Burma Students’ Post

BSP NewsPaper

Monday • April 18,2011 Nupo-Temporary Shelter Issue 2011­-Vol:2

Umphang District, Tak Province, Thailand.
Moving the classroom out doors Graduation for TPC and PDJC
Friday, April-8 was a beautiful sunny day
for a class picnic. ESC school normally has quizzes Ton Baars, Nu Po, April 8
From 2002 until 2009 Nu Po had a Teacher
Preparation Course (TPC), where each year up to
20 young people from Nu Po and DooPlaya District
were trained to become a teacher. The course took 2
years of training at the school and 2 years of teaching
in the community. So after 4 years the students would
graduate and receive a certificate. This year the last
group of students therefore graduated and they did
that together with the second group from Pu Doo-
playa Junior College (PDJC) since three years a new
school in Nu Po.

for the different English levels but a picnic was a

great idea for the final day of classes.
Two of our volunteer teachers and some
students gathered at the school at 9:15 A.M. for the
outing. The picnic was held across from the Dahm-
ma Rakita monastery, just a 10 minute walk from
ESC school. There were nearly 35 students from the
different classes. The students and teachers brought

The 14 TPC Graduates...

The 14 TPC graduates have been teaching for

two years in Nu Po or inside Karen state, so some
faces were familiar while others might have looked
new. What they proved was the need for a teacher
training in the community and it is great news to hear
that Karen Teaching Network Group (KTWG) will
cookies, oranges, watermelon and other different open a new school next year in Nu Po. Some of the
fruits. teachers from TPC
-See page 2 -See page 3

BSP Newspaper April-18-2011 Page-1

Editorial 9th (7) Days long Meditation Retreat
Days, months, and years have passed, and in Nupo Temporary Refugee Camp
in our Nupo Temporary Shelter which was built in
1997, we have enjoyed the New Year festivals of Here, in our camp, we are holding a media-
many different ethnicities held according to their tion retreat arranged according to the teachings of
own customs. Through the years, Nupo became Buddha. It is conducted by Oo Nanda Vara, who took
a place thriving in our souls. We, refugees of this the place of Oo Kaul Thala, who is in absentia, with
Nupo Camp, started to share feelings, such as happi- the leadership of Oo Khay Mar Sara, the abbot of the
ness or misery, as close relatives, and Nupo seemed monastery.The monastery is located in Section 9 and
a wonderful society. However, worrisome news
named Dahammathuka, meaning the wealth of Dha-
—refugees in Thailand will be sent back to their
homeland —appears as rumors amongst the com- ma 83 people and 27 monks are participating. The
munities of refugees. It became louder like a toll gathering began on April 9th, 2011 and the media-
from a faraway bell after the BBC-Burmese News tion started on 10th of the month, 3 days in advance
mentioned the statement. If it is so, what should we of Thigyan festival. The mediation finished on April
do? This news truly is a nightmare for people who 16th, 2011, after 7days.
had tried to flee their oppressed life in a country --by Zayar Nanda (Upper-Intermediate-B)
filled with wails of misery, deteriorating old roads,
and atmosphere dimmed with smoke of gunfire. We
have to prepare for something: to survive through -From page 1
the dreadful rainy season of Nupo with dim hopes,
or to be ready for departure to Burma. Minds are
confused with these opposite thoughts. Nonetheless,
we should do as once Buddha said: Lawkadan Na-
Kanpati — meaning “Face any hardships of one’s
life without any fear and never tremble.” We should
hope for the good, and in the meantime be ready for
the worst. Therefore, from now on —from this New
Year — we shall prepare for whatever happens.
================

-From page 6
When he first arrived to United States, he
had no job for five months,and neither did his father,
but they were looking for any job. He had to re-
fuse one job offer because it was far from his home. During the picnic, the students and teach-
Practically, they were relying food stamps and cash ers played football and hiked on a hill that over-
assistance for five months. Importantly, the only looked Nupo.Later they enjoyed fruits and threw
thing he constantly reported to me is that whoever water happily on one another. The pre-Water Fes-
comes to live in the U.S should see the difficulties tival picnic was full of joy and great memories.
ahead of them, which they will have to face without --By Amber Dodge
assistance.
In his class, some students are not warm,
kind, patient and neat, but there are devoted teach- BSP Newspaper
ers who prepare their children for the opportunities
of the future. They love living and acting as a group News ..................................................Page 1,2
and never call an unknown guy hospitably. Their
character is strange, unacceptable and unbelievable Editorial .............................................Page 2
for him. They have opportunities to share their cul-
ture and customs with the larger student group and Article ................................................Page 4
the faculty. Finally, they remind me constantly that
part of being a responsible American citizen is that Snappy Joke .......................................Page 5
you be yourself, but you also respect others.
--by COT Cartoon ...............................................Page 6

Page-2 April-18-2011 BSP Newspaper

-Rrom page 1 and as it is a two year course, this was the second
graduation. Sixteen young people received their
certificate and can continue their education at a High-
er Division school of other program.
Some parents had come from inside Burma to
see their children graduate. Staff from Karen Refugee
Committee Education Entity, (KRCEE) had come to
present the graduation and Thramu Deborah gave a
speech of encouragement. There were further speech-
es by Thara Samson, the camp leader, Thara Doh Doh
Moo of KRCEE, Thara Kyle from Curriculum Proj-
ect and Thara Ton.

After the official graduation about 304,278

pictures were taken by a variety of people. Each
the 16 PDJC Graduates. teacher was ambushed by the students for a photo-
have made the change to PDJC and they were pres- graph. And after that a meal was presented in the
ent at the graduation,while others have left Nu Po OCEE compound. This meal was prepared by the
and heard from the graduation through mail and first year students of PDJC who must be eager to fol-
telephone. low in the footsteps of their older sisters and brothers.
Although all students looked very beautiful on this
A very special guest was Thara Bob who is
special day, this reporter wants to commemorate the
a regular in Nu Po and specially at TPC. For sev-
special shoes that all girls had bought for this occa-
eral years he came to TPC during the winter months
sion. Some shoes were more beautiful than comfort-
and taught mostly speaking skills. Although TPC
able and the TPC girls all had the same shoes and
has stopped as a school, Thara Bob still visits each
very beautiful longyis.
year as some of his students, or children, now run
the Buddhist Mission High School and he likes to
Earlier graduations took place at the school,
teach the little children there and chat with his old
but this year the students decided to use the education
students.
stage and this was a very wise decision. More than
The students from TPC offered special gifts
150 guests found a seat under the tent covers while
to their teachers and they had prepared a very spe-
teachers sat on the stage. The graduates enjoyed the
cial song. “This land is Your Land” is a very famous
sunshine in between. There were also many onlookers
song in America, and it describes the beauty of the
sitting around
country. In-
the venue
troduced by
and hopefully
Thara Bob
some of the
the students
children who
have changed
watched this
the lyrics so
event might
now it is also
have been en-
describing
couraged to
the beauty of
go and study
Kaw Htoo
hard so one
Lei.They
day they can
sung this song
sit proudly
together with
in front of
the graduates
the education
from PDJC.
stage, spoken
PDJC started
to by Thramu
3 years ago
Thara Bob gives a certificate to a Deborah and Thramu Deborah of KRCEE
student. applauded to by parents and friends.
BSP Newspaper April-18-2011 Page-3
 New Friends in Nupo
Amber Dodge, April 13, 2011
Prior to coming to Nupo, I taught in Mae Sot for
several months and lived comfortably with air condi-
tioning, hot showers, reliable internet connections, and
western food whenever I craved it. Before that in the
United States, I worked and volunteered with Burmese
families for three years who had resettled from refugee
camps along the Thai-Burma border. Therefore, I had
the desire to relocate to a camp to gain first-hand per-
sonal experience living and teaching within a camp set-
ting. However, I was hesitant to live in a camp so far
away from the relative comforts of Mae Sot, not to men-
tion being apart from my husband in Chiang Mai who I
would not be able to see for a few months. Despite these
lifestyle changes, I decided to accept the challenge and
relocate to Nupo.
I began to teach at ESC School in early February. I was
nervous at first to get to know the students. I knew that
all of the students had enjoyed and loved their previous
Page-4 April-18-2011
ESC teachers, so I didn’t know if they would
continue attending my classes or would like my
different teaching style. However, my students
and I quickly began to develop strong relation-
ships that made learning English an educational
yet enjoyable experience. In the three daily
classes I taught during the week, I witnessed
changes in my students’ speaking abilities and
self-confidence, which was my goal for my
classes. Their writing and reading abilities
greatly improved as well.
In addition to classes, we also had some
fun and entertaining dance sessions to keep us
warm when the weather was so terribly cold
that we couldn’t sit for grammar lessons. We
would always enjoy dancing in the classroom
and learning songs in English. As for my Amer-
ican Studies class, we regularly had great par-
ticipation and learned a variety of topics such
as American culture, how to write a resume, job
and employment skills, life after resettlement,
and social services available in the U.S. Af-
ter completing the course, I feel that most of
the students gained a better understanding and
knowledge of the United States.
Although my goal in the beginning
was to gain experience teaching English and
learning about the various cultures of Burma,
the things I have since learned and fallen in
love with have greatly exceeded my expecta-
tions. My focus changed from “how will this
experience benefit my future career prospects
in the U.S.” to how much I have learned and
how much love and support I have received
from the Nupo community. Even though I have
only lived in Nupo for 2 ½ months, I feel that
I have made lifelong friendships and have so
many wonderful memories. For example, we
had a lively talent show with delicious food and
wonderful and gifted students who entertained
the guests. I want to thank all of the students
who participated in the dances and singing, as
well as thank all of the wonderful ESC staff
who assisted in organizing a successful event.
In addition, we had a great time with our end
of the year class picnic, including a crazy wa-
ter gun battle, football game (with very athletic
and skillful players), and lots of fresh fruit.
-See page 5
BSP Newspaper
 I want to thank to all of my students for your participation, your friendships, encouragement, your
gifts, dinners and teas, and including me in your churches and monasteries. Thank you all for taking care
of your “Ingeliq Sayama” and loving me. I want to thank the ESC staff and their families for your sweet
kindness, for sharing your food, and for opening your homes to me. Also, thank you for protecting me
from all of those giant spiders at ESC
that cause me heart pains! Thank
you to my Burmese “Saya” for being
so patient and teach- ing me so much.
And of course, thank you to Teacher
Erin for being a great co-teacher and
friend.
In closing, this letter is dedi-
cated to all of the stu- dents at ESC, the
staff, and the teachers who have taught
me so much and changed my life.
I am so thankful for all of you and
will never forget any of you. Beyond
that, this letter is dedi- cated to all of
the residents of Nupo itself. I encour-
age Nupo residents to attend ESC, not
only to learn and im- prove your Eng-
lish skills, but also to become a part of
a supportive community of intelligent, dedicated, and focused learners. Whether your English skills are
beginner, intermediate, or advanced, you must continue to practice and learn more, because you will use it
many times throughout your life.
..................... ................... ................. Hope to see all of you in the U.S. soon.
Snappy Joke
Race
Once upon a time, there was a race between a rabbit and a turtle. The rabbit assured he would win
the race 100 percent because the turtle could move very slowly. But the result was totally different. At first
he led the race. He ran as much as he could until he saw a shady tree. When he took a glance back, the turtle
was out of sight. So, he decided to take a rest and finally, he fell asleep. When he woke up, it was too late
and he lost the race.
Junior rabbit learnt this story at the school. He thought it was shameful. “It is unbearable” he said
himself. He blamed on his ancestors their carelessness. He decided to race against the turtles again. At last,
he discussed with his friends and challenged the junior turtles. They also agreed to race on Valentine’s day.
During these 3 months before the race, he quit smoking, avoided watching premier leagues matches
and he even stopped dating his girlfriend. He expected, this time the rabbits could revenge the turtles and
he would be the hero amidst the junior rabbits.
Today, every animal gathered and cheered for both sides. In this jungle history, it was the greatest
event and the stake was also the highest. Junior rabbit informed his girlfriend to wait for him with garlands
at the winning post.
As soon as the race started the junior rabbit ran very fast and in a very short time he disappeared.
When he saw a karaoke bar he thought himself “Singing a song will make me fresh” and went into the bar.
After singing a song, he noticed it was so early, he didn’t see any turtle on the race line. So he went to the
bar again and this time he chose to play computer game. As he is a “Counter Strike” fan, he played one
game after another until the game center staff said it was time to close the shop.
When he looked outside through the window, it was dark and he felt shocked. It was out of the ques-
tion, there was nobody when he got the winning post. He lost the race.
The next early morning before dawn, while the turtles were celebrating the party over their victory,
the junior rabbit got out of the jungle and ran away as fast as he possibly could.
--By Rainbow
BSP Newspaper April-18-2011 Page-5
 Young Burmese students in United States
The young Burmese in the United States who departed from NuPo are having trouble adjusting to
a different culture and its customs and behaviors. But they are always watchful how to deal with it. How-
ever, what they absolutely believe is that they have to live together peacefully. Currently, Saw Oo, 19, who
departed on 1 May 2010, is attending to school in Indiana in the United States. The school that he and his
cousin sister are going to is Paul Harding High School. Whoever, under 20 years of age, comes from Asia
and other countries, has to apply for high school by state law. Because he had been away from school for
about four years, he had significant difficulties studying.
At school, some of the students from other countries are extraordinarily surprised that he can speak
English well, as well as other skills. Sometimes, questions that come up are why and how he is able to speak
it only in one month. All he answers is that he regularly spent his precious time studying when he was stay-
ing in NuPo refugee camp. Since he arrived at NuPo in 2006, he eagerly studied not only English but also
math, physics, and chemistry. A few of his classmates thought the Burmese were unintelligent and had un-
developed ideas. After meeting him, they knew that their comments were acutely wrong. He saw them deal-
ing with impolite words and putting some Burmese students down. No Burmese students knew about that.
In his class, about 20 students who are from different countries and backgrounds, having come
across a few Burmese students, he was pleased to make friends completely. It is difficult for him to even
walk because of the fact that his school is much greater, larger and bigger. He gets just three minutes to
change to the next room, following a completed session. In Indiana, every school has to change their stu-
dents’ timetable in three months. The only reason he was quite surprised is that some students can’t speak
English to communicate with each other in his class.
-See page 2

Cartoon

Go
od
Go
ver
I’ll try to advance my properties nm
ent
Cl
ea

in the New Year..

nG
ov
ern
me
nt

Page-6 April-18-2011 BSP Newspaper