Castle in the Clouds- A Teacher's Adventure in Myanmar and Guatemala: December: Full of fun and fancy

Week 21- This will be the longest week EVER.

It is now starting to look a lot like Christmas and frankly I do not know how I feel about that. As we go by bus (school bus- not the local crowded, “Oh, my gosh you pinched my butt” bus), we drive by our local grocery store and see a 25’ Christmas tree with Santa and a snowman out in front. One of my new friends say to me as I make a comment of disbelief, “Oh, Christmas is celebrated all around the world now; it’s a fun holiday.” Now, I know in the US some of us have gone to the dark side of the materialism of Christmas but at least we throw in a religious song and some of us even go to a church service. Most know we have this holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To have this holiday purely for the fun of it seems somehow sacrilegious. Perhaps I am kidding myself to think that Christians should have the market on Christmas, but I think that if non-Jews chose to light candles for Hanukah and play with a draddle, Jews might get a little miffed and if non-Buddhists placed Buddha’s all over their house just because they thought he was cute and wanted to rub his belly that Buddhist might be a little offended. Don’t get me wrong. I loved our Christmas concert (even though I doubt many of the parents in the audience could follow the lyrics) because I am sure the teachers taught the kids what the messages behind the songs are. It is food for thought and for now I will just think about it.

Sunday is our big community service project that one young man started a few years ago at the school. It is called help-Portrait and it gives the gift of photography to those who do not have access. The way we did it was to invite families, orphanages and local people to the school. They then had make-up stations and hair stations for the guests and then a professional “studio” for the portrait. While the picture was being developed, they snacked and talked with the students. I was on the decorating team so the day of the event, I got to hang around and basically be amazed. I held babies and shed a few tears. It was truly an amazing day. All in all they took about 70 photos and served 300 people. This event happens throughout the world. Check it out.

Let’s talk about those pesky little bugs called mesquites. We have them; they are obnoxious. We (meaning Myanmar) do, however, have some interesting contraptions to kill the little buggers. So, for the first few months I do not have a mosquito net over my bed; I do however, have a tennis racquet designed to electrocute the pests. So every night I sit in my bed, swinging the racquet hoping for a good night’s sleep. After a million and one bites, I decide the racquet is defected and give up. Month four I find out I have not charged the thing. Twenty minutes later I figure out how to eject the plug and charge away. This is after my roommate borrows someone else’s at school because she had literally 300 flying all over her room one morning. Walah- for some sick reason I love the zip sound when racquet and pest meet. I have now developed tennis elbow from my new obsession! The other contraption is a green plastic mushroom. “They can check in any time they like… but they can never leave” (insert Hotel California music here- which by the way is very popular around here- remember, we are about 30 years behind the music trends). I think one of the things I am going to bring back is wire mesh so I can make covers for all the drains in the house. I have heard that the hot season is even worse for the little buggers.

I did it! I go to the market to see if I can have earrings made for friends and instead end up having some made for me! I am now the proud owner of some huge amethyst rocks that will look wonderful on my ears. Sorry friends, but sometimes a person has to be a little selfish. Merry Christmas to me.

Help-Portrait is Sunday. We have a wonderfully decorated gym and have invited 75 families in to get portraits made. They come into the hair and make-up station first, then pose for a picture; it is printed, laminated while they wait and then they have a professional picture to capture their lovely family. It is wonderful to see the students working alongside the community to give the gift of photography. I could write more but think pictures will be more appropriate. Enjoy them.

The highlight of this week, Monday, will have to be going to the soccer game. They are having the Sea Games in Myanmar (the first time since the 1960’s). The Sea Games are a mini Olympics for the South East Asian countries. The traffic is bad and the city is crowded, but the pride of this nation is showing. Much of the games are happening in the capital of Naypyidaw, but some of the events are just around the corner from where I live. Naypyidaw has an interesting history. It is the new capital the was built in like a week in 2004. It does not much going on and has been called a ghost town because of that. But back to the soccer game. So one of the teachers gets 30 tickets and I sign up to go. I almost talk myself out of it because I imagine the drunken brawls at so many other international soccer games... but it put on my big girl panties and trek through the village around the corner (I feel like I ma walking through people’s homes) taking the back way to the stadium. The energy, the people and the décor are amazing. The locals are excited we have come to support their team. Cheers of “My-an-mar” are yelled as we pass each of the large groups trying to find out gate. We stop to shop (always stopping to shop) and I find that once again in Myanmar- large is small and XL is medium. My boys will not be sporting Myanmar soccer jerseys this Christmas and I will have to be in my turquoise blue shirt in a sea of red while in the stadium stands.

I enter the gate, get stopped because I have a water bottle (that does not contain water lol), and I must relinquish it, but they do pour the contents into a plastic bag complete with a straw. Here I am thinking they will bust me for bringing in alcohol, but they are only worried that I have something that could be used as a projectile. We find our seats and the action begins. The game is good and the fans are great. The end zone is a sea of red shirts, huge flags and choreographed movements with banners- I want to be there but not enough to climb a fence or try to talk the guard into letting me by. Justine manages to get over there and we watch as we see his white arms participate in the action. Then someone says, “We ought to do the wave.” Well, you do not have to tell me twice- I love a good wave- so I am up and ready to go. The first round it is me, running (which I use the term loosely) the length of our side of the stadium teaching the concept. They catch on quickly and soon we have our wave. The second half, I get all of our group up and they place themselves strategically around the length of the stands (until we hit the VIP section that is gated and locked) and we are ready. “One, Two, three”- I start, Eric follows, Kali and Tracy and Andres join in, as does the rest of the group; Diane films it and not only do we have half of the stadium doing the wave…but… we get a reverse wave back. They sent it back!!! So exciting. At this point we have celebrity status. We get candy, people want our pictures and even at the end of the game as the team does their victory tour around the track, they stop and do a 12 man wave back to our side of the stadium. But wait, it does not stop there.

We leave the stadium and are gathered at the bottom of the steps so we can walk back together, and as the people are coming down the long group of stairs- they begin the wave again as they see us. Jody and I almost got left because everyone wanted pictures with us. Too funny! I loved my friend’s Facebook post, “Remember the time we taught the Myanmar people the wave?” Priceless. Oh, and we won the game.

The week that follows is hurried. Tuesday is the Christmas choir concert. It is lovely and really gets me in the mood for the holiday. My students did a great job and I heard three songs I had never heard before. Needless to say, my eyes are watery by the night’s end.

Puppies—the whole neighborhood has puppies. This might sound precious- and oh my gosh- they are so cute, but they are street dog puppies which means they will turn into street dogs, which means they might get rounded up and taken God knows where to meet whatever fate becomes them. But for now- they are cute and I am enjoying their puppy faces.

My week ends with a night of TV. I have found a few students who download my favorite shows and they copy them on a thumb drive for me. I watched two episodes of Glee, and five of Modern Family. Now if I could only remember who it was I received Grey’s Anatomy from, I will be one happy couch potato.

Tonight is another soccer game so perhaps I will have another story although I think it will be hard to top Monday’s activities. For now I will say Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and thanks for giving me the inspiration to write. I am so glad I will have this to look back on. I do not know if I will post again before I leave for the states, so for now I will say- Happy New Year!!!!

Reflections:

1. We had people over on Thursday (for enchiladas- can you believe it??) and one asked, "Can you believe you have been here for five months and that the year is halfway over. I reflected on that. No- on one hand, I cannot believe it. There is so much to see and do and my time is ticking away. On the other hand, yes- I feel the pain of missing my family and friends every day. I know it is just a short time when one looks at the many years we are on this adventure called life, but I need to hug my kids and have a conversation with them that is not garbled.

2. Emotions: For some reasons teenagers do not like to see their teachers teary-eyed. So far my eighth graders have seen my shed a tear four times. Three times at the ending of a sad book and last week at the Christmas concert. By the time I got to school the next day, many kids come up to me and said, "I hear we made you cry." Emotions are something I wear on my sleeve and something this culture seems to hold in. Perhaps we will be able to reach a happy medium and teach each other something.

3. Saying goodbye- Now is the time when international schools get there commitments for the next year. Many of the people I have become friends with will be leaving for there next job or in one case- an adventure touring around the world. On some levels, I envy them. How exciting to be able to work and see the world- I different location every four or five years! One the other hand, selfishly, I do not want them to go. There has not been enough time and I really like these friends. Yesterday, however, I was talking to Sarah and she said, once you get to know someone when you are teaching internationally, chances are you will know them forever. One day they will call and come stay on your couch while they are passing through your fine state. I hope that is true.

4. Someone asked me what I would be bringing back with me from the states when I returned. A month ago I started making a list and now I think- I really just want a nice towel that is not white. How quickly we adjust.

5. I am still grappling with the fact that Christmas is celebrated over here (and around the world) yet people do not know the reason for the season. I used the analogy with one of my classes and said, "How would you feel if I placed a Budda in front of my house because I thought he was cute and wanted to rub his belly when I walked in my door?" I am not trying to preach and I do not begrudge any one the celebration, I just ask they know why it is celebrated. So… we are making an A,B, C book of celebrations around the world for the 2nd graders. Christmas will be included. I'm out………...