Homage Ceremony and Food Day

Part of my school's mission is to honor all cultures, but there is a special emphasis placed on Myanmar traditions since most of our students are local. In October, Buddhists here celebrate Homage Day. It's a time to thank teachers and parents for educating you and officially apologize for any mistakes you have made. Students told me that they celebrate with parents and grandparents and that after paying homage, they eat a nice meal together.

Homage Day ended up being the day before our Fall Break. We had a half day, with a special assembly scheduled. Students wear the traditional fabric, or longyi, and teachers do too. It's kind of like a sarong and you tie it differently depending on if you are a man or woman. Many men wear their longyis with t-shirts, but for this kind of event, a button down is typically paired with the men's version (which is plaid or a solid color; not as elaborate as the female longyis). The women wear a blouse, in a contrasting or matching fabric pattern. The women's clothes pay a great deal of attention to details and embellishments like beads, rhinestones and lace are common.

One neat thing about Myanmar is that the traditional dress still is the dress for most people. Though you can see jeans and trends from the west on the street, a significant portion of society still dons the classic longyi.

My colleague and I pose in our outfits.

Complete with velvet sandals.

The assembly was like any school assembly; we crowded into the gym and there were different speakers and acts. Much of the ceremony did take place in the Myanmar language. It was quite an interesting event to observe; the students even turned and bowed to the teachers at one point. If you'd like to take it in next year, mark your calendar for mid-October!

Student wait for homage ceremony to begin.

Myanmar studies students perform traditional dance.

A pop star visits.

At the end, everyone mingles over lunch and then says goodbye before break. I rushed to the airport with a few other colleagues who were also flying out that afternoon. Then, I spent my time off in Thailand, but you already know about that from a previous blog...

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Another event in October is food day. This is also an opportunity for students to share their cultures. While most of the food is from Myanmar, some of our Korean families also provided signature dishes. The mountains of food are prepared and served by parents. 

Two moms dish up lahpet.

Lahpet is one of my favorite Myanmar dishes. It's made with fermented green tea leaves (which are a great source of anti-oxidants and the ladies also inform me that it promotes clear skin) and then mixed with fried nuts/beans, ginger and sometimes tomato, cucumber and dried shrimp. I'm not wild about the dried shrimp, though there are many dried seafoods here, but I like all the other varieties of this salad. It gives you a little  caffeine kick, too!

Close up of lahpet.

The parents were serious about feeding the whole school! This was just one of many stands. There were rice noodles, meats, mohinga (typical rice noodle soup) and lots of other sweets!

Looking out at food day.

Dessert - sweet sticky rice.

Carbs definitely play a big role in the traditional dishes here, but there are lots of veggie and meat options, too. Come visit and you can even try roasted cockroaches! There were none of these at food day, but I've seen them at the market. They are supposed to be a delicacy. 

And on that note, I'll sign off!

What I'm Reading: Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut and Heartless Forest: An Anthology of Burmese Women Writers. I'm still wading my way through lots of articles for my online course, currently working on the book The Art and Science of Teaching. 

What I'm Listening to: All my favorite albums from 2014. I'm trying to compile a playlist of my top 12 tracks from this year...it's not easy! What would you put on yours?

Thailand: Beaches, Bangkok and Bandwidth

Life moves fast over here! Advice to anyone thinking of moving overseas to slow down: it might not work out like that.... My October break blog post is still in draft and I am already planning the Holiday one. 

But, back to October... For my first Asia trip, I decided not to travel too far, but to relax on a Thailand beach and take care of some errands in Bangkok. Summer was busy with my international move so I figured some chill time was on order. 

It was a big hurry to get out of school and to the airport for my afternoon flight. We had homage day (more on that later) so I had to change out of my traditional clothes, grab a snack and wheel my bag out. I ran into many colleagues at the airport who were also on their way to explore/adventure/relax. 

Leaving Myanmar after a half day of school.

It was still the rainy season back then, though transitioning to dryer and cooler days. After my flight touched down at BKK I had some time before my bus to Hua Hin left. It was easy to stay busy in the airport - even the airport shops are better stocked than the ones in Yangon!

The bus ride was smooth and I used my new Thai SIM card (it's so easy to buy one when you are visiting a new country and makes staying in touch a breeze) and read on my kindle (so convenient with that back light!). For about an hour of the jouney the rains came down hard and I watched people wading through the streets, but our bus rolled on.

View from the bus window

I arrived in Hua Hin around midnight and caught a moto-taxi to my hotel. The driver carried my bag and I climbed on the back...no problem! I was so excited to be on vacation, in Thailand and at the beach that I took a late night walk. No school the next day!

For the next week, I explored the nearby beaches, night markets and grocery stores. One memorable trip was to a grocery store where I stocked up on items that I can't get in Yangon. And, of course, I sampled lots of Thai food!

Beach south of Hua Hin

Climbing boulders near Hua Hin

Young boy fishing

Ordering Phad Thai and taking in the view, yes this feels like vacation!

Night market near my hotel

Hua Hin streets

One way to get around...

Side view

And a selfie on the way to the grocery store

Colleagues had told me about the Cicada market in Yangon. It encourages young artists, hosts live music, has tons of food options and offers items which vary from your normal souvenirs. I bought handmade sandals for around US $9.

Cicada night market!

Cicada market

Last night at the beach

Bangkok was on my itinerary to take care of a few errands, including updating my phone, computer and buying music and books. Doing big downloads is next to impossible here in Yangon. Thailand's internet is lightning fast.

View from the Bangkok hotel

I also met up with colleagues to renew our work visas and explore the city. I have been to Bangkok twice and I'm curious to get to know it better.

Beer in Bangkok (cider for me)

All in all, it was a successful vacation and errand-running mission. I'll be back to Bangkok in January 2015. So, more then!

What I'm reading: Melissa Banks' The Wonder Spot (she is such a good writer - I stay up too late getting lost in her stories!)

What I'm listening to: Keaton Heston (Dear), LCD Soundsystem, Stars (No One is Lost) and I'm loving the Smashing Pumpkins' deluxe 6 album edition of Adore

This 'n That: Finishing My First Quarter

This post is a bit scattered; just little thoughts here and there about things that have happened, observations and a few contemplations as I end my first quarter of school and begin my second. I know it's been a while... Balancing all my activities in Yangon, teaching and being a student in my online course is quite the juggling act.

There is something nice about wrapping up one unit of the school year - I feel more settled into my schedule and I know what the ebb and flow of the rest of the academic year will be like.

I wanted to publish this post during Fall Break when I was visiting Hua Hin and Bangkok (internet is SO much faster in Thailand!), but the Thai government has blocked Blogger (and a number of other sites...), so that killed my plan. The situation is certainly fine for tourists, but it's scary to think about limiting information and freedom of expression...

Back to Yangon - some pictures of downtown. I recently went along on a walking tour of downtown. It was entertaining and very informative. I recommend it when you visit!

City Hall - this is across the street from the Free City Walk meeting point.

Mahabandool Park

Monument at Mahabandool Park (I used panaroma mode on my iphone to get pic!)

I also experienced my first hash. Some of you may know what this is, but to try to sum it up briefly it's a group of runners who meet to do a different course every week. A few take the lead and mark the course, but it is supposed to be an adventure to find your way. When everyone arrives to the end point, they have a party. Their tag line is that they are "a drinking club with a running problem." 

As you may know, I am not a runner. But, the group offers a walking route, that is shorter than the run, so that all participants still arrive at the end point around the same time. It was quite the adventure! We met the other walkers under an overpass by the train tracks with flashlights in hand and sneakers on. Then, we had to search for our route - the markers for our "trail" were shredded paper. The challenge is that there are false and real markers, so it takes a bit of trial and error to make your way. It was fun to be out at night and really interesting to explore all around my neighborhood.

You can learn more about the local group here.

Finding our way in the dark.

Walkers on the hash.

The Social Committee at school organizes many opportunities for teachers to hang out, explore the city and relax after our hard work. One event last month was a visit to House of Memories to sample some traditional Myanmar food and check out the historic house and current home of many pictures of General Aung San and his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some teachers in front of House of Memories. 

This drink got ordered on accident (I swear!) so we didn't want to waste it...

Part of the museum-ish aspect of the restaurant.

Monsoon season is close to finished...but we've had a few big rains, proving we are not into the dry season just yet. What would constitute a disaster in the US, is just another day here.

View from the cab - we could feel the water pushing on the car's floor. 

This is a road, and a fairly main one, not a river.

Another social club excursion was a 6:30 am tour of the open air market behind the apartments, complete with typical mohinga breakfast! Mohinga is a fish-based broth with rice noodles, served with boiled egg, fresh cilantro and lime. It is gluten and dairy free, I just get mine with no egg. It may sound like a strange morning dish, but I like it. Different breads and samosas are also part of the Myanmar morning offerings. 

The brave early risers on the way to the market. 

Mohinga at a traditional Myanmar tea house. 

Some stats: Dengue incidents in folks I know = 2 of my students + 1 of my colleagues

It's difficult to always avoid mosquitoes, though the city doesn't have a lot of bugs. Still, I bought a net for my bed as another little layer of protection. 

And I feel like a princess sleeping in here!

My blog focuses on my adventures outside of work and school (2 months down of my 9 month online teaching course), but I do spend a lot of time in the classroom and eyes-fixed on the computer screen. I love seeing the blue out the windows above my desk, though. This is what I look at every weekday. 

Palm trees and blue skies!

I'll leave you with a shot of Sule Pagoda just before sunset. 

What I'm reading: The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (I am one month behind on book club...this was last month's selection. Still, I've enjoyed it and it has turned out to be a lot about yoga!).

And I've started Lena' Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl (Yay for updating the kindle in Thailand!).

What I'm listening to: Spoon - They Want My Soul, The Rural Alberta Advantage - Melded with Gold, Jenny Lewis - The Voyager, Caroline Smith - Half About Being a Woman, ODESZA - In Return...updated the music library with decent internet also!

Market Time

What to eat and where to get it are big questions with any move and throw in a few few allergies (wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs) and preferences (pescatarian) and you definitely get a challenge!

There are many more options than their used to be, but many of my favorite items are not here (oh how I miss PCC). Rice, dried seafood and other local specialties like fermented tea leaves are plentiful. Market Place is the largest supermarket and has the most variety of "international" options. I was excited to find flax seeds and Bragg's here. 

Mandalay rum, Myanmar rice and organic Myanmar chocolate from Market Place.

A few weekends ago I ventured to Sharky's with some colleagues. It's a restaurant and deli with a few specialty items (meats, buffalo cheese, hot sauce, hummus). The New York Times recently wrote about his business - I think you'll enjoy the article here.

Pizza, pasta, salads, smoothies...what to choose at Sharky's?

Artisan Sea Salt, Buffalo Cheese, Hot sauce and Chia seeds - treats from Sharky's. 

I'm lucky that my school is located near a City Mart, a medium grocery store, with the basics. It's a short walk away and some of the teachers visit it daily!

What has been the most fun for me in the realm of grocery shopping is exploring the huge open air market behind our apartments. This is where the locals sell and buy their produce (and other wares - plastic items, eggs, meat, flowers, clothes...you never know what you will find!). It's become my weekend routine to head out one morning and go on a fruit and vegetable shopping spree, filling my fridge for the week. 

One of the regular stalls I visit. If I go early, she has homemade tofu available. 

Fresh fruits and vegetables crowd most of the stalls and I like that I can pick from a huge variety of items. I try to buy one new fruit or vegetable each time I go. Some of the new items I've discovered this way are white radishes, gourds, local heirloom tomatoes, wild mushrooms, small green and white eggplants and lots of different greens.

About one week's worth of produce - approxiamately $6.50.

There are starting to be malls (not really any western shops, though), but for the most part small shops offer one type of ware, whether that be rattan items, fabric or handbags. The quick, one-stop shop does not exist! This (and the traffic) make errands time-intensive, but my apartment is slowly coming together. 

Picking out furniture and organizers at the Rattan Store.

Well, that's the update on markets! Thanks for reading. Believe it or not, I'm about to head out for my weekly produce...who knows what I'll find today!

Also, as many of you know, I've just started an online course. My homework will pull some time away from blogging, but I will continue to update. If you haven't, you can subscribe for email alerts above which will alert you when I publish new posts . 

What I'm reading: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (intriguing story and creative idea...the main character keeps dying and being reborn back into the same life to try again)

What I'm listening to: Jenny Lewis' The Voyager (thanks, Leslie!)

Monsoon Season

Streets like this would warrant big news in the US...just another day of monsoons here!

The start of school swept me away... but at least it wasn't the rain! I'd like to share a little bit about our wet season, which is happening right now. It's funny to have left Seattle to be seeing a lot of gray skies and experiencing intense precipitation. But, this is the closest thing to a "winter" here and I am handling it just fine. Since arriving, the temperatures have hovered around 85 degrees, but the humidity is high. I haven't needed a cardigan, except for in some of the expat restaurants that turn the AC up high!

Rainy view of my street

My commute is just across that cross-walk! My quickest and easiest yet!

 

Looking out the window on the way to the stationary store. 

 

Business goes on as normal, despite flooded streets.

A little blurry, but you get the idea!

Check out the video I took from my balcony window. It really doesn't do it justice!

If you don't want to see this much water, come visit between November and February!

In October we'll move into the dry and warm season and then by March it will be dry and hot. My birthday is in summer here, not the first day of spring! I'll keep you updated on the seasons, especially you, dad.

What I'm reading: Bark by Lorrie Moore (This was my first kindle purchase in spring! Lorrie Moore doesn't disappoint.)

What I'm listening to: Purity Ring, Spoon, Nacho Vegas