Had an incredible day with Fred today. It was only supposed to be a couple of hours but ended up being an all day affair, from 8am until 5pm. I was pretty well worn out (also did 1 hour 20 minutes in the dump earlier that day between 540am and 7am). Not sure how Fred does it at 71 with a pacemaker, he was constantly in motion, noticing and controlling everything. As passionate a man as I have ever seen. I am like 20 years younger than Fred but got tired and worn down first.
We delivered water to the dump 2 times, we distributed medicine 2 times, we delivered ice 2 times, we visited his rented land (Buddha Land). Gave people rides, took a young girl to school to register. I got to see everything up close and first hand. His team of young teens (13-15 year olds) working to help him help others was most interesting. They are his translators as they speak English and also Burmese. Fred only speaks English, he can speak any Thai or Burmese. They are also his little worker ants and spies, reporting issues, looking for problems that he can fix. He has set up an ingenious system to get a lot done in the fastest, simplest and cheapest way. He makes many sacrifices for others. Fred is the kind of person I admire most a giver and not just a taker.
We ended up talking all day (made some video and audio recordings). I learned of much of his life, of his thoughts on things like NGOs and the Missionaries. I got an understanding of the love the community has for him and he for them. His enemies, the people who cause problems and his difficulties were also a much discussed topic. So much info came my way I was a bit overwhelmed at times. I am still processing all I learned, and all I saw.
An incredible day, the most memorable of this trip. I am very happy I decided to spend an extra day here. After some earlier animosity dating back several years Fred and I sort of hit it off. I think we are much closer now, I think we will work together again (check out the next blog entry). I thought my time at the dump was over, but now I am not so sure. I may be back.
We delivered water to the dump 2 times, we distributed medicine 2 times, we delivered ice 2 times, we visited his rented land (Buddha Land). Gave people rides, took a young girl to school to register. I got to see everything up close and first hand. His team of young teens (13-15 year olds) working to help him help others was most interesting. They are his translators as they speak English and also Burmese. Fred only speaks English, he can speak any Thai or Burmese. They are also his little worker ants and spies, reporting issues, looking for problems that he can fix. He has set up an ingenious system to get a lot done in the fastest, simplest and cheapest way. He makes many sacrifices for others. Fred is the kind of person I admire most a giver and not just a taker.
We ended up talking all day (made some video and audio recordings). I learned of much of his life, of his thoughts on things like NGOs and the Missionaries. I got an understanding of the love the community has for him and he for them. His enemies, the people who cause problems and his difficulties were also a much discussed topic. So much info came my way I was a bit overwhelmed at times. I am still processing all I learned, and all I saw.
An incredible day, the most memorable of this trip. I am very happy I decided to spend an extra day here. After some earlier animosity dating back several years Fred and I sort of hit it off. I think we are much closer now, I think we will work together again (check out the next blog entry). I thought my time at the dump was over, but now I am not so sure. I may be back.
