Hello all!
* Sorry it's taken so long to get Part 3 out. My computer's hard drive crashed taking with it all of my files and my ability to do anything at home. OTL
Anyway...
From Bangkok --> Israel/Palestine --> Egypt --> Bangkok --> Burma/Myanmar
I first went to Burma in January of '08. The year before my first year of Fulbright, two Fulbrighters began a small non profit organization (Opening Possibilities Asia) that I am now working with. My first year was led by one of the founders of the organization. Our main focus of last year was to create and teach a workshop to teach teaching methodology to teachers at a free education monastic school in Mandalay, Burma. Confusing enough? Haha
PDO (Phaung Daw Oo) is the school we volunteer at. It is a school that literally started under a tree and has grown to over 7000 students. There is also a monastery within its walls. The principal's newest project was to take children affected by Cyclone Nargis into the school as residents and students. Many students graduate at the age of 15 or 16. Some want to give back in anyway they can, so they become teachers. The teachers who participate in our workshop consist of new teachers who have never had any training before and veteran teachers who want to continue education as well as help train new teachers.
Our leader from last year, Margaret, is now living in Burma. With her away from Korea, I led 3 Fulbrighters in creating a similar workshop to teach in January of this year. We spent 3 months writing and revising the workshop and planning our visit to the school in Burma. Margaret met my group in Yangon/Rangoon to take them to Mandalay on a 12 hour bus ride. I flew to Mandalay to prevent missing the first day of the workshop after leaving Israel.
It was great to be back. So many familiar, friendly faces. It took me a few days to adjust to being back, but I soon fell in love with the country and the school all over again.
Three of the four of us from the first year were back together (Margaret, Rebecca, and me) and three new workshop leaders (Anna, Raisa, and Josh)! It was a great group this year. My group focused on teaching the workshop, while Margaret and Rebecca taught a children's English camp.
The workshop went very well, and we definitely see where we can make positive changes for next year. Beyond the workshop, we also observed the teachers from our workshop to better understand where they need help, I helped with the English camp from time to time, we led a nightly debate for whomever wished to participate, we visited the Golden House where the chidren affected by Cyclone Nargis live, we visited Mingon and Ubein Bridge with friends (teachers, novices, and office workers) from the school, we visited the Mandalay zoo with children from the school's orphanage and Golden House, and watched Wa monks play with a pinata that they helped us make.
For some reason or another only part of the pictures made it onto my photobucket site. I'll have the link for the rest of the pictures next time I email.
Hope everyone is doing well! Miss each and everyone of you!
Peace and Love,
Stacey
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Part 2: Israel/Palestine/Egypt
Here's part 2 of my travels this winter.
My last email left off at me flying from Bangkok to Israel/Palestine. I spent 2 weeks in Israel/Palestine with an organization called CPT (Christian Peacemaker Teams) on a peace delegation to learn first hand about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and to participate in nonviolent action in support of ending the Palestinian occupation.
Before I begin, please understand that I speak from my experiences only. The history between Palestine and Israel goes far beyond my current understanding and there is always more to learn.
I landed at Ben Gurion airport two days before most of the members of my delegation were set to arrive. I met our fantastic delegation leader, Rick Polhamus. He and I spent the first day touring Jerusalem and chatting with an incredible Palestinian man, who I now consider a dear friend, Saleh. Saleh is the owner of the hotel we stayed at a portion of the time. My new Palestinian friend spent the first day and second day, for that matter, teasing me about how I would probably go to jail because I had asked the airport not to stamp my passport as I was entering the country. So, technically, I didn't have a visa. ^_~ A woman from the delegation arrived late that first night, Sharon (a 56 year old former army radar repair technician - a quarky woman who marches to the beat of her own drum.)
Upon arrival back at the airport the next day to make sure that I wasn't going to be deported from the country, Rick and I met two new arrivals, Greg (a 61 year old pastor from Canada with a very distinct laugh) and Jerry (a 34 year old Brethren pastor from Ohio). Jerry and I hit it off right away and became good friends over the course of the delegation.
Jerry, Sharon, and I made our way to Kalia beach to visit the dead sea. The dead sea is apparently slowly disappearing due to the selling of the sea's salts and mud. It is still gorgeous though, and we had a great time! Take a look at the pics! That night, the remaining delegation members arrived. Christina (a 26 year old community lover), Renee (a 43 year old strong and independent married woman), Melissa (a 44 year old hilarious, spunky mother of 4), Betty (a 76 year old woman with an incredible life story), James (a 50 year old Canadian living in Germany as a Mennonite church director), Nate (a dumster diving 29 year old who is quiet, passionate peace worker), and Neil (a sweet, incredibly knowledgeable 75 year old retired Wilmington professor).
In the next few days we met with human rights and pro-Palestinian groups as well as pro-Palestinian Israeli activists. They all helped to explain a bit about the conflict and occupation both currently and historically. One being B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in Israeli Occupied Territories (B'Teselem). We visited the wall constructed to separate Israel from the Palestinian West Bank. Graffiti found on the wall portrays the feelings of most people who visit.
We visited Dheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem. 11,000 Palestinians living there remain after 750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1948. More information can be found at their website. (Dheisheh). Upon arrival at the camp, we witnessed a protest march in support of the people of Gaza completely comprised of children. Children have been taught how to express their frustration and thoughts through non violent action, an incredible skill to have at a young age.
We toured the camp and stayed with a Palestinian man and his family. I was disgusted to see the bullet-riddled walls of the girls school, bullets left over from the second Intifada where Israelis attacked the homes and schools of this refugee camp.
This was not the only story that made my stomach turn while I was in Bethlehem. After a brief tour as a delegation, we were given time on our own. Some of you may have read this story already.
Jerry, and I were walking around Bethlehem with the bit of free time we had. We walked past a man trying to convince us to shop in his store. We said "maybe later" and kept on where we were going. We were walking back by and this man reminded us that we had said we would come in and look around. We agreed and headed inside. Assuming the man would simply try to start selling items to us, we were a bit hesitant. He didn't try to sell us a thing. He wanted us to listen to him. He wanted us to hear his story. We soon learned that this "man" was 23 years old. His father had lost his leg in the 2002 Intifada. He was the man of the house now. He told us how the soldiers stormed the town and how he was beaten by an Israeli soldier for standing in the doorway of his home instead of remaining inside. As this man lie bleeding from his mouth on the street, the soldier said, "Fuck you! If I see your face again, I'll kill you." He told us of how he felt helpless as a soldier held a gun to his 8 year old sister. He told us his story. He didn't once ask us to buy anything. After telling us his story, he offered us tea while trying to hold back the tears of his memories. This young man, Allah, said that he could break off a piece of his heart and we still wouldn't understand what he has had to face. He wants to believe in peace, but he just can't. He has seen too much, experienced too many times the hatred of Israeli soldiers.
To make this as brief as possible, our delegation also joined the Women in Black who gather every Friday to demonstrate against the occupation of Palestinians. Israeli women began the organization in 1988. (Women in Black)
We also joined a march in support of medical aid support in Gaza. Two members of our delegation gave interviews to news reporters.
A week of the delegation was spent in Hebron. A few nights were spent at the CPT apartment in the old city, one night I spent with one other delegation member in the home of an incredibly friendly Palestinian family, one night was spent in a small village called At'Tuwani, and one night was spent in an even smaller village Gwynn (I don't think that spelling is right).
The old city of Hebron has been left quite destitute after the most recent Intifada with many Palestinian shops being warned against their re-opening. Israeli settlements have been built almost entirely to control the Palestinian population. In the old city, Israeli settlers as well as an israeli military base set on top of Palestinian shops. There were fences placed above the shops to "protect" Palestinians from the rocks, glass bottles, and bleach the Israeli settlers are throwing down at Palestinians.
On a day spent touring the old city, we faced Palestinian children who were causing trouble. They fired a rock with a slingshot toward our group, nearly hitting a member. Most Palestinians find relief in the CPT group, but some Palestinians have a hard time trusting foreign faces. That day was the first time I had ever experienced tear gas. It burns the eyes and stings the nose so that water runs from both uncontrollably. Relief came from a group of young Palestinian men who offered us tissues with scented spray to cut the burning. The city is a very different place on days when Palestinians shut all shops to pray at the mosque, desolate and a little eerie.
The most memorable part of staying with the Palestinian homestay family, was something that happened while trying to learn Arabic. There was only one member of the family that spoke English, a 30-something female teacher. She lived with her father, mother, 2 of her sisters, and 2 of her brothers. I couldn't for the life of me remember how to say "welcome" in Arabic. He jokingly said, and for this the teacher translated, "You must remember or he will kill you." At the time it was off-putting, but I understood what was meant by the cruel joke. I had been welcomed into this family's home, I had eaten with their family, I had sat around a single heater and huddled for warmth just as they do...and these are the types of people who are portrayed by the media as terrorists. He was making a point, a point I will never forget.
In the village of At'Tuwani, we learned why it is necessary for a CPT team to be present. Israeli settlers have been attacking children who walk from one Palestinian village to another in order to attend school. CPT set up a camp there to ensure the safety of the children and the people of this village. Settlers have gone as far as to poison the drinking water well with dead chickens and kill shephards sheep while taunting the shephards themselves.
In the second village, we visited families who live in caves, talked with villagers about how they were cut off from their jobs when Israelis dictated which roads they could travel on and which they couldn't, slept in a tent-like structure with a cement floor, and used rocks as "bathrooms". We looked for the biggest ones!^^
All in all, the experience was one of the most incredible of my life. Some members of the delegation left before me and some left after me, but I headed from there to Egypt for a day.
The day I spent in Egypt, I decided to get out of the airport and travel to the pyramids and the sphinx. I had met a guy on the way out of Israel who had just as long of layover as I did in Egypt, so we spent the day together.
From there, I flew back to Bangkok where I spent a day. I flew out the next morning for Yangon, Mandalay.
To be continued...
My last email left off at me flying from Bangkok to Israel/Palestine. I spent 2 weeks in Israel/Palestine with an organization called CPT (Christian Peacemaker Teams) on a peace delegation to learn first hand about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and to participate in nonviolent action in support of ending the Palestinian occupation.
Before I begin, please understand that I speak from my experiences only. The history between Palestine and Israel goes far beyond my current understanding and there is always more to learn.
I landed at Ben Gurion airport two days before most of the members of my delegation were set to arrive. I met our fantastic delegation leader, Rick Polhamus. He and I spent the first day touring Jerusalem and chatting with an incredible Palestinian man, who I now consider a dear friend, Saleh. Saleh is the owner of the hotel we stayed at a portion of the time. My new Palestinian friend spent the first day and second day, for that matter, teasing me about how I would probably go to jail because I had asked the airport not to stamp my passport as I was entering the country. So, technically, I didn't have a visa. ^_~ A woman from the delegation arrived late that first night, Sharon (a 56 year old former army radar repair technician - a quarky woman who marches to the beat of her own drum.)
Upon arrival back at the airport the next day to make sure that I wasn't going to be deported from the country, Rick and I met two new arrivals, Greg (a 61 year old pastor from Canada with a very distinct laugh) and Jerry (a 34 year old Brethren pastor from Ohio). Jerry and I hit it off right away and became good friends over the course of the delegation.
Jerry, Sharon, and I made our way to Kalia beach to visit the dead sea. The dead sea is apparently slowly disappearing due to the selling of the sea's salts and mud. It is still gorgeous though, and we had a great time! Take a look at the pics! That night, the remaining delegation members arrived. Christina (a 26 year old community lover), Renee (a 43 year old strong and independent married woman), Melissa (a 44 year old hilarious, spunky mother of 4), Betty (a 76 year old woman with an incredible life story), James (a 50 year old Canadian living in Germany as a Mennonite church director), Nate (a dumster diving 29 year old who is quiet, passionate peace worker), and Neil (a sweet, incredibly knowledgeable 75 year old retired Wilmington professor).
In the next few days we met with human rights and pro-Palestinian groups as well as pro-Palestinian Israeli activists. They all helped to explain a bit about the conflict and occupation both currently and historically. One being B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in Israeli Occupied Territories (B'Teselem). We visited the wall constructed to separate Israel from the Palestinian West Bank. Graffiti found on the wall portrays the feelings of most people who visit.
We visited Dheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem. 11,000 Palestinians living there remain after 750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1948. More information can be found at their website. (Dheisheh). Upon arrival at the camp, we witnessed a protest march in support of the people of Gaza completely comprised of children. Children have been taught how to express their frustration and thoughts through non violent action, an incredible skill to have at a young age.
We toured the camp and stayed with a Palestinian man and his family. I was disgusted to see the bullet-riddled walls of the girls school, bullets left over from the second Intifada where Israelis attacked the homes and schools of this refugee camp.
This was not the only story that made my stomach turn while I was in Bethlehem. After a brief tour as a delegation, we were given time on our own. Some of you may have read this story already.
Jerry, and I were walking around Bethlehem with the bit of free time we had. We walked past a man trying to convince us to shop in his store. We said "maybe later" and kept on where we were going. We were walking back by and this man reminded us that we had said we would come in and look around. We agreed and headed inside. Assuming the man would simply try to start selling items to us, we were a bit hesitant. He didn't try to sell us a thing. He wanted us to listen to him. He wanted us to hear his story. We soon learned that this "man" was 23 years old. His father had lost his leg in the 2002 Intifada. He was the man of the house now. He told us how the soldiers stormed the town and how he was beaten by an Israeli soldier for standing in the doorway of his home instead of remaining inside. As this man lie bleeding from his mouth on the street, the soldier said, "Fuck you! If I see your face again, I'll kill you." He told us of how he felt helpless as a soldier held a gun to his 8 year old sister. He told us his story. He didn't once ask us to buy anything. After telling us his story, he offered us tea while trying to hold back the tears of his memories. This young man, Allah, said that he could break off a piece of his heart and we still wouldn't understand what he has had to face. He wants to believe in peace, but he just can't. He has seen too much, experienced too many times the hatred of Israeli soldiers.
To make this as brief as possible, our delegation also joined the Women in Black who gather every Friday to demonstrate against the occupation of Palestinians. Israeli women began the organization in 1988. (Women in Black)
We also joined a march in support of medical aid support in Gaza. Two members of our delegation gave interviews to news reporters.
A week of the delegation was spent in Hebron. A few nights were spent at the CPT apartment in the old city, one night I spent with one other delegation member in the home of an incredibly friendly Palestinian family, one night was spent in a small village called At'Tuwani, and one night was spent in an even smaller village Gwynn (I don't think that spelling is right).
The old city of Hebron has been left quite destitute after the most recent Intifada with many Palestinian shops being warned against their re-opening. Israeli settlements have been built almost entirely to control the Palestinian population. In the old city, Israeli settlers as well as an israeli military base set on top of Palestinian shops. There were fences placed above the shops to "protect" Palestinians from the rocks, glass bottles, and bleach the Israeli settlers are throwing down at Palestinians.
On a day spent touring the old city, we faced Palestinian children who were causing trouble. They fired a rock with a slingshot toward our group, nearly hitting a member. Most Palestinians find relief in the CPT group, but some Palestinians have a hard time trusting foreign faces. That day was the first time I had ever experienced tear gas. It burns the eyes and stings the nose so that water runs from both uncontrollably. Relief came from a group of young Palestinian men who offered us tissues with scented spray to cut the burning. The city is a very different place on days when Palestinians shut all shops to pray at the mosque, desolate and a little eerie.
The most memorable part of staying with the Palestinian homestay family, was something that happened while trying to learn Arabic. There was only one member of the family that spoke English, a 30-something female teacher. She lived with her father, mother, 2 of her sisters, and 2 of her brothers. I couldn't for the life of me remember how to say "welcome" in Arabic. He jokingly said, and for this the teacher translated, "You must remember or he will kill you." At the time it was off-putting, but I understood what was meant by the cruel joke. I had been welcomed into this family's home, I had eaten with their family, I had sat around a single heater and huddled for warmth just as they do...and these are the types of people who are portrayed by the media as terrorists. He was making a point, a point I will never forget.
In the village of At'Tuwani, we learned why it is necessary for a CPT team to be present. Israeli settlers have been attacking children who walk from one Palestinian village to another in order to attend school. CPT set up a camp there to ensure the safety of the children and the people of this village. Settlers have gone as far as to poison the drinking water well with dead chickens and kill shephards sheep while taunting the shephards themselves.
In the second village, we visited families who live in caves, talked with villagers about how they were cut off from their jobs when Israelis dictated which roads they could travel on and which they couldn't, slept in a tent-like structure with a cement floor, and used rocks as "bathrooms". We looked for the biggest ones!^^
All in all, the experience was one of the most incredible of my life. Some members of the delegation left before me and some left after me, but I headed from there to Egypt for a day.
The day I spent in Egypt, I decided to get out of the airport and travel to the pyramids and the sphinx. I had met a guy on the way out of Israel who had just as long of layover as I did in Egypt, so we spent the day together.
From there, I flew back to Bangkok where I spent a day. I flew out the next morning for Yangon, Mandalay.
To be continued...
Part 1: Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand
Starting out with 3 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 1 jacket, a few odds and ends, and two months of traveling ahead of me, I arrived in Bangkok on January 2nd not really knowing what I had gotten myself into but knowing the next two months were sure to be an adventure.
At 2AM, the streets were clear enough for taxis to easily make their way through the city; in fact, taxis were the only cars on the road.
After only a few hours of sleep, I woke to meet 4 of the 5 other girls I was sharing a hostel dorm room with: Two 18-year-old British girls, Harri and Brit, who had set out on a 7 month journey, a 32-year-old German woman named Frieda, and a 27-year-old Korean American woman named Victoria. We spent the day together. The Sky Train conveniently took us to a boat taxi that would then take us to the Old City. Within the Old City, we visited the Grand Palace which contained the Emerald Buddha and a museum and then headed to Wat Pho which housed the largest reclining Buddha. The two places took the entire day of exploring. When we returned to the hostel, I met a 40-year-old woman named Michelle from LA. She talked me into going to see a Lady Boys Cabaret with her; it was an INCREDIBLE show! Lady boys are an entire culture of men who dress like and/or become women. A funny story about these beautiful lady boys: After the show, they descended the staircase before the audience in order to clap for us as we came down the stairs. Michelle and I had our picture taken with a few of these gorgeous women, and then of course, they asked for a tip. Michelle, having just come from Vietnam a few days earlier where 1000s of Dong equal only a few dollars, gave the women what they asked for...1000 Baht. As I pulled her away from the greedy lady boys, I explained that she had just given them a $40 tip. In between Michelle's bits of cursing, we laughed all the way back to the hostel.
The next day, I went on a tour to Kachanaburi, a province outside of Bangkok, with Michelle and Jane, an Irish woman from my dorm room. We visited the war cemetery that was constructed for those who died during the forced building of the Death Railway between Burma and Thailand during WWII by the Japanese military. 90,000 Asian workers and 16,000 POWs died during the bridge's construction. We took a boat ride down the River Kwai and under the reconstructed bridge. The original wooden "Bridge over the River Kwai" remains partially in the JEATH War Museum (JEATH = Japanese, English, Australian, Thai, and Holland: The 5 main nationalities involved in the construction of the bridge). After leaving the museum, we hopped on some elephants for a ride through the jungle which ended up being sadder than I thought. Our mahout (elephant trainer) didn't treat our elephant very nicely. The mahouts aren't all like that. Finally, the tigers at the Tiger Temple were definitely one of the highlights of the day. They were so precious; we spent an hour or two getting our pictures taken with the them. The tigers are taken care of by volunteers and monks. That night, we ate at a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. A portion of the money spent on dinner goes toward AIDS education and research. We got condoms instead of dinner mints! Haha!
The next day I spent the day at an amazingly overcrowded weekend market with THOUSANDS of stalls. It was quite the sight and experience. I had to take a breather, so I hung out by a pond the rest of the afternoon until I had to make my way to the airport to fly out to Israel/Palestine...
...to be continued. :)
Starting out with 3 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 1 jacket, a few odds and ends, and two months of traveling ahead of me, I arrived in Bangkok on January 2nd not really knowing what I had gotten myself into but knowing the next two months were sure to be an adventure.
At 2AM, the streets were clear enough for taxis to easily make their way through the city; in fact, taxis were the only cars on the road.
After only a few hours of sleep, I woke to meet 4 of the 5 other girls I was sharing a hostel dorm room with: Two 18-year-old British girls, Harri and Brit, who had set out on a 7 month journey, a 32-year-old German woman named Frieda, and a 27-year-old Korean American woman named Victoria. We spent the day together. The Sky Train conveniently took us to a boat taxi that would then take us to the Old City. Within the Old City, we visited the Grand Palace which contained the Emerald Buddha and a museum and then headed to Wat Pho which housed the largest reclining Buddha. The two places took the entire day of exploring. When we returned to the hostel, I met a 40-year-old woman named Michelle from LA. She talked me into going to see a Lady Boys Cabaret with her; it was an INCREDIBLE show! Lady boys are an entire culture of men who dress like and/or become women. A funny story about these beautiful lady boys: After the show, they descended the staircase before the audience in order to clap for us as we came down the stairs. Michelle and I had our picture taken with a few of these gorgeous women, and then of course, they asked for a tip. Michelle, having just come from Vietnam a few days earlier where 1000s of Dong equal only a few dollars, gave the women what they asked for...1000 Baht. As I pulled her away from the greedy lady boys, I explained that she had just given them a $40 tip. In between Michelle's bits of cursing, we laughed all the way back to the hostel.
The next day, I went on a tour to Kachanaburi, a province outside of Bangkok, with Michelle and Jane, an Irish woman from my dorm room. We visited the war cemetery that was constructed for those who died during the forced building of the Death Railway between Burma and Thailand during WWII by the Japanese military. 90,000 Asian workers and 16,000 POWs died during the bridge's construction. We took a boat ride down the River Kwai and under the reconstructed bridge. The original wooden "Bridge over the River Kwai" remains partially in the JEATH War Museum (JEATH = Japanese, English, Australian, Thai, and Holland: The 5 main nationalities involved in the construction of the bridge). After leaving the museum, we hopped on some elephants for a ride through the jungle which ended up being sadder than I thought. Our mahout (elephant trainer) didn't treat our elephant very nicely. The mahouts aren't all like that. Finally, the tigers at the Tiger Temple were definitely one of the highlights of the day. They were so precious; we spent an hour or two getting our pictures taken with the them. The tigers are taken care of by volunteers and monks. That night, we ate at a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. A portion of the money spent on dinner goes toward AIDS education and research. We got condoms instead of dinner mints! Haha!
The next day I spent the day at an amazingly overcrowded weekend market with THOUSANDS of stalls. It was quite the sight and experience. I had to take a breather, so I hung out by a pond the rest of the afternoon until I had to make my way to the airport to fly out to Israel/Palestine...
...to be continued. :)
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