A regular Christian living in Mormon Country. This is going to be the last post here, though, so say goodbye to christianinutah because she is toast.

We are back in Albany, NY after nearly a year in Asia. We just found a beautiful apartment in a great neighborhood. Some of our new neighbors happen to be refugees. Many of them are ethnic Karen from the Thailand-Burma border where we spent three months in the spring working on Unseen Mae La. Last weekend there was a wonderful article in the Times Union. About the neighborhood and the refugees who live there. Justin recording Lao music on the streets of Vientiane.

Photos of Refugee Life Taken by Karen Refugees. Zoeann first learned about the Karen situation in upstate New York. She was teaching an unseenamerica class, sponsored by the Workforce Development Institute. At a refugee center in Utica. With her friend Connie Houde. And to Karen refugees in Thailand. To create and publish their own media. We created the class .

Our traditional scarf is called Ko Per. In the winter we wear it around our necks to stay warm and in the summer we wear it on our heads to stay cool. I came here to say goodbye to my friend. Afterwards he will resettle in America. This child is so curious. These children are carrying sand to help their families build latrines. This is where some of our water is stored. She was so excited on her special day.

Forty-three thousand refugees, most of them from the Karen ethnic minority, live in the Mae La refugee camp along the Thailand-Burma border. Through the Unseen Mae La. Photography project, some Mae La residents were given the opportunity to document their lives in the camp and tell their stories of survival and strength. 2006 Mae La arrival Eh Doe Soe. Describes how she ended up in the camp.