[200,000] is the population of nine refugee camps on the Thai Burma border. This is also the same number of Burmese refugees, including ethnic Shan, believed to be living outside the camps in Thailand.

• Flashback to Chris’s tale of “Helping Nu Nu Help the Kids“ about visiting Nu Nu, who has given up resettlement in order to provide care for a growing number of orphans in at a refugee camp in Northern Thailand.

[100] is the estimated number of Burmese who are arrested daily and held in Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Center.

• Read “The Best Way To Go To Jail in Thailand“ for an account of being a volunteer visitor in a Bangkok jail.

It is estimated that [80%] of refugees are women and children.

• At the end of May I took a trip to Future Light Children’s home in Mae Sot that houses and educates forty-one children. Here are photos and video from the trip and more information on how you can get involved.

It only takes hearing from [ONE] friend who is a refugee to understand the impossible situations they have survived and become inspired to act.

• You may remember Ryan’s story of fleeing with his family to Thailand, where they lived for about four years before they were able to reach the US. Ryan recently received his GED and hopes to soon be living his dream of attending college.

Remember it costs about $15 to give a families food supplies that will last two weeks. Please take the time and make a donation that will allow us to support a family in need. Thanks and if you’re in Bangkok and want to join our event find out more here.

~Dwight

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s video and photo update. Here’s more:

There are forty-one children at Future Light Children’s Home. We spent the morning playing games and doing art activities. The kids never grew tired of running around or hanging out with their new friends from Bangkok. Had any of them truly been tired, they surely would have been enthusiastically replaced by another brother or sister. By mid afternoon the play time had been converted into a group effort to do chores. The combination of the chores and the stifling Mae Sot heat made the kids yearn to go bathe in the nearby river.

“You know before the water is blue. But today, the water bad. Very brown. The rains not come.” This observation from one of the older boys didn’t seem to disparage his younger siblings at the orphanage. They had already jumped into the river from the rocky shore of the muddy Irrawaddy, not hesitating to begin bathing and playing. I looked up at the movement across the waters, examining the boats who were loudly vacillating between Thailand and Burma. The children, like the boats, are caught in a stateless limbo because of decades of conflict in Burma and Thailand’s muddy policy on refugees and migrants.

The children get three meals of day. A basic meal made of mostly rice and the vegetables that they grow behind the house. So when evening finally came I grinned and proposed to the house dad, Goin, that we sneak away right before dinner and get ice cream for all the kids. He agreed and off we went on his motorbike speeding towards town, but stopping once for gas just outside of Mae Sot. We took off once again to hunt down a bucket sized quantity of vanilla-raspberry swirl ice cream, but the bike stopped again–this time unexpectedly. Mai pen rai–or ‘nevermind’ in Thai I thought. We will work something out I rationed. Maybe someone will offer us a ride I thought, still being hopelessly optimistic. I will just call my team back at the orphanage to pick us up.

No, no, and no answer.

A mile later, still walking alongside the busted motorbike we had almost reached a bike shop that was already closed.

If nothing else was in our favor, the fact that a shop with a tub of ice cream was still open when our taxi arrived brought relief. Goin and I walked back in through the orphanage gates two and a half hours later. Everyone had already forgotten about dinner and kids had gathered singing and dancing their hearts out before bed (see a brief video clip here). Preoccupied with their singing, they didn’t notice the ice cream, the missing bike, or the overwhelming sense of relief we felt upon returning.

That night we scooped ice cream into cones, bowls, cups, and finally bare hands as kids made their second and third rounds for the treat. I can’t recall an instance where ice cream ever tasted so good, nor where the joy it spread was so abundant.

Feels great to have had the opportunity to spend with the kids of Future Light. This week we will be donating $1000 to them on behalf of the Cyril Duncan Siam Children’s Foundation. They are currently rebuilding their house and school and could use the support. If you want more info on making a donation yourself or voluntouring at Future Light you can contact them on facebook (or by emailing futurelightkids@gmail.com).

-Dwight

“Dream Big, Work Smart, Start Local.”

As people begin to examine what led to the events that brought Bangkok to a halt, some have correctly identified the role of charitable giving and volunteering in the country’s reconciliation. The cleanup effort that brought the multitudes of Thais and foreigners to the streets of Bangkok to wash the streets stained and charred with conflict helped many realize that any real reconciliation will take a much larger effort than what the government alone is capable of. Real change can happen if people don’t quickly forget this tragedy and begin to expand their concepts beyond “helping the poor” to beginning a conversation between Thais who (at least from the outside) appear to lead very different lives. This type of mindset is what gives teeth to grassroots movements like ‘Sanuk My Saturday‘ whose success is dependent on the ability to engage local Thais as active, regular participants.

While the volunteer teaching won’t begin until next weekend, I did have a chance to visit the detention center this past week. This was the first time I had been since returning from the US. As usual, it is always a healthy exercise in gratefulness. Because so many volunteers came we were able to visit many of the families I had gotten used to seeing before I left. Thanks to everyone who continues to visit and bring food, water, and companionship to them.

Finally, for everyone who expressed interest in the food supplies we sponsored for five refugee families this month, let me give more details. For about $15 per family they received rice, sugar, condensed milk, noodles, cooking oil and flour.  This is only a small way to help them and they still struggle to find other support. For the average family these supplies last about two weeks. Many of the families have already learned to forgo meat in their diets, scrounging to save what they can to pay rent, their biggest expense. So your donations do create small change that makes a big differences in their lives. Please continue to show your support for them so we can duplicate this effort in the future.

This weekend I’m writing from the Burmese border in Mae Sot, Thailand while visiting Future Light Children’s Home. Plenty of photos and details coming in next week’s update.

-Dwight

However, there are usually quick fixes to minor physical discomfort. Pop some aspirin, a sinus tablet and get back on my feet, right? Not quite. The most discouraging thing about the political battle that has my neighborhood up in smoke, is witnessing the devolution of public discourse. Rational dialogue with all it’s beleaguering complexities has promptly been evicted and people on both sides have found, fed and fortified something more simple: hatred. A hatred wrought with ill will, fear-mongering, and deception so insidious, that regardless of the political outcome, it could only engender more of the same hurtful enmity in the future.

But before you airlift me a lifetime supply of prozac, let me share that like many here I still hold on to the hope that a peaceful solution can be arranged. And a runny nose coupled with a few people’s ugliness can’t really efface the search for sanuk friends described in the last post. On the contrary, trials have actually provided the contrast by which we can value what we take for granted. For example, this month we sponsored extra supplies for five refugee families. All of the five families were having trouble purchasing basic needs; two families of widowers, two with small children, and all very grateful for any help. With the recent escalation of violence here, you can be sure the goods (rice, sugar, cooking oil, etc…) were more than timely. Also there have been a lot of interruptions in volunteering because of the situation here, but similarly, it has made us all the more appreciative of moments we do get to spend in the community.

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern for Thailand. We’re staying safe and being patient. The next few weeks while things are being sorted out, I’ll be sharing some of what I learned working with Bangkok’s homeless.

-Dwight

There are more people out there like Charlotte who are doing and giving what they can to help people. I asked some of them to help explain what exactly “sanuk” is and how they had been involved with In Search of Sanuk. Enjoy reading their great answers.

Chris

“Sanuk is fun; in terms of what we do, sanuk is having a good time while helping out.“

[Involvement] The first thing I did with ISOS was help put together the ‘Taste of Sri Lanka’ refugee fundraiser event nearly a year ago.  From there, I began volunteering at Sanuk My Saturday (in Pinklao).  I was really enjoying it, and Dwight needed more help with the program, so I agreed to become the program coordinator.

[Sanuk is...] Sanuk is fun; in terms of what we do, sanuk is having a good time while helping out.  We want you to come to our events and enjoy yourself.  Volunteering should be fun, a break from your daily (perhaps tedious) day jobs.  We want you to look forward to coming back.

[Top Memory] This is a tough one…there are so many!  Mine is not so much one memory, but two little girls.  Tam and Om, two of the regular Pinklao kids, have a special place in my heart.  They make my Saturdays awesome, and remind me each time of why I’m involved.

Prae

“I believe in making a positive difference in the community that I live in.”

[Involvement] I believe in making a positive difference in the community that I live in. The number of nonprofits is growing in Bangkok but the number of people supporting them is dwindling. With ISOS, there are always opportunities to volunteer but fewer hands to help. I was very happy to be one of the volunteers at Sanuk My Saturday a month ago.

[Sanuk is...] to have a good time, to enjoy myself from the pleasure and joy of doing something good and fun.

[Top Memory] It was the giggles and smiles from the chidren. Some of them sneaked behind me and gave me a big sneak hug!

Becky

“They say they will never forget us all for as long as they live. How often do you get to impact people’s lives like that?”

[Involvement] I am involved with ISOS because a group that I organize has been featured on the web site. I organize groups of people to visit refugee families at the Immigration Detention Center. For each person that visits we can get one refugee out of their room for an hour. Children are roomed with one of the parents, so the other doesn’t get to see them unless they each have a visitor. One of the families has 7 members, 2 men & 5 women, so if we want this family to be able to have a visit, we need 7 volunteers to come sign them out. One of the daughters had a birthday recently, her 13th and what she wanted for her birthday was to get to see her father and brother! WOW, how many 13 year olds do you know who would be asking for that for their birthday? The things we take for granted! ISOS has been instrumental in bringing in a steady stream of willing & enthusiastic volunteers to help with these visits.

[Sanuk is...] I actually have no idea what it really means, but I know it’s Thai. To me it means enjoying life to the fullest in a meaningful way that makes you & others feel good about yourselves. For each of us it will be something different, which is why we each have to “search for our Sanuk!”

[Top Memory] My favorite ISOS memory is the day we had enough visitors to bring out the family of 7 for the first time. The women had not seen their son/brother for 2 1/2 years, because he’d been in detention for that long & the rest of the family was newly arrested. They were all crying & hugging each other. I was overwhelmed by how a simple act of 7 people taking a few hours out of their day could impact a family’s life. Also the letters I get that thank the volunteers for helping them keep the faith in humanity & the knowledge that they’ve not been forgotten. They say they will never forget us all for as long as they live. How often do you get to impact people’s lives like that?

Marc

“Sometimes I funnel funds or contacts to support the work of In Search of Sanuk.”

[Involvement] I am a fellow traveling micro-philanthropist and mentor to Dwight Turner. Sometimes I funnel funds or contacts to support the work of Sanuk.

[Sanuk is...] fun in Thai. So Dwight is having fun while helping others.

[Top Memory] The videos showing In Search of Sanuk in action.

Ryan

“… Dwight and other friends took me to the beach for the very first time in my life.”

[Involvement] The art show and party was the first time I was involved in ISOS. The event was trying to raise money and awareness for urban refugees in Thailand. I was a refugee myself at the time, which made me a beneficiary of the event, so getting involved and helping out seemed to be very logical thing for me to do. Later on, I became a much closer friend with Dwight and started volunteering as much as I could in ISOS’s activities. Eventually, Dwight made me coordinator of some the programs such as Sanuk my Saturday and participating in the planning of some the fundraisers we’ve done in the past.

[Sanuk is...] the Thai word for happiness or something worthwhile to do. The way I think of ISOS is that it’s not just about helping others, it’s also about how you can live differently. To me when I’m helping someone, their happiness is a reward that cannot be replaced by material things. I think “Sanuk” is a life style that each member of the community should embrace and it will have a transforming effect to the world we live in.

[Top Memory] The time when Dwight and other friends took me to the beach for the very first time in my life. Even though it wasn’t officially an ISOS event, but it was the very idea and group of people of ISOS. Even today, Dwight is still saying that my laugh from that trip was the most rewarding thing he received from me.

Om

“Sanuk is the joy that goes beyond our skin encapsulated ego.”

[Involvement] I’m currently a supporter in spirit from overseas (USA), trying my best to input an additional point of view.

[Sanuk is...] the joys that go beyond our skin encapsulated ego. Happiness only real when shared–a quote from the movie Into the Wild.

[Top Memory] Hmm…I haven’t had any direct experiences with ISOS yet (hopefully soon). Anyway, my favorite parts are probably when I hear about how curious and enthusiastic the kids or the communities were about learning or other creative activities, or how much fun they had despite their regular hard days.

Cody

“Volunteering, giving money to charity, and doing good for others doesn’t have to mean complete sacrifice and loss.”

[Involvement] I built In Search Of Sanuk’s website, have helped organize parties and mixers for charity, donated some money through my small business Thrilling Heroics Consulting to ISOS, and gone on volunteer trips with Dwight to Chonburi and Sangklaburi.

[Sanuk is...] fun, and to me, Dwight’s passion and exuberance are a symbol that you can do good things for others and have a blast at the same time. Volunteering, giving money to charity, and doing good for others doesn’t have to mean complete sacrifice and loss. Dwight is making it easy for all kinds of people to help give in small ways in Thailand, and he shows us that when you’re giving to someone else and sharing in the experience, it can put a big smile on your face.

[Top Memory] I think two of the most incredible and rewarding experiences I’ve had were taking a boatload of the kids from Chonburi Children’s Center on their annual trip to the beach and horse-playing with them all day, and visiting Baan Dada, a home for orphaned kids—many of them refugees—and just being influenced by those kids: making music together, playing football, learning from them.

Lola

“It was a magical affair. Plenty of volunteers, lots of creative energy flowing and smiles all around.”

[Involvement] I’m involved In Search Of Sanuk through the Saturday tutoring programs at Yommarat and Pinklao. I’m also helping to raise funds to sustain and expand ISOS.

[Sanuk is...] Fun? Living life as fully as you possibly can. Bearing witness to God’s grace and goodness.

[Top Memory] My favorite ISOS memory was the first “Big Fish” book day held at Pinkloa in January 2010. It was a magical affair. Plenty of volunteers, lots of creative energy flowing and smiles all around.

Paul

“…sharing love with children and people in disadvantaged situations is really meaningful…”

[Involvement] I am a friend of Dwight and enjoy catching up on how he helps people help other people, especially the children in the slums on Saturdays. I have also attended some of his cool fundraising social events.

[Sanuk is...] sharing love with children and people in disadvantaged situations is really meaningful; and it’s really fun when we partner up with others who share this compassion for fellow human beings to help them in a more powerful way than we can by ourselves.

[Top Memory] Dwight organized a team last fall to visit and play with the 35 orphans in Chonburi Center, and to take them out for a beach outing. They especially loved the buffet bbq dinner afterwards! Me too!

Jodi

“Sanuk is the look on a detainee’s face when they are reunited with a family member they haven’t seen in a long time.“

[Involvement] I became involved with ISOS when I arrived in Bangkok after almost 2 years of travel, and wanted to give something back to the communities I’ve been visiting. Friends in Bangkok pointed me toward Dwight and his many worthwhile projects. Having worked on asylum cases on a pro bono basis when I was a lawyer, I wanted to get involved with his
visits to IDC. I’ve been going to the Immigration Detention Centre to bring food, supplies and smiles to those who are there. I’ve also tried to mobilise the Twitter travel community passing through Bangkok to spend a morning in IDC. It’s important to give the regular backpacker a taste of what life is like for the many people who cannot leave the country.

[Sanuk is...] Sanuk is the look on a detainee’s face when they are reunited with a family member they haven’t seen in a long time. And for me, sanuk is being able to take something so decadent – travel for the sake of travel – and use my time for something worthwhile.

[Top Memory] Definitely seeing one of the detainees with a young baby be reunited with the baby for a brief moment – he was allowed to hold his child for a few moments, and the undeniable joy on his face was palpable and wonderful to see.

Morgan

“I have only been involved with ISOS for a short time, but it has been such a fun experience so far.”

[Involvement] I have only been involved with ISOS for a short time, but it has been such a fun experience so far. Meeting the kids in the program and practicing English and playing games with them has been a blast. The program is such a great way to reach the youth of Bangkok and support learning and of course FUN! I look forward to becoming an active member and participating in ISOS every week!

[Sanuk is...] the Thai word for FUN. ISOS means getting kids involved in learning by having FUN! Promoting learning through games and other fun activities is a great way to keep the kids interested and passionate about English!

[Top Memory] Although I have only recently joined ISOS, my favorite memory has been meeting all the kids and volunteers and playing fun games! Its a real bonding experience and they call it Sanuk for a reason!!

Tri

“It’s fun!”

[Involvement] Twitter.

[Sanuk is...] a type of billiard game (or pool in the US) … It’s fun!

[Top Memory] The attempt at interviewing the mute homeless guy would be it, especially when we both don’t write Thai that well and he couldn’t read Thai which makes writing Thai well pretty pointless.

Stewart

“I do remember sharing a Pepsi with Dwight in the middle of Klong Toey Slum.”

[Involvement] I am a friend of Dwight’s and a pastor in Bangkok. One of the things I’ve run into in Bangkok is that there are a significant number of people who would like to volunteer their time and expertise, but it can be hard to do. There are language and reliability barriers. Dwight is working to overcome the barriers and make it easier to do good. We have a common vision in that sense and so I’ve tried to provide my own contacts, support and referrals to ISOS.

[Sanuk is...] good clean fun. As a pastor I think another way to define it is abundant life, which is why Jesus said he came. Could you say Jesus came that we might have more sanuk? Maybe.

[Top Memory] I do remember sharing a Pepsi with Dwight in the middle of Klong Toey Slum when I introduced him to Urban Neighbors Of Hope and the Klong Toey Community Center.

Gavin

“I think it best translates as freedom.“

[Involvement] I’ve volunteered to take photos of ISOS events with the aim of providing some images to help raise awareness of the project. I feel that it’s a really worthwhile endeavour but, as is always the case with such projects, making people aware of the work that’s being done is crucial and I hope that I can offer a little assistance with that.

[Sanuk is...] In the context of In Search of Sanuk, I think it best translates as “Freedom”. ISOS offers the opportunity for people to explore things beyond their usual frames of reference. It’s about facilitating and enabling people to offer assistance where it is most needed and it provides a friendly and nurturing environment for those who benefit from ISOS work.

[Top memory] My first outing with ISOS where volunteers arrived at a school to be greeted with great enthusiasm by the children who had been awaiting their arrival. It was quite moving and testament to the positive impact that volunteers can have on a community.

Mark

“Sanuk is putting a smile on other people’s faces by having a smile on your own face…”

[Involvement] I am involved in a lot of random and often spontaneous events associated with ISOS. Chasing energized kids, splashing elderly ladies with flower water during the Songkran Festival, helping out with little jobs, and sampling the latest Sri Lankan food, have all been part of my role with ISOS.

[Sanuk is...] Sanuk is putting a smile on other people’s faces by having a smile on your own face, and often the smile on your own face is derived from others.

[Top Memory] There are many, but randomly showing up at the 2009 Christmas celebration at the school in Pinklao takes the cake. Upon arriving, Dwight and I were asked to perform an impromtu song infront of at least 200 happy kids, Little Thai kids dressed like Santa with green afro wigs and huge smiles is a priceless and uplifting sight. Following was a delightful feast of sen yai latnaa (rice noodles smothered in pork gravy). A fantastic way to celebrate Christmas and an awesome memory!

Thanks everyone for participating. I enjoyed reading these so much that I will include some of what people said on the website permanently. If you have something to add, please make a comment.

-Dwight

“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

They back up that motto by allowing people to choose an organization that matches their skills, dividing them into teams and sending them all over the city to accomplish a multitude of tasks such as landscaping, clean up, painting, and spending time with youth and kids. As you can probably guess, I chose to do the latter after finding an organization called Essential2Life that had similar objectives as our Sanuk My Saturday project. However, in addition to providing a safe environment where kids could be kids, they boasted a successful mentoring program for teens at risk of dropping out where participants not only stayed in school, but went on to pursue secondary education.

I reveled in being able to not only ponder these possibilities, but to see an organization who had put them to work ten or fifteen years earlier. So when I wasn’t playing, I was daydreaming about implementing some of the things I had seen and learned lately in the communities we’re serving in Bangkok. I still have about two weeks left to take advantage of some of the exciting happenings here and spend time with family. As the time winds down, lets hope airlines aren’t yet penalizing people for traveling with too many ideas.

If you missed my interview last Sunday on Global Humanitarian Discussions with Megan Schiebe, you can listen here. What’s happening in your community this week? Are you volunteering or joining a local celebration of Earth Day?

~Dwight

People always send me questions about volunteering abroad. In addition to telling them about what we’re doing in Bangkok, I stress two points: 1) Be Prepared by educating yourself about what you’re getting into and 2) Get Connected with people who have been to the places you’re going or are doing what you want to do. That’s why I’ve been so enthused to share The Underground Guide to International Volunteering. I’ve spent a while going through it and it touches all topics I get quizzed on so often.

Why should I? Where should I go? Should I pay? Why is it expensive? Where does the money go? Which companies would you recommend? Do I need a visa?

Now those answers are in one organized place.

“The aim for this guide is to answer your questions, instill you with confidence, and make you excited to head off on a volunteering project abroad.” -Kirsty

My favorite part of the guide? The interviews. The guide is packed full of people from all over who have participated in giving their time volunteering. I’m featured in the section on building your own volunteer experience, but it’s encouraging to hear about what others were doing in places so distant and interesting. They offer insightful looks into the challenges and the rewards of what you may encounter when you set out on your adventure.

I found the guide packed full of helpful content and it’s obvious the amount of hard work Kirsty did to put the book together. I mentioned a few weeks ago that part of Kirsty’s goal is to use the e-guide to fundraise for Hands on Disaster Response and to help fund her post-earthquake return to volunteering in devastated Haiti. You can get a copy of the guide with a donation of $14. So if you’re curious about volunteering or know someone who is, I highly recommend it and the money goes right back into inspiring the powerful stories you’ll read about.

Get more on this topic. Listen in this Sunday 5pm EST to hear more about my experiences volunteering abroad. I’ll be interviewed by Megan Schiebe of Global Humanitarian Discussions. If you don’t catch it live you can still follow the link to hear the recording later.

~Dwight

Our volunteers keep asking me the same questions: “Why do you do this?” and “Where do you see this project going?” And each time, I have the same difficulty answering.

Without getting into a great philosophical debate about the nature of giving, let me address the first question as simply as I can. I volunteer my time because I like it. When I was younger, I volunteered quite a bit, but fell out it for a few years. I was always too busy with school or work, too hung-over the next day, or just too lazy. I had become too complacent with the carefree life around me in well-to-do America. However, traveling, especially in third world countries, can really present the world in a different way, not to mention bring out a person’s true character. I’d like to think that living in Thailand has brought out some of my better sides.

When I moved to Bangkok, it was initially about getting away from the Western world, and experiencing something new and exotic. I did what a lot of people do and got a teaching gig and for my first year in wild and crazy BKK, I let the nightlife steal me away. It was only when I stopped to reassess my life here (“What am I doing?” “Where am I going?”) that I realized I was unhappy with it. And I knew instantly what I wanted to do; I wanted to give something back, something meaningful, to people that need it. Enter Dwight, and In Search of Sanuk, and almost a year later, here we are, with two locations for Sanuk My Saturday and lots of really cool kids to hang around.

So again, why am I doing this? Well, why not? I have the time. I have the desire. And for me, it just makes sense to take a little time and give it to people that need it. It makes me happy and it makes them happy. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

As for the future of the project, well, here’s how I see it. Sanuk My Saturday is an English program. And while fluency would be a great thing to achieve, it is not realistic. What is realistic is giving children with bad home lives or lack of opportunities something positive. Give them a place to hang out that’s safe; give them encouragement; boost their social skills; let them use their brains in a way that is different from regular school; increase their self-esteem; and most of all, let them have fun and be kids! And while these goals aren’t necessarily quantifiable, I have seen the changes in the Pinklao kids firsthand. They have gone from shy and scared of foreigners to outgoing, smiling children.

Sometimes, when I secretly fantasize about having lots of funding, I envision a social center for them. A building that is strictly theirs, a place they can go to learn, to read books (ahhh! a library!), to do art projects, to play games, and to interact. Of course, by this point, we would have dedicated volunteers that come every week and spend a morning, or an afternoon. Perhaps mentorship roles could be worked out with our Thai volunteers and the kids, on a one-on-one basis.

But for now we go and have fun. Sanuk.

-Chris

The waiting room is full and tense. There is a mixture or people from all backgrounds, packed together in a long but narrow corridor. They sit or stand shoulder to shoulder, but are worlds apart. I sit and hypothesize about that distance. Whether it’s the language barriers or the weight of solemn helplessness to aid loved ones that keeps people eerily quiet, I’m not sure. Then I sit and reflect on a few scenes I just witnessed coming in that seem to indicate the latter. A stream of shirtless, handcuffed Burmese men waiting with heavy eyes. Giant paddy wagons parked outside used in raids to arrest the people–our people–or people like them anyway.

“They sit or stand shoulder to shoulder, but are worlds apart.”

The paper work is done. And not a moment too soon, my sulking is abruptly interrupted by yelling in Thai. I understand and jump to my feet with the others. The command is followed by something broken and harsh, resembling English. I handover my passport for a locker key and crush my belongings inside. No camera and no phones is emphasized in the Thai commands over the importance of no metal or sharp objects. Is any connection to the outside a threat? I swallow that thought while they pat me down and carelessly molest the packages of food I’ve brought. Hands are waved and I wander over to the portable fence.

“I loathe this fence.”

Some of the detainees are already out and the searching and murmuring escalates. There is another row of port-o-fences partitioning the detainees from our fence with a meter or so in between, that at first impression seems to be a mile. The rest is a dysfunctional airport scene. Some elation, greetings, and smiles. The volume of the people shouting between the fences intensifies.

I loathe this fence.

It separates people in a different way than when we were outside. It is the physical personification of the same solemn helplessness I felt then. Damned fence. It doesn’t save me from the obvious desperation of the people on the other side, the heat of the sun, nor the stench from the toilets in the nearby cells.

I press my fingers through the fence and lean on it because I can see her now. “Mr. Noname!” she shouts.

I reply, “Happy Birthday.”

“Today there were enough volunteers to reunite her whole family during the visiting hour. We’re proud.”

She’s been here since the raids last October. Only a few months ago she was a regular attendant of the Saturday morning classes at the Bangkok Refugee Center, practicing her English with me, quizzing the other volunteers about the US, and teaming up with her friends to guess my name. When they couldn’t pry it out of me I was dubbed Mr. Noname. Today there were enough volunteers to reunite her whole family during the visiting hour. We’re proud.

Her smile is noticeably bigger than mine. She’s a teenager today. The other volunteers gather around the fence on our side. I glance around self consciously. Back to the dysfunctional airport scene. Back to the sign behind me that reads, “Don’t trow anything.” And finally, back to the fence. I join the others in crooning the happy birthday song through it. Later, they point over to the food supplies we brought, including bottled water and birthday cupcakes freshly smushed from the search.

The time is up. We wave goodbye to the beaming new teenager. I leave ashamed a little for comparing her birthday to ones I had. Or maybe from being unable to fully mirror her beautiful smile. But I’m thankful and positive–there’s no better way I could have spent my morning.

Join

This is just one of the many stories from the visits we’re making to IDC. It was built to temporarily house foreigners and migrants who overstayed visas or found themselves on the wrong side of Thai law. Thus it can often be quite crowded, without all the amenities of a normal prison. Many refugee families who are arrested end up there regardless of their status with the UN and with little recourse. Twice a week volunteers gather to visit, reunite the families, and bring supplies. Please consider donating or visiting with us while you’re in Bangkok.

Here’s a quote from Ryan who had to stay there a week before his family was resettled to the US:

“In IDC, people are short of everything…. They need most basic supplies, such as carbohydrates, vitamins, drinking water, and hygiene necessities. I know it’s gonna be really hard for yourself to make much different in these people’s life, but with more people actively involving in your program, I believe a lot of people’s life will be better.”

Other Good Ways to Go to Jail

There are other groups going into prisons and providing services to inmates. For example, the Christian Prison Ministry Foundation works with prisoners nearing release. In addition to giving religious guidance to inmates, they provide a series of educational classes to prepare participants to succeed once reintegrated back into society. CPMF is doing everything from art classes to running a halfway house for inmates. Get involved by volunteering to share a skill, especially if you have an interest in helping people rebuild their lives.

Get Uncomfortable

I understand that for many, visiting jails and detention centers aren’t the types of attractions you normally think of when you’re planning your trip to Thailand. I sure didn’t. But when you get in the habit of making yourself available to serve others, you’ll learn to love the adventure that is packaged with making a difference in people’s lives.

-Dwight

This holiday has also reminded me that everyday I am fortunate to be surrounded by courageous, inspirational women. They are key to the achievements of ISOS. To give you an idea, I went back and looked through our list of volunteers. It seems that for every 10 volunteers who join Sanuk My Saturday, 8 of them are female. The list didn’t include the all female teaching team, led by Chris, there every weekend. That’s a wake up call for two reasons. First, because I realize I need to do a better job of challenging some guys to come out and commit to helping these kids. They are desperate for the positive male attention they don’t get at home. Secondly, that I’d be an idiot to neglect to wish all the women reading a Happy International Women’s Day and send a sincere thank you for all you do.

-Dwight