While I was studying in Paris (back in college), I often heard the French
repeating, “Metro, Boulot, Dodo.” Translated it basically means (using slang),
“Metro, Work, Sleep.”
All around the world, and amongst innumerable cultures,
people have different ways that they think of the “Daily Grind.” Here in
Thailand I quite enjoy the “grind,” though with the fast pace of things, the
“dodo” is more and more important.
My schedule changes, often daily, and even weekly, but here
is a basic outline of how things have been going for the first few weeks during
my “orientation” to Free Burma Rangers.
7:00 am Wake up
8:00 am Thai class
with Amy
9:30 am Drive to FBR
10:00 am Free Burma Rangers
During the past 4 weeks, Amy and I have been getting
acclimated to the various departments at FBR. First, we worked in the Report
Processing Department. We receive reports from our ethnic teams in Burma who go
on missions to various areas. The reports include information about the
villages they visit, the children’s programs the put on, medical care given,
GPS coordinates (which we log), videos and photos (which we filter, tag, and
log), and information on human rights violations in the area. Many reports then
need Web Reports written about the human rights violations that occurred in the
villages visited. Many of the reports include testimonies of rape, murder,
villages destroyed, and property destroyed or stolen, by the Burma Army.
More recently, we have been helping out in the Medical
Department. There are a variety of tasks, which generally include buying and
organizing medical supplies, and then packing them to send into Burma for the
groups that are going on missions, or for teams that are being trained to do
medical care.
There have been several other projects as well including
preparing materials for the Good Life Club (GLC) children’s program put on in
each village, and transitioning into a new role as FBR’s volunteer and guest
coordinator. Our first large team comes in November and we will be taking them
to some refugee camps and doing projects near the border for a few weeks. Amy
and I will also be teaching English this month for a week and a half in a small
village near the border.
3:00 pm Drive home in crazy traffic on our motorbike
3:30 pm STUDY THAI!!!
5:00 pm Cross Fit training , swimming, running, or hiking
6:00 pm Varies every day.
I am taking two free online courses right now so I usually
study at night. I am taking Modern Poetry and Greek and Roman Mythology and
both have been really interesting.
On Wednesday evenings, Amy and I drive out to a Burmese
youth hostel, which I will write about in another post. We hang out with the
20ish kids there and teach English through Bible stories, songs, and games.
That’s a pretty basic schedule, but like I said before,
things are constantly changing. They will change even more in the next few
weeks as we go to only a few days a week with FBR and start pouring in to some
other ministries as well (bar ministry, slum ministry, refugee camps, etc.)
(last Saturday hanging in the slums)
Thank you so much for your prayers, support, encouragement,
and love! It is because of all of you that I am able to take part in the Thai
“daily grind.” I quite like this version of “tuk-tuk, tamgaan, lap fan di”
(The roommates at Amy Duncan’s birthday dinner)
