one of the main areas where the red shirts had set up camp. They occupied a few significant parts of Bangkok but the area I decided to visit was near the upper class shopping centres of Siam. When I arrived, I was greeted by the festive cheering of hundreds of Red Shirts. They were all lined up as if expecting a wall of opposition to confront. However, there was no immediate opposition in front of them. Not much going on here, just a lot of drum banging.

After some time I headed up to a nearby major intersection where I noticed from a distance were hundreds of anti-riot police lined up opposite the red shirts. This looked more exciting. I headed to the walkway platform above all the action where I could safely watch the action. The police were standing in formation across the road (they did not occupy the footpath and were allowing anyone to wander past and behind their position if they wished.) The red-shirts followed instruction from their leaders and lined up behind a temporary fence in front of the police. Before long the red shirts lifted the temporary fence and uniformly moved toward the police. The police in return pulled down their visors, raised their shields and braced for the impact. The two sides came together as the red-shirts pushed against the police. On the side lines, women and non-participants cheered on the red-shirts. A moment later the police took a step back and the red-shirts stopped pushing. Some red shirts re-aligned the temporary fence into a straight line again and organized the red shirts to form a straight line again. Then they sat down and rested. The police did the same. All under the hot Bangkok sun

    
Then something happened I didn't expect, the red shirts started talking with the police in a friendly way. I couldn't understand the language but they shared smiles and laughter. There was no weapons being used here, no clubs, no sticks, no tear gas, rubber bullets, grenades or high powered rifles that would soon be used only a couple of kilometers away. Then I noticed the red shirts giving the police bottles of water. Everyone got a rest. It reminded me more of a tug-of-war contest at a school athletics day then violent demonstrations. It appeared quite evident that the police did not want to be here. In fact, it's reported that many of them actually side with the red-shirts but they are bound by their job; they are merely fulfilling obligation in their role of anti-riot police.

And then it started again; the red shirts picked up the fence, the police raised their shields and they pushed again. However this time, it seemed more of an act as red-shirt leaders were between the metal temporary fence and the police shields: potentially a dangerous position if either side was seriously pushing the other. However they weren't seriously pushing, the police were slowly moving back. This time the police moved back a few meters before both sides stopped, regrouped and took another rest. More talking, more laughs and more water all round. This cycle occurred three or four times before the police finally gave up and walked the hundred or so meters back to the police station where a few more hundred anti-riot police had set up a surrounding perimeter of the police building. However the perimeter was not blocking anyone who wanted to wander past. Also, the red shirts knew where their boundaries were, they respected the police and did not overstep the invisible boundaries that were in place.

This time the red shirts brought a tuk-tuk (think a cross between a motorbike and a car) full of food to give to the police along with more water and more goodwill. The red-shirts cheered and chanted continuously but never threatened the police. As numerous buses and vehicles left the police station with what I can only assume contained nervous police officials, the red shirts cheered these minor victories. 



I stayed in the immediate area for an hour or two and felt safe wandering wherever I pleased and was even able to get a photo with one of the police. Towards the end of my stay, the red shirts deafeningly cheered as one of their leaders arrived to negotiate with the police. As my feet were tired and had a long walk ahead of me, I decided to leave. However I learnt that maybe only 20 minutes later the police surrended the building and left on buses provided by the red shirts.
    
That was my experience of the red shirt protests on Saturday, April 10. A group of united citizens peacefully protesting in a respectful way for a cause that they believe in.

You can imagine my surprise when I arrived home an hour later to read of the starkly contrasting reports of another protest location only four or five kilometers away. It is still not known how the violence began but blood was shed on both sides leaving 21 people dead and over 800 injured. The reports show pictures and video of a war zone, limp bodies being dragged to safety, smashed cars and buildings, grenades exploding, petrol bombs, high-powered rifles and M16s.


For more information on the current state of the protests:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/

http://www.bangkokpost.com/

Nearing the End

Just a quick update.


As you may well know, Rachael flew home just over a week ago and has started working and is preparing for a wedding. Nathan meanwhile is still in Bangkok, completing some study, seeing old friends and enjoying Songkran (Thai New Year = 3 day water fight across the country)

Since Cambodia we spent a very relaxing week in Koh Chang, a peaceful tropical island just near the border of Cambodia. We highly recommend this spot if you want the relaxing beach experience as opposed to the tourist-filled and always busy Phuket. 

After that, we returned to Bangkok and visited a couple of friends of Nathan's from his last stint in Thailand in 2004. Yes there have been protests and violence in Bangkok but I'll comment on that more in my next post. 


So for now, it's just me (Nathan) left in Thailand. I fly to Sydney on the 18th of April and return to Melbourne on the 28th.

It's Been Awhile

Apologies that it has been a lengthy time since our last blog.

In brief, since our last update, we have spent a little over a month in Mae Sot. We quite enjoyed our time up there with Dianne and Judah (an independent mother and son) who support numerous schools and orphanages in refugee camps and Burma. During this time we took a few days off to see my (Rachael) family in Chaing Mai. We went elephant riding and had lots of fun on The Flight of the Gibbon (14 flying foxes through the jungle).

We then headed back to Bangkok for a few days, just in time for the Red Shirt protests before heading to Cambodia for a few days around the Angkor region. We plan on heading back to Bangkok in a few days via Ko Chang (small beachy island).

From there we will be heading back to Bangkok. It looks like we will be returning home earlier than expected due to a lack of $. Although everything is relatively cheap, it all adds up and we do not wish to spend credit when we have a wedding coming up. However, we have found some most worthy causes that we hope to find support for when we return.


Some memorable moments:
- Crossing into Burma and celebrating the graduation at a primary school. Sadly we heard that the next day one of the students was killed by a land mine along with their father and another man.
- A group of 13 American christians who visited Thailand for a week-long mission trip.
- Waiting in suspense for the 'Red Shirt' protests in Bangkok to break out.
- Wandering through amazing caves and being free to wander wherever we wish.
- The stifling heat at Angkor Wat while constantly refusing to buy cheap rubbish from the kids who should be in school.
- $3 foot massages.
- When a tree fell across the road, pulled down some power lines and started a grass fire.
- Visiting a migrant school where three of the seven teachers got paid. ($100 a month per teacher)
- Consistently being helped by the locals when we must look foolish. ie. falling off out scooter, trying to start the scooter while it's switched off and giving sunglasses back when I leave them at a restaurant yet again.

That's about all for now.

Apologies that we haven't included any pics in this post. To check out Nathan's favourite pics of our trip, go to:http://picasaweb.google.com.au/101044111138570598900/NathanSBest

Finally, if you want more, we have a couple of short stories from yesterday.

The Man with More Lives than a Cat

We visited the War Museum in Siem Reap yesterday. With a lot of the Khmer Rouge fighting happening around this area we were expecting something grand. When our tuk-tuk driver couldn’t find it, that should’ve been the first warning to lower our expectations. When we arrived, the woman on ticketing was almost asleep as we were the only customers (probably all day and maybe all week) Once we pull in it feels to me a little like we have arrived at someone’s house who has collected rusted pieces of war and stashed them in their backyard. Still, for $3 we couldn’t complain.

Once we get out and have a little confusion over the ‘free information guide’ (that we actually have to pay) for, we reluctantly decide to get a guided tour of the ‘facility’. The guide showed us around and it was actually more notable once we were inside than it’s appearance from the car park. Lots of destroyed tanks, guns, mortars, shells, gas masks, mines etc. All relics from the war. One amphibian vehicle still had a skeleton in it from when it was destroyed.

However, the highlight  was our tour guide. A former member of the army between the ages of 14-24 who we now calculate to be 46 years old. He has been shot 5 times, stepped on 3 land mines, lost his leg, lost his sister and parents to the war. Lost his wife four years ago from stepping on a land mine. He grabs our finger and lifts it to his arm where we can feel a ball bearing under the skin. On another part of him we feel a nail, somewhere else another piece of metal under his skin which has moved from his thigh down to his knee over the last 22 years. He is literally covered with scars and bits of metal. But the most amazing was this. He is blind in his right eye because he has a piece of his foot bone in his eye. Apparently when he stepped on a landmine part of his foot bone ended up in his eye. Amazing man. He tells us he has more lives than a cat and I have to believe him. Now he lives with his 3 year old daughter and is still smiling. The resilience of these people is incredible.

A simple lesson was learnt – things that may seem a little old, run-down and unimpressive from the outside can actually have quite a story on the inside.

 

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

At the temples of Angkor Wat there are countless kids and adults trying to sell you the same bracelets, books, drinks and other bits of rubbish we don’t really want and certainly don’t need.  Usually their level of English does not extend beyond the ‘I give you good price’ or ‘you buy from me’.

However, at one temple we were hassled for probably 100 metres by two girls who stood out from the rest. The thing that set these two girls apart from the other sellers is their knowledge of Australia accompanied by their competent English. The girl attached to me was about 15 while the one pestering Rachael was about 13 (although it’s particularly hard to tell around these parts). They were more than happy to tell us all the capital cities of the states, our population, that we had kangaroos, ‘aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi’. We talked politely, asking their names and such but didn’t say anything but ‘no’ when they tried to sell us something. As we exited the area that they are allowed to go and moved into the area they are not permitted (yes, there are bits of rope on the ground that the sellers cannot cross) our first meeting ended on a slightly sour note; they say ‘you not buy from us, we cry.’ Guilt trip.

Unfortunately we had to exit from the same way we entered and would therefore pass them again.

Half an hour or so later, we then began to exit and as expected, the girls remembered us. They told us that we would said we would buy from them. When we kept walking and didn’t buy they turned (just like a student who has been pleading their case for not doing homework and suddenly refused exemption).

‘Australia is rubbish.’

‘When USA say they maybe buy later they buy.’

‘Australia has a black heart.’

We were a little taken back. Is this national blackmail? Racism? I can’t help but give a little smile and keep walking.

Happenings and thoughts from Mae Sot

We have been in Mae Sot for almost two weeks now and have settled in well. The time has been spent visiting orphanages, schools and churches and making new friends.

One place we have been going back to numerous time is Future Light orphanage - who were recently robbed of a motorbike and mobile phones. (Who steals from orphanages?) 

When we return home, one of the things Rachael wants to do is help get sponsors for these kids. Nathan is working towards making some promotional videos for Dianne and Judah and the different schools and orphanages they support.

Today I (Nathan) visited Mae La refugee camp and was introduced to the principal of one of the schools there. By the way, this refugee camp is NOTHING like the movies.

This teacher studied Psychology in Burma but now works as a teacher and is only given 55cents as a stipend by the UN per day. (I hope he is getting paid more by a donor)

He has been at the camp for four years and hasn't been able to afford anywhere to live so he has been moving from fellow teacher to fellow teacher in this time.

But now he can afford to build a small house. (Small = about 5m square and is only a bamboo floor with leaf roof, all on stilts. He and his mother will live there.

Also, I'm noticing my indifference is growing steadily. I am able to hear terrible stories, meet victims of extreme evil and watch those in dire poverty and return home to watch my Tarantino movies without it playing on my mind too much. 

Maybe it's wrong of me or maybe it's a way of coping. 

Either way, it is how it is. 

Finally, here is a story from the other day. 

Men in Trucks

Yesterday:

In the afternoon Rachael and I spent an hour at Future Light, a fantastic orphanage on the Thai/Burma border which houses approximately 40 Burmese children. We spent the hour teaching the children an impromptu lesson in basic English.

However that is not the point of this story. After we left on our scooter, we took a turn toward the Burmese border rather than back to our cozy home. We kept heading toward the river border for about five minutes until we came across half a dozen trucks taking the same path as us. We hesitated when we saw a man in a military jacket, clipboard in hand looking over the trucks and checking what was passing through his checkpoint. Rachael says, 'I don't feel comfortable here. Lets turn around.'

We stop. The man with the clipboard came up to us and asked what we wanted. I responded, 'Nothing. We are just riding, having a look.' He asked what we were doing here. I wasn't quite sure what to respond. We tried to signal that we were leaving. He smiled. We turned around and left.

Later yesterday evening we learn that those trucks most likely carry contraband that the Burmese junta do not want the public to see by taking the main road over the border. So instead, they go ten minutes out of town and cross the river where no one really notices. Sometimes the trucks carry people. These people could be victims of human trafficking or perhaps sent to Burma for detaining, torture or murder by the junta.

Today:

We left Future Light orphanage and decided to take the road to our cozy home. But not far down the road I notice two trucks going the other way; the way towards the border. I don't take much notice but after we pass, Rachael says, 'Did you see the people in those trucks? They looked like prisoners'. I shake my head. She tells me more, 'They were in cages, squashed together and locked in.'

It's sobering to think that you just passed maybe 100 people who may be sent to prison, torture or even death; possibly for no crime greater than that they were born of a particular race.

I'm on my bike going one way; they are on the back of a truck going the other.

What to do? I feel powerless to do anything more than nothing.

Perhaps all I can do is remember how I feel today and use that to drive me in the future.

Mae Sot

So after a 9 hour overnight bus trip we have arrived in Mae Sot. We have settled into our 3 story apartment. To our surprise it is very nice, six large tiled rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and its furnished! We also have our own motorbike to ride around town. Yesterday we went shopping and packed up the bike with a fan, food shopping, and other necessities. We feel a lot more civilised here than out at Bong Ti.

We will be helping out Judah and his Mum Dianne. Nathan is very excited as he will be doing a lot of film and photography work for them. I will be taking health presentations at the local school both on the Thai side and the Burma side. We also can teach at an orphanage down the road. We visited the orphanage last night to help take there evening worship program. The kids are so cute. They are Burmese and they are all young, the eldest being 11.

Also, just to clarify our last blog, we are engaged :D

Nathan propsed in the South of Phuket watching the sunset, after jetskiing!

Phuket

It has been some time since that last update

And we have news

After almost four weeks at the Bamboo School we decided we would take an early break.

It was always in our plans to spend a month at an orphanage further north, (a couple of hours from Chang Mai) in Mae Sot. It is run by a young Australian, Judah and his mother Dianne. So before we headed up there we decided we would spend a week holidaying down in Phuket and visit Nathan's brother Ben in the process.

The day we arrived in Phuket was a bit of a shock and felt a bit strange being shown around the excessive Hilton hotel by Ben after coming straight from Bamboo huts. We both felt somewhat guilty and undeserving of such extravagance.

However, as our week wore on we expectantly became accustomed to westernization once again through warm showers, flush toilets and varied food beyond rice and boiled cabbage; all luxuries we enjoyed and hopefully won't take for granted in the future.

Highlights of our week involved Phi Phi Island, relaxing by the beach, jet-skiing, chocolate shakes, monkey beach, biking around the island, snorkeling and making snide remarks to each other regarding overweight, old and often topless Europeans.

Our holiday ended with a beautiful evening watching the sun set over the Phuket horizon and was followed by a very serious question...

But now we are on our way up to Mae Sot to continue the work we came here for.

Our first weekend

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

So there I was, (Nathan) half way up the hill, a stick in my hand as I tried to 'encourage' a 10 year old abused and mentally disabled boy to carry his third bucket of water from the well up to the health clinic. 20 metres to my left I had a growing crowd of local onlookers, appearing very disapproving. Young kids, old men, all stared and wondered who this white slave driver was and who gave him the right to beat this poor kid.

Backtrack...

This same poor kid came to the Bamboo school after spending time at a Budist temple and suspected of being forced to do things that young boys should never know about. However, this time changed him mentally as well as his actions. So, when he came to the Bamboo school a few months ago he has developed an addiction that need not be mentioned in this space. However, his punishment has been a beating and carrying 10 buckets of water from the well to the clinic.

On this particular day he was caught in the act and after I gave him a fair beating on the legs and hands with bamboo, (a new experience for me but it made me wonder why it's illegal in Australia now) we started carrying water together.

I kept the stick with me as we made our trips, always ready for a little more encourement. At first he was quick and made the trips up and down as quick as possible, not wanting any more lines on his little quads. However, by the third trip on this Friday afternoon, the onlookers had grown from a couple of local kids to approximately 30 villagers, helping him carry his water.

I didn't want to experience a stoning for be eaten for dinner so I decided three trips was enough for today...

We finally made it back to the clinic with the water but my fear was not relieved as some of the locals followed me in. I kept walking up the hill to my room, hoping to escape justice, as they headed to the clinic.

Fortunately, for me, they had only come to help a patient remove a piece of bamboo from his leg. I think both the boy and myself learnt a lesson that day.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Very brief - Rachael and I (Nathan again) rushed an 8 month pregnant woman to hospital, thinking she may give birth early. However, she did not give birth. She only had malaria and we took her home again a few days later. Maybe we'll see her in another month when the babies due.

MONDAY MORNING

 God-sent Diorrhea?

I (Nathan) awake at 5 am and hear lots of tummy rumbling and lots of fluid moving through my body. I need a toilet. But I decide I can't be bothered. I try to sleep it off. Bad mistake. I wake a few minutes later and know that I NEED a toilet. But with the time wasted I've missed my chance. I do manage to make it outside and create a little mess in the drain. I then make it to the toilet where I clean myself up for a minute. Because the power is off and the sun isn't up yet I am temporarily pantless. However, once I finally get everything cleaned and just as I put my pants back on, a patient walks up. Fortunately by now I was awake and functioning well for the coming events.

She tells our translator that a woman is going to have a baby in the nearby village. Our translator runs to get Rachael. I grab the emergency bag and tell another volunteer what is happening. Jump into the ambulance. I'm driver, Rachael is nurse and we have a translator with us as well.

We get to the hut and the woman jumps in the back of the ambulance. Lights on, siren blaring and we head off to Sai Yok hospital. Five minutes down the road Rachael taps on the glass. I pull over and head to the back. Rachael thinks we are going to deliver in the ute-converted-to-ambulance. Not today. We carry on and race to the hospital, overtaking trucks, dodging stray dogs etc... We make it in time and she goes straight to the delivery room.

Later in the day we found out that the woman gave birth to a baby girl 25 minutes after we dropped her off. Well done to Nathan and Rachael - Emergency response team!

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures, we didn't think we were getting on the internet today but we have lots we want to show you when we get the chance.

Early Starts

We have spent our first two days at the Bamboo School now.

First thoughts? The children are beautiful, the setting is peaceful and pleasant and we have long days starting at 4 for Rachael.

Nathan learnt a lesson from one of the young children, about 3 years old about watering plants while Rachael was surprised to see even the youngest girls scrubbing their own clothes to make them clean. Everyone supports each other. This is a community of love and support despite their backgrounds and challenges.

Rachael has taken a particular liking to some of the young girls to the effect that they now want to sleep in the same bed as her. Nathan feels especially sorry for John who is probably about 5 years old and was born blind, deaf and has cerabal palsy and has no form of communication.

Suprisingly the students are self sufficient; they buy their cooking needs, make their own food, do chores in the morning and evening and are very friendly and respectful.

We wash in the local creek although Nathan hasn't washed since Bangkok yet. The mornings are spent in a more relaxed mode, looking after the young children who don't go to school and doing different bits and pieces around the place. The older kids head off to school at a couple of large local high schools at about 7am and return about 4 pm. In the evening it is more busy as the children do their work, homework, evening workship and evening classes at the Bamboo School.

Today Rachael is being introduced to the staff at the hospital in Sai Yok and may end up spending some time there helping out.

Nathan last night went with a group of students and another staff, also called Nathan, to the Baptist community down the road and shared a Bible study.

It will be a challenge while being here but we are remembering that this time is not about us but about serving the less fortunate and sacrificing our own desires.

Thanks for your prayers and support thus far.

A Brand New Day

Well, we have both arrived here safely in Bangkok. Nathan arrived without luggage for the first day or so but managed to get a new shirt, underwear and socks for around $5. Rachael arrived a couple of days later (on Jan 1) after spending 17 hours in Kuala Lumpur.

We spent their first evening together taking a boat up the river, trying some local and very authentic Thai food and headed to the very touristy Khao Sang Road. (by the way, Rachael even quite enjoyed her meal)

Nathan also spent New Years Eve in Bangkok with Bec Tually and has been enjoying hearing her stories and experiences from her 6 months here.

Randomly Nathan ran into the Dye family, Mike, Jenny, Michelle, Josh and Jess while making his way home from the new year festivities.

We will be heading out to the Bamboo school in the next day most likely and am looking forward to meeting the kids.

So, so far so good. Hope all is going well back there and hope to keep you update again soon.

Also, we have new phone numbers:

Nathan +66 870 742 761

Rachael + 66 811 009 369