The hills are alive...

I spent 3 days in the mountains of Burma.

Totally confronting. Completely foreign. And at the end of the day, surreal.

There's such immense opposition ready to invade the village at any time.

We had to travel through checkpoints and be sent onward by camouflage-clad soldiers with loaded rifles slung across their shoulders. Initially I found them something to be feared, but their human-ness soon became apparent. They were young men just trying to do their job and act in obedience to their superiors. Isn't that what we're all trying to do?

I was trying so hard to stifle my laughter when on the way back we arrived at a checkpoint and I witnessed a sleeping soldier awake and fall out of his collapsing hammock! Not really the time for fits of giggles...

What I found so challenging was that in an area that should be riddled with fear and anxiety, I felt great peace. It felt like any other small village with children playing in the street, neighbours chatting at the bamboo fence, and teenagers buying coke from the local store.

As I walked through the village I met the local people and heard their stories. Stories of fear, stories of fleeing the enemy, stories of desparation. But I also saw the hope in their eyes. They continued to wear smiles on their faces despite their circumstances. I was moved as I observed the way they responded to a long-serving Partners staff member who visits almost every month - like children running to embrace their mother. An innocence became evident that I would have never thought such scarred people would display.

The hospitality of the local people was touching. Not once did they ask anything of us even though I felt they were entitled to at least request some kind of help or support. Instead they invited us into their homes, provided tea, delicious food, and a very warm welcome. Even a mother who had given birth 3 days earlier was more than willing to have us visit and see her newborn baby.

They are a people group who do not want to feel sorry for themsleves. They simply want to build a future worth looking forward to.

I am still processing my experience on the mountain. In fact I am processing whether I am being called to commit myself to serving there. What I do know is that the work of Partners is so critical in this village. They have provided the traiing and resources to enable this community to function independently even if they have to run.

I see hope and a future for this community.

My Asian angel...

Throughout our lives, my sister and I have had a number of experiences with "Asian angels" - people that walk into our life in the simplest of circumstances but invest something that moves and changes us forever more. I knew I would probably meet a few on this trip (in fact mum prayed that they would be there for me) and I already have.

This is Hser Gay Paw- she has been working for Partners for 13 years, making her the longest serving staff member. Her job is to oversee the sewing and weaving projects that are sold to help fund some of the work Partners do. I had the privilege of spending the past two days with her helping to complete an order of potholders due to be sent to Alaska on Monday. Hser Gay Paw collects the woven fabric from the Karen refugee camps and then does ALL of the designing, cutting and sewing single-handed! She is a real inspiration.

She was so thankful for my help and I really enjoyed working alongside her. Although she is Karen and her first langauge is Karen, she speaks surprisingly good English, Thai (from her time spent growing up in Mae Sot), and a little bit of Burmese. She shared many stories about her family, upbringing, and experiences in Burma and Thailand. I liked the way I didn't need to ask, we just worked away and every now and then she would tell me a new story or show me a photograph. She spoke very fondly of Marv - a longterm staffmember who died of cancer in October. Mav and his wife Dorothy don't have any children of their own and consider the Partners staff as their children. For Hser Gay Paw this is even more special as her mother died when she was 4 and her father when she was 8. I can tell she is still grieving Marv's death and she has asked me to come to her church next week to attend a memorial service she prepared.

I feel so honoured.

I feel like Hser Gay Paw is a mother away from home. She even told me I shouldn't stay at Mountainview but should come to stay at her house. What an offer from someone who has known me only 4 days! I told her next time I come I will stay with her and teach her daughters English.

Everyone at the office has told me what an honour it would be to travel with Hser Gay Paw to one of the Karen weaving villages, which she has already invited me to do, so I am hoping I will get the opportunity very soon (and that it doesn't clash with any of the other trips I'm about to embark on).

If anyone would like to purchase any of the beautiful handmade goods (Bags, potholders, purses, scarves, etc) please let me know and I will bring some home. There are limited items listed on the Partners Australia website http://www.partnersworld.org.au/ if you want to have a look or I will add more photos here one I have them. Know that you are investing into the surivival and hope of the displaced Karen people.

a smile speaks a thousand words...

I have been so overwhelmed by the generosity and positive spirit of the Thai people. Even those who are extremely poor seem so upbeat and love to stop for a chat. Such a contrast to the sombre, self-consumed attitudes of many westerners. In Thai culture, smiles mean many things. They can indicate amusement, excuse or grant pardon for minor offenses, thank someone for a small service, allow someone to avoid comment on an issue, or to show embarrassment.

I met this little boy when I caught a Sorng Taow this morning. His dad told him to speak in English to me, saying "Teacher, teacher". How did he know?!? When I asked if I could take his photo, he agreed and then proceeded to pull a very typical 6-yr-old silly face!

I cannot remember the little boy's name, but he told me he is 6 years old and was quite content to draw elephant pictures as we bumped along. I couldn't believe how neatly he could draw on the rough journey.

Tonight I visited the Night Bazaar - a huge mass of street stalls set up primarily for westerners (I think) as many of the large hotels are in the same street. I had a great time bartering and chatting to the vendors, many of whom asked where I was from. I bought some T-shirts off this guy and when he asked where I was from he pointed to his own shirt and I couldn't resist capturing his love of the Wallabies for all my footy fan friends back home. He was more than willing to oblige and we shared a good laugh.

road rules...

Thailand has a pretty good system of pubic transport and I have been catching Sorng Taow's for most of my trips. Sorng Taow literally meaning '2 lines' as it has two bench seats in the back of a ute. A ride across town is usually about 20 baht for a tourist like myself which works out to about 65 cents - cheap compared to Aussie taxi's and the great thing is that because the price is negotiated on boarding, even if the traffic is bad, the price is still the same.

I am constantly amazed at how accommodating of each other Thai drivers are. They don't stay in any one lane, pull out with no notice, never indicate, talk on mobile phone while driving (even on motorbikes!) and frequently change their mind, but yet rarely use horns and let each other in. Somehow it works.

Often whole families can be seen crammed onto one motorbike or in a tuk tuk. This little girl has us in fits of giggles and stayed very serious when I took her photo even though the rest of her family was laughing.