Day 4 - Stopping the Silence

Again, only one woman arrived this morning from the original crew on Monday. Two new "students" arrived at the center, and I only hoped they would come again tomorrow. Both of the new women today couldn't speak a lot of English, so the facility manager was helpful with translation. I learned that one women in her 40's was forced to take a job at the bar to repay a $10 loan she took out for her daughter to send her to school. She has been repaying it for over a year, and she still owes money. I'm speculating that her loan was from a pimp, whereby, interest never allows a woman to pay back the entire sum. Another woman new to the center today, wanted to go to school. School costs money, and without education and skills, she felt her options were limited.  She looked so young, and so sad. Never smiled.

I recall so many surreal moments from the day. At one point, we were all cooking in the kitchen in silence, when it was suddenly broken by the local Thai facility manager, in a spontaneous rendition of Silent Night. Haunting and beautiful. Later in the day, we all sat outside in the muggy heat, cross legged on a wooden platform enjoying sticky rice together. We all shared stories of how we came to the center, why we came to the center, and why it means something to us. Women from different backgrounds, cultures, economic status, professions. It was safe. Beautiful. Pure. Authentic. A sisterhood was formed. We are all the same, and I just happened to be the lucky one, born into a country where I was given an education and treated equally. These women have so much value and tremendous potential, but need a chance. Things we take for granted would be privileges for them. It was humbling and sobering.

What I learned:

• The Thai system perpetuates poor laborers rather than creating new wealthy consumers. They export food, clothing and other goods at the cheapest price (as that is what the developed world demands), and the West primarily exports money through tourists to Thailand (many, sex tourists). If we continue to demand cheaper and cheaper food items and clothing items, it will continue to force the wage of local workers down, limiting the number of well paying jobs for uneducated persons. We are part of the problem.
• The chauvinistic policy of boys receiving education more readily than girls places girls at an immediate disadvantage of finding meaningful employment.

I read a quote while I was traveling, and I regret to have not written down the author, but it captured so eloquently the situation of the women and girls in so many countries, forced into prostitution, submission and exploitation: 

"Too many women

From too many countries

Speak the same language

Of silence"

I must be the voice. We must be the change together.