Final Post.. For Now

Sorry it took so long to finish updating about the trip. Since I got home I have been so busy.

Dec. 12: This was the day we went to the downtown markets of Mae Sot and purchased a guitar for the kids at Wide Horizons. Every time we visited them they played and sang for us, and their voices are so beautiful. We proceeded to head to Wide Horizons to give them the guitar. Only a group of 6 of us went, as this was our free day so there were groups of people doing different things. It was also a Sunday, so it was the students day off. We still managed to gather most of the Wide Horizons students to hang out with us for a bit. We played it off nonchalantly at first, acting as though we brought our guitar along to play with them. One kid asked if he could try it out, so we said yes. After a few songs in, Josh stood up and announced that the guitar was actually theirs. They let out a whoop, and you could see the excitement and thanks in their eyes. We stayed for awhile after that, just listening to them play music and sing. They also showed us some Burmese hiphop moves. We reiterated by showing them the two step and then we taught them a line dance. They were all willing to try it out and we had a blast. On this day we also visited the Rim Moei Market. This is a market right on the Burma border. We were able to see the Friendship Bridge, which is the bridge that joins Thailand to Burma. It was quite interesting, and a little scary. This (the border) is often where fights will break out, so we had to keep an eye out for any changes in the way people were acting. Everything was fine, and the market was very cool. This was the first night I really felt ready to go home, as well. Three weeks is a long time to be gone from your life, even though time has flown by. But I also knew I'd miss Thailand if I left.

Dec. 13: "I am so privileged to be here. This trip was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I have learned so much. Today was our final day in Mae Sot. I am so sad to leave. We started out our day visiting another school. Agape School and Orphanage. My heart melted. These kids were the cutest I have ever seen. They were all playing games together when we arrived. They sang songs while we looked on. This is how they start everyday, singing songs. The reason the headmaster decided to do this was because of what these children have to go through every night. (I will not type everything, so as to protect the children of this school.) Agape School really stuck out to me. I could have spent all day there. I want to do more for the people at that school. Someday I will. After our short time spent at Agape, a group of us went back to the farm to prepare for our final distribution. This was held at New Light School, the school that last year's group built. It was emotional for me watching Brad, Steph and Tarren return to a place that meant so much to them. I can't even begin to imagine what they were feeling. Today was, also, our grand opening at Hlee Bee School. The kids danced for us, and it was so moving to be a part of it all. It was so great to see the joy on the kids faces, and know that it is because of something you did. Even though we were not a part of physically building the school, we still built it. Without our fundraising efforts and our generous donors, there would be no Hlee Bee School. To finish off this wonderful day we invited the students from Wide Horizons over to our hotel for a pool-pizza party. It was fantastic. There was no way it could have gone better." Taken from my journal I wrote throughout the trip. As the kids from Wide Horizons were leaving to head back to the school, they said to us "Once you leave, we have nothing." It was hard to leave the next day with a smile on our face.

Dec. 14: "I am so sad to leave. The connections we have made and the people we have met will be remembered forever. I hate leaving everyone behind. We give these people so much hope, and it is so much more evident when we are here. These people need to go home. They need their rights back. Health rights, education rights, the right to work, eat, live. Everything. They have nothing in Burma. They flee from gunshots to live in fear of being found and of sickness. We've witnessed and learned so much here that I am still trying to understand it all. These people go through so much, nothing of which anyone should experience, yet they are still always smiling. Always smiling." "The drive back to Chiang Mai from Mae Sot was quiet. We all slept, as we are completely wiped from the past 10 days. It was hard to keep from crying during that drive as we left Mae Sot behind. It feels wrong leaving while there is still so much to be done." We arrived in Chiang Mai mid-afternoon. That evening Amber, Nychole and I went to get tattoos. It was something I knew I was going to do well before I left on this trip. I planned to get only one, but on the morning of this day I decided to get two. I got the word 'hope' in the Karen language on my wrist, and 'Always Smiling' between my shoulders. "They are both to remind me about this trip everyday. I never want to forget these people, and their stories and hardships. I want to be reminded of their struggle, and that I helped bring hope to their lives."

Dec. 15: In the morning we went to Maesa Elephant Camp. This is where we rode elephants and watched the elephant show. It was a super cool experience. The afternoon consisted of sitting in the Bangkok airport, waiting to start our journey home. :(

Dec. 16: "We leave for Canada today. We land back in Regina at 11pm on this day, but yet we still have almost 24 hours of travelling ahead of us. Time changes really throw me for a loop. I still don't want to leave. I want to go back to Mae Sot. It is so hard to leave the people we met behind. It definitely feels wrong leaving, as much as I do miss home. My tattoos are healing so fast, and I can't stop looking at them."

Flights back home were good. The flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver was interesting, but you can ask me about that in person. We were delayed in Edmonton for a couple hours, which was a nuisance.

Dec. 17: "This experience was absolutely amazing and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. It has opened my eyes so much, and showed me a whole other side of life that only seemed to exist in movies. I feel like I have learned a lot, about myself, society and the world. I want nothing more than to share my experiences with others, to educate people on Burma and its cruel, unjust government. This is not the end, but only an open door leading to many more opportunities."

Now that I have been home for a couple weeks, I have had more time to reflect on my trip. I still tear up talking about the experience, but I am not sure that will ever change. I don't want to be hard and clam up my emotions when talking about this journey. Just this morning, I called my mom crying. I was talking to a man I met in Thailand last night and he told me of how things are in Mae Sot for them right now. They are not good.

It's hard knowing what I know. It's hard to live my life, to enjoy things. I know that I cannot allow it to take over my life. I can't be defeated by what I saw. We are very lucky living in Canada. This is how we live. Our lifestyle. Nothing is handed to me. I work hard for what I have, but it still feels like I have too much and take advantage of my golden life. But even though I know our countries are different, it doesn't feel right. How can the world go on like this. A select few countries have it all, while the rest suffer. This is what I think about everyday. How unjust it is, how backwards it is.

The people of Burma inspire me to be a better person. They are amazing people who continue to give, when they have nothing themselves. They smile while standing on a pile of garbage barefoot.

I challenge you to think of all the things you have, and how much of it you actually need. I challenge you to not think of yourself for one day. I challenge you to smile at everyone, even if they will not acknowledge you. I challenge you to give back.

One person can change the world. Because it only takes one to get the ball rolling.

With love,