A Volunteer’s Diary Part 3
[Nargis Relief Story Part V – A Trip to Phyar Pone](Retold by Daw Kyin Kyin)
On 27th May 2008, Sanay Dhamma Friends and volunteers made their third trip to Irrawaddy delta. They travelled to another provincial town called Phyar Pone and surrounding villages. Following are notes taken by Ma Kyin Kyin about their preparation works and the trip.
We had already used all funds you transferred previously. It totalled about 10 million Kyats. We used it all to buy various necessities for refugees in Myaungmya and Laputta. I had balance of 1.8 million Kyats (1,844,000 in exact) from your latest transfer. In our next trip we planned to reach out to villages in Phyar Pone district.
Ma Myo Myo called me on one day. “Ah-ma (sister), lets get some dry-fish this time round. We could buy as much as 3-lakh Kyats worth of dry-fish”. “That’s good”, I said. “Let me take care of the task”. I then went to Thirimingalar wholesale market and bought dry-fish, onion, and dry-chilli etc. At home we did not have space and cooking facilities to deep fry this much of fish. Daw Khin Aye Mu and I went to Htantabin monastery and sought permission. The abbot was more than welcome. “Please just come. We have spacious kitchen, plenty of firewood, and ready water supply. I can even arrange manpower to help you”, the abbot said. However, Aphaygyi (my dad) asked me to use a nearby construction site. He said there was enough firewood and water. I decided to use construction site since it was closer to our house. I then asked around nearby houses to help us removing fish head. Only several neighbours were willing. Many people were not interested. Daw Khin Aye Mue came back after a while. “Hey…Ah-Kyin, you kept the abbot waiting. He had already gathered volunteers to help us. How could this be done by one or two? Come…pass me these fishes”. So she carried 60-Viss (100kg) of dry-fish in a taxi. At monastery, volunteers helped to remove fish head. Once the job was done, the abbot gave us a ring. We hired trishaws to carry fishes back to the construction site.
It was not only dry-fish but onion and garlic about 30-Viss (50kg) needed processing. Mu Mu (my younger sister) and her colleagues helped with the task. Win Zaw Oo, Baung Cheng, and two ladies from downstairs took the chef’s job. We started at 1 PM and finished around 1 AM next morning. Well, that was just cooking. On the next day, Daw Khin Aye Mu and ten ladies from her neighbourhood came to help in mixing and packing of the food so that it would be ready for distribution. I took care of dinner, snacks and drinks for those who helped in cooking, and gave steamed glutinous rice to those who helped in packing.
There were people of all kinds. Some were so enthusiastic. They kept an attitude that “though I could not afford cash and kind, I would give my labour for the cause”. Some who were able threw their weight in – everything from cash, kind and labour to transporting aid – generously. Volunteers from Mingalar bazaar, for example, not only donated loads of aid but also brought themselves to help us distributing aid all the way to affected areas such as Bogalay and Laputta. I must here commend that we wouldn’t have done this much without their energetic contribution.
Some other people turned out differently. Some of our neighbours were not interested even to give us a hand in removing fish head though they would not have much things to do at home for the whole day. Some could just spend their time chatting around at teashops and reckoning with lottery numbers. Perhaps they haven’t experienced disastrous suffering in their life. They would only cry foul when it hit their own backyard. When authorities announced cyclone food rations, they would rush to queue whole morning for their share even the handout was a tiny fish by lucky-draw or a small amount of cooking oil. There were too, people who ventured out under the storm and picked up zinc-roof sheets flown off from others’ houses, and there were stories of death and accident among them. You know, people get government they deserve. Old proverbs like “this rain, this wind, and these people” as well as “this king, this government, and these thieves” were just right for this occasion. Well, let the matter rest here.
Win Zaw Oo and one of his assistants brought those packets of deep fry dry-fish from cooking site to our house. In fact our house was also full with bags of donated cloths. Thus I rang Ma Myo Myo to come get these. (My sister recounted me on the phone that Ma Lwin Lwin Moe offered to store aid items at her brother’s house where there was no occupant and located just opposite of her parents’. How could we otherwise find a place for this much of goods? Ma Myo Myo is a sister of Ma Lwin Lwin Moe. She runs a clothing shop at Mingalar bazaar. Our aid mission and smooth distribution owed much to the strenuous contribution of Ma Myo Myo. We have made larger impact as we combine ours with donations from shop owners from Mingalar bazaar. Thanks to Ma Myo Myo and Ma Lwin Lwin Moe. We alone wouldn’t be this smooth. We the Sanay Dhamma Friends here would like register our heartfelt appreciation to Ma Myo Myo and volunteers from Mingalar bazaar).
Daw Khin Aye Mu gave us a message. “Htantabin abbot informed me that there were four container loads of second-hand cloths brought here by a monk from Mandalay. You might pick up as much as you could for donation in delta region”. I told Ma Myo Myo about the news. Later about 9 PM we went to Thusitaryone monastery to pick three bags of cloths. Not only cloths there were also rice bags and sugar but we could not take anymore as our car was fully loaded. Furthermore we had already bought 100 rice bags to collect at Phyar Pone. (Note: 1 rice bag = 45 kg)
On 27th May, Baung Cheng (I don’t remember his real name) and I took taxi to Ma Myo Myo’s house. Those vehicles loaded with goods had already left since last night 10 O’clock. We started our journey at 3:30 AM and reached Phyar Pone at 6:30 AM. We first had fried noodles packed from home by Ma Myo Myo as our breakfast. We then transferred goods onto a ferry. It was 8 AM sharp when our ferry departed.
We had a guide along with us. We reached a village called Kyone-De` at minutes passed 12 noon. I was told that we’ll handout aid based on village census. Once we got the list we had to pack goods accordingly. After that we handed out goods and receipt coupons. We had to form a pool and played lucky draw for some items which we did not have enough quantity to give everyone. Those did not win the draw nonetheless got consolation items.
It was already 4:30 PM when we had done with our distribution. At 5 PM we left for another village located within an hour ferry ride. A car was waiting there to send us back to Phyar Pone. But the car could not take us all. We had to leave some of us and goods behind. It was faster by road than river. We reached Phyar Pone at 7:30 PM. At Phyar Pone we arranged another car to fetch remaining group. We had our dinner at Phyar Pone. By the way, we took our lunch onboard ferry on the way to Kyone-De`. We left for Yangon after our second group arrived from the village. I reached home minutes passed 1 O’clock in the morning.
Let me add some more about people during all this aid work. When I was preparing aid mission to delta I then asked neighbours and those in my network to donate second-hand cloths such as shirts and Longyis. Many of them donated cloths in good condition and cleanly washed with added fragrance. Some cloths, however, were with full of stink and impossible to wear. I had no choice but to throw these cloths away. At home we sorted cloths into different categories such as men wears, women wears and children wears. That could make easier for distribution. For instance, we would write down how many pairs of cloths for men and so on. A portion of cloths were very new. We could hardly detect a cloth that was torn or tainted. There were some, one or two, with dirt and stink. These could be from those with poor generosity. Some were extremely careful. In the task of removing fish head, some volunteers even took extra step to remove faeces-thread from fish body. It was about different people.
There were plenty to write but I couldn’t recall everything now. Perhaps this note was just one fifth of what I had forgotten. Villages we visited in this trip were 1. Kyone-Kan (South) 2. Kyone-Kan (North) 3. Kyone-Kan (Shoal) and 4. Kamasuk. I did not take many photos. What have been printed and sent to you were all I had. Ma Lwin Lwin Moe said she would save all photos she had taken in a CD and would pass to you, including video shots.
Sahdu…Sahdu…Sahdu.
[Nargis Relief Story Part V – A Trip to Phyar Pone](Retold by Daw Kyin Kyin)
On 27th May 2008, Sanay Dhamma Friends and volunteers made their third trip to Irrawaddy delta. They travelled to another provincial town called Phyar Pone and surrounding villages. Following are notes taken by Ma Kyin Kyin about their preparation works and the trip.
We had already used all funds you transferred previously. It totalled about 10 million Kyats. We used it all to buy various necessities for refugees in Myaungmya and Laputta. I had balance of 1.8 million Kyats (1,844,000 in exact) from your latest transfer. In our next trip we planned to reach out to villages in Phyar Pone district.
Ma Myo Myo called me on one day. “Ah-ma (sister), lets get some dry-fish this time round. We could buy as much as 3-lakh Kyats worth of dry-fish”. “That’s good”, I said. “Let me take care of the task”. I then went to Thirimingalar wholesale market and bought dry-fish, onion, and dry-chilli etc. At home we did not have space and cooking facilities to deep fry this much of fish. Daw Khin Aye Mu and I went to Htantabin monastery and sought permission. The abbot was more than welcome. “Please just come. We have spacious kitchen, plenty of firewood, and ready water supply. I can even arrange manpower to help you”, the abbot said. However, Aphaygyi (my dad) asked me to use a nearby construction site. He said there was enough firewood and water. I decided to use construction site since it was closer to our house. I then asked around nearby houses to help us removing fish head. Only several neighbours were willing. Many people were not interested. Daw Khin Aye Mue came back after a while. “Hey…Ah-Kyin, you kept the abbot waiting. He had already gathered volunteers to help us. How could this be done by one or two? Come…pass me these fishes”. So she carried 60-Viss (100kg) of dry-fish in a taxi. At monastery, volunteers helped to remove fish head. Once the job was done, the abbot gave us a ring. We hired trishaws to carry fishes back to the construction site.
It was not only dry-fish but onion and garlic about 30-Viss (50kg) needed processing. Mu Mu (my younger sister) and her colleagues helped with the task. Win Zaw Oo, Baung Cheng, and two ladies from downstairs took the chef’s job. We started at 1 PM and finished around 1 AM next morning. Well, that was just cooking. On the next day, Daw Khin Aye Mu and ten ladies from her neighbourhood came to help in mixing and packing of the food so that it would be ready for distribution. I took care of dinner, snacks and drinks for those who helped in cooking, and gave steamed glutinous rice to those who helped in packing.
There were people of all kinds. Some were so enthusiastic. They kept an attitude that “though I could not afford cash and kind, I would give my labour for the cause”. Some who were able threw their weight in – everything from cash, kind and labour to transporting aid – generously. Volunteers from Mingalar bazaar, for example, not only donated loads of aid but also brought themselves to help us distributing aid all the way to affected areas such as Bogalay and Laputta. I must here commend that we wouldn’t have done this much without their energetic contribution.
Some other people turned out differently. Some of our neighbours were not interested even to give us a hand in removing fish head though they would not have much things to do at home for the whole day. Some could just spend their time chatting around at teashops and reckoning with lottery numbers. Perhaps they haven’t experienced disastrous suffering in their life. They would only cry foul when it hit their own backyard. When authorities announced cyclone food rations, they would rush to queue whole morning for their share even the handout was a tiny fish by lucky-draw or a small amount of cooking oil. There were too, people who ventured out under the storm and picked up zinc-roof sheets flown off from others’ houses, and there were stories of death and accident among them. You know, people get government they deserve. Old proverbs like “this rain, this wind, and these people” as well as “this king, this government, and these thieves” were just right for this occasion. Well, let the matter rest here.
Win Zaw Oo and one of his assistants brought those packets of deep fry dry-fish from cooking site to our house. In fact our house was also full with bags of donated cloths. Thus I rang Ma Myo Myo to come get these. (My sister recounted me on the phone that Ma Lwin Lwin Moe offered to store aid items at her brother’s house where there was no occupant and located just opposite of her parents’. How could we otherwise find a place for this much of goods? Ma Myo Myo is a sister of Ma Lwin Lwin Moe. She runs a clothing shop at Mingalar bazaar. Our aid mission and smooth distribution owed much to the strenuous contribution of Ma Myo Myo. We have made larger impact as we combine ours with donations from shop owners from Mingalar bazaar. Thanks to Ma Myo Myo and Ma Lwin Lwin Moe. We alone wouldn’t be this smooth. We the Sanay Dhamma Friends here would like register our heartfelt appreciation to Ma Myo Myo and volunteers from Mingalar bazaar).
Daw Khin Aye Mu gave us a message. “Htantabin abbot informed me that there were four container loads of second-hand cloths brought here by a monk from Mandalay. You might pick up as much as you could for donation in delta region”. I told Ma Myo Myo about the news. Later about 9 PM we went to Thusitaryone monastery to pick three bags of cloths. Not only cloths there were also rice bags and sugar but we could not take anymore as our car was fully loaded. Furthermore we had already bought 100 rice bags to collect at Phyar Pone. (Note: 1 rice bag = 45 kg)
On 27th May, Baung Cheng (I don’t remember his real name) and I took taxi to Ma Myo Myo’s house. Those vehicles loaded with goods had already left since last night 10 O’clock. We started our journey at 3:30 AM and reached Phyar Pone at 6:30 AM. We first had fried noodles packed from home by Ma Myo Myo as our breakfast. We then transferred goods onto a ferry. It was 8 AM sharp when our ferry departed.
We had a guide along with us. We reached a village called Kyone-De` at minutes passed 12 noon. I was told that we’ll handout aid based on village census. Once we got the list we had to pack goods accordingly. After that we handed out goods and receipt coupons. We had to form a pool and played lucky draw for some items which we did not have enough quantity to give everyone. Those did not win the draw nonetheless got consolation items.
It was already 4:30 PM when we had done with our distribution. At 5 PM we left for another village located within an hour ferry ride. A car was waiting there to send us back to Phyar Pone. But the car could not take us all. We had to leave some of us and goods behind. It was faster by road than river. We reached Phyar Pone at 7:30 PM. At Phyar Pone we arranged another car to fetch remaining group. We had our dinner at Phyar Pone. By the way, we took our lunch onboard ferry on the way to Kyone-De`. We left for Yangon after our second group arrived from the village. I reached home minutes passed 1 O’clock in the morning.
Let me add some more about people during all this aid work. When I was preparing aid mission to delta I then asked neighbours and those in my network to donate second-hand cloths such as shirts and Longyis. Many of them donated cloths in good condition and cleanly washed with added fragrance. Some cloths, however, were with full of stink and impossible to wear. I had no choice but to throw these cloths away. At home we sorted cloths into different categories such as men wears, women wears and children wears. That could make easier for distribution. For instance, we would write down how many pairs of cloths for men and so on. A portion of cloths were very new. We could hardly detect a cloth that was torn or tainted. There were some, one or two, with dirt and stink. These could be from those with poor generosity. Some were extremely careful. In the task of removing fish head, some volunteers even took extra step to remove faeces-thread from fish body. It was about different people.
There were plenty to write but I couldn’t recall everything now. Perhaps this note was just one fifth of what I had forgotten. Villages we visited in this trip were 1. Kyone-Kan (South) 2. Kyone-Kan (North) 3. Kyone-Kan (Shoal) and 4. Kamasuk. I did not take many photos. What have been printed and sent to you were all I had. Ma Lwin Lwin Moe said she would save all photos she had taken in a CD and would pass to you, including video shots.
Sahdu…Sahdu…Sahdu.
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