We graduated

Yes, they graduated!  Anum and Cornelius are two young Pakistani Catholics who fled their country with their family due to real threats posed by Muslim extremists.  Like all the other urban refugees here, they have found themselves stuck in a difficult situation, focusing their energies on safety and survival, while having their case for refugee status and resettelment dealt with by UNHCR. 

I can pick up from home, even from good friends, how much misunderstanding and misinformation exist around refugees and asylum seekers in our world. 

Firstly, I only share in response to such on the basis of this case of two members of one family and from my experience of them. 

They did not choose to leave their homeland.  Their family had to flee for the sake of security. 

While stuck in Bangkok, they have made the most of even limited opportunities and have done their best to get on with life. 

They both partook of an opportunity that came their way through the generosity of ACU (Australian Catholic University) which offers a diploma course in Liberal Arts to young adults in the refugee population in Thailand.  As students in this course, I have been their tutor for the past 15 months. 

What I have seen in these two young people is that they would be worthwhile additions to any society and, even if only for a short time, they would make a great contribution to their community and society. 

As they persevered in their studies within a challenging environment, I saw their courage and their ability to rise above adversity.  They did graduate but it was hard work and they did it. 

Like any young person, they have dreams and hopes for a future.  These may go on hold while they are coping with an interim period in life that focuses on finding a new home.  Still they are people like you and me and seek to make a go of life as best they can.  So far, Anum and Cornelius have done themselves proud and are to be admired, not misunderstood from a distance. 

ICAAP11

My week has focused on participating in the 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11) which was held here in Bangkok.  It was educational, lively and entertaining, meeting so many great characters and strong individuals.  I gained many insights.  I won't bore you by listing them all but simply wish to share one that, after eight years of living here, linked a couple of more dots in my jigsaw puzzle named Thailand.

One issue that continues to plague people with HIV/AIDS, and was identified strongly at ICAAP, is discrimination.  I listened to a presentation on a programme in northern Thailand that helps young Thais who are HIV positive deal with discrimination.  I thought that, time and again, I hear westerners coming here say that they find a society where ones are free to be themselves.  That may be true living in Bangkok but my understanding and hunch is that this is not necessarily so for Thais, especially in rural Thailand, where expectations may be quite strong.  What they experience is huge pressures to conform to family and local expectations.  I have just never been sure how it works here or what it is like for a Thai who is different from the expected social norms.  It does seem freer but I read and see otherwise in reality.  This week I got my answer - I think.  At least, it is a reasonable theory. 

Whether or not stigmatization as a result of being different is real in Thai society, what matters more is what one experiences.   This is named as self-stigmatization where internally one is harsh on oneself for being different and so stigmatizes oneself.  So there is a stigma in being HIV+ or gay but that may be self-imposed as one feels the expectations of  society and sees how they can't meet them. 

In Thailand, this happens within a society that has shame as one of its pillars.  If you don't fit into your place or do wrong, you are shamed.  Now shame is a basic control mechanism and this is in a society where members are highly controlled.  The fact is that all Thais know their place in a highly structured and hierarchical society.  They can't step out of their allotted place in the tree.  So what do you do if you so obviously don't fit in where you are supposed to?  You feel bad about yourself.  You come to feel ashamed.  You end up stigmatizing yourself, not needing outside others to do it for you.  So maybe this explains how Thai society deals with those who are different - they have a social structure that lets those outside the norm destroy themselves and so no one else needs to do anything at all.  Very effective way of social control!

Fascinating theory!  Amazing Thailand!

Heart Wrenching and Searching for a way to respond

"Feel so sorry for the people of the Philippines, wish there was some practical way to help."  So writes a friend on her Facebook from Australia. 

I concur with my good friend and identify with such feelings.  I have seen the stories on BBC about the devastation in Leyte and Samar and beyond and am just so moved and so feel for these lovely people who are once again suffering so much.  The challenge becomes - what to do?  I shared with another friend in an email during the week that
"I (found) it heart wrenching to see the stories on the Philippines post-typhoon.  Such devastation and suffering!  How do the people keep going?  I suppose they have no choice and their faith keeps rising up.  I am going to a mass for the disaster victims on Friday ..." 

As people of faith, prayer in solidarity with these people is a key response that cannot be undervalued nor underrated.  Neither, as people of faith, should we use this key response as an excuse for not doing anything practical - no matter how small or insignificant we may think our effort is.  We do what we can and we act on both fronts - prayer and action in solidarity.  Both ways of responding matter and our response on both fronts matters and is important.  Prayer and action go together.  That is what our Christian faith is about. 

I see the Filipinos themselves teaching us this with their prayers and their undertaking all sorts of acrtions around the world on their part to help in whatever practical way.  So maybe a prayer and a donation is what we need to do, and keep on praying. 

A Great Experience of Thais and Thailand

During this week, I had a most happy and positive experience of Thailand and Thais.  For me who is so much always at work and ministry and facing all sorts of issues in the midst of the daily rigours, I can easily lose sight of the beauty of here and its peoples.  My experience of this week that I share here was a welcome and needed reminder for me of how people can be so gracious, warm and generous in a world that can be easily overcome by harsher realities or ongong struggles and challenges.

My experience was as the Director of NCCM (National Catholic Commission of Thailand).  ON Wednesday, I went along with our team to a local Thai government office to sign an agreement between its education authority and NCCM in helping Burmese migrant workers. 

I was there listening to what was being said by the Thai government director and taking in the whole experience.  I was touched by his graciousness, friendliness and kindness.  I was touched by the commitment being expressed by all his staff in wanting to help poor Burmese working here in their country.  The local manager was humourous and welcoming.  He showed understanding of ones caught in a most desperate situation.  It struck me that we are sitting around this work table being involved in very human endeavors to do good for those less well off and it was all being done so graciously.  A normal workplace activity is touching into deeper human realities. 

Such an experience makes one feel good and reaffirms one's faith in humanity.  I saw in the work ways being used to address everyday themes of life that adversely affect others that we were touching into what we are really about in life and as part of humanity - helping each other along the way.  For me, the experience spoke of the deeper nature of humanity being touched by ordinary citizens in ordinary ways as they endeavour to do good for the sake of others less well off in our world. 

Is that not what life is really about?  Helping and loving each other in real ways and as we can!

The Christmas tree is already up

Yes, I went past Central World yesterday in central Bangkok during this week and saw that they are already putting up one of the city's great Christmas trees.  This is a Buddhist country and even here the tree goes up two months before Christmas and let me tell you it is sweltering hot.  No snow here! 

The scene, as I see it, strikes me as nearly surrealistic, while also giving me a sense of hope.  While I may be shocked to see a Christmas tree so early in Buddhist Thailand, it also tells me that the end of the year is near.  It is going so quickly.  I have faced and done so much in the ten months already spent and think - I have gotten this far and done it!  There is a sense of achievement, while there is still much to do.  That is life. 

And this on the week that features the Feast of All Saints!  While at mass that day, I found myself automatically referring to and giving thanks to Saint Jack and Saint Eileen, my parents who feature on this site.  This happened naturally and was the first time that I had such a strong sense of who mum and dad now are.  It was a warm experience and I found myself getting teary.  So it was also a strong experience.  This is who they are and speaks of where they are - saints with God.  They will never be canonised by the Church but they don't have to be and I don't have to wait for that to happen for them to be saints.  Saints are with God and we can declare our own saints in good faith and in line with a God who is with us all.  They have done their bit, made their contribution and now gone to God, while remaining with us.  They have no more to do in our world to make their contribution. 

So simply, Saints Jack and Eileen, pray for us!