A glimpse of Mae Sot (and my own blessed life)

This is a vibrant, diverse city (town) that is hard to put into words. That's what cameras are for! Unfortunately, my computer and internet do not seem to agree, so while I struggle to upload some photos onto some internet format, I will do a bit to give you a glimpse to my first real week here.
As I've already written about, Mae Sot often feels more like Burma than it does Thailand! This has both positive and negative aspects. I will just cover the positives now; as I am sure Mae Sot's downsides will come out at a later date! I certainly feel fortunate to immerse myself in a culture so few outsiders get to see. "A culture" is not, in fact, a correct term, as the world that has formed here is a mixture of ethnicities in Culture. It creates a thrill every time I walk outside. And it offers the opportunity to see how these many groups that often seem unable to co-exist inside Burma have come together, in the market, in various NGOs and really, wherever one looks. The kindness of the people of Burma might actually rival the Thais. I have never met such generous optimistic people! I cannot go anywhere, whether it is my agencies office, the local health clinic (which deserves its own entry, after interviews that should happen this week) or the local orphan school without being offered cold water, some fruit or even a meal. People who often have almost nothing go out of the way to share the little they have. This was most notable and the orphan school I visited a few days ago. A friend of a friend asked if I would like to visit his friend's school, which serves 120 + students, grades 1-10, who are orphans from the Karen State in Burma. As it is summer session there is currently only one teacher, an American man, who teaches English lessons 2 hours a day. The students were unbelievable! The only toys I noticed during my 3-hour visit were one Lego set and a few picture books. Yet all the children were happily entertaining themselves, older children watching out for younger ones, and not one child fighting or crying! Having cared for American children in a variety of settings this was beyond shocking! Witnessing the class was even more so, as the children all sat silently as their teacher explained "ages". It was unclear how much was being absorbed in such a large setting, but it was clear each child truly valued each minute of education he/she was lucky enough to receive. I admit I've become a bit jaded in the 2 years since I last left Asia, but this moment took me back, and made me realize how lucky I am to have lived the life I have. Hopefully I will have the chance to help out in the school in some context soon.
The reason I haven't already committed completely is that my work has gone into full swing since I have last written. Having finally created a work plan and a decent outline, I have had the chance to begin the interview process. Yesterday myself and a co-worker/translator/former student and I conducted TEN interviews with migrant workers, some of whom are HIV positive. Once again, I was struck by the positive nature the men and women I interviewed possessed. Some had not seen their families for years, having left Burma to support them. Most of them were stuck in low paying, factory jobs, for which they had risked their lives leaving their home towns and everyone they knew and loved. And some faced the extra hurdle of the devastating HIV illness. Everyone we spoke to spoke of his or her desire for Burma's government to better serve its people's health needs! FYI- The World Health Organization ranked Burma's Health program 190 out of 191, only Sierra Leone's ranked lower! This time I was reminded how fortunate I was that when I faced my own health scare I was able to access the care I did! People seemed happy to be able to share their stories, and I am honored to have the opportunity to do something positive with them.