First Few Days

I have been in Myanmar for 10 days, and if I am being honest, it feels like so. much. longer. Upon arriving to the airport, we were warmly greeted by Peace Corps staff (at about 11pm) and bused to a neighboring hotel. We were able to get a little sleep and then woke up for a morning of orientation and were again on a bus to our next destination for PST (Pre-Service Training) – a large ecological center. We spent the week at the center getting acquainted with Peace Corps training staff, the expectations of PST and the many critters (including frogs, mosquitoes, geckos, snakes, centipedes, scorpions, spiders of all sizes, dogs and cats). We have started languages lessons, which prove to be challenging and will require a lot of practice. Luckily, the staff are more than willing to listen to us while we practice our homework, help us try to pronounce unknown words and are open to teaching us new words and phrases. We have been blessed with wonderful accommodations including a large mosquito net to sleep under making me feel like a princess, a toilet, shower and TWO fans. Currently, the fans are more of a luxury than a necessity as we are just finishing up the “cool” season where the temps are around 93 degrees. Also, I must mention the easy, reliable and cheap access to cellular data that we currently have, which has made is so easy to stay in contact with family and friends.

The ecological center dining hall

My normal routine for the first week consist of waking up around 4:30/5am to the monks doing their morning prayer, 6am Indian yoga, eating a delicious meal with a cup of coffee, taking a cold shower/getting ready (which means simply putting on clothes, deodorant and bug spray), attending class 8:30am-6pm (with lunch at noon), eating a delicious supper then being in bed by 7:30 – I am living the life right now. It is still weird to think that I am halfway across the world from everything I have ever known.

Saturday, we were able to leave for the first time and travel into Bago city to visit one of the large monasteries. It was such an interesting experience, the first of many new and interesting experiences I will have in the next two years. Speaking of new experiences, here is a list of some new things I have tried in the past 10 days: flying on an international flight with free food and drinks (amazing), meeting 32 strangers I will spend the next 2 months with, co-inhabiting with SO MANY critters, sleeping under a mosquito net, putting on tonˇ uhˇ kha` (Myanmar makeup), receiving my first longyi, attempting to learn Burmese, riding in a tuk tuk (think 2 benches in the back of a truck with railings on the side going down a 4 lane road), visiting a monastery, seeing a pagoda (from afar), purchasing my first thing in Burmese (a purse that was 13,500 kyat, which is about $8.92) and so many other things that don’t come to mind right now.

Donation at the monistary

We will spend one more week at Metta and then move to Bago city, where we will be until April 4. I am excited to be in the city where I can practice my Burmese language skills and learn more about the culture first hand. Until then, I will continue to work on coming to an agreement with the large (and I mean LARGE) spider that I am currently sharing my bathroom with that only one of us should be in the bathroom at once.

Thwa` ba oun` meh