I'll Miss Michelle

Michelle has been my roommate since I got here. Although that's only been a little over 2 weeks, I'm really honored to have met her aquaintance.

Michelle is 27, I believe, and from the UK, and she was obviously bright, witty and friendly from the bat. And serious about her training. She came to Rawai Muay Thai Gym to gain weight and strength in order to train back at home to be an.....emergency paramedic for something like the Red Cross, where she is part of a global response team to catastrophes and disasters, etc.

Michelle was already living in Thailand, though, about 2 hours north. She has been working with an organization called Grassroots Human Rights Education and Development. From their website, Grassroots HRED is working to promote education, human rights, and the development of safe, working environment for Burmese people in Thailand.

Michelle writes proposals, coordinates educators, fundraises and raises awareness for the Burmese, who are not allowed to be citizens here and therefore have no rights. Quite often, I'll see Burmese children working (12, 13, etc.). Depending on the province of Thailand they live in, some Burmese must wear tags at all times, cannot drive a motorbike or be seen out past 8 p.m., etc. You get the idea, total bullshit. Even paradise has it's issues, not that an American (or any other nation) has any room to judge in terms of segregation, racism, sexism, etc.; nobody and no nation is perfect). Seriously, at a restaurant an owner commented on how well she spoke to Thai. When Michelle said she lived here, the woman asked her what she did. When she said she worked with Burmese children, the woman's face obviously shifted and the conversation ended. Michelle said that that happens allllll the time, but she is tough and obviously unaffected.

Michelle works a lot with Burmese children, including some orphans. She got into this line of work a few years back when she showed up to help do relief work after the tsunami, and she clearly excels at it. She also excels at making a kickass raw Burmese salad that she so kindly showed me the other night, seasoned with pickled tea leaves. It is DIVINE.

I'll definitely miss her sarcasm and smile, but honestly I have found meeting Michelle inspiring and motivating, most of all. I mean, here's a girl who managed to get a team into Burma after the cyclone, secretly documenting the misuse of relief funds and donations, trying to help these people that the world really doesn't care about. I also found myself feeling quite humbled; sometimes I truly fit the bill of "ignorant American". I truly wasn't aware of these human rights issues going on, and am quite "Burma-ignorant" (among other places / situations, unfortunately).

One thing Michelle said that resonated with me is that it's almost a curse to know of some of these violations, because once you know, you can't go back. I know that feeling well in terms of both animal and human rights (medically speaking), and although it feels like a curse at times, I know and hope Michelle knows that it's really a blessing in disguise. There's nothing more rewarding than knowing you enhanced another life that day, even if you didn't make much money doing it and everybody frowns on you for going against the grain.

For an endearing slideshow of a summer camp Michelle helped coordinate and manage for Burmese children, go here.

I can't lie; I love, love, LOVE the Thai people (and so does Michelle, of course), and I have a hard time telling the difference between the Thai and Burmese. I know that the Burmese are more like "the mexicans" back in the United States in that they do a lot of the cheap, migrant labor. But they also can generally wear marks on their face from a certain clay that they find "beautifying". Knowing this, when I am out running or walking and see someone that I am pretty sure is Burmese, based on the above, I smile and wave a little bigger. Shhhh!

If you are interested in joining the many organizations and individuals who support their work, please click on this email grassroots_hre@yahoo.com and let them know. They will respond immediately. Or, if you prefer to send a check, their address is: P.O. Box 13, Takuapa Post Office, Phang Nga 82110, Thailand. Your gift to FED would be greatly appreciated. On behalf of the Burmese migrant children and families who are the real beneficiaries of your gift, thank you.