I must preface this by saying that this blog, in particular, has been re-written from seven pages of handwritten notes, which were accumulated while on an extremely bumpy and curvy ride through the camp, others while walking and avoiding puddles, rocks, potholes, etc. and others while leaning against bamboo walls of a clinic, a laboratory and a couple of classrooms.
What are commonly referred to as refugee camps are officially called "temporary shelters" for displaced persons. Our field visit was to the Ban Mai Nai Soi Camp in Mae Hong Song (located in northern Thailand). It was a rare and unique opportunity to experience poverty, human injustice, sadness, conflict ... REALITY from these people!!
Dimensions are always good to start with – there are about 13,000 people who reside on 7 square kilometers and who cannot leave the camp at all (doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen though)!! This camp – Ban Mai Nai Soi – is only 4- 6 kilometers away from Myanmar (Burma). It took us about 20 minutes to get in from the main road via Jeep. The clay-colored dirt, tan-colored puddles of mixed mud and water, various trees (amongst them, the bamboos which were sooo tall and in some parts of our journey toward the second gate were abundant and tall enough to create a canopy) were all that was observable with an occasional rice field.
You can observe the thick green vegetation and deciduous trees (whose leaves are ENORMOUS – long enough and wide enough for me to hide under). These visuals were accompanied with the sounds of birds, crickets and cicadas.
At some points it got really steep! Fortunately, the jeep was able to just take off as we gained some grip from a random strip of concrete road, then we were back to puddles, rocks and mud, hanging on for dear life to the metal handles above our heads and on the side of the Jeep!
Once we passed the first of two gates, conversation amongst the four of us subsided without warning. While driving toward the second gate, there were a few men on mopeds buzzing by and some women/men walking and carrying empty circular wicker baskets on their backs. Later, we learned that they "unofficially" leave the camp to earn some money to feed their families because the rations (rice, sugar, beans, dried chili, cooking oil, salt, and Asia mix) are simply not enough. Some women pick veggies within the camp or weave; they later sell these items for extra money.
I'll try to capture as much as I can in words because we were forbidden to take pictures, once we crossed the second gate, where we had to present our passports and register.
View of the second gate from the inside
Back in the truck … It was a sight to see these bamboo-made homes nestled, or stacked, on the hills. They’re not allowed to use materials such as concrete and wood because a temporary shelter it cannot be made of these items. You can see the shops on the right are only made of bamboos and leaves.
We drove by a laboratory, a school and a mother holding her child (couldn’t have been more than a year old) in a dull-colored wrap. The child had a yellow smeared dot, I later found out – made of tumeric - between his eyes the size of a silver dollar and a line going down the center of his nose. This is part of their culture – a symbol of beauty - a way to identify themselves as being Burmese on Thai soil.
Our official introduction began with an enthusiastic greeting by the commander of the camp. He, along with a number of others, thoroughly educated us about the camp as well as their job/function within it. What was interesting were the different ethnicities living within the camp such as the long neck women (those with rings around their necks) or those with huge spacers as earrings. Thankfully, there are NGOs that provide for the refugees! In addition to charcoal, each adult is provided with a
monthly food ration of: 15 kg rice, 1.2 kg beans, 125 grams sugar, 23 grams dried chilli, 1 litre cooking oil, 500 grams iodised salt, 0.5 kg fortified flour - period!
Rather than give you more facts and figures, which are also important, let me try to act as a digital camera. In the three hours that we sat and listened to government officials, NGOs, etc., we sat on plastic chairs that were neatly arranged on hard-packed soil where animals were roaming freely. This one particular chicken had about 10 chicks following her all pecking away at the ground as she stood watch on one leg. At one point you could hear a rooster outside of our conference area; upon hearing this, the chicks all huddled in the corner together and attached to their mother. One chick stayed right under mother hen; you could see its little beak every once in a while appear from beneath its mother’s wing. Incidentally, I bought a bunch of clothes (3 shirts and 2 skirts) for 750 baht/$25 from the women who patiently sat in the conference area for several hours waiting for our class to end, just to make a baht!
We actually had a chance to walk around. Unlike a few members from my group who have actually worked in other refugee camps, this was my first experience making it rather surreal. The conditions were awful! It made me appreciate the "simple things" even more. Random "things" like clean feet, a comfortable bed, anything I want to eat, AC!!, and on a more complicated level, access to world renowned health facilities, the opportunity to obtain a great education, the ability to work ... These people don't have this! When Vicky (Northern Ireland) and Tom (Australia) said that this camp was much better than the ones they have seen, I was horrified to think about how much worse can this get!?
To give you some idea ... After lunch, Ian and I stood outside of the "conference area" chatting and watching white and yellow butterflies fluttering around an area with small purple flowers. Off, in the not so far distance, was this young, fit man bathing himself in a gray Speedo. Obviously, there is no, absolutely NO privacy. There was no shower head, just a concrete basin with clean water and a plastic container with a handle that he would use to dump water on himself. While we were talking about our morning, this man shampooed and scrubbed himself from top to bottom, followed by rinsing, drying and putting on dry clothes - all in the open for everyone (other fellow camp dwellers, the butterflies and yes, the Rotary Fellows) to see! All I could think about was (sigh) ... how grateful I am for my privacy, my rights, my safety, my shower, my education ... Whether tangible or intangible, simple or complicated, they are basic needs! For many, they are assumed and expected - but for others, they are not!
We got back into the Jeeps and drove by some classrooms. As we drove by, I noticed all the children's faces pressed up against the bamboo "windows" smiling. I smiled and waved and as the truck moved forward, little waving hangs poked through the small grated openings and accompanied the movement of the truck - it reminded me of watching people do "the wave" at a baseball game. (Gosh, writing without pictures is tough)! I had to do everything not to begin sobbing because in the end, don't we smile and wave in the same language? If we could just smile and wave to everyone, the world could really just be a better place!!!!!
Going into the classrooms was great! Math, music, dance ... seeing those kids learning was encouraging! I noticed that the boys tend to dress in western style where the girls wear traditional dress. In music class they were all singing to the traditional Burmese songs played from two guitars.
The Commander also brought us to their medical laboratory, which consisted of one small room with one microscope and prepared slides that were used to test for malaria. Twenty members from his staff contracted the disease, but he reassured us not to worry as hadn't gotten it! The two large windows to the lab do not have glass, or blinds, or curtains - nothing! The hospital was even more eye-opening! There was a woman kneeling on a vinyl matress with her newborn ... the I.V. looked scary, not to mention the chicken running around in the adjoining room ... Like the lab, it was open!! To think that some people leave Burma to live in this camp because of better medical care.
The last area we were shown was the "departure area." Here the refugees are given instruction from luggage requirements to their "new life in the U.S." It was sort of neat (for lack of a better term) to see the American flag hanging on the wall and not too far a picture of the king and queen of Thailand.
As we were leaving, the children and older students were all walking back home from school. They could see us in the truck and as we drove back toward the exit, we reciprocated smiles, giggles, waves ... Some of the girls giggled behind their umbrellas when Ben greeted them; it was too sweet.
Without showing you pictures, I hope I've provided a snapshot of what I've seen. Moreover, I hope I conveyed to you my feelings as I walked through this temporary shelter, listened to the Burmese speak their language, saw the children who haven't experienced life beyond 7 km of bordered space, etc. I will forever remember my visit and be able to support, understand and identify with a "refugee," should our paths cross. This would not be unusual as it's a "small world!" And the U.S. accepts a maximum of 80,000 refugees from Thailand, Nepal, Uganda, Kenya - to name a few of many.
Check out this link! Sam sent it to us the other day!
A rice field right on the outskirts of the camp.
Here is the Commander of the camp standing amongst us. Ben (Ivory Coast) asked him to recall his "best and worst moment" of his job. Without hesitation he mentioned that seeing the smiles of those getting on trucks to officially leave the camp for resettlement - to obtain a better life; this was definitely a "best." His worst moments are dealing with conflict between his staff and those in the camp as it is difficult maintaining order to benefit the majority.
The following day we visited the IMO (International Organization for Migration), which allowed us to gain an understanding of the process that refugees go through to resettle to a third country! The paperwork, medical exam, cultural orientation are obvious preparations, however it is worthy to note that there are simple, simple activities of daily living that they are taught - things we wouldn't think about because we live in societies as refined and cultured individuals. Mothers of infants are taught to properly change and dispose of diapers, all are taught to use a western toilet, how to order a hamburger, and what to expect on the plane (that would also include how to get in and out of the toilet! I think a few of us can admit that getting out of them may have been challenging)! Bottom line is that they're frightened all around, but want a better life for their children! After hearing about this and seeing, first hand, where they've lived and what they've gone through, to be empathetic and be welcoming to them (or any refugee) is the least any of us could do. After all, they're a fellow human being ...
In this photo Dragan shows us a big white bag that accompanies each refugee family on their flight to their third country. Because they don't have any documents (just a letter from the embassy), this clearly identifies them (origin, destination, number of people in their family, etc.). Along with this, and like all other passengers, they're only allowed to bring 20 kilograms and a carry-on. Imagine, settling to a third country - your new "home" with less than 50 pounds of your personal belongings?
If they come to the U.S. there are five points of entry - Los Angeles, Chicago, New York/JFK, Newwark and Miami - but they live in various places. Ian mentioned a distinct number of Burmese refugees living in Indianapolis.
Although I was absolutely exhausted after my field study, it was awesome getting together with Neung and Joy for a trip to an art exhibition and lunch at a noodle shop - together with two of her Italian colleagues and her upper level Italian students. The "museum" had a beautiful open area with fountains, falls and this beautiful Buddha ...
