Castle in the Clouds- A Teacher's Adventure in Myanmar and Guatemala: May 2014

May 19^th- The end is near/ Half way there/Start reflecting

As the end of my first year of my two year contract is almost over and I have visions of queso and chips running through my head. Sick, I know, to have visions of food running through my head rather than the wonderful scene of Joshua and Dylan meeting me at the airport with Bentley my sweet, sweet dog jumping out of their arms and greeting me with a big, fat wet tongue right across the face. Obviously, both scenes are running through my head but queso and chips made a much better first line and as a writing instructor- I know it is all about first lines. It is also about last lines. I look at an essay that I wrote last summer for a contest at Real Simple Magazine (the magazine always puts out this essay contest once a year. As I reread the article, I think I was spot on with my expectations. The prompt was, “Discuss a time when you were brave.” Here is the article- My next blog with be the reflections of the first year overseas.

I have never considered myself brave. Yes, I teach high school and have gotten in the middle of a few fights in the hall; yes, I have reared two strong-willed sons and yes, I have stood up to a few bullies; but brave, no- not me. Yet for the last few months, countless people after hearing what I am about to embark upon, say how brave I am. “I wish I was as brave as you are.” and “Oh, you are so brave. We will live vicariously through your adventure.” have become commonplace phrases when my well wishers respond to my news. My best friend does not hold back and says, “Are you crazy?”. So now, something I was extremely excited about suddenly seems scary. The power of the word they innocently use has morphed my excitement into self-doubt and worry. Now, I feel a need to fill a Xanax prescription or take a trip to Colorado. However, it is too late to turn back and so with the many positive possibilities that could come from this decision, I am just going to pray hard and trust—myself.

I am a 51-year-old newly retired public school teacher who is about to move to Myanmar (formally Burma) to teach at an international high school for at least two years. Up until a few months ago I had not even heard of Myanmar (Burma yes, but not this newly democratic version of the once oppressive land). Myanmar is in Southeast Asia, east of Thailand. The pictures are beautiful; the history is daunting. Up until a few months ago, my retirement plan was the following: enjoy my teaching position until I reach the rule of 80 (age plus years of teaching equals retirement eligibility in Texas), retire and then get a job teaching internationally in Europe- preferably Italy. I would spend my days doing what I do best- connecting with teenagers and then my nights would be spent traveling the area discovering what the region had to offer- food, men, scenery and a wonderful culture. My weekends would be short jaunts to other countries much like the Hemingways and the Gertrude Steins of the “lost generation”. I would write about the new food, the new adventures and the new men in my life (One cannot fathom how angry I was when Under the Tuscan Sun was published and then later, Eat, Love, Pray. These were my books- my 5^th chapter!) But I was set on this plan, so I set out to make it happen even if I had to change things up a bit.

My last year of teaching was hurried. I had to give my all to my students, but I also had to set my plan into action. I did not want to be a person who just talked about my long-term goals; rather, I wanted to be a person who accomplished what I set out to accomplish. So, I joined two organizations that connected teachers who desired to teach overseas with schools that wished to hire them; my plan A. I started the paperwork, took the test and wrote the essays to be a foreign diplomat; my plan B. Finally, I linked to a newsletter that informed people how to retire overseas...”on less than $2000.00 a month!”; my plan C. I updated my resume and tried to get twenty nine years of teaching to two informative pages, dug through what I call my file system but what most would call a mess, to find my college transcript and my teaching certificate and I learned to use a scanner. I then signed up for a job fair in San Francisco and waited for that month to arrive.

Upon arriving at the job fair, my list of 55 schools I would consider and who had a position of which I was qualified, quickly went down to 21 and then again down to eight. Needless to say, none of those eight positions where even close to Europe. Rethinking my plan, I just went for it. I interviewed with schools in the Middle East, Asia and the islands off of South America. Nightly, I searched the internet for information on the countries whose news stories I scanned at best and ignored more often. The new geographic plan became “Something near the beach.” With three offers on the table- Myanmar it is.

The friends and family who were excited to visit me in Europe and lounge on my veranda sipping lattes and taking Italian cooking classes had much to say about my new plan. “You're going where?” and “Is it even safe?” were the comments that emerged before the, “You are so brave.” comments that followed. Much like me, most did not even know where Myanmar was let alone have a desire to travel there. Questions I could not answer emerged. My friend's husband, a seasoned traveler, asked about the plumbing, “Do they have western toilets?” Why would they not have western toilets? I asked myself and then pictured what he described in detail. Surely, I will have a western toilet!

My two twenty-something boys have been privy to my plan for the last ten years had differing views. One can't wait to come see me and the other one is worried about the distance and the old trains (Thanks a lot Anthony Bourdain Places Unknown episode #1) that transport people from one major area to the other, “Mom, promise me you won't get on a train!” In terms of this goal, I do not think my kids ever thought I would do it, but now that it is happening, they are excited and nervous at the same time to see me take on this adventure.

The month after accepting the position was spent researching and finding out all I could about my soon to be new home. Reading blogs, books and emailing back and forth with teachers currently working in Myanmar became my nightly routine. Each step forward was followed by a step backwards when it came to building my confidence about my decision. I soon discovered I would drive myself crazy if I let this doubt go any further into my psyche. So... I modified my plan.

My new goals for this adventure became to learn to “simplify, simplify, simplify.” For years I had my students respond the writings of Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, now I was going to have my own Walden adventure. I do not want a life “frittered away by detail”. I will take these two years to eat healthier, unchain myself from social media and electronics (no cell phone coverage in Myanmar) as well as be a instrument that can be used to help this emerging democracy flourish. I will become a cultural sponge. I will take these two years to concentrate on being the best me I can become because for the last 26 years I have put the needs of my children before the needs of myself (as it should be).

As I look back on the last year and the things I have accomplished and as I look forward to the next two years, I suppose “brave” could be an adjective that one would use to describe it; I, however, prefer to use the word tenacious.

May Day May Day!!!!

May 1^st- Many wonderful memories from April.

I have gotten bad about recording things to write about. I guess Thoreau’s observation about quickly getting into a routine is correct. The “I can set my clocks to it” 5:45 am/pm chanting, the bell from the monks as they travel down the street looking for donations, the geckos coming out of the cracks and hanging on the ceilings of my house --- no longer set me into a trace or scare me with movement; I guess it is more like home. I am comfortable.

April is much about anticipating vacation time. Ironically, I am spending a bunch of money to go to Japan and see cherry blossoms when I could have just gone to Washington DC to do the same. Live and learn! I am traveling to Japan with two friends and we map out a good ten-day trip. We will start in Kyoto. Kyoto has a wonderful reputation for the cherry blossom festivals and for temples. We do several walking tours and it is truly amazing. First, we do the Philosophers’ Tour. It winds through the river that is lined with the blooming trees and ends in a village that was quaint and has many shops. We snap pictures of girls in traditional clothing only to find out that there is a shop where one can pay to dress up like that complete with the black bunned wig and wooden slippers. They look legit to me—until I see the white girls. The white girls brought me back to the “money buys anything” reality of traditional Kyoto. I do think we see some traditional dress and real Keisha- especially the couple taking wedding pictures. All in all there were four walks mapped out and we did three of them. My legs are spent and my Aleve bottle almost empty by the time we leave Kyoto. The temples were traditional and I learned much about the history and religion of the area. By the time we left Kyoto, I was done with temples.

While in Kyoto, we stay in two places: One, a normal hotel and the next a traditional Ryokan. One of my fellow travellers felt this was important in order to get the real feel of Japan. The grass mats on the floor were amazing and the sliding screens really make a person feel like they are in Japan, but the "sit on the floor, lay on a mat" tradition was for skinny, bendy people of which I am neither. Another unique thing about this inn was they had traditional public baths. The baths are suppose to have healing powers and come complete with instructions on how to use them. After some peer pressure and a little wine, I venture down (in my bathing suit which is a no-no) and relaxe in the piping hot water. I found it difficult to have a conversation with a person complete with eye contact when that person is naked- and I imagine if I had been naked it would have been doubly hard! Oh well, when in Rome….

Next, Hiroshima. My father was in WWII and I remember him lamenting about several of the towns in Japan (most of the time after copious swigs of whisky), so I was anxious about this leg of the trip. One of my friends has a group meeting us that he contacts through a friend of a friend’s nephew. These four women have our itinerary ready complete with a handout for each of us on how to pronounce their names. We head out to Peace Park to take in the ominous history we have learned about but somehow seems so distant to my generation. I listen through tears as we see the sculptures, the place below the hypocenter of the atomic bomb and the Sadako Children’s Memorial. I see from afar a Korean who is I assume paying homage to his people at the Korean Memorial and somehow I want to capture the moment. I snap pictures with my zoom lens and then feel like an interloper. Our art teacher had her students making cranes for us to donate to the museum; we did so with hopeful hearts that the message of peace will be heard throughout the world. Here is the story via youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPlAzO0mGT4

As an American, I somehow felt some responsibility; as the daughter of a Marine, I wished to know more. My father’s stories died with him- all I do know is that this war killed his spirit and eventually took his life. The losses were not just to the Japanese community. Somehow I am comforted as I see that the mayors of Hiroshima continue a letter writing campaign denouncing the use of atomic and nuclear weapons. Who better to send such a message? In total, there have been over 606 letters sent to heads of states. Lunacy!

The Museum is filled with before and after pictures as well as the history. The story is told objectively and without blame. I am thankful for that.

We end the day with a traditional Japanese dinner of okonomiyaki. “It is made with a crepe on the bottom and dried bonito (fish) powder (if I ate it again I would cut this), shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, pork slices and noodles piled on top of it. The key to the delicacy of okonomiyaki is the special in-house sauce. The best way to eat it is served on the heated iron grill, using a special spatula to eat with from the grill.” We ate it traditional style and it was yummo!

The next day we went to an island via ferry to see another temple, shop and view the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Itsukushima The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; I have had the privilege of seeing many World Heritage sites this year. The floating gate is a popular picture many pair with Hiroshima. Here we eat delicious oysters- grilled/smoked and fried. I venture from the group and accept an invitation to a baseball game of the professional team called the Carps from one of the lovely ladies who has been our guide. The Japanese sure know how to enjoy baseball. They even have a 7^th inning stretch tradition of letting go of blown up balloons and watching them land every which way. I watch men in suits eating soup with chopsticks and the bleacher creatures trying to keep the spirit going. It is a memorable experience that I am so glad I had.

On to Tokyo!! Everywhere the big city, the lights, the thousands and thousands of subway, railway and bullet train lines bombard our senses. Calgone- take me away. Fortunately, I am with people who like to figure out puzzles and I just follow along and try to contribute every now and again. I am good at asking questions so that becomes my role in figuring out the maze of transportation options. As we travel via train, I am struck with how people occupy themselves. Each has a smart phone out, each trying so hard to avoid eye contact or any human contact. I, on the other hand, want to learn about their culture and strike up a conversation with everyone- it was a battle of wills and the locals won. We tour the common areas-the Anime street where locals dress as carton characters, the busiest intersection in the world, the tallest building and the oldest temple. We shop and eat and find out just how expensive Japan really is. I do not buy much in Japan (too bulky or too expensive); my memories will have to be in photos.

On the last day we all go out on our own. I take a two hour train ride up into the mountains and go to an open air museum and stroll with local families through huge sculptures placed in nature and building exhibits that house greats like Picasso and Moore. It is an awesome way to end a three city in ten-day tour.

I miss my plane home. I am ready to go back to Myanmar and finish up the year. My fellow travellers and I miscommunicate about the plane departure time and are two hours off. I feign illness rather than stupidity, so the airline employees get us on the same flight the next day. I have been sick ever since the lie came out of my mouth. Damn karma!

I cannot end this post before bringing up the thing I just loved about Japan. Besides the beautiful scenery, the historic temples and the awesome bullet trains (I mean they literally move you as they zoomed by), I will have to say I am infatuated with the bathrooms. Even in the airport they had heated seats, a contraption that came out and rinsed one's rear off and a little button one could push if they needed the sound of running water to either get them going or cover up the natural sounds we all make. Different sprays could be chosen and temperatures. This, my friends, is worthy of mention. I cannot figure out though if it is better to save paper waste or water.

It is good to be back in Myanmar. I want so badly to say home, but then a part of me feels it would mean this is home. And then people would forget me- so I will continue to name it and avoid the “H” would. I return to less mosquitos and dead plants and actually look forward to the hard bed to which I have become accustomed. As I wake up on Tuesday, I realize that I have not had to work a five- day week in quite some time. Oh how I love the international calendar. I am inundated with emails about this test dates and end of the year activities and begin to get overwhelmed—and then I realize I am almost ½ way through with my contract. I have so much to look back on and so much to look forward.

Reflections and Observations:

1. Schools are the same everywhere. First, attitude is everything and when one has the short sightedness to just harp on the negative, the year can be long. Secondly, kids are kids and no matter what the level of school a person teaches- all students that have kid problems. In a culture where achievement is of utmost importance, there will still one who is an underachiever; in a culture where they are not suppose to date, there are those who have drama- they might not be having girl fights in the halls where weaves are flying but being a teenager is a low grade tsunami no matter what part of the world one lives.

2. How quickly we become hooked to the leer of television. I now have a “supplier” who has downloaded a few series for me. I watch on the small screen of the computer. I think it took me three days to finish Midwives and Jody, Courtney and I am treating Scandal like it is crack (although that is just a euphemism and I have no idea what crack is like). I will have to say, one thing about coming back home is the realization that me and my 50 inch flat screen will be reunited.

3. We always see news about how one group of people has surpassed another group of people. As I observed the citizens if Tokyo who most say are so much better at the STEM subjects than Americans, I see people who are directed, focused and serious in all aspects of their lives. I say there is a give and take in life and that a balance is something for which we all need to search. Maybe my ten days gave me a restricted view, and I will have to admit- the folks I met on a one to one level were lovely and friendly; I ponder the culture.

4. I feel so sorry for people who get their panties in a wad about sexual innuendo. The banter that happens between the opposite sex who are comfortable around each other is so fun. With that said, I understand the line can be crossed and not all have that type of relationship with their coworkers where this is appropriate. All I can say is that people can tell that I have raised two boys and that I am a high school teacher because little offends me and although I do not admit it, sometimes I am just dying to say, “That's what she said.” I will miss my office buddy as he goes on to his next post.

5. I am currently reading, A Fortune Teller Told Me and through it, I am learning much about this side of the world. One of the things that stands out is that so many groups of people have been “brought in” to different countries to help establish that country and then when the country is established, these groups are either tossed aside or assimilated into the country. I question what it is about a race, a person, or a government that determines which it will be.

6. After 30 years of teaching, I still love good professional development. I spent the last few days of March on Bangkok at the EARCOS convention. I cannot begin to explain the wonderful speakers and sessions of which I was privy. One of the things I took away was what one of the speakers said about children's exposure to screens. It should be nothing from birth to 2 and extremely limited from the age of 2 to 5. I agree- it has been research and it is bad for creative development. Sadly, what I also took from the key note speech is that we have become a people who have no disconnect from work. We can always be reached; we are always checking our email. When this happens, family time becomes limited. It is sad when the only uninterrupted conversation some kids might have with an adult is their teacher (and only because we would get in trouble if our smart phones were on while we taught!). I am scared for this new generation. I saw a Facebook quotation (which I am totally addicted to now that my connection to faraway friends is only through computers- so by any means, I am not saying I am above this trend)- "If someone from the 50's were suddenly dropped into our world, how would we explain smart phone technology? " I have a device in my purse where I can access all the information possessed by man. I use it to look at pictures of dogs, watch a "good looking couple sing the theme song to Frozen, and take quizzes on what spice I am." Something to think about.

Pictures!!

I think one of the prerequisites of being a rickshaw man is to have great legs, because they all did.

The Philosophers' Walk

Pilgrimage to a temple

Pickled cucumbers on a stick

I really wanted to try one of these, but didn't.

This was my one purchase in Japan. A hand dyed scarf that is just lovely.

oh- we climbed so many stairs.

and hills

It is a tradition to purchase fortunes and hand them in the temples.

I don't know what this is…. eatery?

Beautiful cherry blossoms

Top of the steps at a temple.

Are they tourists or geisha?

I went deep into one temple and followed prayer beads to get me through the total darkness. As I turned the corner a stone was illuminated. I was to turn it and say a prayer. This paper explains the temple. Click on it and you can read it.

A couple that just got married and is posing for professional pictures.

BBQ Japanese style!

At each temple there are bells to ring after a prayer is given. It helps to alert Buddha (?) that one has been given.

Prayers left in hopes of being granted.

temple

Paper/ stationary

more colors

My traveling group under the cherry blossoms

our breakfast one morning. Needless to say, we asked for fruit the next morning. For some reason, I cannot get into fish before coffee.

Dinner that was great

We cooked this meat in a broth with noodles and veggies

dessert

The bamboo forest. Probably one of my favorite walks.

ok- After the " You will be lonely the rest of your life fortune, I vowed not to do it again. But everyone else was getting such good news, I broke down. I guess it is not the year to start a business.