I ate a rambutan [pictured] for the first time--it looks like an alien creature, doesn’t it? It looks and tastes a lot like lychee, very sweet and tasty. I sat across from a woman named Ay, who is a young Burmese doctor working in the health clinic. I was pleased to hear her say that Korean girls are the envy of Burmese girls, that Korean girls are considered to be the most beautiful of all Asian women, and that in Burma, the Burmese are all obsessed with Korean movies and dramas. Here, too, the Thai locals are familiar with the Wonder Girls and the latest Korean movies! Heh. I did feel obliged to inform her, though, that it’s all make-up, plastic surgery, and an unhealthy preoccupation with appearances...but she insisted that Korean women have naturally beautiful complexions and facial features.Then I met Mubi, who is Karen, the famous "long neck" hill tribe (link). I think she is in the minority among the Burmese IRC staff, who are generally from more privileged backgrounds; I believe most of them are from Rangoon and are well-educated. Mubi, on the other hand, grew up in a refugee camp, and all of her family are animists. Mubi joined me at my table, and after a bit of small talk, she unexpectedly began to share her testimony with me! When she was about 15 years old, she had a dream in which Jesus came to her from across a river and asked her to follow him. He then took and ate a banana from the bunch that she was holding. Now, to be honest, I would have felt a little skeptical if this had been the end of her conversion story, but her journey to faith didn’t end there. After that dream, she wanted to learn more about Christianity before accepting it as her own, so she started attending church and Sunday school classes with her Christian roommate. Four years later, she was baptized. She’s been working with the IRC for 4.5 years now, currently in the GBV (Gender Based Violence) clinic, and she is passionate about helping the women and girls in the camps. Although English is not her native language, you can tell that she is a deep thinker, very intelligent and probably extremely well-spoken in her own language, considering how expressive she is in English. I am going to a Burmese church (planted by Korean missionaries, apparently!) with her next week—obviously, I won’t understand anything, but I would love to see how they worship.
A tangent on language: It is easy to forget that simplicity of language does not equate to simplicity of thought. I think, as terrible as it sounds, this misconception is an explanation for some of the disrespect shown by second-generation Korean-Americans to their first-generation parents. If this truth is hard for children of immigrant parents to swallow, it is no wonder that other Americans treat foreigners like simpletons or worse, second-class citizens.
The rest of the evening was devoted to M’s story, an incredible one spanning 50 years or so of involvement in Burmese politics. M (full name withheld) went underground as a rebel when he was just a teenager. He has endured 8 years as a political prisoner—he was tortured in the infamous Burmese prisons and even spent 3 years in a penal colony on Coco Island, where he was forced to eke out a primitive existence with 232 other political prisoners. After being released, he immediately resumed his underground political activities.
The next several chapters of his story are a blur. Burmese politics is so complicated, and I can’t possibly begin to recount all of the people and dates and fluctuating political parties. Moreover, I know nothing about political theory and philosophy, much less Burmese politics, so I will refrain from any political commentary. Suffice it to say, he is well acquainted with Aung San Suu Kyi. He was there in the beginning, when she came to Burma to visit her ailing mother, with absolutely no intention of entering politics. Although M absolutely trusted Aung San Suu Kyi, he refused her invitations to join her party, when they were just 11 members strong, because he could not trust some of her followers.
As a result of increasing disillusionment with politics and with corruption in the justice system (he was then practicing as a lawyer), M finally left Burma in 2006 and has been living in Thailand since. He joined the LAC Rule of Law team 3 months ago and works closely with Sheila, as a translator and as our resident expert on Burmese law. M is highly educated—he certainly has the manner of a scholar—and he is qualified for a much higher position, but he refused the IRC’s offer, making it clear that he was applying for his current position only. My final question of the evening for him: Was he happy here? And his response was, yes, of course, because the people in the camps whom he is helping are not just any people—they are his people.
It was all pretty surreal, sitting there with M, as the hour became late. The place had cleared out, save a small Burmese contingent of IRC staff workers. The men took turns at the mic on stage. As I talked with M, they serenaded us with Burmese ballads, as well as a handful of American songs, including "More Than Words" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads." ☺ Many of them are very good guitarists and singers! One made a dedication to his country, expressing the hope that one day it would be free. The atmosphere was relaxed and lighthearted, but it was a moving scene.
[Photo Caption: I couldn't get a decent picture either with or without the flash, but I hope you can get a feel for the place...it's super cute!]
check my comment on the older post.
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