"So Sheila, what does Scotland think about what is happening to the Burmese people?"

My heart sank when I was asked this question when I was in Mae Sot because few people in Scotland knew and if they knew, would they care? I felt ashamed to be western/northern.

Now thanks to the brave monks of Burma, people in Scotland and all over the world know.

Aung San Suu Kyi even got to come to her gate on Saturday as you can see here.

Today BBC Radio Scotland broadcast a news item about Hle Bee and Forthview's link, which you can hear if you click on this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/scotland/aod.shtml?scotland/gms_wed

(You have to fast forward to about half way through the 3 hr programme!) Alternatively email geoff on geoff@lovehart.demon.co.uk and he will send it back to you.

So our friend in Mae Sot and the Forthview community spoke to all of Scotland and as he said, "This is very good."

However today we also have very heavy hearts because we also know that monks are now being hurt and killed, that Dau Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved back to Insein prison and prospects for Burma are looking bleak. Keep up to date with what is happening every day on http://www.irrawaddy.org/ as we do and as Aung San Suu Kyi says, "Use your freedom to promote ours."

International Birthday Party!

I am 50 tomorrow, 10 September 07 - oh dear! So what a joy it was today that Geoff and Philip organised a video link via skype between Geoff, Louise and Sheila in Scotland and teachers and students in Philip's house in Mae Sot.
What a party it was. Isn't technology amazing?To think my daughter was able to meet these teachers and students for the first time. We are hoping she can come with us to Hle Bee School next summer. What a joy it all was! Thank you Geoff and Philip. You finally surprised me!

Sheila

Poem for Aung San Suu Kyi by a Forthview lad

Always helping her country
U can always trust her
Never dishonest
Greets Forthview

So caring for everyone
Always helping kids have fun
Never mean, she's number 1

So helpful everywhere
U have her most greatest care
U know her well inside out

Kids know her name, it's the one they shout
You want her free, let's let her go
Inside her house, she still loves you so

printed with the permission of this P7 pupil and his mother
(PS he wrote this in 20 minutes after our Burma assembly)

On 22, 23 and 24 August 2007, Forthview welcomed 3 Burmese women - artists and educators - to the school. Nan Lung is the Vice Principal of TTBT (http://www.educationburma.net/) and she is a key link between us and Hle Bee School. She presented P6/7 children with a card and photo from their new friend in Hle Bee School during Assembly. It was very special to have her with us because she is a good friend of Hle Bee's headteacher. The children were so excited to see their friend's photo.

Our two other visitors were artists from Burma. Let's call them Sue and Cheryl. They did art with many Forthview classes and taught the children to make some amazing masks from just a piece of paper. On Friday Cheryl sang and danced a beautiful Burmese dance for us. You could have heard a pin drop.

Forthview children know the story of Aung San Suu Kyi so well and our visitors were very impressed with their knowledge. One 8 year old boy said, "When Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize and £1.3 million, I thought she would give it to the soldiers in Burma to make them go away!" Great thinkers at Forthview.

In the evening 13 of us, Forthview teachers and Burmese visitors, went to see the play LADY OF BURMA in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We came out of Liana Mau Tan Gould's powerful performance with tears in our eyes, so moved by the pain and integrity of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Lady. Liana, the actress, met our visitors and encouraged them to be strong and not to give up hope. This is not easy however because a number of Burmese friends have been arrested and detained in Rangoon, following protests against the Burmese military. Read about this on http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8467.

What a learning experience this journey is for the whole Forthview community