Golden Pagodas, Days, and Experiences

After five years in Thailand I finally made it to Myanmar (not counting border runs to Tachilek that are akin to trips to Tijuana and saying you've been to Mexico). Myanmar is the home to several of the students I've taught, and it was great to finally see a little of what it is like. As with many trips, I feel I need to go back! I didn't actually play tourist much, but stuck to two cities, Yangon (the former capital) and Taungoo, about a three hour drive north.

On the Tarmac - welcome to Yangon!

First meal in Myanmar - home-cooked and delicious!

Shwe Dagon Pagoda - a popular symbol of Myanmar
(and yes, this is basically the only picture I have.)

Sisters - AhJar and Seng Mai who have both been my students.

Taungoo is a smaller city, so it was much more relaxing than Yangon. It was so hot on this trip, that to get out of the city and be able to relax away the afternoons was so nice.

View from out the door of my room. 

Breakfast the first day - many traditional foods, lots of rice and tapioca. 

Cooking outside

Pineapple! Did you know it takes about a year for pineapple to grow?

My students' nephew in his Kachin longyi* and hat.

My former student, AhJar. I'm wearing the Kachin longyi from her mother.

Me singing with with women from Taungoo in my new Karen** dress.
Photo credit: Aj. Gloria

People at the water festival
(called Songkran in Thailand and Thingyan in Myanmar).
Photo credit: Aj. Gloria

More splashing of water, hoses, bikes, and wet people!
Photo credit: Aj. Gloria

Karaweik Royal Barge replica on Kandawgyi lake.
Inside there is a restaurant, but I only posed for this picture.

Market on the western part of town. I really liked this place.
At this stall, you bring your plastic bottle,
they ladle your choice of oil in and weigh it. 

The market nearing sundown.

The first day of my trip I went to Shwe Dagon Pagoda,
the last night I went here, Botataung Pagoda.
The highlight was actually walking down by the river nearby afterwards,
but no pictures!

There are many other places in Myanmar that I would love to see - Bagan and Indawgyi Lake for starters. I would like to ride on the trains, maybe see the beaches. But for now I am content. My trip was wonderful. There were many people who made it really special. Those I met from church, and those who worked at the guesthouse where we stayed. I enjoyed singing, and learning some Burmese, trying to help cook, eating good food, seeing former students and playing with the kids. So on this trip, while I did not see much of Myanmar (I was there almost three weeks after all) I did get to really interact with and enjoy the people. In the end, that's where most of the learning and fun comes from anyway!

* The Kachin are an ethnic group primarily in Myanmar. Go here for more information on Wikipedia. A longyi is traditional dress of men and women in Myanmar.
** The Karen are another ethnic group in Myanmar. Go here for more information.

Graduation 2012

This past school year has already come and gone. It's amazing how fast the time flies. On March 18th six of the Legacy students graduated. Two were from last year - Uaorawet and Fon; and four were from this year - AhJar, Atiwat, Samuey, and Peto.

2011 Graduates: Uaorawet and Fon

2012 Graduates: AhJar, Samuey, Peto, and Atiwat

It was special for me because I was able to see these students, who I have known from 2-5 years, graduate. We wish them all the best for the future!

Final Legacy Leader for the 2011-2012 School Year

This past year has flown by and we just finalized our last issue of the Legacy Leader. We used a really interesting journalism book hosted here.  It outlines the basics of writing articles and focuses on Southeast Asia. After learning about interviewing people, the students had to find someone to interview - and what better place to start than the employees of Legacy! This issue of the Legacy Leader incorporates those interviews along with submissions from the 2nd year English class.

Click here to read Legacy Leader Issue 3 PDF
Click here to download Legacy Leader Issue 3 PDF