Just returned from Myanmar, Visa on Arrival, and more......

your i.d. name should be i am a jerk not nijkere...who are u to set the standards of gift giving.allow sk78 to travel the way she wants and choose who she does and not give to.

Just wondering what kind of person would write that they "hate beggars"... ?
What kind of idiot would publicly express dislike or even hate for the most disadvantaged people on this earth, who need other peoples help and sympathy the most?.. Going around playing Gods.. with cheap trinkets that cost you (almost) nothing.... sigh...
When I read this kind of B.S. I really question why I waste my time trying to help stupid people having a better trip and or saving you a few svenska krona, so that you may go home and tell your friends what great charity/person/Gods you are...
How we conduct ourselves in other cultures is an individual thing.. who am I to judge you?... But the overbearing behaviours of some of you, just make me want to puke... Granted, some beggars make a carrier out of it.. What’s wrong with that? give or don’t give.. make a choice and stop preaching!.. Bet you got yourself on some sweet “gravy train” through a bit of clever begging.. guess you call it “networking”?.. So that’s ok.. I suppose?

On ya, joe5710, seems fairly plain and simple to me, your comments about nijkerk are right on the button, for me, I will be in Myanmar 18 Oct for a couple of weeks , trying to do my own thing, and I certainly appreciate your contributions SK78.

Again thanks to all those people who have made positive contributions and a pox on those whingers who believe its their god given right to slam others of different thinking.

Nijerk

I also always grabbed the extra soap, shampoo and pens when I had the chance. When I made friends in various places, and was invited for tea, I always offered some of the loot I had collected.

One time in Bagan, 3 brothers and the little sister, were all riding home from school, and said hello to me on my bike, and we started to talk. They said they were good at english and wanted to practice with me. For about 45 minutes we sat roadside under a shade tree, and I tried my best to help the eager children, who were very brights and very sweet. They asked afterwords if i had a pen or pencil, which I did, then the cute little girl looked at me with her big brown eyes, and said, Mister Tim, you have any soap for mama?

Luckily, of course I did, and gladly handed them over to a grateful and gracious child.

You have a problem with that...too bad, I dont...

Far out. What an amazing thread. Yeah. Life is so simple.

Here is something - a true story told by Chanthy - that I wrote for a hospital in Phnom Penh where I was working this summer.

“As you know, I did not think I would be alive. I was so sick”
(Chanthy’s story)

In her 40 years of life Chanthy has been in a forced labor camp, worked as a farmer, been a wife and mother, been a beggar, and now supports herself with a small business. She also has HIV infection and has survived multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

Chanthy was 8 years old and living in Svay Reang Province when the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975. She endured forced labor, starvation, and the murder of her parents before the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown. She married young and had three children before she and her husband, a farmer, separated. By age 19, she was in Phnom Penh with three children, looking for work in construction. She and her children lived outside a temple wall, with other homeless people. There was little work for women and she ended up as a beggar, making 5,000 riel on a good day and 2,000 riel on a bad day (4,000 riel = $1 US). She met a man, also a beggar, and they set up a household against the temple wall. This man she calls her second husband beat her regularly and gambled away what little money they made, but also gave her a sort of stability – and he gave her the virus. “I learned I am infected since 1998 when my husband became sick.”

Her husband died in 2000. She took care of him as diarrhea and AIDS wasting syndrome took his strength and then his life. It was at this time that the HOPE home-based care team became involved with Chanthy. “I felt sad when he died because I didn’t see his face anymore ... I told his family he was dead, but nobody came to join with the funeral.”

After her husband died, Chanthy continued begging, and she began gambling. But something was different. The HOPE home-based team was involved and they encouraged her to enlist in their program for widows and children. Working in a partnership with the Friends Program, they supported her, counseled her, and found a place for her to live in a slum. The counseling led her eventually to the idea of purchasing a scale (for $8) and she went from place to place weighing people for a small fee. On a good day she made 10,000 riel and on a bad day, 5,000 riel. Her situation was also improved because she was able to follow strict program guidelines, including no drinking and no gambling. Unfortunately, her HIV and tuberculosis were not well-controlled and she had difficulty working – “I was sick and coughing too much.”

Counseling and treatment continued, and as her condition improved, she saw greater possibilities for herself. In 2004 she asked for and received assistance in buying a foot-powered sewing machine. With the sewing machine she was able to make bags for Friends to sell in their shop. She has been sewing for three years now and every month she is able to put some money in the bank. Chanthy has gone from begging to the bank.

Chanthy is far from wealthy or even comfortable. But her two daughters are in school – well past the age when she left school – and her son is employed. The HIV and tuberculosis are controlled and she feels good almost everyday. She ticked off what she has today: a place to live, money in the bank, a job, and clothes. “I have more power than before ... thank you so much.”
--------------------

I mean, it is kind of flackish (it's for a newsletter), if you know what I mean, but it is the Truth

Phnom Penh slums

CK

So I post what I thought may be a few helpful pieces of information, get my head bitten off, and wonder why I bothered in the first place.

PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS OF WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS NOT, GET OVER IT! If CK worked in a hospital in Pnom Pehn he/she's obviously a better human being than the rest of us, despite the possibility that by doing so he/she may have contributed to the problem because so long as foreigners come local governments have less motivation to train and employ their own people to do the work and become self-sufficient - I volunteered in Africa for a short time before I started seeing the detrimental effect it was having. Whatever your opinion is, I and I'm sure others have a different one (and I'm not saying yours is wrong, just that it is different from mine), and we don't rub it in your face unless you act first to do the same to us - grow up and remove your blinkers.

For anyone who doesn't carry around an enormous chip on their shoulder I hope you found my post useful, and to the rest of you take your angry judgemental thoughts and sob-stories and post them somewhere else.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>take your angry judgemental thoughts and sob-stories and post them somewhere else. <hr></blockquote>
Hmmmm well, how about:
"First you take the plank out of your own eye so you can see clearly to remove the speck of sawdust from your brother's eye!"
Memorable quotes for Godspell: A Musical Based on the Gospel According to St Matthew

#10 "who are you to set the standards for gift giving allow sk78 to travel blah, blah,........."" Well I dont see how I can prevent anyone doing what they want or can set any standards !! Youve missed the point completely, this , in case you havent noticed, is a forum and I am stating my point of view which Im free to do. My point of view differs from yours and sk78s, deal with it, and keep the insults to yourself. Ive just returned from India where in some places you will be followed constantly by kids asking for pens, shampoo, sweet, toothpaste or whatever itt hasnt really started in Burma yet give it time.....

#13 A perfect example of giving to make yourself feel good, imo, of course...

I didn’t really say anything about myself other than I worked in a hospital, did I. I also didn’t attack you nor did I say anything negative about you or anyone else on this thread. All I did was paste in someone’s brief life history in the hope that some of the complexities or humanness of life might emerge.

If you don’t want to give to beggars that’s your choice. If beggars are despicable to you, well, okay. If you think it’s a good thing to give cheap or pilfered gifts, fine, no problem for me. If you think your actions or no actions help “local governments have” (more) “motivation to train and employ their own people to do the work and become self-sufficient” well, then, I’m speechless.

Surely you can read back through your posts and see who is the person with “angry judgemental thoughts.”

BUT, if I decide to take a guided tour of Burma, maybe I’ll check back in on this thread for some pointers.

Asia 2005, 2006, 2007

Budget travel basics for Southeast Asia gets you started: expenses, transportation, lodging, eating, safety and scams, countries sections, etc.

CK