My First Full Day in Yangon

It felt great to wake up in my own place. I got up early and worked on a few more settling in chores and then headed across the street to school. The director told us more about the school, gave some reminders about living in Yangon and then we took a tour. 

The new high school principal is also gluten free and he brought me a box of muesli that he likes and you can get here. So far, (knock on wood!) I haven't had any issues with my dietary challenges. 

My classroom is room 101, near the faculty lounge. I have my very own classroom, which is new to me (at Eastside Prep we shared spaces and most teachers moved between several classrooms). I'll teach all my classes there and use it as my office during my prep periods. 

There is no furniture yet, but here I am in my classroom!

The main school building has 9 floors so there are some great views of the surrounding areas. 

Looking back at the teacher apartments. Mine is the building in the middle. 

Neighborhood around school.

You can tell by the sky that it's monsoon season!

The school's pool. 

The afternoon and evening were both full of excursions out and about in Yangon! Lunch was at Alamanda, which is also a fancy hotel that you might like to stay at when you visit if you want a step up from my guest room.

Teachers at lunch

I had the fish cooked in banana leaves and veggies.

Next we stopped at Market Place, a grocery store that has some international options as well as household items. I bought fruit, veggies, a little plant and some things to help me settle in.

Rows of rice at Market Place.

I bought a Dragonfruit - isn't it beautiful?

We had a little time to bring our shopping spree items back and then it was out to dinner at Monsoon. This restaurant has a HUGE menu with sections, each representing the cuisine of a different country in Asia. I had some coconut mushroom soup from Thailand, pumpkin leaf greens from Myanmar and I tried some of the classic fermented green tea leaf salad (Lahpet) from here too. Learn more about this dish here.

After dinner, some of us opted to check out a few of the nightlife spots, 50th and The Lab...there is a lot to explore!

Things are getting busy with prep for the start of school (one week!), but I'll update you again soon. :)

License Plate

Landing in Yangon

Yesterday it was finally time to make the trek from Bangkok to Yangon! Exactly six months ago I accepted this new job and my life has been building to this moment in big and small ways ever since.

We flew Thai Air, which is a very nice airline! Make a note if you are planning to visit.

First view of Myanmar

Window seat was definitely the way to go!

The international airport is just one year old; it's small but nice and it didn't take long to collect bags, go through customs and make it to the other side! It felt like Christmas to be reunited with my two checked suitcases again; I always worry about luggage getting lost and having this happen on a move (when I am stocked with all my favorite products!) would be unfortunate. The school director and high school principal were waiting to greet us.

Yes, I'm here!

I pulled 50,000 kyat from an ATM at the airport. The largest bill here is a 10,000 kyat note. Can you guess how much that is? (Answer below.)

A sampling of the bills. 

Soon white school buses arrived and we were whisked off to our new homes. Teacher apartments are located across the street from the school. I can see the campus (and pool!) from my living room window.

My apartment is simply decorated and spacious. It feels huge after my 500 square feet in Seattle! There is a master bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, open living/dining area, small balcony and two guest bedrooms - come visit!

AC and TV were on when I got here. They also put out roses and some basic food items in the kitchen.

My kitchen is purple! Rice cooker included. 

Master bedroom, that's me!

We had some time to settle in, then we met at one of our host teacher's apartments. It feels great to finally be getting my things out of my suitcases. It was a long and busy day so I went to bed early (but not before Skyping with Mom and Dad; aren't I a good daughter?).

Well, that about sums up my first few hours in Myanmar! Stay tuned for more...


What I'm listening to: alt-j - An Awesome Wave, Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain

What I'm reading: Still working through A Tale for the Time Being, but I also have lots of new reading material!

Our host teachers gave us a map, tourist guide and binder full of information.

Answer: Thanks for reading this far... the answer to the above question is $10. The approximate exchange rate is 1,000 kyat to $1. When I pulled out about $50 the ATM gave me a total of 42 notes: forty 1,000 kyat notes and two 5,000 kyat notes. It's pretty wild. I guess here I'll be a millionaire. :)

Traveling...

This entry is a little rushed as I hurry to post it before I leave the very reliable internet of the President Solitaire Hotel in Bangkok. But, before we get to Thailand, I want to catch you up on my journey here.

I spent about one week road tripping through Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico. I stayed with friends and family along the way and it was great to have some time to catch up with folks before making my trans-Pacific voyage. It also felt appropriate to cap off my experience in the states with a quintessential road trip.  

See you later, Mt. Rainier!

The first day of the trip was short. I finished cleaning my apartment, packing my car and then even had time for a few errands (passport photos!) before the trip to Tacoma. 

It felt as if I had come full circle, spending my last night in Washington with some of my first friends in Seattle. 

Lindsay and I enjoy the best of gluten free beer + kombucha!

Night #2 was in Yreka, California. It was my only night in a hotel during the trip and my only night alone. I passed through Oregon in one single day!

The next day I visited with Grandma Lyle in Moraga, California. Grandma treated me to sushi and we got to have breakfast with Aunt Barbie and Terry the next day.

Moving steadily south on I-5 my next stop was in North Hollywood. Leslie Reunion!

Here we are at Laguna Beach.

 Grandma Lineback was next to open up her house and garage. This was a two day stop and I enjoyed beach time, cooking with Grandma and time with cousins Emma and Kirby and Aunt Tracy.

It was exciting to visit Flagstaff, my home during undergrad college years for a few nights. Amanda came up from Pheonix and I caught up with Ann-Marie and Emily (friends from play-group days). 

Northern Arizona University

It's easier to feel light-hearted after your degree is complete. 

Vrksasana in front of the Babbit Academic Annex, aka the Spanish building.

My home during undergrad years.

Hanging in downtown Flag!

Thank you Amanda for driving up to spend time with me!

Emily and Me at Charley's!

This used to be Cafe Espress, my employer during and just after college.

I finally arrived to Santa Fe where I spent about one week with family during which time I sold my faithful car, organized, organized and organized and finally whittled my life down to two suitcases and two carry-ons. This is not an easy task and certainly more challenging than fitting things into a car. My family was very patient as I worked through this process. 

Jayleen helps me pack. Here we are weighing my bag.

The trip across the Pacific is long, but Cathay is a lovely airline to travel with and everything went smoothly. I recommend them if you are thinking of visiting. J

I’ve spent the last few days in Bangkok and I’ve been absolutely delighted with this city. I haven’t done any major sight-seeing, but I’ve wandered around a lot, eaten real Thai food and met my cohort of new teachers. There are 18 of us newbies, mostly from the United States. I did walk to and around Lumphini Park.

I'm getting fancy...trying a video here...

The food!

Phad Thai

Fresh Rolls

Green curry with rice noodles and TWO kinds of Thai eggplant

Yesterday was a big day – we woke up early to fill our work visa paperwork and then made the trip to the Myanmar embassy. After two hours of waiting in line our visas were granted. Note: even tourists to Myanmar need to apply for a visa, stopping by this embassy or another one.

Our next stop was registering at the hospital. The Bumrungrad hospital is one of the best in the world and the building is big and modern, even boasting a Starbucks on the registration floor. Now that we are in their system it will be easier when we come back for any appointments. The staff was super-friendly and spoke great English.

On the way to the hospital we got caught in a rainstorm. The rain here is warm and comes down hard – definitely a monsoon style – very different than most precipitation in Seattle (Dad, the weather updates here will primarily be for you. J).  

Today we pack up and make the short flight to Yangon. As I transition into Myanmar internet may be spotty, so please be patient. I promise to update you again soon!

The best road tripping songs that I found on my iPod were: Bright Eyes – Another Travelin’ Song and Road to Joy, Geographer – The Myth of Youth, Nacho Vegas – El Camino, Conor Oberst – Sausalito, First Aid Kit – King of the World, Xoel López – Buenos Aires, Campfire OK – New Tradition. What would you add?

What I’m Reading: A Tale for the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki

Saying "see you later" to Seattle

A little intro: I moved to this beautiful city after living in Spain for two years. Seattle seemed like a soft spot to land after being in Europe and as a teen it had always been an alluring city to me. I accepted an offer to teach at UW while completing my own grad degree. My Master's thesis explored the theme of travel in the works of Spanish novelist Ray Loriga...funny to think about that now as I am about to set off on my biggest trip yet...

Seattle skyline (Photo Credit: Dad, 2011)

The last month has been BUSY. I took my state certification teaching exam, sold, donated or gave away most of my possessions (Yay for Craig's List!), cleaned my apartment, practiced Yoga daily (especially loved classes with Liz at the Shala!), kept reading about Burma, got travel injections, threw a "See You in Asia" party and saw as many friends as often as I could. All the while I kept wondering - will everything I want/need actually fit in my car? At the time of writing (in a sparkling apartment accompanied only by this laptop and my wireless router), I am happy to report that, yes, my new life fits into my car! I feel like a turtle, setting off with everything I need inside my shell.

Goodbyes or even see you laters are not easy and I know they are harder for the ones staying. I love my friends and I appreciate that you all have been supportive as I sought international work and so happy for me as I've prepared for this transition. You know how to keep in touch and I expect to hear from you. :) I understand that it's not the same as living in the same city, or state, or country, but we will meet again.

The Last Supper - at Barrio with my besties

For now, I gotta drive.

What I'm listening to: Nacho Vegas, Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountan and Xoel López - Atlántico