Final Thailand Email March 20, 2000

March 20, 2001

Chiang Mai, Thailand

At the Earth Rights School

Hi All,

Well, this will probably be our last email letter to you before we spend a week in Bangkok beginning March 24^th, and then return home on March 31^st.

We are just finishing up our training to the students at the Earth Rights School. We have had 8 students in all three of our classes: Fundraising, Non-Profit Organization, and Photography. Actually, we had met them all before we started teaching at different times during our first couple of months here, and so it was like a little reunion to start teaching them.

The photography training was very successful and all of the students did well. We were pretty pleased to see how well they learned in such a short time. Their photos during the critique session were really good. Today, the last day of the training, all of the students dressed up in their ethnic clothes and took pictures of themselves and us with them. In fact they gave the both of us some of clothes to wear, and you will enjoy seeing some of those photos when we return home. Actually, some of these students will be taking the cameras that we brought here (with the help of some of you) out in the field with them to various refugee camps and even into areas of Burma where there are Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) living under very harsh conditions in the jungle. The IDP's are ethnic people who have become displaced from their villages in Burma by the repressive Burmese military regime and army and who fled to the jungle rather than become refugees in Thailand. To say that their living conditions are primitive would not even begin to describe the situation that they are in.

In the fundraising training, the group produced an actual proposal to travel to Burma to an IDP area to do "backpack training" in Human Rights, and Environment, and along the way provide people with medical problems with basic care and medicines. They are currently sending the proposal off for funding. We have been given a copy as well and have asked to help. We may be able to help them get some of the medical supplies and when you learn more about their proposal, you may be able to help as well.

One of the students told us that many of the children in the IDP areas in Burma do not have such basics as clothing, pens, and notebooks, and many of the women are in dire need of clothing as well. We were able to obtain a small supply of pens and notebooks which are now on their way to where they are needed, and when we return home, we will try to collect some used, but useable clothing for women and children. We have been asked to make sure that the clothing is "modest looking" which of course we will do.

Last Sunday we made a swimming party for the students and the teachers at our place, and bought lunch for everyone. It was a lot of fun. None of the students had ever been in a swimming pool before, and none had ever been as high as the 14^th floor to visit our apartment. None of the students had bathing suits so some of the women wore shorts and a tee shirt. One of the men borrowed a pair of Hinda's shorts, and one borrowed one of Peter's bathing suits. Imagine those small thin Burmese men in our clothes! We all had a wonderful time and Peter taught them how to do "chicken fights" in the water. Even though it is not "non violent" it was fun.

On Thursday night we will attend our last staff meeting before we leave Chiang Mai for Bangkok. All in all, it was a tremendous experience for us, and we have gotten nothing but positive feedback from the folks here. Who knows, we may even come back here. Chiang Mai is a very easy place to live for a few months a year.

Now, here are some other interesting things:

This morning while waiting to go to the school. An old man with no teeth came into the lobby of our building selling something in bottles. We found out that it is home made honey, and bought a bottle for the school, and one to bring back with us. The bottles were formerly Scotch Whiskey bottles. He showed us the following test: He dipped a wooden match in the honey, and it didn't sink at all. Then, even coated with honey, he was able to light the match to prove that there was no water in the honey. One of the women who was watching told us that if Peter takes a teaspoon of honey each night with some lemon, (actually lime), he will become very handsome. The bottle of honey cost about $2. He told one of the women there who wanted some that he would come back in another year with some more. We're glad that we bought ours before he sold his three bottles to someone else.

Now we can drive elephants, cars, and motorcycles. However, we are still afraid to drive the car at night without lights. We are still getting used to other vehicles driving without lights, especially when they are coming at you the wrong way on a one way street!

Each day for the last couple of days all of the people who work where we live count the days to when we leave. We will be sorry to leave them, and we are sure they will be sorry to see us go. We all like each other.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the women invited us to her house for a Thai BBQ. It was a singular honor for foreigners to be invited to the home of a Thai person because many feel that their homes are small, etc. "Sai Rung" lives with her mother, husband, father, and daughter "Kreem" which in English means cream, e.g. hand cream. Sai Rung means rainbow. We went by motorbike and were able to come home alone at night without getting lost. We ate until we were stuffed. The food seemed enough to feed an army. We ate family style: out of a common bowl with common spoons and forks. Thais eat mostly with a soup spoon using the fork only to put food onto the spoon. Some food like noodles in soup is eaten with chopsticks. We had delicious spicy transparent Thai noodle salad, pork balls, sausages, and the Thai version of sukiyaki called moo mak Thai. We brought along a little handmade doll made by refugee Burmese women for Kreem who fell in love with it immediately. She is 6 years old and very beautiful. Peter played badminton with Kreem and her 5 year old cousin until they hit all of the shuttlecocks on to the roof.

That is about it for now. We are looking forward to just sightseeing in BKK and finally home to you.

Love from Peter and Hinda