First week in Nupoh

So, I have finished my first week in Nupoh camp, several hours south of Mae Sot, and can't believe that I have been in Thailand three weeks already. Nupoh is a refugee camp, where I will be teaching English to Burmese asylum seekers and refugees until mid-January. It is an adorable little village, very safe and very peaceful. I had thought that my last post was just a week ago, but then I realized that it is already October 31st (thanks for the reminder Glynn!). Sorry for the delay, but it has been a busy few weeks.

Orientation began on October 18th and I left for Nupoh on the 23rd, arriving just in time for the festival of lights (http://www.dpsmap.com/festival/october.htm) in the camp. It was a lovely celebration, that lit up the night with colored lampshades, in varying sizes and shapes, and rows of candles along various pathways in the camp. 

The Burmese people here have welcomed me with open arms and have already taught me so much about the culture and history of Burma (now officially called "Myanmar" by the government there). I am trying to learn some of the Burmese language as well, but it is rather difficult when so many people here speak English so well - and those that don't are anxious to learn it.

The houses here are made of dried bamboo, with squat toilets and bucket showers. It is like a mini Peace Corps experience, only there is electricity (sometimes) and internet access - something that was barely invented when I arrived in Mali in 1999. I do have a cell phone this time around as well, though there is no cell service in the camp. Luckily there are many internet shops in Nupoh, and the access is pretty fast considering the remoteness of the village. It is not as convenient as having internet in my room, but having it at all is quite a luxury, considering the circumstances.


Burma, like many other countries outside the U.S., is composed of people of varying ethnic backgrounds who speak a variety of local languages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Burma). Burmese (Bamar people, who are the majority) is the main language of Burma, but many other languages are spoken among the people there as well. Natives of Burma are generally called Burmese, but the term "Burmese" in the camp generally refers to Burmese speaking people, not the minority ethnic groups, which include Karen (pronounced Kah-rehn), Karenni, Chin, Shin, Mon, and others. These groups speak local languages, generally not spoken by the larger Burmese majority, though many of these groups also speak Burmese.

Nupoh camp is mainly composed of Karen (pronounced Keh-rehn) people (http://www.friendsofthekaren.org/), with some Bamar (or Burmese people), Chin, Mon, and others comprising a small minority in the camp. I am teaching English at a school in the minority Burmese section of the camp, where the main religion is Buddhism. The majority of the Karen people in the camp are Christian, predominantly Baptist.

My students range in age from about 13 years to around 50 years old. It is an interesting mix of age levels, ethnic backgrounds, and English language abilities. My students, colleagues, and others in the village are teaching me more than I could ever teach them - and I am trying to learn all that I can during my short stay in Nupoh.