Seeing and Feelig So Much

Each day brings something new, and I am working on being completely present to watch it all unfold. I am also beginning to feel more comfortable with finding my way around Chaing Mai and exploring all it's beauty. I bought a bike this past week, which is the little red cruiser you've seen in the pictures bellow- yep, there really is a seat on the back that is great for toting friends around town! Everyone has a motorbike here, they hand them out like candy without requiring any kind of training or even a helmet! I've seen kids as young as ten driving them around, and the locals often ride 2 or 3 people on the back. I guess nothing really surprises me after seeing entire families in India packed on to one tiny motorbike, with infant babies sitting side sattle on their mothers laps. But honestly the Thia's are very safe drivers... the real people you have to look out for is the tourists! The sidewalks here are all broken so I ride my red cruiser in the bike lane with other motorbikes and bicycles- the main thing I have to be careful of is remembering to stay in the left lane, other than that it's a great way to get around! I am able to see so much more of the city... a beautiful park with a lake and bamboo trees where I go to read during the day, street markets that sell the most amazing tropical fruits, as well as peaceful temples that I visit for daily meditation or chanting.

There really is so much I want to share about my experience here so far, but since I really only have a small space I'll tell you about the amazing non-profit organization I've found called Freedom House. It's a school that is dedicated towards helping Burmese refugees receive an education. Many families flee Burma to live in Northern Thailand in hopes of escaping poverty and hunger, only to be oppressed by the Thai government. Many take jobs at construction sites making next to nothing a day while their children are exposed to child labor at a frighteningly young ages. Because they are living here illegally, they are denied any formal education by the government, so about three years ago the founder, named Lisa, opened her house to hold classes for the refugee children and their parents. Recently she received enough funding by local and national doners to move out of her house and open a small school. Lisa donates her time, making absolutely no money, and all her teachers are volunteers. She holds classes every evening (so that the families can work during the day) downstairs for the children, and upstairs for young adults. Lisa is headed back to the U.S. for a few months to raise more funding for the school because she barely has enough to stay afloat. And that is how the universe brought us together - she needed a teacher, and I was looking for a way to help within the community. Everything always happens the way it's supposed to. I will be teaching English every Monday evening to a small group of Burmese children varying in all different ages. The school is a tiny building with brightly painted walls decorated with the most beautiful children's artwork. When I visited a few days ago for my first time, I arrived to find children sitting on the floor coloring pictures with so much excitement and joy. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with such wonderful children and to help in whatever way I can... although I have a feeling I will learn much more from them then they will learn from me!

A culturally shocking experience I had this week was another one involving young children being deprived of their innocence. Muay Thai fights are held twice a week at a nearby arena and are a popular form of entertainment for locals and tourists. I felt a bit nervous about going because this really isn't something I am ordinarily interested in, but since martial arts is such a big part of Asian culture I wanted to experience it at least once. I went with a few friends and was totally unprepared for what I saw. First to describe the arena to you; it's basically like what you would picture a dark, smokey warehouse to look like. There was a bar, tiny tables surrounding the rink and lots of men placing bets. The evening was scheduled to start at 9:00 with a long list of opponents paired to fight. Two tiny boys in small gym shorts and over sized boxing gloves entered the arena - they could not have been older than 11 or 12! I watched as they prepared for the flight and wondered if they really wanted to be up there, or if they would rather be playing hide and seek with their neighborhood friends. When the bell rang and they lept on each other, I really couldn't even watch. Grown men circled around the rink yelling and screaming as these two boys violently thrashed at one another. I realize that training for any sport starts at a young age, but it was so sad to see such young children fighting while so many people stood around cheering. My friend Sibyl has a 10 year old son and she began crying next to me, so I took her by the hand and we left. We talked about how important it is for us to be aware of the differences in the Thai culture, but it doesn't mean we have to support it.

I think back to the children I saw coloring pictures on the floor of their classroom at the Freedom House, and how a few of the kids must have been the same age as the boys in the boxing rink. I realize that children all over the world are forced to grow up too fast, whether it be homelessness, child labor, exploitation or prostitution... but within the past month I am really experiencing it directly, and it's pretty painful. I feel even more inspired than before I left to work towards helping those children who may not be able to help themselves.

Love to you
April