Myanmar

zoe2013 — Tue, 3 Dec 2013 02:20:00 GMT

Adventures: lost green fleece walking from plane to passport line in Bangkok area, so left my bag with a German tourist in the line and ran back the ten minutes to the gate, everyone helpful, but didn't find it, then ran back to passport line, where kind person had left my bag with the security there, who gave it to me (had been a little concerned what might happen to it if I didn't get back before he reached the passport control). Caught shuttle in perfect timing to the other airport. Learned how to say Thank you in Thai from two young airport bookstore attendants, one of whom has an aunt in San Francisco.

Once in Myamar, taxi from Yangon airport to Shwe Oo Min, with wonderful exchange of smiles with four-five young Burmese girls in pick-up from my taxi window while waiting in traffic. Turns out the Sayadaw had just arrived the day before, and was giving his first English interview that night, which I arrived just in time for -- so perfect timing.

Being on no time zone in particular, and except for four hours sleep on the plane up from about 6am Tuesday to 1 pm on Thursday (9pm Thursday Myamar time), it wasn't hard for me to wake up at the 3:30 bell for the 4am meditation.

Yesterday I was picked up at the meditation center and driven to the village where I was to teach, and picked up from drop-off place to ride on a scooter on dirt pathway thru delta to wonderful village, and if the last 24 hours were the whole trip it would have been well worth it. Wonderful afternoon and evening with wonderful family and neighbors and friends, mostly learning names and sharing in broken English. This morning I taught What is your name? etc in four different classrooms at the village school of a 1000 students, and each pupil was so lovely to work with. The children of even the 10th grade, even the english teacher, possibly they know how to read some english, but they can't speak it.

Morning and afternoon walk with the son and cousin of family staying with, by pagoda, by which a young girl and older woman were standing with silver bowls collecting donations, and thru an exquisite little monastery with a 300 year old little Buddha room, and thru back ways, and stopping in the little library, and at someone's shop/home, meeting friends and neighbors and everyone so open and friendly, and learning many Burmese words. My camera battery gave out towards the end, as walking by a lotus pond and coming across a mossy ancient stone stupa, where a monk was cutting away the grass because of the many snakes there (this is where we turned around, which is just as well if there were snakes because we were barefoot since in was monastic grounds) -- we were going to go back tomorrow afternoon after teaching so I could take photos there.\

BUT on the way home, someone picked me up on a scooter to bring me back to the house, because the immigration police wanted to see my passport. And we thought it was fixed and ok, because in the end he said ok. My host said probably ok but if they came back to arrest him, for me to call the American embassy. That night they told him I couldn't stay in private home, and so they scootered and brought me by car to Bago to a hotel of a friend, and I'm writing at an internet cafe near the Bago pagoda.

It is so very sad, the family was sad, I was so sad, to not be able to return to the village and school for the next four days as had been planned. I will be picked up and brought back to Rangoon tomorrow. Probably I will go back to the meditation center for three days, then on to Mwalaymine and Hpa An.

The 24 hours staying with Nyunt Than's cousin's family, and the walks with the two boys, and the morning at the school, and the scooter rides along the dry river bed, and the mingalaba's and smiles, it was worth the whole trip.

december2013

Myanmar