Continued from Malaysia 12-06-06: Generals and Chickens

After leaving the CWO, Goi and I fetch a cab to go to the Arakanese Refugee Relief Center, which is located some ways outside the city. Although we had the address, finding it was no mean feat. Goi's English is not bad, but he has a unique way of communicating - with mumbled words and ambiguous grunts. I suspect this is a result of an ever-present wad of tobacco or other substance that remains well-hidden within with his cheeks. We found ourselves driving in circles looking for the right street, and I had to laugh to myself a little at the ensuing conversation of the driver's "Eh?!" and "La" peppered English, and Goi's mumbles and "uunnhs". This was punctuated by calls to the Arakanese office and a friend of the taxi driver, with further efforts to communicate directions between several people in at least three different languages.   more »

It would seem I've fallen a bit behind on journaling my trip to Malaysia. I'm going to consider it a positive that I was too busy actually doing things to write about them in a timely fashion, and just forge ahead as if I'm not a month behind. I'm not big on end of year retrospectives or new year's resolutions, anyway.

December 6th started with breakfast with Simon's wife - Simon was the coordinator at the CRC last year who I'd spent so much time with, and who's now in Australia. Last year I had ijagwe and coffee with him every morning, so the plan was to call him so we could chat over breakfast again. Unfortunately, his new job on a farm somewhere around Adelaide pre-empted our conversation.

After breakfast Goi and I went to visit the Chin Women's Organization. They have a set of flats on the other side of the city and run their own projects, providing a safe house for women and children when necessary, running a few classes taught by foreign volunteers for women and children, and a new handicraft project. When we arrived, Zi, the director, led us up to the second flat, where she lives with her husband, and where they had a table set up with their handicraft products so I could look through them and pick some to bring back with me. There was also a teenage boy and an older man sitting quietly against the opposite wall - I've gotten used to there always being random people about, so I don't really pay much attention.   more »