Getting back to my roots.

This past weekend I competed in the Mae Sot Marathon. It was an intense race for all 5 competitors...

So it wasn't one of the well-orchestrated, chip timed, podium finishing races like back home, but I had a great time. We had a water crew that biked ahead on a scooter and stopped to give us directions and beverages along the way and everyone finished a true champion. I could wring out my shorts by the end I had sweat so much...My time was 1:54. Not quite like back in my glory days of running but for no training I'll take it (and I didn't get injured!). Running is not too popular here (you probably figured that out already) and we got some great motivation from all the local people we passed. They looked at us like we were absolutely crazy and asked the age old question you here almost everyday here:

"Hey! Where you go?"

A great day.

I'm feeling especially Greek these days - I mean the marathon was created in Greece and on Monday at 9:30 I got told that I had been scheduled to teach grammar at 11 each day. Hmm. So I did what any good Greek would do: I looked up Greek myths on Youtube and we watched stories and did presentations on some of the big questions the myths raised like,

If you had shoes with wings on them where would you fly to?

If you had a cap of invisibility where would you go?

If you were Daedalus, what would you do after King Minas forced you to run for your life?

We also drew pictures of minotaurs and Gorgons from a written description to see what some of the students could come up with...Not the most quality teaching I have done, but it was fun and the students got a lot of opportunity to present and share ideas.

What will happen this week at school...only time will tell.

Goodbyes and scars.

Now that the previous school year is over, some students have had to head back to the places they have come from (although they don't want to). One of my students had to leave quite quickly and unexpectedly so I invited him and some other students over to my place for dinner. We played guitar, made some popcorn, drank chocolate milk and talked about what lies ahead. It was one of my favorite nights so far. When it got late and it was time to go we all biked our friend back to his place. Before we said our goodbyes he ran inside and came back with a brand new shirt that he said he had just got. He came out and gave it to me as a parting gift. I was floored and I wanted to give him something of mine in return. At this time I actually had nothing so I gave him the shirt I was wearing...

When I gave it to him the first thing he did was told me that it smelled bad.

...I mean, I had been wearing it all day and it's freakin' hot here...what did he expect? A lot of my students are very conscious of their appearance and it it common for them to have multiple showers during a school day and change their clothes each time. I have no idea what they think of me (wearing the same clothes all day and sweating about 345x more than them..)

The shirt he gave me is skin tight and I don't think I'll ever be able to wear it in public, but regardless I put it on and wore it home...and then peeled it off. I am very grateful: it's a beautiful gesture.

Playing soccer with the students is aggressive. I love it. Everyone goes in hard and no one complains, it's all for fun. Last week I went up for a header against one student and hit the ground hard. Our heads collided and I didn't think too much of it but as I getting up to get the ball the guys were all yelling at me, " Greg your face!" I had my eyebrow split open and there was blood all over the place.

I got on a motor bike to the hospital and got 5 stitches. The crazy thing was that earlier that morning I was talking to my friend Andrew back home and he was saying how I always get sick or hurt when I go to a new place...I blame him for the whole thing.

The stitches came out after 4 days and now I have a constant reminder of my time here. It has actually healed very well. I went to the hospital with one of the managers from the school and he got to watch the doctors fix me up. When it came time to pay the total cost was $65 - which is a lot here. When he saw the price he responded:

"Phew, lot of money! That's ok, the doctors did a really good job - they only used new materials on you - everything out of a new package!"

This made we think about what healthcare must be like in Burma...

Also,

We now have a cat. Her name is Juliet and she is a psychopath. She was formerly the school cat but after the students finished she needed someone to take care of her. Since Iona was supporting all the food for her, we brought her here. Sometimes she is adorable. Most of the time she is literally an animal. She wants to go outside all the time, but she is so small that the street dogs and cats would probably eat her. She has had a few encounters with the soi animals, and, lets just say shes getting better at sticking close to home...

Back to School.

The new Intensive English Program has begun at our school. I am teaching math and physics...my specialties! It has actually been a lot of fun creating lesson plans and being outside of my academic comfort zone. The students have quite a diverse level of English comprehension ranging from fairly strong to almost none. I think the most challenging part is designing activities/games/assignments that will engage and challenge the students. I think my drawing ability has gotten significantly better since I have got here as I use pictures to describe everything! This week we learned the parts of a science lab report and we going to make one of my favorite dishes: tea leaf salad. Hopefully this will demonstrate how to write a method, list of materials and make conclusions...and, more importantly, I really like eating tea leaf salad.

It is starting to heat up over here with daily temps around 33-35 degrees. I play soccer most days with my students and I don't quite understand why the students don't seem to sweat anywhere near as much as their Canadian teacher. I mean, I can wring out my shorts after we play. Yesterday after playing the first game I had a shower with my clothes on and then continued to play. hot.

For the past month I have been playing soccer Friday nights at the Mae Sot turf field, which is a dream. The ground is level and I don't have to worry about blowing out my ankles in massive potholes.

Next Saturday I have signed up for the Mae Sot half Marathon. I figure I play soccer almost everyday so I should be in shape to giver'. If you don't hear from me for a while, just assume that I have passed out from heat exhaustion...Mom, I'll drink lots of water.

This week I volunteered to help out at an English camp for Thai children, so each morning I went to a Thai elementary school and lead games for 100+ kids. It was a great experience because the camp partnered with migrant schools to help teach English. Rarely is there ever a bond between the migrant schools and the Thai schools, so it was great to be a part of the relationship building process. We basically showed up and the director came over to us and said,

"Welcome, thank you for coming! Now, can you lead the children English games for 2 hours?"

We had no idea that was coming.... so played huckle buckle, beaver Sam, atoms, sang some songs: right up my alley. It brought back a lot of great SFS memories and I have never been so thankful my mom is a kindergarten teacher.

Lastly, we have started up a review class for the graduated students who want to prepare for their next level of education (which is pre-university). It has been great to see the students again and know how they are doing. A lot of them are doing their best to study but the reality is that there are not a lot of options for them. Everyone here will continue to do our best to stay in contact with the students and help them in any way we can.

family.

Front page news: Canada won the World cup with a come-from-behind Cinderella story of a victory. The tournament was a great day. We had 8 boys teams and most of the girls played - an afternoon of intense competition. We had to take breaks to water down the dusty field because the neighbors where complaining of the giant cloud that continually grew as we played...

Graduation was great. I have learned quickly that every special event in the Burmese community consists of 4 fundamental things: speeches, singing songs, eating and speeches. This one did not disappoint. It was great to talk with the students and meet some of their parents. The teachers conducted exit interviews to help the students with future choices and stay connected with them in the coming months as they go their separate ways. In Burmese culture a teacher is a highly respected member of society and students view their teachers similar to how they view their own parents. The students kneeled on the ground and prayed for us as a parting gift. Kind of overwhelming...just like the students back home...

I think everyone strives to be part of something bigger than themselves - A community where they are valued, loved and respected by others. One of the most powerful things I have noticed about the students and the community surrounding the school is their sense of commitment to one another. They are one giant family. Almost everything is shared. A new shirt was bought by one of the boys in the market and for the next 2 weeks following I think it was worn by a different boy each day. Everyday the boys and girls wear a combination of each others' clothes, shoes and jewelery.

When the students are sent money from their parents the teachers are usually the first to know. I have been treated to special meals and delicacies without ever asking. Last week I was given an ice dessert consisting of a bright green sugary syrup, red beans, bean jelly and peanuts all mixed together...it was so sweet I almost couldn't eat it. When I asked why, the student responded that he was given some money by his dad and he wanted to "appreciate his teachers".

This was the first thing he did with his gift.

I have started to learn Burmese and one phrase I love is "Saw bi bi la?" which means, "have you eaten yet?". Instead of asking "how are you" it is customary to ask if people have eaten..and if they say no, you have a meal together. No one goes hungry.

The sense of family here is unreal. The school consists of students from a lot of different ethnic groups who previously have been taught to shun ethnicities different from theirs. The school has all the students live, cook, and learn together in very close proximity - almost having no personal space. I think this has broken a lot of the animosity and given the students a different perspective.

Like a river.

So I have been slacking on my posting which could mean a number of things:

1. I'm getting lazy (most likely true)

2. My life is dull and uninspiring (...I personally definately don't think so)

3. I guess you could say I'm getting settled...

I think it is a combo of #1 and 3. Most people have told me that it takes around 3 months to start to get used to a new culture and although I am still learning new things about Thai and Burmese culture everyday (today I learned that it's better to slow down when street dogs come chasing after you on your bike rather than speed up (which makes them chase you longer and bark more...)) I think I am beginning to feel like this place is not a just new experience, but rather a new "home". There are so many things I love about this place and so many things that this place has made me appreciate more about my home in Canada.

School is coming to an end this week. I just finished marking the math exams and have submitted final grades. Friday is graduation. Where has 3 months gone? The new students arrive next week and a new semester begins. I will be teaching math and science as well as running a teacher-training program for graduated students alongside 2 other teachers here (Because of all my teaching experience...). I am really excited about the teacher training vocational program because it gives concrete, transferable skills to graduated students who want to become teachers. They will be doing a "practicum" with me and the other teachers and hopefully we can give them the skills to get a position teaching in the Burmese community. Currently we are designing the program and figuring out all the logistics. It will begin in a month.

I'm not sure if you've seen this on the news, but tomorrow our school is hosting the 2011 World Cup. Big Deal. We have a trophy and everything. There is mens and womens tournament, each with teams of 4. I'm on team Canada...Canada is the best country in the world, just not at soccer.

We are going to change that.

I read that it was a snow day in Southern Ontario today. I wish I could be at home to shovel and get in car accidents...I actually miss the cold weather like crazy. There are no runs open on the Thai ski hills at the moment...

Some Background to the Current Situation

It has been humbling to get to know the students and listen to them share their stories of life inside Burma. Each one unique. Each one involving blocked goals, hardship and oppression. Before coming here I thought I had a fairly good idea of the situation, but the more the students share the more I realize that I have so much to learn (and so much to be thankful for). If you want a real look inside Burma and to see some of the terrible conditions that are a reality for the people living there watch a movie called "Burma VJ". It was filmed by incredibly brave people inside Burma during the Saffron Revolution. They risked their lives to show the world what was happening and "Burma VJ" is a movie that complies all of their footage.