Humanitarian work…

Swa-dee-kah (Greetings in “Thai”)

I hope this email finds all of my loved ones happy and well.  I’m in Mae Sot, Thailand and am finding myself among the most helpless population of refugees I have ever met.

We rise daily from our mosquito and lizard sleeping quarters to ride out to the interviewing site where refugees are brought in from the largest refugee camp in Thailand, 12 hours away.  Our interviewing quarters are set up in separate trailers, where you can find anything from sheep, to wild dogs, to pigs running around the work-site.  Let me not forget to mention the “flushless toilets;” yes, please use your imagination…  The refugees are kind and humble; truly appreciative for being able to tell their persecution story to someone who may be able to make a difference in their lives.

Upon leaving work, to find food, we must rent bikes (which is a 20 minute ride to town) or walk (which takes about an hour in this heat).  The team is great and each member has a great sense of brotherhood.  We dine in delicious restaurants (by adding an “s” please don’t be mistaken, there are only TWO places we can eat at).  Yet, the food is amazing and has an assortment of international dishes, ranging from Italian to Thai to Indian to French.  Their menu's span out a full 70 pages, thus blowing Cheesecake factory out of the water.  There are delightful coffee shops along the one main road in town which all carry free wifi, making it easier to keep in touch.

This past weekend, we had off for President’s day so a team of five of us ventured into the wild.  We drove in an uncovered truck for 4 hours, taking on 1,241 curves in the road, driving alongside the helicopter route, up to the 6th largest waterfall of the world to Umphang.  Along the way, we viewed the second largest refugee camp, home to over one hundred minority ethnic groups from Burma, all seeking resettlement in a developed country.

Upon arrival to Umphang, we had lunch and quickly changed into some “let’s get dirty” gear.  We white-water rafted to a hot spring, viewing the most amazing flowers and animals along the way.  Thereafter, we relaxed in a natural hot spring.  We then head to our campsite… in the middle of the jungle, where our Indian Muslim guide set up US Army tents for our relaxing enjoyment.  We viewed a star-filled evening that lit up our meal and then headed to bed… Sleep was not an option as the temperature fell into the low 50’s.

We then rose to the gorgeous morning sun shining through the wild banana trees and hiked up to the falls where we swam in ice cold water.  My legs hit every rock known to man under the water, yet the water’s temperature had numbed me so well that I felt no pain.  We then relaxed on the rocks and took in the view of this 4 layer waterfall.  We then returned to camp, packed our bags, and began a trek of 3.5 hours through the jungle.  The weight of my pack, along with the heat, caused an insane combustion of exhaustion which I soldiered through.  After reaching an ethnic Karen village, we slept again in the mountain’s freezing cold air, in an open wooden hut.  We rose the next morning to meet local villagers while drinking local coffee.  We then mounted Mama Elephant, who was still breast-feeding her clumsy baby.  I rode Mama for about four hours as she guided our group out of the jungle, while her master got some giggles after smoking his joint.  Our trip ended with an adventurous ride back through the mountain, tackling each and every turn with extreme precision.

It’s back to the daily Thai routine for me as I am safe and sound sitting in my office.  To all of you, I wish you peace and pray for your happiness.  A very, very belated happy valentine’s day.  Attached, you will find a collage of pictures taken on my trip.  Enjoy and please do keep in touch as I too would love to hear about your life’s journey during these moments while I am away.

Much love.

 Naur (2/16/2010)