Soccer Monks

I’m back in Shan State today (at least in my cyber state of mind) with the novice monks from the Tat Ein Monastery. Like most men and boys in Myanmar, these guys are total football fanatics. When not studying their Buddhist texts, they are more than willing to kick around a football — what’s called a soccer ball back in the USA — either inside or outside the monastery. Unlike at some more well-to-do monasteries in Myanmar, the monks at Tat Ein don’t have access to a TV, their football cravings are confined to actually playing the game.

 

Before I arrived in Nyaungshwe this time, I bought the monks a new football in Yangon. It wasn’t that expensive but it was certainly of much better quality than the beat-up ball they had been using. They might be novice monks, but that shouldn’t prevent them from playing a little football once in a while. And as you can see from these photos, they certainly get a kick out of doing just that!

 

 

 

Boppin’ around Bagan: 90th Street on the Road (Pt. 2)

After Mt. Popa, the next stop on my journey with the crew from 90th Street in Mandalay was Bagan. We arrived in Bagan early in the afternoon of the first day. I stayed at a hotel in New Bagan, but Maw Hsi and the kids opted to stay at a monastery closer to Old Bagan. I’d offered to put everyone up at the same hotel (a place I’ve stayed at many times over the years,  and was assured of a discount with a group this big), but Maw Hsi seemed very concerned that I’d been spending too much money on these trips and didn’t want me splurging more than needed.

 

After a short afternoon siesta the truck picked me up around five that afternoon and we headed over to the nearby Lawkananda Pagoda, perched on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River. The pagoda was under repair, with bamboo scaffolding covering most of the dome, so other than some nice views of the river there wasn’t much to see there. I suggested that we visit a smaller group of pagodas closer to Myinkaba where we could watch the sunset, and more importantly not be run over by any tour groups. There are several pagodas in Old Bagan that serve as popular sunset spots, but most of those are horribly crowded nowadays.

 

The kids managed to find a few temple caves in the area and made mad dashes through the dark interior and back outside, screaming happily the whole time. Good, silly fun. After that short sightseeing stint we headed back to New Bagan and had dinner at the outdoor Shwe Lan Thit Restaurant, just down the dirt road from the Thazin Garden Hotel. I knew the owner when he managed the nearby Mi San Restaurant, so I make it a point to patronize his place when I’m in town. It’s not expensive by any means — most dishes cost around two to three US dollars — but I sensed that Maw Hsi was a bit uncomfortable with ordering from the menu, so we settled on fried rice for everyone, plus pork with black bean sauce (a Bagan specialty that I crave) for me. The owner threw in free plates of French fries as appetizers, adding to the very good meal. The kids, especially Zin Ko, also had fun playing with the cloth napkins and making hats out of them!

 

We did some more Bagan sightseeing on our final morning before returning to Mandalay (I’ll have a separate post about our long Day 2 trip later), stopping to visit most of the more popular pagodas in the area around Old Bagan. I’ve been to these sites numerous times before, but just like Angkor in Cambodia, I never get tired of marveling at these ancient wonders. At Bagan, the plain of ancient pagodas dotting the horizon — no matter which direction you are facing — is positively spellbinding. But the children, being the silly youngsters that they are, seemed more interested in buying snacks or posing for photos than admiring the architecture. Ah well, what can you do?

 

Before leaving Bagan, we stopped at the monastery where the group had stayed for two nights and had lunch there. As with most monasteries where I’ve eaten in Myanmar, the meal was very tasty and second helpings were offered. And also, as usual, because I’m a foreigner, they plied me with instant coffee and little cakes afterwards. Enough already! I asked Maw Hsi how much I should give to the monastery, some sort of donation to thank them for their hospitality, and as is usually the case when I ask “how much,” I was given a non-committal answer. So I just came up with a figure that I thought was fair and left it at that.

 

After lunch we were back on the road for the final dusty leg of the journey back to Mandalay. Frankly, it had been an exhausting three days, but other than a few minor arguments amongst themselves, the kids behaved well and it was truly a pleasure travelling with them, Maw Hsi and the two other parents (who took turns driving). Once we were in Mandalay and rumbling down the narrow stretch of 90th Street near Ko Tin Chit’s teashop, the kids broke into a song and started clapping their hands, big smiles all around. It’s those sorts of spontaneous acts of genuine happiness that endear me this country, and these people. Can’t wait for the next trip!

 

 

 

Sanda Tika: Novice Monk Photographer

My guest photographer today is Sanda Tika, a 12-year-old novice monk from the monastery in Shan State’s Tat Ein village. His self portrait photo is posted above. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kid without a huge grin on his face. He’s just one of those playful, perpetually happy kids who seem unfazed but the occasional chaos surrounding them.

It seemed like wherever I wandered around the village and the monastery (and at the primary school, although Sanda Tika doesn’t attend classes there; he studies separately at the monastery) this time — and especially on our road trip to Taunggyi and Kakku, Sanda Tika was always there, shadowing me every step of the way. Okay, there were times that I saw him studying with the other novices, but it SEEMED like he was always around. Because of his almost constant presence, I asked him his name (he gave me his “monastery name” — his birth name is different) one day, and promptly appointed him to be my assistant photographer for the rest of my stay. After a quick crash course in the basics, he was more than ready to use the camera. The photos you see today are all ones that he took.  

 

At the park in Taunggyi, they have a bizarre new addition: huge plaster replicas of the characters from The Flintstones! Yes, there were Fred and Wilma, along Barney and Betty (alas, Bam Bam was nowhere to be found), ready and waiting to pose for photos. And the students and teachers got really excited about doing just that, running up and hugging the goofy characters. I don’t think any of these kids have ever seen a Flintstones cartoon in their lives, but they just couldn’t resist the silliness of the idea. And neither could Sanda Tika!

 

 

 

Kakku with the Kids: The Trip, part 1

The first time I visited the primary school at Tat Ein village was about four years ago. My friend Htein Linn, who runs Golden Bowl Travel Services & Bookshop in Nyaungshwe, took me there after I expressed an interest in helping an underprivileged school in the area. The first time we took donations of sandals for the students, the type of flip-flop footwear that most people in Myanmar call “slippers.” After that initial donation I followed it up with sports equipment (footballs, volleyballs, badminton sets), medicine on the trip after that, and then first aid boxes to hold the various medicine and bandages.

 

About two years ago one of my visits coincided around the time of the annual balloon festival in nearby Taunggyi. This festival features two varieties of balloons; one type is launched during the day and the other type is accompanied by fireworks at night. I had already made plans to take the monks from Shwe Yan Pyay monastery in Nyaungshwe to the festival, but those monks only had time to attend the night-time festivities. I really wanted to see the daytime balloons too — they are constructed in the shapes of various animals — but didn’t fancy travelling all the way to Taunggyi by himself. I then had one of those spontaneous brainstorms that turned into a brilliant idea: Why not invite the students from the school at Tat Ein village?

 

I discussed the idea with Htein Linn and he enthusiastically endorsed it. Most of these kids, he told me, had never travelled very far from their village, certainly not past Nyaungshwe, so a trip like this would be very special for them. After getting permission from the teachers and U Sandimar at the monastery, I ended up taking a group of 50 students and monks to that festival. I don’t think it’s a cliché to say that these kids had the time of their lives. Going to new places, seeing new things, the wonder in their eyes; it was an amazing experience not only for them but for me too. Seeing these kids having so much fun, and being so appreciative afterwards, really warmed my jaded heart.

 

Last year we took another trip, this time to the Pindaya Caves. That was a longer, more tiring, and dustier journey, but it was still a fun excursion for everyone. For my visit last month we ventured back to Taunggyi (there is a nice park with a small zoo on the edge of town, along with a very popular temple) and further down the road to the ancient Pa-O stupa ruins in Kakku.

 

We had lunch at a monastery near the famous “grove of stupas” (there are about two thousand of these cool old monuments crammed together in the park) and then wandered around the site afterwards. The only problem was coordinating a group of that size. This time around we had over 70 students (not only from the primary school, but kids from the village who attend the high school in Nyaunghswe), teachers, novice monks, senior monks, and a few parents. And when it came time to see the actual site, some people went in one entrance, others went in another entrance, and a few more straggled behind or got lost. Not a single group of kids followed a logical path through the park. Needless to say it was pretty much total chaos. But fun chaos. I wanted to get photos of everyone, or at least pictures of as many of the kids grouped together as possible, but that ended up not happening. I just never saw some of the group while we were there!

 

I’ll post some of the Kakku shots today, along with a few of photos that I took at the school before departure. I have plenty more photos that I took at the park and the temple Taunggyi — along with some that one of the novice monks took with my camera (that will be a post by itself) — but I’ll save those for next week. This week is the annual “New Year” water festival throughout the region: in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. The locals are enjoying a long holiday break and celebrating with water silliness. Happy “New Year” to everyone once again!

 

Monks in the Hills

Tucked away in the hills of Shan State, just a few kilometers east of Nyaungshwe, you’ll find the tiny village of Tat Ein. That’s where I do my English language teaching stints, and that’s also the location of a Buddhist monastery, where about 20 young novice monks live and study. 

 

The monastery is overseen by its founder, the revered monk U Sandimar, and a handful of senior monks. In addition to studying Pali texts, the novice monks take turns cleaning the monastery, both inside and outside. And once in a while they have free time to play games, everything from marbles to football. On this visit, I observed some of the older novices attempting to dig up stubborn old tree stumps on the monastery grounds. Hard work, especially in the heat of a March afternoon (one of the hottest times of the year in this region), but with a cooperative team effort their task proved successful!

 

Here are some shots I took during my recent trip. I tried to time my visits during their midday break or late in the afternoon, so I wouldn’t disturb the monks’ studies. Study sessions don’t seem to be as rigorously held as they are at other monasteries I’ve visited in Myanmar, but you never know when your presence will be a distraction, so I make sure I don’t linger too long and overstay my welcome. Nevertheless, tourists are encouraged to drop by and visit the monastery if you are staying in Nyaungshwe. And don’t be surprised if you are invited to stay for tea with U Sandimar. During one recent chat I discovered that he is a big fan of US Westerns, those old Cowboy and Indian movies!

 

 

 

 

 

Classroom Quandry

When I was in Shan State earlier this month I did a single day of English teaching at the primary school in Tat Ein village. This time around, however, the classroom setup was very different and as a result the lesson was much more difficult for me to teach.

 

Normally when I teach at this school, the class sizes are small, ranging from 6 to 15 students, and I only have to concern myself with teaching one group at a time. The school recently completed the semester (actually, the end of their school year) and final exams, so regular classes were finished by the time I arrived. But they’ve been holding “special” classes for the kids to give them something to do during their break, and just before I showed up, Ma Pu Su and our mutual friend Pascal (from France) also spent a couple of days at the school, teaching English and even giving art lessons. For my class, they combined all the students from the school, including ones that go to the middle school and high school in nearby Nyaungshwe. As a result, I had over 50 kids in class, ranging from first graders to high school students, and a few novice monks from the adjacent monastery. As you would expect, the English skills of this bunch ran from nearly non-existent to pretty impressive.

 

As soon as I saw the classroom setup — with partitions gone and desks moved into new positions — the problem become apparent; how was I going to teach this bunch? I had prepared various lessons and activities, but I quickly realized that most of it was going to be useless in a class this big, especially one that had students with such a wide gap in language skills. If I dumbed the lessons down for the beginners, the experienced students were going to be bored, and if I taught them something with any degree of complexity, the younger students would be totally bewildered by it all. And even if I had an activity appropriate for te whole bunch, how was I going to keep them all involved? A definite quandary.

 

I ended up doing some tried and tested language activities that combined English vocabulary with silly games. In one activity, I blindfolded students (one at a time!) and instructed them to walk in various directions around the classroom in a quest to find a hidden object. Of course I had to familiarize them with the various English phrases first (walk right, left, go straight, turn around, stop!), but even with that short lesson, some of the kids couldn’t get their directions straight and walked into walls or bumped  into their classmates. All of which only added to the fun and giggle factor.

 

I also brought along some small jigsaw puzzles and a few Dr. Seuss and Berenstain Bears books. I ended up not using them in a lesson but during the midday two-hour lunch break I dug them out of my backpack and let some of the kids have fun with them. Those jigsaws are always a hit, but I was pleasantly surprised at how engrossed they were in the books too. It was a challenging day in the classroom, but a very enjoyable one. These kids are all really sweet, very polite, and a joy to teach.

 

 

 

 

 

We Are Family

I was in Mandalay last week, cycling down 83rd Street, passing the busy 27th Street intersection near the Silver Star Hotel, when I heard someone shout: “Hey, Brother!”

 

I glanced to my right, being careful not to swerve into the perilous lanes of converging traffic — cars, motorcycles, trucks, bicycles, ox carts, 3-wheeled rigs; it’s a dizzying transport stew — and noticed a man waving at me. It was Maung Lwin, a trishaw driver I’ve used many times. I found a safe point to turn around, hopped off my bike and walked over to talk with Maung Lwin. “Brother, be thwa ma le?” he asked me, a big grin plastered on his dark, weathered face. “Brother, where are you going?” Just a typical greeting, but I get a kick out of the way the locals call you brother, or uncle (you know you’re getting “up there” in age when you hear more of the latter) in either English or Burmese.

 

I’ve met many friendly locals like Maung Lwin while traveling around Myanmar. In addition to conversation and camaraderie, they invite you into their homes, cook elaborate meals for you, buy you little presents as tokens of friendship, and above all, they treat you like you are someone special to them. It feels nice to be accepted like that, almost like you’re part of the family.

 

I hope it doesn’t sound like a cliché, but I truly feel a special bond with many of the locals I’ve meet around Myanmar. From small villages in Shan State and the dry zone of Yenangyaung, to the bustling cities of Yangon and Mandalay; the people are all gold. I return to the same places again and again, so I’m always guaranteed to run into someone I’ve met during previous trips.

In hotels and restaurants, schools and monasteries, teashops and on the street; the locals really make you feel at home. It’s a bond that I cherish, and I look forward to reconnecting with my friends, and meeting new ones, each time I’m in Myanmar. We are family indeed!

 

 

Bumpy Roads and Big Smiles

I returned last night from a road trip within a road trip: a 3-day excursion to Mt. Popa, Bagan and points further beyond, from Mandalay and back again. On this trip I took 13 kids from the 90th Street neighborhood where I spend a lot of time when I’m in town, along with two of the fathers and a driver. I rented what they call a “Light Truck” here in Myanmar; a long flatbed vehicle with no seats in the back, but with a roof. There was enough room for all of us to squeeze on, but it was far from comfortable. I had to sit with my knees folded or tucked in because there wasn’t any room to stretch out. But the kids didn’t seem to find, resting or sleeping on one another, arms and legs akimbo, sometimes buried under another body. After 3 days of 10-12 hour driving, often on bumpy roads, my posterior is very, very sore. But my back held up surprisingly well, possibly because I used my backpack as support.

As I expected, some of the kids got car sick along the way. and many of them tired easily and slept away long stretches of the drives. But there was also lots of laughter, singing, horseplay, and an overall happy vibe. These kids have always been a joy to travel with, but this is the first time we’ve ever traveled for such a long distance or spent the night away from Mandalay. I shacked up at a hotel in New Bagan while the rest of the crew spent two nights at a Monastery near Old Bagan. I read an article recently that dubbed monasteries such as this one as “the new hotels of Myanmar” because of many travelers are taking advantage of the option, because of the recent boom in tourism and dearth of hotels. But any foreigner staying at a monastery, should be aware of the Buddhist protocol, not to mention the fact that there are not any beds (you’ll be sleeping on the floor, possibly with a thin bamboo mat as your “cushion”), and don’t even thing about showers and hot water.

I’ll have plenty of photos to post in the coming weeks. I’ll be in Mandalay another day and wind down the trip for two days in Yangon before returning to Bangkok. Once again, it’s been an exhausting trip, but filled with plenty of great experiences and lots of smiles. Just the tonic I need.

Road Weary

I’m back in Shan State this week, visiting my friends in Nyaungshwe and nearby Tat Ein village. I’ve had a wonderful time so far, but I’m already feeling very, very exhausted. Is it possible that I’m getting too old for all of this non-stop travel? Naw, that can’t be it!

Yesterday I visited U Sandi Mar, the head monk at Tat Ein, and was invited to stay for lunch. As usual, there was a fantastic spread of vegetarian dishes, all prepared the dedicated staff who also help with the adjacent primary school and monastery. After lunch and a chat with U Htin, the school principal (who told me he is a fan of American horror films!), I trotted up the hill to the monastery, where Sandatika, one of the vivacious novice monks in residence, was waiting for me, a big grin on his face.  While visiting U Sandi Mar I had given Sandatika a bag of stuff to hold for (fruit for the novice monks, along with some medicine that some of them need to treat skin infections on their head), and he patiently waited until I was finished. Great kid, as are the rest of the monks.

At the monastery, I took some more photos, instructed the monks how to use the medicine properly, and then took my leave. It was study time for Sandatika and three other older novice monks who are prepping for an exam this month. The remaining younger novices either rested or played with the football I brought. I rode my bike back into town, intending to rest for an hour or two before cycling over to Shwe Yan Pyay, another monastery in town. Well, that visit never happened. I was so weary that I slept until nearly 6 pm. Just enough time to get up, take a shower, slip into a fresh longyi, and cycle over to Ma Pu Su’s house, where she had another amazing dinner waiting.

I missed out on another dinner at her house two nights earlier. I had just returned from teaching a class at Tat Ein’s school and was heading out the door to buy some more monk medicine when Su dropped by my hotel to invite me to dinner. One of our mutual friends,  Pascal from France was also in town, and it would have been nice to see her too. But I was feeling very tired that evening too, and was looking at an early departure the next morning; a field trip with 70 village kids (and monks) to Kakku and Taunggyi. So, I had to beg off that invite, as well as one the following night, because I wasn’t sure what time we would return from the trip.

My plan today is mostly to rest, but I need to drop by Shwe Yan Pyay with a fruit donation later this morning, and stop by and see everyone at Tat Ein one more time before I leave for Mandalay tomorrow afternoon. This trip is already zooming by and I’m having fun, but I need to remember to pace things and not run myself too ragged.

Mandalay Monastery

One of the more interesting aspects of visiting Mandalay, at least for me, is discovering the plethora of monasteries scattered around the city. The southwest part of town, in particular, is chockablock with peaceful monasteries of various sizes; from the sprawling Ma Soe Yein (which also houses a Buddhist university) complex to much smaller ones, many of them located on lovely tree-shaded streets.

 

Over on the north end of 90th Street, heading toward the central business district, I stumbled upon a mid-size monastery (about 100 monks in residence) about two years ago. This monastery is primarily populated by young novice monks. Some of these youngsters have come from other parts of the country (during one visit, the kids were delighted to point out the sole monk from Shan State) and some are orphans. Living and studying at monasteries like this one assures them of both an education and at least one good meal every day.

 

Somewhere in my notes I’ve got the name of this monastery on 90th Street written down, but I can’t find it amidst the debris in my backpack. In any case, I make it a point to stop by there each time I’m town. I’ll take some photos of the monks during their midday break and return a day or two later with prints to give everyone. And yes, even novice monks can get very excited about having a photo of themselves!