Happy Birthday
Imagine being in a totally different world surrounded by sight after sight of things you’ve never seen, in the midst of people who don’t look or speak like you and celebrating your birthday!! That’s me today! After I crawled out of my mosquito net and wander off to the bathroom meeting smiling faces all the way. Tasanee served me what she calls a western breakfast (scrambled eggs & toast) and gave me a gorgeous Karen style shirt that she made. She asked if we wanted to go to Mae Sot after lunch--why not??
Rog & I set up the craft table so kids could make puppets & as usual, we had lots of takers. While cleaning up, one of the boys came up to me with paper & pencil so I asked if he wanted an English lesson as that is how most of the kids ask. I dropped what I was doing, wrote CAT on his paper and carefully sounded out the word adding MEOW. He looked at me funny so I thought--oh, he doesn’t know the alphabet so I wrote all the letters giving him the sound of each as well. He still looked puzzled and then said, “Name?” I wrote my name which made him smile and hand to another boy who prompted wrote it on the birthday card he had prepared for me…I laughed aloud realizing that he must of thought my name was CAT and had surely not wanted a half hour English lesson!!
Soon after, we jumped into the truck along with Johnny as they were taking him to the doctor in Mae Sot --he has been coughing lots & is running a high temp. On our way, we passed the large refugee camp run by the UN--it’s one I’d looked into working at but they require 6 month stay.
So many, many small huts crowded together for almost half a mile. Tasanne told us many of the people there have been there for years…some wanting so much to go to a 3rd country (one of the ways to get out) and others have been there so long & don’t know any other life. They get free food, education & health care and so don’t want to leave. Life is much better there than in Burma…even if they are surrounded by barb wire. We have met two who come from there--both got jobs teaching (one at Safe Haven) so were allowed to leave. The children we talked about who lived down in that valley, come from there. I want to find out more about UN refugee camps as it all seems so wrong to keep people behind barb wire for so long….
My Story - In The Refugee Camp from Christian Freedom International on Vimeo.
When we got to Mae Sot, we went to an apartment that Tasanee rents as she has to come here so often. Johnny went to the doctor who gave him a shot & med for pneumonia. Poor little Johnny. Rog & I went to check out the town & lucky me, the first place we stopped at had one cold diet coke!! We walked several blocks filled with small shops passing smoking grills laden with food meeting many Muslins & locals many of whom grinned & said Hello. Around 7, Tasanee, her brother, Chom and one of the little orphans who stays with Tasanne’s other daughter--were sitting around a table eating lasagna, pizza, hamb & French fries! Tasanee knew what I’d like! We even had lime cheese cake for dessert. A group of Norwegians were sitting next to us (one we’d met & had worked at Safe Haven) and three of them sang Happy Birthday to me in Norwegian adding several dance steps. And to top the whole day off, we are connected to free wireless internet here!!!! So what a grand way to spend your 60th birthday!!
