Saffron Revolution Celebrated: Slapstick Style!

Okay, so I've brainstormed a million things i could write about so I'll start with number one:

Topic One: Saffron Revolution
Yesterday we celebrated the one year of the anniversary of the Saffron Revolution in Burma. For those of you in my International Human Rights Clinic with me, know this well, and for those who may not have been following the news at the time ---

Check out Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron_revolution
Or Here is my little blurb I wrote for school:
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In a symbolic gesture of protest against increased governmental repression, an alliance of Buddhist monks overturned their alm bowls and signaled their withdrawal of all support to the Myanmar military regime. In response, the SPDC, the ruling authoritarian government, escalated its tyrannical use of violence, at times using deadly force against demonstrators.

On September 5, 2007, Buddhist Monks who organized a large-scale march in Pakokku, the religious center of Burma, were beaten, tied up and taken hostage by state officials. The All Burma Monks Alliance then issued demands upon the government to cease violence and repair the collapsing economy. After the government’s failure to respond on September 26, nearly 100,000 people marched in demonstration. In response, the military junta launched tear gas and smoke grenades against protesters.

Aung Zaw, a Burmese reporter for the Thai paper Irrawady stated that the "Authorities were at odds over how to deal with the monks. As you know, monks are respected and influential people. If you are going to physically attack them, it will inevitably provoke public anger and invite more troubles."

This string of violent oppression is nothing new for the people of Burma. Protests began throughout the country in February 2007 in reaction to the increasingly dire economic conditions. There are few, if any opportunities for employment in Burma and poverty is widespread. In August 2007, in response to increased fuel hikes of almost 500%, the number of peaceful demonstrations increased. In nearly every instance, the government responded by attacking and arresting peaceful protesters.
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Anyways, there was this performance by Comedians in Burmese that was like this dark political humor and included jokes like...
"I was so brave that when the SPDC (the military junta gov't of Burma) came and was ready to shoot, and all the people ran in different directions I stayed.... I was busying collecting all the cellphones they dropped."
Or
"We said to the military, go ahead and shoot, no problem, just don't use any bullets."

My friend translated for me --- the crowd was dying with laughter. It was fascinating to see people who have lived in a country with such intense and never-ending repression make light of their situation -- and as they celebrated the nation-wide standing up to the military junta at the same time joke about the hopelessness of the situation. As an outsider, I felt uncomfortable not laughing along with everyone but also guilty laughing at the jokes.

So that kind of brings me to my Second Topic: Feeling At Home. I completely feel at home here in Chiang Mai and at work despite my "foreignness" - especially despite my lack of basic Thai or Shan or Karen or Burmese or any relevant language. Its funny, cause I sometimes felt more of an implanted foreigner in New York than I do here, i mean living in Clinton Hill I was clearly part of the gentrification and it was hard to every really feel like the neighborhood was my own in Brooklyn. Doing immigrant based work, I am always a bit of a loss at the cultural norms of the people I am working with. Wow, and law school that was a culture I never fully acclimated to and only realize now what a foreigner I had been the whole time.

When I was younger, in my early 20s, I used to get boggled down and self-conscious with my naivete -- I wanted to be and feel like a local everywhere I went. Now at 27, I can laugh at my ignorance or I am just not bothered by having to figure things out. There is no shame in the learning process and I have no one to prove to that "i am down" least of all myself.

And despite my fellowship being only for one year, this is the first time in my life, that I have no FUTURE plan, so I can finally settle in somewhere and no longer feel in transition. I making a home of my place because, who knows? I could stay forever. I know that I always feel so happy at the beginning stages of a new adventure, but I am honestly feeling MUCH happier than I have in the past three years. And do you know what a relief it is to have no future plans? School is done!!! I am no caught up in anymore application processes (with the exception of one job at home I tried to apply to for the Door, which i heart). Things are a bit slow at work because my boss is on holiday but I am trying not to be anxious about it, I have plenty of time to integrate myself and find ways to be helpful and it doesn't really matter on what scale i am contributing here. My career is not everything -- and here I am so healthy and happy, I eat well, I exercise (I've already loss 8 pounds of nonsense), I make friends easily -- in fact in the first week, I met three people ALL who called me to hang out that week only. Do you know that in my three years of living in New York, I can't even think of time when people actually invited me to hang out, just me, and not some function & not on the grounds of law school. And I am not too tired to go out and hang out!

I feel fantastic with my fresh start.

And now for Topic Three: Say it in Video. A lot of times, its hard to describe the work I am doing...so my friend Pailin who went to UNC and is half-Thai and grew up in Bangkok and is living there again -- she is this fantastic multi-media journalist and did a program with UNC where she coordinated students and oversaw the production of student- made videos covering stories of people living in the South post-tsunami. There is one of a Burmese Migrant Worker which shares more than i could ever detail over this blog: Please check it out:

The Cost of Hope http://www.andamanrising.org/the_cost_of_hope.html

I am also working with domestic workers, which reminds me of the best experience I had in law school with the Immigrant Rights Clinic working on a case with CAAAV's Women's Worker Project. A shout out to all those who were with me and learned and taught me so much along the way.

OKAY So for a quick Topic Four I will buy a camera! I know its far more interesting and easy to look at pictures.. so I promise to cave and buy a digital camera ASAP. I am just freaking out by all the money I spent on stuff right now: new computer, new glasses, new housewares (sheets & dishes), a fan/DVD player/used TV ---- AND I still have to buy my used MOTORBIKE! Vespas are too expensive BTW, so it looks like Japanese brand for me. I will take a picture of it and i will be wearing a HELMUT, promise! :)