The most lovely month of the year!

 Hello, hello friends and foe! I would like to give you a snapshot of what my favorite month of December has been like thus far! I have been busy with teaching my 5th graders, prepping for the end of the quarter, and battling the bugs that tend to crawl through the cracks! Life continues to be wonderful in Myanmar and I must admit that I have been enjoying the time off from the crazy Christmas marketing that we see in the states.

As of late, I have decorated a tree, had some holiday chili, sung a few songs and supported my kids in all that they do! Merry Christmas everybody... to you and you and YOU!

RThis is San San, my little helper! She makes the BEST food and teaches me about the Myanmar culture day in and day out!

Here are my kids! The 5th grade team has been doing a fundraiser where we have been buying and donating books to go to a local library that is being started up in our neighborhood! Here are the 700+ books that we gave them to  get started! It was cool to see the assembly line and how they blessed the books when we passed them off!

Here are some of my friends, Jacob and Saint! I decided to have some friends over for Christmas chili night and Jacob got a hold of my camera...

We had our Christmas concert at school and of course I took advantage of the opportunity to take a picture of my kids when they were not in their uniform! It was a fun night and a great way to see all of the talent in the Elementary school!

I had a traditional Myanmar dress made and Ms. Theingi constantly calls me "the lady in red," whenever I wear it. It takes some getting used to when wearing it, but I feel more Myanmar when I do!

This was the last day of Hip-Hop! I had a blast learning the art of dancing, from my fabulous friend, Jess! She is an incredible teacher and we had a fun time working with the kids! If there was anything that the kids learned, it was having an attitude and knowing how to sick "Party in the USA" by Miley Cirus!

Riff Surjawan, the Migrant!

I am doing a project with my kids about migration in the world. My kids have been assigned the task to interview someone who has migrated and to go and tell their story. I have chosen my friend, Riff, to be an example for what it is that I expect from my students. Here is his story!

                 There are some people in the world who have traveled far and wide, to see what it is that expands over all of the earth. Riff Surjawan is an excellent example of someone who has taken advantage of the opportunity to see the world. He has travelled to three continents, twelve countries and lived in four nations. Riff is originally from Indonesia, where he was born and raised for the first 19 years of his life.  

                As for Riff, he is a bachelor that had a major career change and moved over here to Myanmar in hopes of “turning over a new leaf.” After living in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, for the first half of his life, he migrated to the United States to learn English. There, he went to school to ultimately become an architect and live in Portland, Oregon. During those twenty years, Riff studied Italian, where he learned  the language of love in Sicilla, Italy. Riff moved the urban city of Portland because it was where he was able to find work. When he decided that he no longer wanted to be an architect and try a different career, he went back to school to become a teacher. Riff knew that he was getting restless and applied for jobs overseas. Once Myanmar became an option, he knew that it was where he wanted to go kick off his new career as a teacher.

                Riff moved to Yangon, Myanmar at the end of July this year. It is an urban area, where he voluntarily decided to move here and pursue teaching 7^th grade Math at the International School of Myanmar. After talking to Riff, he talked about how he decided to move to Yangon because it was close to Indonesia, where he would be closer to his family and be able to get in touch with his “Asian roots.” Riff found the move to be easy, where he was able to adjust to the warm climate and kind people of Myanmar in no time at all.

                It has not been as easy as Riff thought as far as communication goes. He has had a tough time adjusting to the lack of internet and wishes that it was not as difficult to get a good internet connection. He had expected Myanmar to be a different pace of life, but still is surprised at how slow the connection to the internet is. If that is the only thing that Riff would like to change though, he clearly is enjoying himself here! In fact, Riff talks about staying here in Yangon longer than he had expected.

                Since Riff only arrived in Myanmar less than six months ago, he has not had the time to go back to the USA to visit. He will be going to Indonesia for the Christmas holiday though and is excited to see his family. While Riff was away in the USA, he has noticed some changes in Indonesia with the government, economy (which is becoming more open), the Chinese are less oppressed and the cities are becoming more developed with people being able to afford houses (residential housing). Because of the changes, the people need stores and supermarkets to provide for of the new communities that are being built. Every time that Riff went back to Indonesia, he grew happier and happier that things were becoming more available for people.         

                There are a few things that Riff misses from the USA: technology, familiarity and his friends. He misses the easiness of the technology, where it is not even a second thought as to where you can access it. The familiarity of where he can go to get Pho (a favorite soup) or perhaps head on down to the local swing dancing club. Above all, Riff misses his friends and the family that he established back in the states. In order to comfort himself when he misses the USA, Riff just flips through his journal, where he has recorded all of the memories that he wants to look back on.

                Riff is happy wherever he is and makes the most of any and everything. Riff looks back at his migrating across the world with a smile on his face, and looks at the future with hopes of exciting and new adventures!

Many Nations Celebration!

Hola! Guten Tag! Mingalaba! Here are some photos from International Day! I want to start off with showing you the video of my kids' hip hop performance!! I am so proud of them!

 Here is a photo of them doing their dance, Party in the USA! They brought their attitudes and all :)

This is my friend Htut Bui, who is originally from the northern part of Myanmar!

Riff, Toon and I are all smiles!

The beginning of the parade had all of the kids in their Myanmar traditional dress... 

This is what the men wear for weddings! All the boys were proudly wearing their headgear!

There are the clothes for the traditional women;s dress!

Group shot of Myanmar outfits!

China represents! We have quite a bit of Chinese students at our school, as you can see.

This is one of my students, who wore her Myanmar dress, bright lipstick and tanika (tree paste) on her face.

AMERICA! The last kids to go on stage represented America, wearing business suits...

Here are a few of my students in their traditional clothes... they were going to be doing a performance later, so they looked extra sparkly!

Some more performers for the International Stage!

Beauty brought her attitude and was showing me how it is done before heading out to the big stage!

Grade 5-L Came to International Day! Here are the kids that I was able to snag before they ran off :)

Lady Liberty!! 

Privilege

To walk down the street and know that I will not be cat-called or kissed at, rather greeted with a "hello!"
I can travel anywhere in this country and know that I am going to be safe.
That I can easily purchase clean water and fill my belly- in order to avoid the hunger pains.
My boyfriend/husband/brother/father is not beating me- I don't have to worry about walking down the street with a black eye or marks on my face and the curious stares following my shadow.
I can sleep in a bed three times the normal size and have air con blowing in my face.
I have a bank account.
My friends, family and loved ones are constantly sending words of encouragement or reminding me that I am loved.
I speak English. Fluently.
I am educated.
I am a teacher in a country where teachers are on one of the top careers in society.
I am a foreigner.
My skin is light, my eyes are wide and bright, my hair is soft and my teeth are straight from too much metal.
If I need to hop on a plane for any dire emergency, I can. And will.
I have electricity.
I eat meat (on the rare occasion)
My vaccinations are up to date.

Millions upon millions of people in this world do not have this kind of privilege. Do you?

Beach Retreat!

Went to the Changtha Beach this weekend on a much needed vacation! It was lovely... long, warm beaches surrounded with fabulous friends from my church! We were on a retreat and were able to walk out to the sea any chance we wanted. It was the perfect temperature, on a large sand bar, calm, rolling waves and the sounds of birds chirping. I can honestly say that I have yet to experience anything like it!

Here the first shot I took, once I got off the 9-hour bus ride! We drove through the night and it was filled with a zillion potholes, the sighting of a white elephant (they are sacred here in s.e. asia!) and the fear of flying off the mountain. I will NEVER complain of driving up to big bear every again, as it is NOTHING in comparison to the drive to the beach!

God is SO GOOD. 

This is my friend Erin, who I have taught with for the last 4 months! She is wonderful and has lived all over the world! I had a blast getting to know her more, especially outside of school!

We talked about LOVE all throughout the weekend... what it means to be in a relationship with the Lord and with others. The take-away message? First you love God, then you love yourself. If you can do both, then you can love others. Easy to say, hard to do...

Frisbee tournament Champions! Three games later and raw feet- we managed to finally sit down and enjoy the sunset on the beach! It was quite exciting :)

My new friends- Kate and Shanna- looking forward to getting to know these ladies more and more of the next (x) years!

Overall, I had a fabulous weekend and felt refreshed afterwards! It was fun to experience a retreat on the beach and get to know the Lord, some old (and new!) friends and be able to think about what it is that I meant to do with my one wild and precious life... (more on that later!)

Halloween in Yangon!

I had many the question asked more than once this weekend, "Is Halloween celebrated where you are?" You mean Yangon? Heck Yes! I went to a crazy Halloween bash on Friday night (dressed like a Christmas Tree and was able to hang out with some fun expats and teachers! 

 

Then I managed to snag the 5th graders before they were too cool for school (jr.high mentality) and they helped celebrate by dressing up and trick or treating with the 4th grade team! Just to give you an idea of how great of a class I have... We are all acting crazy due to way too many pieces of candy and  games that I may have let them play for the fabulous day of Halloween...

This would be the parade we had at our school, where all the kids dress up and show off their costumes to parents, drivers and nannies.

Ms. Thiengi and myself- what a lovely pair!

Yin Mon is the child who is constantly in another world, as you can see here. She loves to read books and especially enjoys those of scary descent! As you can imagine, she loves this holiday...

Whats up in Siem Reap, Cambodia!

Hello friends and family!

It seems like forever since I sent out my last email and I am excited to share with you what has been going on here in Southeast Asia the last few weeks! As per usual, I would love nothing more than to hear from YOU as well, so please shoot me back with an update on your life, it would make me more than happy!

As my last week of the first quarter was unfolding, I was trying to figure out report cards and finish up some massive grading before heading on my first visit outside of the incredible country of Myanmar. Before I knew it, Friday had arrived and I was rushing out to the small airport of Yangon to hop on a plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Now some of you may ask, who was it that I explored with? My friends Betsy- a lovely Tacoma native and current 4^th grade teacher, Sarah- a world traveler who quit her amazing job at Walmart Corporate Office to teach technology and Riff- the ex-architect who decided to teach math overseas for the next 20 years of his life.

As for Cambodia, amidst the crazy flooding that was occurring all around us, we managed to squeeze in as much as possible in the mere 5 days that we were in Siem Reap. We were staying in the most lovely hotel with plumeria growing wildly and a pleasant staff that always had a smile on their face. I immediately fell in love with the people and scenery of Cambodia- imagine riding in a motorbike carriage (I felt like Cinderella!) with rice patties surrounding you. That would be what we saw… as well as lots of water. I remember flying to Siem Reap thinking about how bummed I was for not going to the beach, yet when we would wake up every morning and have to wade through two feet of water to get to the downtown area, I realized that the beach came to us! Kind of. It was rough seeing all the water and then to find out that over 200 people had died from the flooding (mind you, this is week old news- apparently the numbers have gone up) made my perspective change. Thailand had opened up one the damns and it had cut down some of the flooding in Thailand and pushed the water into Cambodia. Now Thailand is dealing with even more water and rain, but that is a different story…

As for Siem Reap, of course we went and wandered through the temples of Angkor Wat and HOT DANG was that an experience. Touristy, yes. Worth it? Heck yes. One day we decided to wake up and see the sunrise over the big temple- Angkor Wat itself and it was stunning. All of the temples were fantastic, each with its own character  and involving many stairs to climb. Apparently it is one of the many wonders of the world and I now understand why. It is hard to put into words, but I do know that you need to see the incredible temples that were built by many Cambodian kings well over one-thousand years ago. One day we went out and saw a floating village- which is where people live in houses on the water- surviving as fishermen. There were lots of children at the village we went to, which can be a problem in multiple ways (too many mouths to feed and not enough income, for one example) and they all were able to swim! Some of the other interesting sights we saw were the Butterfly Habitat, Silk Farm/Factory, Landmine Museum (did you know that landmines are still in existence? It is terrible!), wild monkeys, kids playing in the flooded streets and monks dressed in orange (not the usual deep red I see daily). I dared to try frog and crocodile, both tasted like chicken! And we had the chance to meet some other foreigners when our for Mexican food or 50 cent beers. I was amazed at the prostitution that I saw- and then after going to Bangkok, it was nothing in comparison. Myanmar does not have the reputation for sex trafficking, unlike much of southeast Asia. 

Overall, Cambodia was wonderful and if given the chance to go back, I would in a heartbeat! As for Bangkok, well, lets just say that I have a love-hate relationship with the city. Even though I have never been to NYC, I can understand why Bangkok is called the NYC of Asia. We got off the plane and took a hot pink cab into the city on a FREEWAY, something that I have not seen in 3 months. I experienced some major culture shock, let me tell you. I have been living in a simple country- with limited amenities and toys, unaware of the hip things that are happening in the world. Within 2 minutes of stepping foot onto the sky train in Thailand, I came to this conclusion: the Thai love coffee, their cell phones and the games they have on their phones, shopping, and more shopping. They are also extraordinarily thin and trendy, which make for an uncomfortable experience when I had run out of clean clothes and was down to comfy sweats and sandals. It was nice to have some of those things that I had missed from home- such as Starbucks lattes (I hate to admit it), speedy internet and music playing everywhere (many places you would think to hear music in Yangon- such as a restaraunt or shopping center- you only hear silence).  I decided to splurge a little bit and bought myself a ukulele! It is supposed to be easy to learn and I think a fun new thing to pick up with this new life! 

OK. I could easily have made this email three times as long but I know that you have something to do (or perhaps you have been avoiding that you have something to do) and I need to get ready for the week ahead of me- parent teacher conferences! I miss you all so very much, and will never admit to being homesick, but know deep down that I have a case of it. Postcards will be on their way, although there is no guarantee that you will all get them, it will be the test of Myanmar mail! We are talking about getting a P.O. Box in Bangkok and have teachers that have to go on visa runs pick up mail, so keep an ear out for that! 

Miss you all and sending hugs and love your way,

Lyns

BEST STORY EVER

Since I am a teacher, I have to incorporate writing in the classroom. I have decided to post one of my absolute favorite stories from my kids... be ready to laugh!

The Three Little Monsters

Once there were three little monsters. They live in the center of the earth. They each had one eye, four arms and two legs. The first little monster was five years old. The third little monster was ten years old. They are called the "three little monsters." The first and second little monster likes to play with stones, so they carry them everywhere they go. They also use it for throwing at strangers that look like they are bad.

One day the three little monsters saw an ant and they all said "ah ah ah!" Then the ant opened its mouth, and then they ran all the way to the North Pole, where they saw Santa Clause. They thought he was a bad stranger, so they threw stones at him which they played with. Santa fell on the snow. A moment later the little monsters were gone. 

On Christmas, snow fell on the center of the earth. They played snow ball fights and and drank hot chocolate. The next morning they saw a very huge ant standing in front of them They saw the huge ant and ran into the straw house. Then the huge ant blew the house away, so the three little monsters were trapped. They the closed their eyes and wished the ant would go away. When they opened their eyes, all they saw was Santa with a T-shirt on, because it was too hot. Santa explained that he was the huge ant.

A year later, Santa and the monsters were friends. The little monsters worked at his workshop. They also met Mrs. Clause. The next morning Santa drank a cup of coffee with poison in it. Then he died. Then the three little monsters wanted to find out who did it. Do the next ninety-nine years they found out. It was Mrs. Clause because she made coffee!!!!! She wanted to give nuclear presents to babies!!!!! They were going to get her but they were too old. The next minute, the characters in the story were dead!!!!!

Feeling good about heading out...

Dear new teachers and principals to ISM, 
  
You must be very excited with only a few days before leaving home. I know how hard leaving family and friends can be and there is even more of an unknown with "Myanmar", but I think therein lies its appeal and congratulations for embarking on such a life changing adventure. 
  
You will be met at the airport by either your building principal or myself. M.R. is the high school principal, Z. the middle school principal and S. the elementary principal. M and Z are new but have been to Myanmar before and should be able to find the airport!! You should be able to recognise us as Z and S have hair and M and I don't.Once you get through immigration go straight through and collect your bags. Going through the arrival gates one of us will have a sign saying ISM and your name. If the plane is delayed please email K and me. From here you will be taken to your residence. Orientation starts at school on August 1. Please don't worry about school and preparing lessons yet, your first priority is getting your place comfortable. Only then should you start thinking about school. 
  
There will be the inevitable frustrations of being in a developing country and I know your flexible approach and sense of humour will help you through. Please do not hesitate to ask questions of any of us. 
  
Have a safe flight and I look forward to getting to know all of you as we strive to make a difference in the lives of our students. 
  
With best wishes, 
My new headmaster

ISM information

Hello!

I am happy to see that you have stopped by my blog! Perhaps you are curious to see what it is that I am doing in Myanmar or you are interested to see what it is that goes on over on the other side of the planet. Well have no fear, I am here to share with you a little bit about my experiences. Since I have not yet left the country, I have decided that it would be best to have a "trial blog post" to see if I can get it started up. I am going to attach some links, to give you a little bit more of a background as to where I am going in Myanmar and what it is that I am doing. I will be teaching 5th grade at the International School in Myanmar. You can find more info on the school at http://www.ismyanmar.com/index.php. I will be teaching to students who already know English, which makes it a little bit easier on my part, since I know NOTHING about the language. I am going to be living in a nice resort called Inya Lake, where I will be able to see traditional weddings, make friends with the tourists and perhaps even row in some boats! You can find information on where I am living at http://inyalakehotel.com/. As for when I am leaving, I will be taking off at the end of July, and starting up my first day with ISM on August 1. It is a little crazy to think that life is literally flying by and not only did graduation just slide on by, but that the first real job is right around the corner!

So, my dear friends and family, I hope that you keep in touch and find that the travels I am doing will only cause you to want to come and visit.... :)

Peace on your head,
Lyns