Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Big day today.

That is all.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Much to tell, but not today...

Big things are afoot, but I'm in enforced radio silence at the moment. There may be important news in a week.

Things are going well.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

There are better things I should be doing.

I miss my students, and what they symbolize - meaningful work, meaningful existence, daily challenge and self-improvement. I wrote to them yesterday, inquiring about their situation in the wake of the devastating cyclone in Burma. One year ago today I was in Rangoon at the start of the monsoon season. I'm half relieved that I wasn't there when the cyclone descended in its fury. Yet my remnant half is desperately wishing that I were there, so I could be of some value. It's hard to imagine a worse place for this to happen - ruled by a vicious clique indifferent to the people at the best of times, paranoid to the point of parody, and consumed by rank greed. Burma is an aid workers' nightmare, with the most decrepit transportation infrastructure I've ever seen, miserable sanitation and uncounted local rivalries that politicize humanitarian assistance. I will be very surprised if the death toll is below 50,000, and I won't be shocked if it exceeds 100,000.

Anyhow, I received this email in response, remarkable primarily for its unvanquishable good cheer.

Dear teacher Paul,

There is clearly no need to say how much i thank you for your kind regards on our families and all of my friends, and i get happy to get nice and kind message from you. Dear teacher Paul, we ( all of your students and all of your students' families ) are in good situation. Dear teacher Paul, i would like to say you again " thank you very much" and one thing i would like to apologise is that i really hope that you will understand on me why i have been absent to send nice message to you. The reason why i have been like this is that i was away from internet. Dear teacher Paul, i really and honestly wish you to give my nice and kind regards to your family, especially your girlfriend you love more than your parents. Just kidding, teacher Paul, ha ha ha....... i really miss you so much, teacher Paul. Good luck! By the way, i would like to know where our kind and nice teacher, Jonna is staying and including her email address that can be sent to her.

May you get free from illness and diseases.

I remain,
Yours very good student,
Name witheld