December was much more stationary. I spent four weeks at the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA) Baan Yuu Suk Shelter in Mae Sai, Thailand (outside of Chiang Mai) for sexually abused hill tribe girls giving lessons in life skills and yoga, and teaching beginning English to the community children on weekends. I also shared the celebration of my favorite American holiday: Christmas. In exchange, I was taught organic farming, compost building, and how to cook in an outdoor kitchen.
While I was at COSA, one of the youngest girls, age 3, was reclaimed by her aunt. In Thailand, the law states that if a blood relative reclaims the child, no matter how long the child has been living with another party/shelter or if the relative was the one to sell or abandon the child in the first place, sole custody must be given to the relative. Knowing that such progress can be taken away so easily, highlighted my already clear knowledge why such grassroots work was so damn frustrating. Also in this month, I got to spend time with a surprising large group of CouchSurfers who have made Chiang Mai their temporary home and made a couple of necessary visa runs to Thai-Burmese border. There was also some clashing of personalities at COSA which, in the end, created a new partnership out of the ashes.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
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