MYANMAR (BURMA)

BURMA (MYANMAR)

DAY 1

So, after we sailed up a river to get into the port that we are docked at about 7 members of the US Embassy boarded the ship for our diplomatic briefing. Basically they let us know all the stuff we can’t do here. I’ll list some:

1) We can’t photograph military personnel, bridges, airports, etc.

2) We can’t ask the locals what they think about their government or the US government.

3) We can’t buy anything with the exception of educational products and original artwork.

4) Women cannot look a monk directly in the eye.

5) We cannot accept literature that speaks against the government.

6) We cannot talk on a cell phone and google, hotmail, and yahoo are illegal as well.

There are many others, of course. These strict rules are because Burma (the country’s old name and what the US refers to it as) is now under the control of an oppressive military regime. Many countries around the world, including the US, are boycotting Burma because of the government’s policies repress universal human rights.

So, needless to say, after this briefing many of us were confused and just wanted to survive the next 6 days without getting arrested. Hopefully we will be successful. I can make no promises though ;o) Don’t worry I just knocked on wood. I’ll be okay!

We have to take a shuttle to get into the downtown Yangon. It runs basically every 2 hours and it takes approximately 1 hour to get there. We took the 4:00 shuttle and once we were dropped off at Trader’s Hotel (SAS drop-off point) we walked around very briefly before taking a taxi to the Karaweik Restaurant on Royal Lake. It is a absolutely beautiful area where you can take walks and what not before or after having dinner. The restaurant itself was stunning. It was pretty ridiculous actually.

After we finished dinner we thought about walking around a bit, but it was dark and we really didn’t know where to go. While we were deciding myself and my friend, Bailey, managed to get bird pooped on us. There were a ton of birds around the restaurant and let’s just say we figured out that it wasn’t a good idea to walk under the trees. My bookbag got the most of it, thankfully, and it wasn’t too bad. We ended up just taking a taxi back to the Trader’s Hotel and hung out in the bar area upstairs until the shuttle came to take us back to the ship.

My first impression of Myanmar is strange. Our ship is docked in a pretty rural area. On the shuttle ride to the city I saw random cows and villages spread out along the road. Once you get to the downtown area it’s much more city-like. Buddhists make up about 87% of the Burmese population. Because of this, Yangon is a pretty safe city. People are comparatively more quiet and reserved. Women don’t have to worry about getting hassled as much as in other countries and major cities. Despite the seemingly serene environment we still have to remember that the government is still in control. I say it’s strange because we don’t really know what there is to do here. We have five more days. I have some day trips, so hopefully I’ll be able to fill my time here creating valuable cultural experiences, not to mention legal ones. Only time will tell…

DAY 2

Today, Nicole (my roommate) and I spent the afternoon on the half day city orientation in Yangon. It was okay. We got to see a couple of pagodas. The first pagoda was called Sule pagoda. In a pagoda you must remove both shoes and sock and then circumambulate (walk around clockwise) the stupa (the center structure of the pagoda). There are various shrine dedicated to Buddha and many people praying including monks. Monks are pretty much everywhere you go in Yangon and probably Myanmar in general. The detail of the pagodas is pretty amazing. Again, I’m sorry I can’t show you pictures, but just imagine lots of golds, reds, and shiny structures. If you are really interested you might be able to look online, but the govt. might have that regulated too. The second pagoda we went to was the famous Shewdagon Pagoda. This pagoda is over 2500 years old and is said to be made of over 60 tons of gold and it was over 4,000 diamonds on the tip of the stupa. It was a pretty incredible sight to see. I took lots of pictures, so you won’t be left in the dark for too long as to what it actually looks like.

We also went to the Myanmar National Museum. It was alright. They had huge thrones from past dynasties. Our last stop was at the reclining Buddha. This structure was redone in 1978. It’s absolutely the largest Buddha I have ever seen! Don’t worry, I took lots of pictures of this as well.

Nicole and I left the tour before it headed back to the ship and caught a taxi to the Trader’s Hotel to meet some other people. We chilled in the bar until they arrived and then went across the street to Café Aroma to have dinner. During this dinner a boy was waving and dancing through the window at us. Nicole smiled at the kid and waved. However, she did not know that this signal meant that she promised to buy a packet of postcards he was selling. So, once we left, this kid followed us across the street trying to get us to buy these postcards. It’s really funny because Nicole often gets herself into these situations. In fact many of her souvenirs are ones she didn’t really mean to buy in the first place. Fortunately, she managed to stay strong this time and didn’t come home with 20 postcards she didn’t want. After dinner we went back to Trader’s and sat around in the lobby until the bus came to take us back to the ship.

And that brings us to the present moment where our ship’s water has been turned off. ::SIGH:: Fortunately I managed to take a quick shower before this happened. Hopefully the water will be back on in the morning.

DAY 3

So, today I visited the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf. Obviously, I was really excited about this field trip. Even though ASL (American Sign Language) is different from Burmese Sign Language there were many similar signs and the kids showed us that they had been practicing the ASL alphabet and numbers. It’s a residential school, as most Deaf schools are. Some students are orphans, but I think most had parents who sent them there. They also learn vocational skills such as sewing and stitching.

This visit was technically considered to be a service visit. However, we ended up being the ones being served. It started out by one kid showing us a type of massage they had spent the last month learning by demonstrating on a SAS student. By the end every one of us were laying on blankets and getting a massage from a student at the school. The massage lasted about an hour. It was strange because I didn’t want to disrespect them by refusing the massage, but I also didn’t want them to think that they had to give me a massage. It was an interesting massage, to say the least. Maybe I’ll demonstrate it on some of you once I’m home.

After the massage I showed my ASL textbook to the adult teachers and workers at the school. I think they appreciated looking through it and seeing the differences and similarities between the two languages.

The kids were absolutely wonderful. Of course they loved us taking their pictures, but they also all lined up by the gates and waved good bye to us with the “I love you” sign. The girl who gave Nicole her massage pulled her aside before she left and showed her a piece of paper that read, “Please don’t forget me. I’m very happy to see you.” She then gave Nicole a picture of her to remember her by.

I’m definitely glad I got to go on this trip. It’ll be something I know I’ll never forget.

Now, I’m back at the ship and guess what! The water is still not on. Yeah, I know!! I really do hope it comes on before we leave for Yangon tonight. Nicole and I are meeting up with some others to spend the night in the city. It should be fun, inexpensive, and I would like to at least start off the night relatively clean. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

DAY 4

So, we decided to stay at the Trader’s Hotel which was really nice and didn’t cost too much either. I also ended up going to a soccer game between Myanmar and India last night as well. It was so awesome! It cost less than $2, and it was fun to see the whole crowd get into it. Myanmar ended up winning 10-0. It really was a great experience to go to a soccer game outside of the US.

After the game we just hung out at the hotel before calling it a night. I played some darts and a game of pool. It was pretty chill. This morning we woke up and while part of the group went out shopping, myself and a couple of others decided to head back to the ship, catch up on some rest and get ready for our last two days in Myanmar.

Yesterday and today the water is only on for 3 hours a day. Hopefully, tomorrow they’ll let the water stay on for longer. Until then…

DAY 5

I woke up rather early today to board the bus for my last Myanmar field trip entitled Traditional Handicrafts. We went to various places. It was more of a shopping trip than anything. We went to this warehouse that sold laquerware and wicker type furniture. Then we visited a place where pagoda umbrellas were being made. They are like these metal structures that are either painted or gold leafed shaped like, you guessed it, pagodas. After leaving that place we went to Scott Market where I picked up some small paintings that I probably overpaid for. It’s much harder to barter here because everyone is so nice. I know, I know. It’s a bad excuse, but you try telling a Buddhist that his paintings are worth less than what he thinks. They are nice paintings at least.

The real interesting part of the trip, however, wasn’t the souvenirs I picked up. It was actually our tour guide. I can’t really give him justice through the written word. Remind me to tell you about him once I get home. To satisfy your curiosity about this individual for the time being, just think marijuana and impressions of famous Burmese singers. For now just let your imagination do the rest. I’m sure it won’t be too far from the truth.

That was basically my day. They are still rationing the water supply. We’ll see how long this lasts.

DAY 6

The rationing of water continues. This is getting pretty ridiculous. I think once we are back out to sea, it’ll get better, but as it is not having water is making a lot of people sort of cranky.

Today I just went into Yangon to do some final shopping in Scott Market and get some lunch. We had to get back for on ship time and I wanted to be here when the water turned on, so sorry today wasn’t that exciting. I’m sure Vietnam will bring more interesting stories.

Love and Miss everyone! I hope all is well!

Lauren