Have you got a Christmas gift?

I came to visit Mae Sot during this three day off weekend to pick up my boyfriend who came back from nursing his ailing mother in his hometown.  Mae Sot is a city in Thailand bordered to Myawaddy township in Myanmar.  More than 50% of the population in Mae Sot seems to be migrant workers from Myanmar.  I used to work in Mae Sot for more than two and a half years and I moved to another town in the beginning of this year.  I met my boyfriend in this town and had got lots of friends while working here.

I love Mae Sot because it has all the foods and materials that are available in Myanmar.  You don’t need to know Thai to order food in restaurants here.  I never feel lonely while being here with friends.  As usual, as soon as I am back in Mae Sot, I went to the Burmese teashop to taste the wonderful milk tea and all snacks that are very tasty.  I feel home!

And this morning, after having my favourite breakfast, Mont Hin Ka, which is rice noodles with gravy fish soup I went to see my old friends.  Of course they are gays!  At the usual meeting point, some started gossiping early at this hour.  A friend then told me one is sick and he is at home and I should go visit him.  That made me a bit worried.  I bought some bread, milk and a bunch of banana and I went to his house.  He answered the door.  To my surprise, I do not know which will be the suitable words to describe his appearance but he is just skin and bones.  I met him five months ago or maybe six, he looked fresh and very active.  He talked non-stop.  But this morning was totally the opposite.

To my knowledge, that friend had never been to school.  He came to work in Mae Sot eight years ago as a daily labour.  When I met him this morning, he told me, “I got that 4 digit disease,” which most people would understand as AIDS.  I lost my words.  And I asked him if he is taking any drugs and he told me, “Don’t you know, it cannot be cured.  There is no drug to cure this disease.”  I tried to explain him as much as I could but he insisted that there was not any cure as such.  Then he added that his lungs were very painful.  Again, I asked him if he is taking any TB drugs.  He answered me that the monk from his village told him not to eat pork this year as it could be very unlucky for him.  But he ate pork and now he is suffering.  Not only AIDS, but also pain in the lungs as he did not listen to the monk.  I just told him to see the doctor and get appropriate treatments.  What he replied was heart-breaking.  He did not make any health insurance since two years ago and it is very costly if he goes to hospital.  I told him if he was willing to go to the hospital now and I would try as much as I could to explain the doctors about him.  Being very stubborn, he looked at me angrily and told me if I wanted to shame him more!  It brought tears to my eyes as I walked back to my hotel.

Brothers and sisters, have you got any Christmas present this year?  I got one.  Just this morning and it can be compared to none.  But I am yet to afford a gift to a friend, a brother and a sister.  It is the most wonderful Christmas gift that an unseen Santa sent to me.  This gift enlightened my vision, determination and strengthened me to put more efforts in what I am doing.  This gift sent me a message that I need so much to do to afford a gift for my friend, my brother and my sister.

I am sure all of us would want to give such a gift to someone we meet in life when they are in need.  With this Christmas, a year is ending and a new year is approaching.

We are on facebook, we are on social-networking sites, we are having reunions, we are having parties and we know how to live a safer lifestyle.

Have we shared some of what we know to someone who does not have access to these services?  What could happen if we all know a safer lifestyle  I am reluctant to put a question mark to this question, as you and me know the answer to this question and even the answer to the opposite question.

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and may you enjoy the season with all your loved ones!

May everyone gets a Christmas gift and may everyone be able to give one…


David (pour toi) | 24 December 2011 @ 21:30 | Mae Sot | Thailand