The Brackett Foundation
enote 32 January 20, 2007
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Back In Asia Again:
On Monday January 8, after a short flight from Syracuse the preceding day, we took the Thai Airways flight non-stop from JFK to Bangkok. I highly recommend it. At 17 hours it is the quickest way to make the trip.
As Liz and I continue in our work, we appreciate more and more that it is about relationships, and events in the young lives of our students. And there are many, many more than we can report. After a brief respite to adjust to our surroundings, Thai food, air-conditioning, conversation about the recent bombing in Bangkok, we started our interviews of continuing students in Bangkok. We saw Jinaputta, our only Buddhist monk student, Zau Phan, and Ye Htut. The latter is a very bright student at Mahidol, who has already started writing articles about the current conditions in Burma. Against the background of the recent coup in Thailand, we had a very good discussion about the problem of implementing democracy in Burma. If democracy ever does come to that poor country, it will be because of well intentioned intelligent persons like Ye Htut.
Kanyar, after trying to set an appointment and changing it a few times –this was all confusing to us because her English was not good enough to make clear the reason— finally had a mutual friend explain that she was needed at court in her role helping abused children receive some modicum of justice, or at least release from their abuse. We finally met her last night after returning from a party we gave with about seven students to celebrate the upcoming completion of a very difficult degree in engineering for one of them.
After a three hour road trip, and
five hours of interviews we were beginning to tire when I heard a statement
from one students
which captured the life of these people with astounding clarity. It was in
response to my question “What is the single most important thing, we should
know about you?” In response this high school senior woman said, ”Even though
we have many difficulties in our lives, we are happy to live and to love one
another here.” To me this spoke volumes about relationships in this loving
Christian community, and the nurture it provides to its people. Later that
evening we spoke to Darapon, one of our alumna who studied medical
technology, and returned to work at the hospital. She spoke of her interest
to do further study, perhaps in Australia, but always to return to Huay Malai.
I have not yet met a person who has lived in this community for a number of
years, who does not want to return.