So, I have safely returned to Cambodia and to my apartment nestled in the busy streets of Phnom Penh. The journey back was short and painless and the only hiccup was the rain that greeted me as I exited the plane in Phnom Penh. Fortunately, I had someone special waiting for me with open arms and whisked me back home where durian awaited. A pretty perfect homecoming for me!
Another chapter ends, a new one begins. My time in Myanmar has come to an end and so I have finished another chapter in my life. The last 9 weeks of my life spent living in Yangon, Myanmar have been some of the most challenging and rewarding of my time in Asia. During this time I experienced a range of emotions and feelings; I was happy, I was sad, I was sick, I was miserable, I was excited, I was humbled and I was awed. As I looked out over the plains of Bagan, dotted with temples that melted into the setting sun, I gave thanks for the last 9 weeks and thanks to Myanmar for challenging me in new ways that helped me grow into the person I always dreamed of being.
Thingyan. That is what the Burmese Buddhist New Years is called in Burmese, but many foreigners prefer to call it the “Water Festival”, and for good reason. For five days in April, locals throw water with buckets and hoses. No place and no one is safe from the water. I spent the Water Festival in Hpa-An, a small town Southeast of Yangon in Kayin state and experienced some incredible hospitality and had a lot of fun celebrating the holiday with the locals.
I thought it would be a great idea to do blog post about teaching English abroad using my own experience and what tips I have for first-time teachers. I remember how nervous I was as I boarded that plane to a foreign country, to do a job I had never done before; my stomach was doing flip-flops and I was numb with the knowledge that the pivotal moment when I do something completely new and challenging had come. It was thrilling and scary at the same time and my confidence had never been stronger.
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of settling into a new job, new country and new surroundings; but I have loved every minute of it! Myanmar(Burma) is an amazing place filled with some of the most gracious, generous and beautiful(inside and out) people I have ever met. I have been continuously blown away by their hospitality towards foreigners and their genuine curiosity and delight when their bashful “Hello!”’s are acknowledged. I’m so happy I came here and will be able to spend such a long period of time delving into the culture and surrounding areas.
Just a quick update to let everyone know that I am settling into my temporary life in Myanmar and everything is going great! I don’t have much access to the internet and when I do, the connection isn’t very good, hence why the lack of posts and why my future ones may be sporadic.
I’m living in Yangon is an interesting city and is a eclectic mix of cultures and traditions. It is so fascinating to see businessmen walking around in longyi, a traditional sarong that to foreigners appears to be a long skirt. The women still paint their faces with fragrant “paint” made from a crushed plant and my students come to schools with their faces painted with pale yellow spirals and stripes. There are no motorbikes and the taxis are basically stripped boxes on wheels and are so ancient that they put our excuses for why we need a new car to shame. The locals are so incredibly friendly and my best experience so far was when I got caught in the rain with a friend and a local taxi driver invited us into the back of his pickup truck to stay dry and taught us how to count in Burmese. Another time a man on the other side of the street flagged us down to offer us an umbrella.
I’m teaching kindergarten students and they are very intelligent and a joy to teach. The classroom is very fun and active and the kids are constantly speaking in English. I’m having a lot of fun interacting with them! Plus, we have Smartboard technology in the classroom, so it has been a valuable challenge to learn how to use that board and how to integrate it into the classroom.
So far, this ranks as one of my best teaching experiences. Wonderful students, great co-workers and the school has gone above and beyond with providing for our needs. I’m living in a spacious dorm with six other girls and it is very fun to have dinner as a big family every night and discuss our past and future travels and teaching experiences. I feel so lucky to be part of such a wonderful environment that helps me grow and learn more about myself and others everyday.
Life is good. Throw out the excuses and go accomplish your goals!
I am very excited to announce some news about a wonderful, new opportunity in my life! On Friday, I will be embarking on a new adventure to Myanmar(Burma) and teaching English for a summer program there for 2 months! This is a great chance for me to live and explore a new country, while continuing to sharpen my skills as a teacher and educating children.
I am so thankful for being able to live and travel to so many amazing countries, all while working and making decent money at the same. Southeast Asia has truly become another “home” for me. Over a year ago, when I landed in Bangkok, Thailand to begin my first ESL job, I never could have imagined the numerous doors that would become available to me. This is my dreams coming true. The pieces continue to fall into place because I believe in myself and I believe that I can accomplish my goals.
I can’t wait to share all my stories and pictures from my journey in Myanmar, so I truly hope you will continue to read my blog!
Life is full of abundance and if you can dream it, you can do it!
Oh Laos. You made me fall in love in Asia again and rekindle my fire to travel. What an amazing little pocket of the world you are. Even with your landlocked borders, you have a multitude of pristine waterfalls, often abandoned, which allow starry-eyed backpackers like myself fulfill their dreams of being spontaneous and stripping down to their skivvies and jump into your clear, cool waters. It never even crossed my mind that others had come before and done the exact same thing and also thought they were the first ones to do so. The sunrises I saw along your rivers, brought me to my very knees. The light of the sun danced on the horizon and reflected magnificent colors in your water. As we wound through the jungle on our motorbike, forging rivers and passing elephants with their jungle guardians, I could think of only one thing: Thank you.
I prescribe to the belief that everyday is an adventure. Sometimes it may seem like the day is just dragging on or your wasting precious time doing nothing. When that dark thought hits, its time to take things into your own hands and make an adventure.
There are many things you can, like pressing your own sugarcane juice! I certainly didn’t expect that to happen, but when the vendor looked like she was having some trouble pressing the cane, we offered to lend a hand. It turned out to be a great way to try something new and add some laughter to the day!
We also found ourselves in some beautiful green rice fields in the country side. This certainly brightened up the day.
And these smiling faces helped put a smile on my face.
And some delicious, ripe, organic mangoes satisfied our hunger. 
The next time you’re feeling a bit blue about your day, get out there and make something happen! It doesn’t have to be crazy or life-changing, but be open-minded and don’t be afraid to try something new or do something out-of-character. Your attitude will immediately improve and that will resonate for many days to come!
I just wanted to share this video with everyone because, to be honest, I’m quite proud of myself for finally learning how to do a headstand and I think it is a perfect representation of never giving up on a dream or goal and finding success.
For just over a year, headstands had baffled me in my yoga practice. First it getting myself up, then it was moving away from the support of the wall. I think moving away from the wall was the toughest for me mentally and emotionally; it represented breaking free of insecurities and embracing my independence. I could feel the fear take over my mind every time I attempted to move even one foot away from the wall; immediately my mind was filled with images of falling.
But, I persevered because I wanted to do a headstand and I wanted to release all the negative emotions pent up inside me and holding me back. I built up my strength, physically and mentally and then about a month ago I hopped on the mat and confidently rolled up into a headstand. It was a defining moment.
It was in that moment I realized how much I have grown in the last year and that I have accomplished so much because instead of giving up or succumbing to negative thoughts, I faced every challenge with a smile and never gave up on accomplishing my goals because deep down, I KNEW I could accomplish them. I recognized my potential and I found a strong, confident and happy woman inside me who can do anything she wants to, whether it be traveling the world, climbing mountains, having emotional poise or even doing a headstand.
The best part? There is still room for improvement and the next challenge of doing a handstand. I truly look forward to this challenge and watching myself grow and develop and learn more about myself.
Why did I share this with you? Because I believe that YOU can do ANYTHING you want to and accomplish your goals and dreams, whatever they may be. Don’t ever lose hope and I truly believe that if you REALLY want something and don’t let negative emotions consume your thoughts, then you CAN and WILL have it!
