Meanwhile Back in Yangon...

My last lots of posts have focused on my travels, so I thought it would be good to circle back to life in Yangon. While Myanmar is very foreign to most of my friends in the west, it has come to be my familiar place, my home for now, over the last few years and a lot of what I do here is routine. In this post, I'll share a little of what that looks like!

I returned to Yangon at the end of July, the weekend before teacher meetings were set to begin and just over a week before students would return to school. It was a bit of a quick turnaround, but I had wanted to maximize my time in Spain. :)

It's not too fun to write a post about all the planning I do to get my four Spanish courses (six classes!) off the ground each August (though I do love the creativity of teaching and the newness of back to school always!), so this post focuses on what I am doing in my precious teacher free time.

First things first, I bought vegetables! Being able to cook healthy meals is a treat after traveling and having to rely on restaurants for most of your food. Beans, tomatoes, coconut milk, fresh cilantro, tofu, sweet potatoes, limes, ginger root, a lemon, green beans, purple cabbage and dragon fruit pictured below!

I love the variety and availability of great local produce!

I gazed at the familiar glowing golden-ness of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, while meeting and catching up with friends (this shot is from the Alfa Hotel's rooftop bar).

I enjoyed some teacher social events... My school's social committee hosts a lot of get-to-know-you events for the new teachers and it seems there is always somewhere to go or something to do... I never get bored!

K and I in the school bus on the way to a teacher appreciation dinner.

The parent association president (standing) with a table of teachers.

All school photo! Can you find me? ;)

Dance party! One of the many events hosted at a teacher house.

I ate some delicious Burmese food! I love Rangoon Tea House!

My Eggplant Curry, with sides, rice and soup...my friend's samosas and chicken wrap.

The rooftop bar tour was a bit of a theme in August... Here is Sule Pagoda from Yangon, Yangon.

I hosted a former student from Seattle who had recently graduated and done volunteer work, teaching English and sex ed, to community leaders in northern Thailand. B came with her friend C after their program ended and they visited me  for exactly one week. They made the most of their short visit as only young people can, doing a whirlwind tour of Myanmar, bussing to Bagan, scurrying all over Yangon and catching up on sleep in my extra bedroom (it is available for YOU too; email me to book!).

Though B and C were on a pretty tight budget, we decided to splurge on a fancy brunch at the Novotel. Brunching is a cultural experience and serious pastime among foreigners and well-to-do locals alike. 

B and I fancied up for brunch

Brunch complete with sushi chef.

My selection!

I made friends with the geckos in my apartment. We are buds; they eat the mosquitos and sing to me. Nothing tops my Desi-cat for at home company, but seeing as she is snuggled in with hew new family in Seattle...

Just one of the parade or processions that pass by in front of our apartment building on a daily basis. This is Myanmar!

And, on a long weekend in September, I snuck away to the gorgeous beach town of Ngapali!

This is what the coast of Myanmar looks like... in rainy season!

Yes, I work hard during the week, go to bed early and spend time on weekends grading and planning... but I do have lots of fun too!

This post is one day early! Remember to vote tomorrow, US friends! I already submitted my ballot from here.

 What I'm Listening to as I write this post:

Carla Morrison - A current student recommended her to me and I love her! I bought her Amor Supremo album and I really like it. It's a solid late at night or Sunday chill album; she has a beautiful voice and the lyrics are poetry.

What I'm Eating for Breakfast This Week:
Though this recipe is called Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites it seems mighty healthy to me!

Around Yangon: Special Events and Routine

Although I have settled into routine and many Myanmar occurrences are now part of my new normal, I still find myself struck with awe for this place. I love riding in taxis (when we are moving, not stuck in traffic) and just taking in the city from the window.

Selfie with my new glasses inside a taxi.

One of my favorite routines is swimming in the school's pool. Summer is in full swing here and it's hot!

One of the things I like about my school is the great community of international teachers that are here. Our students are respectful and hard-working and my job is fun everyday. One of the annual events is Fun Fair. It had a great turnout of teachers, students and parents. 

View from above.

The event I helped chaperone was this giant ball. I did not get the chance to try it out. The lines rivaled Disneyland! 

I volunteered for the dunking tank, which didn't actually work, so I had to "dunk" myself when a student hit the target.

A couple of the teachers are working really hard to get one of our lovely and loving local street dogs adopted.

And here's a video of the organized chaos which is a school event.

This shot is of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, from a park at one of the city's lakes. During a holiday, a friend and I decided to explore; you can walk almost the entire way around. It's technically a park, but much of the path is right next to the road, not exactly a break from city noises. 

My Spanish 2 class has been begging for a field trip all year. Well, all Spanish classes beg for field trips all the time... Needless to say, there aren't many Spanish activities or places to visit in Yangon. However, we just finished an animals unit and we were beginning a food unit, so with the help of a couple of student organizers, we planned a trip to the Yangon Zoo and then Sai's Tacos, which, although not up to Dad's standards, is one of only Mexican-ish options here. 

We scheduled the field trip on a professional development day; I couldn't justify missing class for these activities. The field trip was optional, but I had 10 students sign up. It was cute to see them at the zoo - many had never been or hadn't been for years and it was interesting to take in a zoo through the lens of a different culture. The safety features we have in the states (high fences, solid dividers, plenty of zoo attendants) do not exist in such full form here!

Look how close we are to the hippo! All fingers returned home safely.

 The animals seemed well-cared for, but many of the zoo's visitors did not behave! We saw people giving the monkeys candies and cookies... and no zoo employees did anything about it!

Next to the monkeys.

El cocodrilo.

Los elefantes.

The elephants seemed particularly happy and I couldn't object to the visitors feeding them bananas. Humans and elephants have a long history together in Southeast Asia. 

The cats did make me sad. There were a lot of tigers at the zoo, including one beautiful white tiger, and two lions. Their concrete cages did not seem like quite enough space for them. 

El tigre triste.

All in all, it was a fun day - Spanish was spoken, we saw lots of animals and we ate Mexican food! For some of the kids it was their first time encountering a taco or burrito, so I had to teach them how to hold and approach these items. 

Speaking of food, I continue to enjoy my Vegan Gluten Free food club. We recently updated our name to Vegans Anonymous! We get together about once a month and share food items, sometimes for brunch, sometimes for dinner. Here are a few shots from our last get-together. 

These look like REAL crepes!

From top, moving clockwise, the toppings are: powdered sugar and lemon juice, maple syrup, cashew nut frosting and homemade peanut butter and banana!!! 

Jessica shows off her creation - thin mints!

Do you want the recipes? I bet you do! Here you go:

Vegan Buckwheat Crepes

Vegan Cheese

Vegan GF Thin Mints

And ending with another cool Yangon video. Check it out and then come see this place for yourself!

My friends and I debated the reasons in this article (some do not care for the cuisine here), but the fact remains that Myanmar is a fascinating place and I recommend coming to see it for yourself!

What I'm listening to: new Modest Mouse (Strangers to Ourselves), new AWOLNATION (Run), new Bob Dylan (Shadows in the Night)

What I'm reading:

You + Me: A Collection of Short Stories & Poems by Leslie Li Hikida, I'm lucky enough to call this author my friend! Check out her blog and buy this collection on Amazon.  

Just finished: 

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Blog posts I still owe you:

• Bagan
• Chiang Mai
• Mandalay and Pwin Oo Lwin
• ...and probably one from my upcoming trip to Taiwan!

Back to School - Adventures In and Out of the Classroom

The beginning of the school year can be a crazy time – I always say it’s my busiest month of the year – and I don’t think that is an exception here. Settling into a new apartment, exploring a new city and learning about Myanmar culture all keep me occupied… and likely will for some time. And then there is the normal daily to-do’s of lesson plans, teaching, navigating technology, meeting with colleagues… you get the idea! I am enjoying my time here and it feels momentous to have finished the first full week of school.

The parent community treated us to the cultural and dinner experience at Karaweik Palace (pronounced basically like Kerouac) before school began. This place is on a lake and like a cross between a boat and a palace. I got to meet a YIS alumni who is now studying at UCLA and some of our students' mothers. There was entertainment, an extensive buffet (Asian and western foods...basically anything you could want) and a fortune teller. I can't tell you what he told me, but it was definitely a revealing experience. He also used numerology and the date of my birth (Saturday) to give me my Myanmar name, Nhin Wai, which means falling softly like the snow. He pointed out that my birthday is in the summer (hot season) here, which is funny because I always thought of myself as a spring baby. 

Walkway into Karaweik Palace

One of the many different traditional dances which occur as you eat.

My favorite was the elephant - there are two guys in there!

With the fortune teller. Uh-oh! What's he saying?!?

These guys greeted us on our way in.

Traditional (fancy) women's clothes. 

Looking back on the way out.

The very first week of school was a soft start as we had an A day on Thursday and a B day on Friday and then the weekend to recover. Yangon International School is on an all block schedule. There are 8 periods total, with four each day. On my A day, I teach two sections of Spanish 1 and one of Spanish 3. On my B day I teach my two Spanish 2’s. It’s been really interesting to get to know the students. Most of the kids are from Myanmar, but I do have some Japanese and Korean students, and one girl from Thailand. Most of them have a nickname that is easier for Westerners to say and in Spanish class, students choose a Spanish name. So I’m juggling the task of remembering 3 names per kid – one in Myanmar (which can be up to four words long), one in English and one in Spanish. The students have been pretty patient with me and at this point, I definitely have their Spanish names down. Priorities. J One difference is that Myanmar people don’t last/family names, so the name you see is their whole name. Overall, my students are respectful, attentive and curious. There is a lot of respect built in around the role of the teacher here. Here are more recent pictures of my classroom.

Teacher desk space. I have a view of the back yard of a house near the school

There is desk space for 22 students - my biggest class has 20 and my smallest just 7.

Bienvenidos a la clase de español...

There were a lot more books and resources than I expected. And what Spanish classroom would be complete without a bull?

So, speaking of that weekend to recover... The director made plans for us to celebrate the three “chaperone” teachers who met us in Bangkok and have done so much to help us settle in here. We visited the hotel at Inya Lake for their brunch. Brunch is a big deal at the expat hotels and restaurants and this one is definitely an experience. Thirty-two US dollars gets you all you can eat and drink (yes, that includes sparkling wine) in a beautiful setting, complete with live jazz band. This is a price tag anywhere, and definitely here, where you can order noodles or rice and eat a meal out for about one dollar, but I’d say it was worth the splurge and I hope we can do brunch when you visit.

 Statues on the way in.

Bubbles AND coffee? Yes, please!

Our table - you can get a peek of the band in the corner.

Katherine enjoys a sampling of delicacies.

My colleagues!

View of All. The. Food.

Sushi and seafood section. Next time I'll bring my own tamari. 

We did a little shopping after, Candy in front of one of the jewelry stores.

This was a long one! Thanks for reading til the end. I think I've added a space above so that you can subscribe to this blog. If it works, you'll get an email update when I publish a new post. 

Coming up: Posts about the weather, my first acupuncture experience in Asia (!) and more on the food and markets. What do you want to hear about?

What I’m reading: The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank (It’s really good! If you like Lorrie Moore, you’ll like this.)

What I’m listening to: Desaparezca Aquí (Nacho Vegas) – thanks Mom for your resilience!