Student's Struggle Memoirs

Students at Minmahaw Post-10 School, Class B, worked on writing, revising, and editing their own memoirs. Students focused on struggles in their own lives. This is the final version of their project, which was printed in book form for each student.


A Dark Spot in our Lives

*Shout-out to Christina Zawerucha for project materials.

After a very short six weeks, classes have finished in Mae Sot. My students at Minmahaw threw a farewell party for me. There were speeches and traditional snacks. There was singing. I was presented with a gift, a very elegant black longyi. This I put on and tied with some skill, if I do say so myself, and greatly pleased the crowd.

On the last day of class I asked my students, if they could send a message to people in America, what would that message be? This is how they responded . . .

“If I could send a message to American, it would be about our Burmese people difficulties and to ask help for those people.” T.A.T.

“You have good dream.” M.Z.

“I would talk about my school. I would like to talk about children. When they have conflict, they should solve easily.” K.S.H.

“To help our country about economic and education. And discuss our government and the way of good doing.” L.L.

“If I could send a message to America, I want to tell about Burma democracy and invite to visit to Burma.” T.

“I will send a message to America, that will be about our school. That it not enough food for students.” J.

“Hello! My name is Si Thu. I want to talk about my school (MEF) in Mae Sod. We are poor people in Burma. We came in Mae Sod for our education so we want volunteer teacher to come and help our school.” S.T.

“It would be warming up U.S. people about Burmese issue. I want America to know more about real life of Burmese people.” K.Z.

“You will be happy and more miss us.” H.N.O.

“I am a Burmese who have been hoping for help for Burmese people. However, can you help to stop to build nuclear weapon?” Anon.

“If I could send a message to America, I would like to say please help to release Daw Aung San Su Kyi before the election. And please help us to get democracy. Thanks Mr. Obama so much! I hope that you will do good job for our country.” M.M.

“We (people from Burma) want America to give pressure to Burmese government. Sometime to use violence a reaction to SPDC by USA.” S.

“To oppress Burma government to release Aung San Su Kyi and political prisoners.” A.K.M.

“Please, stop sanctions to Burma. Sanctions can affect on public but not for government. China and Russia support Burma. There are many jobless in Burma. I want you to help Burmese people and to get democracy.” T.T.

It’s week three in Mae Sot, and well into work by now. There’s plenty to keep busy. I have the good fortune to be able to write a curriculum module on Animal Farm for the Curriculum Project. Amy and I spend three evenings a week with my old students at the Back Pack Medics’ office. Amy gets a kick out of them. They are quite spirited.


I’m also teaching two courses at Minmahaw Post-10. Students here will spend 2-3 years improving their English and content knowledge before entering the Minmahaw GED school. There they’ll prepare for the GED exams given in Bangkok, and hopefully continue on to higher education opportunities. Unfortunately I can’t show my students’ faces. Most of them are here because they or their families have had problems with the Burmese government, and this is one of the few opportunities they’ll have for a decent education. If they come to the attention of the Burmese government, in photographs or otherwise, it can jeopardize their safety if they ever need to return to Burma.




They are an unqualified pleasure to teach. Motivated, diligent, hard working, and their English isn’t half bad, either. Their success at school is due to the simple facts that they are hungry to learn and fully appreciate the value of education. I can think of a one or two students back in New York who would be well served to follow their example.

Classroom management consists of convincing the students that I am indeed capable of carrying my own books, thank you very much.

And my classroom has plenty of ventilation.


Quote of the week:

I’m showing the students pictures of Brooklyn, the folks, etc., when I get to a picture of Lafayette High School from the street. “This is my school,” I say.

“Teacher, this is your university?”

“Nope. This is where I teach.” I go on to explain what a large school it is, with so many students in the building. “Almost two thousand students,” I say, trying to impress them.

“Teacher,” one student says to me. “In Burma, we have schools with four or five thousand students. Yet our buildings are not like this.”

Touché.

m.

This and that

I recently received a complaint about the lack of updates on this blog. Since Diana and Matt have been updating up a storm lately, I’ll post an extra-long one to compensate.

Funny story.

So I was supposed to return to the States this weekend, but because I’m having such a slammin’ time here, I’ve extended my stay by a few weeks. (Side note: changing a plane ticket through Orbitz is an enormous pain in the ass. That flight change set me back a nice chunk of cash. Never buy through Orbitz if there is any possibility of an itinerary change.)

Anyway. Somehow, the Elpis headmistress and I got our wires crossed, and she thought this past Wednesday was my last day after all. As a result, I had a surprise good-bye ceremony. Three weeks early.

“Awkward” doesn’t begin to describe it.

Here are all the kiddies waiting for me:



Here are a bunch of the older boys in the school, goofing off in the back:


Each child in the school (all 467 of them) made a card or a drawing for me, and I sat in the front while the students walked up one by one and placed them in my lap. It took *forever*, but some of the pictures are quite beautiful.


There were some pretty confused children when I rolled up to teach today…. =T

Another funny story.

Amy, Diana, and I recently ran a teachers’ training workshop for English teachers in Thai schools. I think it’s safe to bet that many of the teachers have never seen a white girl before, or perhaps they’ve never seen a redhead before. Diana and I (the Asian girls) were both politely ignored while Amy became an instant rock star. The teachers were literally lining up to take a picture with her.

Not sure if I can post pictures of the Thai teachers, so instead, here’s a shot of all the cameras queued up on the table while all the teachers were rushing to Amy’s side during one of the breaks:




Good eatin’

I can’t even begin to describe how fan-freakin’-tastic the food is here. While I haven’t had a meal yet that I didn’t love, I am going to highlight two that deserve special mention.


This is khao soi, which I’m pretty sure roughly translates to “heaven in a bowl”. The little shop where we get it only makes khao soi and nothing else. It is a coconut milk curry-like soup with egg noodles, and the addiction is more or less instantaneous. It is easily the best meal I’ve had in Thailand and probably in my top five of all time. Once we return to the States, it will become my mission to find good khao soi in New York.


This is catfish salad from the night market. I forget who ordered it originally, but everyone was skeptical. As it turns out, it is pretty amazing. The catfish is deep-fried, and the yummy goodness on top consists of onions, carrots, cashews, and something that reminds me of daikon radish. (Matt says papaya.) Whatever it is, the flavor is fantastic. (It does, however, fill you up pretty quickly and is a dish to be split.)

Good-bye party

Sadly, we said good-bye to our youngest housemate this past weekend. In his honor, we turned the staff house into a frat house for a night. Since what happens in Thailand stays in Thailand, I will not be posting any of the pictures (here). However, here’s a good-bye shot of Joey:


His school presented him with the certificate, the yarn "lei", and the Karen vest. Two of the other World Ed workers bought him the boutonnière at 7-11. Bon voyage, Joseph.

And finally. . .

Here’s a picture of the World Ed staff house where we’re staying:


Home sweet home.

Sukhothai contra Diana

1. Sukhothai, former capitol of the Thai empire, was founded c.a. 1200 CE.

2. The name Sukhothai means "rising happiness".

3. The Thai script was 'invented' here, modeled on Pavlavi, Mon, and Khmer scripts.







Perhaps . . . just maybe . . . a cooler Monk.

The Big Move

Amy and I have lived in the guesthouse now for three weeks while everyone else has been at the staff house.

Don't be fooled by the name - the guesthouse (although it does have the only hot water on the premises) is quite the place not to be. Let's describe, shall we?

1. After it gets dark and despite the fact that we have a "torch", Amy and I stomp our way back to our room from the staff house in order to scare away anything that may lurk there in the dark.

2. Once we arrive at the door and manage to get the lock off, the games of "who goes first?" commences.
a. who turns on the lights first and checks to see if anything lurks under the beds?
b. who goes to the bathroom first and kills the cockroach that may hide on the toilet or in a corner?
c. who tapes up any holes that lead into the storage room?

the green tape is where the holes used to be...

more holes...I just cover it up with my luggage

d.who turns off the lights?

--> these games are actually quite hysterical to watch. I wish we had a videocamera to capture some of the times both Amy and I jumped up and down refusing to go to the bathroom first!

3. If either of us wants to go to sleep earlier (aka - just me), a slight problem arises. We have to leave the door unlocked or the other will not be able to enter...our only option is to be locked in...

4. We have weeds in our room. Enough said.


5. There tends to be quite a bit of scratching coming from the storage room adjacent to ours. At first, we thought it was a cat...

6. Last night, we got back to find that the tile abovethe foot of my bed was eaten/scratched up. Perhaps it was the rat/mouse the seems to run around and scratch everything back there...


The reasons above are why we moved into Joey's room in the staff house. It's a small room and there is no hot water, yet I think we shall manage :)

~diana

Sukhothai a la Diana

Last weekend, the five of us (Joey, Hannah, Matthew, Amy, and me) took a trip to Sukhothai. We saw many an ancient ruin that I'm sure Matthew will educate you about in a following blog entry. I serve only to display pictures that amuse me :)

Heading Out!

Matthew and Amy playing an intense game of tic-tac-toe in a Sukhothai park.

Amy and I attempting warrior pose at the ruins. (Check out my killer hat.)

I dare you to find a cooler monk.

~diana

Beautiful Bangkok: Part II . . . Wat Po and Wat Arun

Thailand is without a doubt a Buddhist country. There is a small Muslim minority, mostly in the south, but Thailand is officially Buddhist, flies its yellow flag, and everywhere bears its mark. You cannot walk more than a few blocks without passing a shrine devoted to a devout monk, an image of the Buddha, a monk, or the auspicious grounds of a wat.








The wat is the central location for public Buddhist worship. Inside its walls you'll find the the central shrine and image of the Buddha, towering chedis, monastery housing. . .

it’s one-stop shopping for anything a Buddhist could want, though technically I suppose a Buddhist strives to eliminate all desire, but who's going to correct me . . . Hannah?

The two most impressive examples of wats in Bangkok are also two of the oldest—Wat Po and Wat Arun. From across the river, you see the 250-foot chedis rising above the Chao Phraya River . The towers are covered with thousands and thousands of pieces of broken Chinese porcelain.

Wat Po is just across the river from Wat Arun and is the oldest in Bangkok, founded in the 17th century and expanded by later Kings. In fact, King Rama II’s ashes are held in one of the 95 chedis here.

Wat Po is best known for its 150-foot statue of the Reclining Buddha, depicting the moment of enlightenment. The wiharn is just large enough to fit the massive statue, which magnifies its size and is quite an experience to stand inside the narrow hall.

The walls inside are decorated with scenes depicting the life and times of the Buddha, like a church’s stained glass or the stations of the cross. Every inch of the inside of the wiharn is decorated, painted, gilded, or bejeweled.

Thailand is Theravada Buddhist, not the Mahayana version found in places like China, Vietnam, or Tibet. As such, it places great emphasis on the accumulation of merit. Kind of like buying eternal peace on an installment plan. The walls of the wiharn are lined with maybe a hundred of iron bowls. As worshippers pass by, they drop donations of one baht coins into each bowl, thus accumulating merit and generating a metallic din that echoes in the hall.

Turns out the wats weren’t closed. So much for Thai Fashion Week.

--m.

The Where & the Why

Where we are:


View Larger Map

A little background on why we are here: links to the Irrawaddy and a BBC report. Just click away, Hannah.

Beatiful Bangkok: Part I

Just to clarify before I begin: yes, we have been well-ensconced in our teaching endeavors up in Mae Sot for the past week and a half. Nevertheless, it seems downright rude to pass by Bangkok, jewel that she is, without comment. So let us start with a top-five, shall we?




Top five mostsurprising things upon returning to Bangkok . . .

1. I can correctly identify on a map the same guesthouse I stayed at three years ago.
2. Bangkok locals don’t speak Pasa Thai as well as I remember, because they seem to have a hard time understanding me when I talk to them. How bizare.
3. Ice coffee does in fact taste better when drank directly from a plastic bag.
4. Scam-artists are still pulling the same con in which they tell you all the local attractions you want to see are closed, but fortunately, in honor of Thai Fashion Week, tuk-tuk drivers will be more than happy to take you around the city free of charge.
5. I am still surprised when I realize that the overly-friendly fellow on the corner is not just being helpful but is in fact trying to run this con on me—again.

Don't get me wrong. Bangkok's great. I promise you that a profound sense of euphoria overcame me once I arrived here. And no, it was not I of our group who fell for it. (At least not on this visit.) But we all have our pet peeves . . .

The gist of the scam is that since your activity of choice is, so sorry, closed at the moment, this helpful and completely disinterested person kindly sketches a list of attractions for you to visit. (The list is the kiss of death. Walk away now.) This list invariably includes temples with a likeness of the Buddha in various states of stasis—standing, sitting, reclining. Then, oh sweet fortune, a helpful tuk-tuk driver appears very much willing to take you around town for free in honor of the aforementioned Thai Fashion Week. Best kept secret in Thailand: it’s always Thai Fashion Week. I repeat, walk away now. Otherwise you will spend the rest of your precious day as a hostage visiting every tailor in Bangkok who gives the tuk-tuk driver a kickback for each tourist they bring.

Better option: politely decline all assistance from those helpful individuals, shell out 15 baht for the nearest public water taxi and visit the two most magnificent wats in Bangkok—

—Wat Po and Wat Arun.

— m.

Snapshots

Hello friends,

In addition to eating tons of great food, riding bikes around town, and learning the intricacies of the bucket shower. . . we are also earning our keep.

Diana and I have been teaching English at one of the migrant schools here in Mae Sot called Elpis Center (student population: 467).

Some pictures of the school:

Elpis Center welcomes you.
(Elpis is a Greek word for hope.)

Schoolyard.

Diana with the headmistress' adorable daughter, Candy.

My lovely fifth-graders hard at work and politely ignoring the camera.

On an unrelated note, meet our housemate Joey:

Matt and Joey sharing a moment.

Cheers,

Hannah

Street Noises

The project I am working on here is a curriculum for the secondary schools in the Refugee Camps. In order to gain background knowledge, I went to two camps the first week here. Since then you can find me most afternoons sitting at the dining room table writing the curriculum. Because I am there so often, I have learned what most of the noises in the house and neighborhood are. For example, the chickens, the black and white birds (I don't know the name of the bird), the swing, BoBo (one of the students at the school 'next'door)...but I can't tell the difference between a vendor's bell and a cow's bell.




-A

Remember that time I was a certified TESOL teacher qualified to teach English to primary school children?

Yeah, I don't either!

Yet, I find myself in Mae Sot teaching English in a Migrant missionary school called Elpis :) I teach grades 1-4 and it's pretty fabulous. I no longer hear, "miss! miss! miss!" all day long - it has been replaced with calls of "teacher! teacher! teacher!"

Things to note:
-My bike-riding skills have improved (especially considering that I have never really ridden a bike for long.)
-Mosquitoes love me.
-The Burmese and Muslim women think I'm both Burmese and Muslim...I was just at the store and the woman would not believe I was American. She just kept saying, "muslim, muslim!"
-Amy thinks I should carry my passport around with me in case I ever get stopped by the Police :)
- Dogs rule the streets of Mae Sot...Beware of trying to go for a run too early...

Sawadee and Mingalabah!

Hello and welcome to Thai'm Out New York's inaugural posting. Once upon a time, there existed a brilliant idea to spend the summer break teaching on the border of Thailand and Burma.

First there was one teacher . . .

















Then there were two . . .



















. . . and three . . .

















. . . at at last all four arrived safely in sunny Bangkok.