Myanmar

I can't believe the death toll in Myanmar will most likely surpass 100,000. I certainly CAN believe that the military junta would have the audacity to refuse aid, as that government is comprised not of men but of monsters. I feel sick to my stomach.

When I was visiting Shwedagon Pagoda--one of the world's most famous temples--a group of young girls approached me, accompanied by an older gentleman who served as a translator. The man told me that the girls were from the countryside, it was their first trip to Yangon, and they wanted to have their pictures taken with me. My guess is that they hadn't seen too many white people with blonde hair and blue eyes before, especially given the fact that so few tourists travel to Myanmar. I glanced over at them and they were giggling shyly and trying not to make eye contact. I took a picture with each of the girls individually, and then with the entire group. We hugged, they thanked me, and they giggled some more.

I was looking at these pictures last night. These girls were so beautiful and beaming and sweet. I hope that they are okay. PLEASE let them be okay.

I was so deeply touched by my interactions with the beautiful people there. So much so that, as I have mentioned before, I've had trouble putting it into words. The words aren't coming any more easily now. But the conversations that I did have were filled with a combination of love, hope, fear, and an absolute hunger for knowledge.

There were two students and a young monk who gave me their e-mail addresses. I wrote them once when I first returned, but didn't hear back (e-mail access is extremely limited there, so I wasn't exactly surprised). I think it's time to write to them again.

I've been doing more research on ways to help. The aid situation is very tricky at the moment, but I found a great list of resources on CNN.com. I hope you find the list helpful as well.