A netbot picked this up for the [him] moderator. It is full of inaccuracies and bizarre observations.

[him] moderator

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HIV vs Burma

Few things break my heart more than the abuse of the defenseless. In fact, isn't that the only thing that ever breaks someone's heart? The situation in Thailand is horrible - prostitution has increased exponentially since the Vietnam War. It is impossible to precisely point fingers, but the American GIs pretty much gave Asian women a new way to make money. Prior to the war, prostitution hadn't crossed many women's' minds. I can imagine that it is hard to eradicate after the government has let it slide for so long. When people get used to making money a certain way, they have no other trade to fall back on if the government tells them they have to stop. Foreign tourists have kept the trend going, especially from Europe. Dirty old men. Prostitution spread from Vietnam to Thailand, which has become infamous for child prostitution. As Thailand has become a more "legitimate" country in the world's eyes, the government has been cracking down on prostitution, causing the market to cross the border into the much more slack Cambodia. All this obviously leads to a spread in STDs, more specifically HIV/AIDS. How terrible to be born with something that will deteriorate your life?

Watching Jakit play with May is devastating. There are about 80 kids in the orphanage, but I look after a solid 14 of the youngest ones. In their eyes, they are basically a big family of 14 brothers, sisters, and cousins. They wake up next to each other, eat with each other, play with each other, cry with each other. These other orphans ARE their childhood. Jakit was born to a woman with AIDS who died, but he miraculously didn't contract HIV. You can be born HIV+ and beat it a few months later, but Agape has a policy that once you are admitted to the orphanage based on a positive showing for HIV, you can never be asked to leave. That means Jakit has a much higher chance of being adopted. Most non-HIV kids are adopted relatively quickly. Anyway, watching May and Jakit play is difficult for me sometimes. May is stunning. Intense eyes, black hair, round face, tan skin, squeaky voice. Jakit is a heartbreaker. They'll wrestle on the trampoline together laughing till they cry, but sometimes the only thing I see is the blood in their veins. Do they even know they're so different? Will May be furious one day that she wasn't spared? Will she blame God? Will her cognition so deteriorate from HIV that she won't be mentally aware enough to know what is going on? Does God look favorably on people who have damages to mental cognition, giving them a "get out of jail free"? At what point does that start? May is brilliant, but many kids with HIV develop learning difficulties later on in life. Their bodies don't recover as fast as non-HIV bodies do. I don't know. All I see is two loving kids who have no concept of the ocean in between them. Is there even one? Is it all a frame of mind?

AIDS is terrible, but these kids are adored, fed, bathed, kissed, snuggled, and spoiled. Two hours north of me there are atrocities committed that make my head swim, make my eyes water, and make me want to hurl. Burma is a country that has been ignored too long, and I can feel it hovering over me. How can I live here, so close, and not do anything? Relief workers caution about the proper way to act - marching across the border as a little band of WASPS doesn't work. Proper certification and backbone and training and language is necessary. But there are many relief camps for refugees on the Thai border and I'm dying to volunteer at one. I'm honestly thinking of cutting Agape short by 6 months and spending the last 6 at a refugee camp. Orphans are sad, but I'm just one extra babysitter. If I can do more, I want to. I brought it up to my uncle, who raised the ethical question of whether or not I ought to break my 1 year commitment with the orphanage. I will pray about it I suppose, and if I still feel like going, I'll talk to my boss and hope she is accepting. Doors open when they ought to.

Anyway, this blog seems negative, but it is positive. Read it in a positive light. Passions and drives are good things! I had a great dinner with the family in the night bazaar after a day at work with the kids. Went flower shopping - my balcony is turning into a greenhouse. Love and miss family and friends. If you're reading this, I probably love and miss you. Always-

http://landonlacey.blogspot.com/2008/09/hiv-vs-burma.html