Tsunami Dog: Maurk U

Some of this post isn’t good for kids.

Hello All. Not much of a post today. I’m excited and nervous about my workshop, which will begin on Monday. I feel prepared and all the arrangements have been made. But, in Africa, things never ever go how you think they’re going to. The question is just how not-as-planned will things go. I’m optimistic, but I’m sure I’ll have some stories for you next week.

I have the support of a couple other PCVs who have traveled to Rundu from their sites to help me out with any complications that might arise. They will also be subjected to hours of my presentation practice this weekend.

Elsewhere in the world;

Something that occurs to you when you travel in places like Myanmar is that you’ll almost certainly hear some bad news from there sooner or later. It didn’t take long. Those of you following my blog since my Southeast Asia travels know that I spent much of this past January there. Recently, violence broke out in a remote region known as the Rakhine state. Remember the tattooed faces and the guesthouse being run mostly by children? That place. The worst violence was in Sittwe (remember the police convention?). Maurk U, a small, remote, beautiful riverside town surrounded by temples, was also impacted. About 30 civilians have died, and more than 2,500 homes been burned and 30,000 people have been displaced. Mosques, Monasteries, and stores have been destroyed. The troubles started after 10 Muslims were hung in retaliation for the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman, allegedly by Muslims.

So, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the people I met in those towns. For many of the people there, tourism is their only source of income (and hope, for that matter). Events such as this put at risk the slim glimmer of hope that the recent pro-democracy developments in Myanmar have provided them after 50 years under a brutal military regime. It was similar unrest in the 50s and early 60s that the Burmese military used as an excuse to take over in 1962. Even if the unrest is handled responsibly and stability is restored, the impact to the lives of many of the people I met there will likely last for many months if not years. It’s difficult to describe just how hard the people there work to try to make a better life for themselves and their families. It’s also difficult to describe how friendly people are to complete strangers such as myself, even though they are living hand to mouth and facing near total uncertainty about their future.

So, my Photo Friday pix are from my Myanmar travels. Some are ones I’ve posted before. The first is of a young girl at a cockfight in a village in the Rakhine state near Maurk U, Myanmar. I’ve also included a few others from Maurk U and Sittwe. I hope you are all well. Thanks for reading.