As part of my Development Advocate role, I am currently putting together a short video of my work here, which I hope to have ready by Refugee Week in the UK (16-22 June).
VSO UK have provided me with all the necessary equipment, as well as online training about conducting and filming interviews. All that is lacking now is the technical know-how! The camera and the editing software that I have are, I believe, both fairly simple to use, but for someone as technologically reluctant as myself it is proving to be a bit of a challenge.
Thankfully I have the support of my coordinator, who is in his element with all of this. Last week we went out and filmed a few background shots of Mae Sot, which I have been using to have a go at using the editing software. Mid-week I hit crisis point when I could not work out how to take the audio from one piece of footage and superimpose it onto different video footage. I got as far as having two soundtracks going along simultaneously - not quite the effect I was looking for - and then came to a stumbling halt.
As I was tearing my hair out and lamenting "Why did I ever sign up for this?!" my coordinator leaned over and said quietly "Heather, I think you have already bitten off more than you can chew!" I must stop teaching him these English phrases; he quotes them back at me at the most pertinent moments!!
On Sunday, we went to one of the centres where we work, as we thought the peaceful, leafy grounds would provide a pleasant backdrop for our own interview footage. As I was riding along on my motorbike I suddenly thought "I hope there's nothing going on at the temple today - that would put a spanner in the works." (I haven't taught him that one yet!) Sure enough, when I arrived there was a Buddhist sermon being preached loud and clear over the loudspeakers, and it sounded as if it was set to continue for some time...
We changed our plan and went instead to another centre which is nearby. No preaching monks there, just a few teachers and cleaners doing some work in the building calling out to each other occasionally, and the odd aeroplane going over, but mostly it was quiet.
After several attempts (including me failing to press the record button properly at one point, resulting in us "filming" a whole section without filming anything at all!) we managed to get all the footage we wanted, and I then spent the rest of the day cutting it all into useable pieces for the film. Next week we are going to do some filming with the children and teachers at the centres, and then we'll finally be able to put it all together.
In the meantime, here is a little preview of the masterwork. One of the qualities VSO say is essential for their volunteers is a sense of humour - they are not wrong!
Monday, 19 May 2014
Friday, 2 May 2014
Burma Trip
A quick run down of my trip to Burma before it is too far in the past to be meaningful!
Yangon - we were here at the height of the Thingyan water festival celebrations, so it was impossible to move around without getting drenched. Hence I hardly took any photos as my phone/camera was safely wrapped up in a sealed plastic bag to prevent damage.
I did take it out to take a few shots of the Shwedagon Pagoda. (Tip for would-be visitors - much better to go early in the morning or later in the evening rather than during the heat of the day when the marble floor is scorchingly hot for one's bare feet!)
A highlight of the trip for me was visiting Aung San Suu Kyi's house. You can't actually go in, but just to be outside those historic gates was a truly moving experience.
Mandalay: we were here for the tail end of Thingyan (it goes on for days!). In Yangon, groups of mostly young men spent the days careering round the streets in open trucks getting drenched and throwing water at passers-by. They were trying the same thing in Mandalay, but there was so much traffic that they had completely snarled up the main road following the moat around the palace, with the result that no-one was going anywhere. It didn't look quite so much fun, somehow!
We didn't get to look inside the palace as it was closed for the holiday. We did go on a tour of some of the sights in the surrounding area:
The tourist attraction at one monastery that we visited was watching the monks line up for their lunch and receive food from the local people. I couldn't help wondering what they though of us all, watching them as if they were animals in a zoo!
Bagan: if you like ancient temples and pagodas, Bagan is the place for you! There are over 3,000 of them. We had an excellent tour guide who took us around a selected few and gave us a fascinating insight into the history, architecture and religious symbolism.
Highlight of the entire trip for me: sitting at the top of a pagoda at the end of the day waiting for the sun to go down, discussing human rights with our tour guide and meeting a man who had been imprisoned for two years for taking part in the peaceful protests of the Saffron Revolution. Inspiring and humbling. (We never saw the sun go down - it disappeared behind a cloud first!)
Inle Lake: We were supposed to fly from Bagan to Inle, but when we got to the airport for our 9.15am flight we were told it had been rescheduled to 7.25 and had already gone. There were no more flights that day, so what should have been a 40 minute flight turned into a 7 hour road trip. This left us with only one full day at Inle, but it was a wonderfully relaxing interlude in an otherwise busy holiday. Our hotel was right on the lake and therefore only accessible by boat. We had a lovely walk in the nearby hills, and spent two very relaxing evenings watching the sun go down over the lake from the hotel veranda.
The sound of singing drew us into this little village nursery school where we were welcomed in and ended up singing along with the children. Primary school teachers - you can't take them anywhere!
Hpa An (Karen State): We had to return to Yangon and spend one more night there, before taking a bus to Hpa An, which was a six and a half hour trip. The bus was packed, by which I mean there were people sitting on little plastic chairs all down the aisle. Thankfully we had reserved seats.
The main reason for visiting Hpa An was to attend the wedding of Alice's coordinator, Pearl. It was a lovely occasion, and such a privilege to be able to share it with them.
The next day she took us on a tour of the area, showing us all the local sights of interest, including several caves which have been turned into Buddhist shrines.
We also visited the village where her mother lives and works as a community midwife. We met her at the little clinic that she runs. (Several of the villagers also came along to have a look at us, having never met foreigners before.)
The mountain scenery is spectacular:
Back to Mae Sot: We returned via road, as it is only a six hour drive from Hpa An to the border at Mae Sot. We hired a car and driver to take us. The first four hours are fine, and then the road becomes interesting as it hits the mountains. It is so narrow that traffic can only proceed in one direction, so the arrangement is that on alternate days you can travel in one direction or the other. You have to know the schedule before you can plan your journey! The road was busy, and I was amazed at the travelling conditions for most people. Most cars and trucks were jammed with people all squashed in any which way. One man was sitting astride the tailgate with one foot in the van and the other outside on the footplate. Given the bumpiness of the road I thought that can't be comfortable!! We made it back in one piece, despite our driver's rather overenthusiastic negotiation of some of the bends, with the mountainside dropping away dramatically at the road's edge.
A wonderful, inspiring trip!
Yangon - we were here at the height of the Thingyan water festival celebrations, so it was impossible to move around without getting drenched. Hence I hardly took any photos as my phone/camera was safely wrapped up in a sealed plastic bag to prevent damage.
I did take it out to take a few shots of the Shwedagon Pagoda. (Tip for would-be visitors - much better to go early in the morning or later in the evening rather than during the heat of the day when the marble floor is scorchingly hot for one's bare feet!)
A highlight of the trip for me was visiting Aung San Suu Kyi's house. You can't actually go in, but just to be outside those historic gates was a truly moving experience.
Mandalay: we were here for the tail end of Thingyan (it goes on for days!). In Yangon, groups of mostly young men spent the days careering round the streets in open trucks getting drenched and throwing water at passers-by. They were trying the same thing in Mandalay, but there was so much traffic that they had completely snarled up the main road following the moat around the palace, with the result that no-one was going anywhere. It didn't look quite so much fun, somehow!
We didn't get to look inside the palace as it was closed for the holiday. We did go on a tour of some of the sights in the surrounding area:
The tourist attraction at one monastery that we visited was watching the monks line up for their lunch and receive food from the local people. I couldn't help wondering what they though of us all, watching them as if they were animals in a zoo!
It was worth the hot, sweaty climb to the top of this temple to see the view:
Bagan: if you like ancient temples and pagodas, Bagan is the place for you! There are over 3,000 of them. We had an excellent tour guide who took us around a selected few and gave us a fascinating insight into the history, architecture and religious symbolism.
Highlight of the entire trip for me: sitting at the top of a pagoda at the end of the day waiting for the sun to go down, discussing human rights with our tour guide and meeting a man who had been imprisoned for two years for taking part in the peaceful protests of the Saffron Revolution. Inspiring and humbling. (We never saw the sun go down - it disappeared behind a cloud first!)
Inle Lake: We were supposed to fly from Bagan to Inle, but when we got to the airport for our 9.15am flight we were told it had been rescheduled to 7.25 and had already gone. There were no more flights that day, so what should have been a 40 minute flight turned into a 7 hour road trip. This left us with only one full day at Inle, but it was a wonderfully relaxing interlude in an otherwise busy holiday. Our hotel was right on the lake and therefore only accessible by boat. We had a lovely walk in the nearby hills, and spent two very relaxing evenings watching the sun go down over the lake from the hotel veranda.
The sound of singing drew us into this little village nursery school where we were welcomed in and ended up singing along with the children. Primary school teachers - you can't take them anywhere!
Hpa An (Karen State): We had to return to Yangon and spend one more night there, before taking a bus to Hpa An, which was a six and a half hour trip. The bus was packed, by which I mean there were people sitting on little plastic chairs all down the aisle. Thankfully we had reserved seats.
The main reason for visiting Hpa An was to attend the wedding of Alice's coordinator, Pearl. It was a lovely occasion, and such a privilege to be able to share it with them.
The next day she took us on a tour of the area, showing us all the local sights of interest, including several caves which have been turned into Buddhist shrines.
We also visited the village where her mother lives and works as a community midwife. We met her at the little clinic that she runs. (Several of the villagers also came along to have a look at us, having never met foreigners before.)
The mountain scenery is spectacular:
Back to Mae Sot: We returned via road, as it is only a six hour drive from Hpa An to the border at Mae Sot. We hired a car and driver to take us. The first four hours are fine, and then the road becomes interesting as it hits the mountains. It is so narrow that traffic can only proceed in one direction, so the arrangement is that on alternate days you can travel in one direction or the other. You have to know the schedule before you can plan your journey! The road was busy, and I was amazed at the travelling conditions for most people. Most cars and trucks were jammed with people all squashed in any which way. One man was sitting astride the tailgate with one foot in the van and the other outside on the footplate. Given the bumpiness of the road I thought that can't be comfortable!! We made it back in one piece, despite our driver's rather overenthusiastic negotiation of some of the bends, with the mountainside dropping away dramatically at the road's edge.
A wonderful, inspiring trip!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)