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