I am good at many things - but computers ain't one of them...I have spent an inspiring few days in Mae Sot with Hle Bee staff and pupils this week, handing over letters from Edinburgh, extending 'Metta Sutta' to individual Burmese children from P6/P7 from Forthview Primary pupils.
We listened to the BBC "Good Morning Scotland" Forthview broadcast on my lap-top and the children and teachers were amazed to hear themselves singing on Scottish radio!
As I don't speak Burmese and my English speaking friends were busy taking photographs of each child receiving their letters, I had to draw over 40 cartoons, which explained the gist of what each Forthview pupil had written to their new friends - ranging from love of drinking orange Fanta; pet rabbits; and the unusually large number of twins in Forthview families.
They were so pleased to know that we were all thinking about them and lobbying for support from Scottish people for the peoples of Burma.
They particularly liked my drawing of a wee boy - you know who you are - sinking to the bottom of a swimming pool, blowing bubbles up to the surface, having eaten too many hamburgers!
It was VERY wet and rainy and they were so excited and proud to show me their new brick floor - meanwhile my shoes had filled up with water, as I left them outside, with all their sandals and flip-flops, to keep the floor clean and dry from all the mud outside!I told them that BEST and Forthview will be asking if the City of Edinburgh Council could fly Aung San Suu Kyi's 'Free Burma flag' from the City Chambers to demonstrate Edinburgh's ongoing committment to the struggle for peace and democracy in Burma.
They thought this would be really cool and loved the saffron coloured ribbons Forthview pupils have been making!
They also liked hearing about Forthview's Burmese visitors and kept asking if all Edinburgh schools were like this...
The Hlee Bee children have made beautiful printed cards using flowers and leaves on hand-made paper replying to all the Forthview children who have written to them, which I am keeping safely until I return the week after next! 
Several other Primaries - and Secondaries - in Mae Sot would like to form similar partnerships with schools in Edinburgh or elsewhere in the UK and I met with both the Thai Ministry of Education and the Coordinators of Migrant Worker/Refugee Learning Centres in Tak Province, to look at ways in which other schools could make similar links in the future.
I also visited Dr Thein Lwin at the Teacher Training and Lifelong Learning Centre in Chiang Mai, who is very excited about his visit to Edinburgh later this month.
The news has not been good from inside Burma, with many more people - especially monks - fleeing across the border into Thailand.
People here are very afraid - but feel a wee bit less alone, knowing that their friends in Scotland are trying to find ways to show their support!
2 comments:
Wonderful pictures of the children. I remember so many of them and there are one or two new faces. Their cards are so beautiful and Forthview children will be excited to get them back. And the floor, well what a magical sight that is. Thank you Murray. I so wish I was there! Sheila
Reading Sheila's blog and your comments Murray have made a big different to my understanding of the context of the situation of Burma now. I think it is particularly important to recognise the role that the younger people in both the communities here in Scotland and in Mae Sot have in raising awareness and sharing what is for many people "news as it happens".
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