Today we spent time with a group of Burmese refugees here in Dhaka
One of the overseas workers here is looking after them and teaching them english. There are about 60 Burmese refugees in Dhaka - which is odd for such an homogenous city and about 20 of them are coming to the lessons. How they are living the could not tell us but they are not eligible to be employed. Only some have official refugee status.
They wept when they told us they had left everything to escape persecution. Some had babies. Babies. Here. When you run away from Burma to raise your baby in Dhaka you are the real thing.
You would never wish to have a child here - not if you could choose where.
Some had been here for 15 years plus, had been university teachers but couldnt go back because the army knew they had been involved in opposing the army's takeover in the 1980s
They can not go home
I was amazed by this and the fact with a smile they would say "well, that's life"
Some have left their family behind - some might never see them again
Just incredible.
It's not life. It's not my life anyway.
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It is hard to try to fathom all this as everyday life marches on in NZ. It must be even harder to fathom when it is right there before your eyes all day, every day. I wonder how it will be to work through all the thinking and understanding and changing that will be required when R is home from all this... I'm glad we won't be doing that alone, just as I'm so glad all the team are not alone there now. Hope everyone is feeling healthy soon!
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