Bring it, Bago!

100 fifth graders, 8 teachers, a few tour guides, 3 buses and hopeful souls bounded into Bago, Myanmar this last Thursday, anticipating the best trip of their 10 years of life. It was the first overnight trip for the kids and they were beyond estatic to be able to leave their homes, have a sleepover with their friends and discover what lay beyond the borders of Yangon. For many, this was the very first night away from their mother's side, ever. With our clipboards in hand and excitement oozing out of us, we set off for the adventure of the year :)

First stop, the British War Cemetery. Here, we learned about the 2,000 plus soldiers that sacrificed their lives for their country and loved ones. One of our teachers even had the chance to meet a couple who were seeking out an ancestor who had died over a hundred years prior. How powerful it must have been to be in Myanmar, looking for a family member's headstone.

Then we headed out to a monestary, where we donated a bunch of school supplies and were able to play with the kids who went to school there! It was fun to see the interaction between our kids and them, as our kids were able to take on leadership roles and teach our new friends some fun games!

(this is the monk thanking the kids for the donations)

Snake, snake, severus Snape... Dumbladore! was the song that kept playing through my head (yes, I may have altered the words) as we went to the Snake Pagoda. If you see the picture below, you will notice that a 100 year old Burmese python is within arms reach, UNCAGED- mind you, of my children. He is believed to be a monk that has been reincarnated and now people donate money and pray to him. Never mind that I have spent the last three weeks talking about the danger of Burmese pythons in the Everglades...

After seeing the snake, we hopped on trishaws and headed to another pagoda! I practically cried through this experience, as I am a bit afraid of trishaws. Why? A little over 18 months ago I got into a trishaw accident in Bago- PTS, you might say. None the less, one of my students reassured me and said, "It's ok Miss Lynsey, the slow and steady always win the race." Oh, such wise children I have :)

Check out the reclining Buddha! Look how HUGE it is! 

After seeing too many Buddhas and Pagodas, we went to our hotel. Yes, this is what is looked like: 

Now, imagine your children telling you it is haunted and that they won't be able to sleep at night... and I have to convince them otherwise. Let's just say that I managed to get them to sleep and convince myself that the ghost of Christmas past would not choose January 31st as an eve of haunt. I only found out the next day that a guy had died in this building a few years prior....

 The next morning, we went to this pagoda that was just serene. Maybe it was the fog and calm atmosphere, but hot dang, I was in such a state of peace. Here is a shot of the bird flying through the mist...

I wanted to end the blogpost with a shot of my kids on the "Great Wall of China," where we went to a Chinese Garden and ran around for a while! As you can see, everything is a bit chaotic :) But hey, story of my life, no? 

I can honestly say that I had an incredible time hanging out with these kids and having the chance to grow closer to them. I feel beyond blessed to have the chance to work with such a creative bunch and hope that it only allows us to grow closer together! 

Full Moon festival at Inle Lake!

This year for the Full Moon festival, I snagged two lovely ladies- Candacee and Jenni- and hopped on a quick flight to Inle Lake. It is located on the eastern part of Myanmar, in the Shan State! It was a perfect trip- with fun adventures of which you can read about below!

Day One: Landed and immediately hopped in a taxi that took us to a local vineyard... beautiful scenery with weak wine (to be quite frank). It was incredible to see the blue skies and stretch of vineyard- I felt like I was in a bit of a fairy tale, to be quite honest. The best part? What you would think of as Kraft singles cheese cut in strips and placed on our salad. Oh Myanmar :)

 

After a few glasses of wine, we headed to Taunggyi, where we were able to witness the last day of the Full Moon festival. Holy toledo, was it something else. We drove through the town and thought that perhaps the driver missed where we were supposed to stop and then, BAM! We looked out into a crowd of thousands of people and paper-animal lanterns in the sky. It was something else, let me tell you. Some of the sights include: Pa Oh people with beach towels wrapped around their heads, youth gangs dancing with joy because their lantern did not have a hole burnt through it before making it the clear sky and children with Angry Bird beanies- EVERYWHERE. It was a blast! Here are just a few of the pink cows we saw float toward the heavens...

Day Two: We ventured out to the lake. 

Oh my goodness, was it incredible. We saw people living on the water in houses made out of bamboo stilts, growing tomatoes on top of the surface, rowing boats with their right leg, children hauling water out of their canoe, women weaving scarves with thread from the material of lotus flowers and so much more. Here is a picture of the fishermen we saw- who catch fish to sell in the markets or to simply take home for dinner. 

We also saw the ancient pagodas in Inthein, where we climbed old brinks and gaped at the crumbly, old temples. 

We did make a new friend, this little puppy!!! found us and decided to jump a few of our pictures. 

                                  Day Three: We woke up at too-early and went on a 10 mile trek!
As you can see, we had the cool "snow" which you would know to be fog, follow us around all day. It was gorgeous- we saw everything from a little garden snake, wild poinsettias, village kids playing with hand-made clay marbles and every crop you could imagine! We even ate coffee, which I had no idea was red when ripe and surprisingly refreshing. 

At the end of our long hike, we walked along this bridge to a  canoe that loaded us up and  brought us back to our  homely abode. I thought that this picture may give you an idea of what people on the water may wear or do at the end of a long day at work. 

 Day Four: The day of biking, pancakes and wine! We biked through town and made it a point to stop and have the better wine of our trip, after seeing how they make the wine and ship it out around the country. I think what was so cool about this company, Red Mountain Winery, was that the owner was a local guy who hired a french expert to come in and show him how to make amazing wine. If you ask me, it was one of the best I have had in Myanmar! After biking and eating pancakes all day, we got on our long bus ride home and rolled into Yangon 12 hours later. If you were to come and visit Myanmar, know that I would take you to Inle in a heartbeat- as I can easily say it is one of the most magical places I have ever been....

Can't forget to incorporate a jumping picture! See: me, Candacee and Jenni!

Obama in Yangon

President Obama came to visit Myanmar on November 19th, 2012! 

What a day it was for the Burmese... there had been weeks of preparation:

This is some street art around the corner from my flat.. and believe it or not, this is not the only welcome sign we had for Obama!

On Monday, I tutored my little french students and they greeted me with a "Teacher, Teacher! Obama is here!" After I asked them who Obama was, they responded with, "YOUR president!" 

I had no idea they had the made the connection that I was American and that he was my president...

He gave an inspiring speech at the university, of which you can listen to here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy-3659BsDA

Thanksgiving in 5L

One aspect of Grade 5's curriculum is to talk about migration. Naturally, I cannot help but bring up the fact that pilgrims migrated over to North America and ultimately established the holiday that Americans all over the world celebrate today- Thanksgiving.  After hearing about the fact that it is a time for people to gather, give thanks and eat food, my kids immediately begged me if we could have a Thanksgiving in our little classroom community. Why not?

So after teaching my students how to set the table, politely pass the bread and use a fork and knife, they were able to enjoy a feast. Only this feast included fried chicken, not turkey :)

Kathein Visit

What is Kathein, you may ask? It is the time of the year where Burmese people collect robes, fans, umbrellas and other necessities for the monks. 

This week the Student Council and I dressed up and went to the local monastery  where we delivered donations from our students and shared a meal with the monks. It was an amazing opportunity for the kids to  get together with all of ISM's student council (ES, MS and HS) and see where the donations they had been collecting for the monks were going. 

Here are some classroom reps heading out!

We paraded about 10 minutes through the neighborhood, following an obnoxious truck with music blaring (typical of any parading in Myanmar) and all of our donations!

One of the Kathein trees with donations attached to it

This monk spoke for 40 minutes straight, pausing every once in a while to spit in a jar :)

Elementary Stu Co!

Showing up at PLU!

One of my most favorite people in the world, Allison Stephens, was speaking at PLU's Chapel service a few weeks ago and wanted to talk about her experience in southeast Asia. She visited Myanmar this last summer, along with Thailand, and rediscovered her zest and excitement for service. It was fun to have had the chance to talk to her about her experience and to see the spark that was lit, causing Allison to want to continue to travel abroad and serve in the world. As Allison was telling me about this opportunity for her to share at chapel, she asked me if I was interested in participating. All I would need to do is make a video based off the passions that developed from my experiences and post it on youtube, where Allison would then tie into her incredible message about her vocation.

I had a blast being able to share with PLU and want to thank Allison for involving me in her talk about her passions.  Here is the video that I made:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEfgfXEEBYM&feature=g-upl


Cheers, my dear friends!


xo Lyns

Buddy-ing up

The sun was out, the was temperature rising and we were rushing down the 100 stairs to catch the bus. 5L pulled a typical "late Tveit" and arrived to our destination: The local library.


What were we doing? Meeting up with other Myanmar kids from the local government school, who happened to play and eat breakfast in the same neighborhood as our school was located. No big. We brought with us a pile of English books and our excited smiles, ready to see what the next hour had in store for us.

Not only did we discover the usefulness of using our hands, knowledge of Burmese and slow down how fast we read, but my students realized how similar they were to the kids that they read to. Similarities? Lets start with the fact that most are Burmese. Therefore, they speak the same language. Color of skin, favorite actresses and even love of durian are just a few of the many things the kids had a common, It was if the differences were swept away for the hour and all the kids were able to be kids. After reading for a bit, my students joined their new friends on the playground and played games,which was so cool to see!

Acting out in 5L

They talked me into it. Three weeks after school started, we were wrapping Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar and my 25 fifth graders begged if we could put on a play. Since I have little experience with drama productions and am always taking bites bigger than I can chew, I caved and decided to see if the 5th graders could pull it off.

I found the script online- and it was only 12 minutes long. Too short. So I challenged my kids to write a few scenes and a couple songs and BAM! 5L weaved together a little production.

Take a look for yourself and tell me what you think... All I know is that I could not be more proud of my acting, hospitality, music and design teams- they know how to put together a show :)

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn63vvpuYF0

My life today

The sky opened up and the rain is not just coming down. Nope, it is rushing from the heavens, soaking anything in it's path. The sight to see is not plastered clothes on the bodies running around, trying to find shelter, but the rapidly growing river that is rushing down the street. The river is the color of chai tea, with a bit of milk. It is monsoon season here in Myanmar and I experience this scenario on a daily basis, now at the point where sunshine could not be more welcomed and my skin craves the feel of the delicious rays, browning my epidermis.

Yangon has changed. It is amazing at how every day, I spot something new: a car dealership, street art, stretch limo or perhaps the American coffee shop on the corner. Rumor is that 7-11 is arriving this fall and we are expecting McDonalds in 2013. I am excited to think about the opportunities that being given to the people of Myanmar, but sad that it has to be run over by the franchises of the western world. What I love most about this country is the innocence of a developed nation, where people still wear tanaka on their face as make-up and listen to poorly arranged pop music. Now I have noticed shops selling short shorts (gasp!) for young women and less men are wearing the traditional longi, opting for jean pants instead. What the world is saying about Myanmar being the "sexy" place to go is true- you can see the change happen before your very eyes- on a regular basis. The bittersweet attitude I have that goes along with this change is frustrating, yet also exhilarating, for I cannot help but have pride for the people that are (for some) seeing the world for the first time.

5L's classroom is a totally different chapter in the tale of Yangon. I have 24 children that not only have the contagious excitement to learn anything and everything I can offer to them, but are also wise beyond their years. From hand holding to Sideways Stories from Wayside School to Shwedagon Pagoda being a perfect illustration of a heart to the most in depth over-population discussion to math karate to solving community problems, my kids  have stolen the majority of my heart. Here I was thinking that after "figuring out" teaching and getting into a rhythm from last year, I could have a little more time on my hands... psh, was I wrong. Most of you know me better than I know myself and lets just say that I pulled a typical Lynsey and have kept my plate filled. My most exciting activity is the reading buddy program we are setting up between our elementary school and a local government school! The kids all get to play and read together- building relationships and understanding that no matter what class they are in, they are capable of having an inclusive community. It's thrilling to think that after thinking about doing these kind of projects for the last year, I am able to see them come to life! If there is anything that I have learned about dreams, it is that after a lot of hard work and sorting out the ridiculous details, they can become a reality. :)

" We need to be the change we wish to see in the world." -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Dinoback

I look up and see the ribbed back clothed in a tattered t-shirt, attached to what appeared to be a pointed, bamboo hat. The shirt is gathered and then tucked into a antique-brown plaid longi that is seated on an old bicycle. milliseconds tick by as I wonder what creature would have the ability to ride a bicycle when my eyes rest on the tiny, writhered ankles of the mysterious form in front of me. My brakes are not stopping and the form is quickly taking the shape of a frail old gentleman, when all of a sudden- SCREEEECH!!!! I mustle up all I can to halt the dreadful piece of aluminum that I am hoisted on and jolt forward as I barely kiss the tire of the bike in front of me. The sweat drips down my forehead as I try to figure out if the distinct vertabae has been effected by the stress of the last 4 seconds. He has not moved and still seems to be waiting for the cars to pass by, in order for him to cross the street, so I jump to the conclusion that all is alright and move on past him.

For some reason, I cannot get over the dinosaur back....

Famous in Myanmar!

SEA Games: SouthEast Asian mini-Olympics that are held every other year.

In September 2013, Myanmar is going to be the hosts for the games and naturally, they are going to need some publication. I happened to have a friend whose cousin is a director here in Yangon and one night over some fried rice and cola, I told him that if he ever needs a white person for his commercials, to call me up- I would do it free cost. Who wouldn't want to be on TV? A few weeks later, I get an email asking if I want to participate in a commercial. The rest is history!

The day consisted of waving a little flag for a bit and then waiting for 2 hours, then wandering around, acting like we think Myanmar is the place to go (which it TOTALLY IS). After watching Myanmar models never break a sweat (and yes, it was well over 100 degrees F outside) and learning some new kung fu moves, we struck a pose with Ah Za Knee- a pop singer here in Myanmar. My few words to him? 

"We have same same hair." 

What a champ.

Recording to come later!

Courtney visits Asia: Thai and Myanmar Adventures

Spring Break 2012

It is that time of year, where the water is thrown and the toys are dug out. The largest water fight in the world takes place and all people take part in the celebration of New Year in Southeast Asia! I was blessed with having a two week holiday, where I met up with my dear friend, Courtney, who traveled all the way from Buffalo, NY! We ventured out to Phuket, Thailand, where she was able to meet some of my friends from Yangon and then we had a quick stop in Bangkok before heading to Yangon for a week. It was a BLAST! where Courtney was able to see many different colors of Asia and we could all celebrate such a fun holiday! 

(Photo below: ISM kids celebrating water festival by throwing water anywhere it will land)

Court and I headed to Phuket- awaiting our fantastic adventures that lay ahead!

Bella, my friend- Toon's daughter, is a lovely little lady to hang out with! She loves to draw and sing Taylor Swift, which we were lucky enough to listen to for a week straight :) "Love Story" never sounded so good...

Songkran- water festival in Thailand- was fairly mellow in comparison to the crazies in Myanmar. We walked through the streets and had colored clay smeared on our faces while being asked if we were happy and having a good time. Who would say no to that? 

A few days into the trip, Riff, my trusty travel partner and Ben, our new French friend, met us at Toon's house in Phuket. We ate our way through the city! I swear, I have never had more seafood in my entire life- but man, was it amazing and totally worth it! This would be the moment that Court found out that she will be attending Duke's PA school in the fall! Yay!!! Behind Riff in this incredible photo of his appreciation for delicious food, is apparently a Thai actor! Toon was going a little nutty with having him so close by, but all we noticed was that he has a  blackberry and likes to eat fried fish... :) 

Here is just an idea of what kind of beaches exist in Thailand. Only pretty ones.

As you can see here, Riff and I really love momma Toon! Can! Is phrase that I have managed to pick up from her and I can't help but think "cannnnn" when I see this picture of our love.

We had heat. We had beaches. We have storms. In fact. before we set foot in Phuket, there had been a 8.9  magnitutude earthquake in the Andaman sea and there was a large fear that a tsunami was on the horizon. Thankfully though, we were graced without having any tragic events and all countries surrounding the sea were spared! Talk about a scary moment though, to WAIT and not know what kind of disaster lay ahead. Not a fan.

We went to Toon's homeland! It was so much fun! There, we had a wonderful time meeting her friends and family, as well and attempt to karaoke, but quickly discovered that there were no English songs... oh well! Courtney and I entertained ourselves with a "hotel room workout." If you ever are feeling the need to exercise in a hotel that has no gym- have no fear- we are here! It was pretty funny until I smacked my elbow on the wall and then a random foreigner walked out his door as we were doing a grapevine down the hallway.

Next stop: a resort! We spent a few days at a beautiful resort right on the water and a great deal, due to Toon's fantastic connections! One day Court and I rented motor bikes and went on a hike to discover this beautiful waterfall! No more than 7 min of hopping on our bikes and heading to the sea, I look down and found a LEECH on my foot and about had a heart attack. Good thing Court was EMT trained and also just awesome- for she saved the day!

After finding an incredible cove, playing checkers with Thai and American currency (guess who won that!) and rescuing 5 fly-infested puppies, we headed back to our hotel in time to catch this gorgeous sunset. Life doesn't get better than this :)

The next day we headed out and after a pit stop in Bangkok, we flew to Yangon, where the pace of life was quite different than Thailand had been. We hopped on a train with my friend Kate and rode around Yangon- where one could really get a vibe for the culture of Myanmar. 

The next day we took a bus and headed out to my Myanmar teacher, Winma's village. We then proceeded to go to a floating pagoda! It was quite the trip, where We hopped on a boat and snapped a few shots of the temple before going back to shore all in the matter of 30 mere minutes! My favorite part? Probably seeing that not Christians fall asleep in church... people were passed out at these temples and had absolutely no shame!

We did venture out to a few other places, one of which was Shwedagon, the infamous temple of Yangon. Here, we managed to catch a parade of people sweep the entire temple... it was more interesting than you could ever imagine. It was like scene from Snow White!

Overall, it was definitely a successful trip and I had wonderful time hanging out with Courtney! She is a great friend and I am honored to have had her as my first visitor to Yangon! Now that she has paved the way, I will wait for you to email me when you will be visiting and I can be sure to pencil you in :)