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

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! 

Before School Bustle

The progress around school has been tremendous. There are folks moving, drilling, painting...and us teachers are now nesting in our classrooms and preparing for the first day.

The first day I saw campus, my room was empty; the next day there was furniture and boxes to unpack! There were more supplies and books left from previous teachers than I expected to see; that was a nice surprise. I even found a toro (bull). There are lots of windows, great natural light and I'm right next to the faculty lounge.

Desks in my room, 22 seats total!

My teacher workspace

The pre-school shuffle is always a little hectic and it's definitely an added challenge doing it in a new country while settling into a new home. But, it's been great to meet the rest of my colleagues and I'm really excited to see the students...this Thursday!

On Sunday the parents hosted a dinner at Karaweik Palace for us (that's probably a story for another entry). I met some friendly moms and well-adjusted alumni who attends the University of Southern California.

Monday, after a day of meetings and work time, several returning teachers opened their homes to us for a progressive happy hour - we moved from apartment to apartment all together. It's amazing to see how some have decorated and made these spaces feel so homey.

Today the new teachers visited the stationary store and stocked up on school supplies. We overwhelmed the small paper supply shop, but came out with all kinds of details for our classroom and course organization.

All in all, there is a lot of work to do, but plenty of fun to be had, too.

Tomorrow is the student orientation and the principal will introduce us at assembly!

101, that's me! I don't know what the Myanmar says, but they have been doing great work getting it ready.

I'll post more pictures of my classroom with its finishing decorative touches soon. :)

What I'm Listening to: Spoon - They Want My Soul (I've been counting the days to get this one - it may end up being my 2014 album of the year.)