Today

I woke up at 7am, crawled out of my mosquito net and made a quick trip to the bathroom. I spent a little time tidying up my home, then packed a bag with my journal, coffee and a granola bar. I road my bike 15 minutes to a pagoda, where I climbed too many stairs to count. The climb is worth it, because once on top, there is a beautiful view of my town. A view of lush, green trees and the golden tops of a number of pagodas. The weather was perfect, there was a light breeze and the sky was filled with clouds. I spent some time journaling, reflecting on the last few weeks, with the sound of traditional Myanmar music being broadcasted through the neighborhood. I spent time being thankful for the amazing experience and people I have been blessed with over the last six months.

It was nearly 10am and I needed to make a quick pit stop at the bank to use the ATM before heading to the post office. There was a light drizzle, but nothing that required an umbrella or a rain jacket. After withdrawling cash to replenish my stash at home (I’m still getting used to using cash for everything and remembering I need to always have cash on hand), I road my bike across town to the post office. I waltzed in, expressed I needed to send some letters to America, handed over the letters, paid the 4,000 kyat for postage and left. Easy peasy!

I was headed to the electronic store owned by a friend to buy a new screen protector for my phone. The light drizzle started to come down a little harder, but I refused to sit under a tree and wait for the rain to pass. I popped open my umbrella and road to the electronic store, except it was the wrong electronic store (palm to face). After stopping to ask some strangers on the street where “Zenith electronic store” was and just getting blank stares, I decided to keep searching. It was still raining, but luckily I remembered where the store was. So I arrived, only a little wet but muddy. I was promptly asked to sit down and wait (it’s common hospitality to ask me to sit wherever I go). While I waited for my friend, I relaxed in a chair and people-watched. But per usual, it was the other way around and the people were watching me. I got a lot of stares, smiles and “hi teachers,” all of these things I am pretty used to by now. A short while later, my friend showed up, she gifted me with a new screen protector for my phone and phone data. Bless my community and their copious amount of gifts.

It was now time to head to the local library (luckily by car) so I could get a library card. I learned a few days ago that my town has a library and my wonderful friend, May Myat Zaw, offered to take me. I was pleasantly surprised that the library has a large selection of not only Burmese books but also English books. I chose “A Bend in the Road” by Nicholas Sparks. The librarian dusted off the cobwebs, jotted down my library card number and chosen book into the notebook that serves as the checkout system and away I went.

My day was only just beginning. After the successful library trip, I was off to the market. With the rain, the market was a muddy mess, but the rain and mud don’t stop life here. As usual, the market was full of people. I am fortunate that I have a large market; it’s larger than 2 city blocks in Miles. I still don’t know my way around the market so I usually just wander around and buy what looks good. Disclaimer, it’s easy to get lost in all of the rows, so I use a compass to direct me to my starting point. Trips to the market are typically quick and painless, aside from the sporadic haggling of overpriced apples. Today’s grocery list: 2 chicken breasts, 1 head of lettuce, 1 head of cabbage, green beans, rice noodles, yellow split peas and 3 apples. Total cost, approximately $3.50 USD.

After the market, I had some down time so I cooked lunch (grilled chicken with green beans and a small salad), cleaned house and spoke to a friend on the phone.

Every day at 4:20, I go to the gym. My typical workout consists of a brief warm up of high knees, jumping jacks, jump rope, butt kickers and a few Burmese moves. Then it’s onto abs, which is a mix of crunches, bicycles, reverse crunches and a few Burmese movies. After the warm up, it’s time to lift weights. All of the moves mirror those we do in America, and it’s 3 sets of 15 reps each. After lifting weights, it’s time to dance. There are a number of different choreographed dances, that include Zumba moves, boxing and other fun things like burpees. My favorite dance is to “On the Floor” by JLo, it has a lot of cardio and lunges. Finally, after dancing, it’s a quick round of abs and cool down stretching.

Today, my workout ended after my weight lifting, which focused on shoulders. I had to rush home to shower and go to one of my teacher’s homes for her aunt’s 95th birthday. I showed up to the house and loudly announced my arrival to those out front with a “Min Ga La Bar” (hello), but quickly realized everyone inside was in the middle of prayer (palm to face again). I took off my shoes, went inside and quietly took a seat to observe the prayer. Once finished, we ate dinner, which was one of my favorite Myanmar traditional foods, Mohinga. Dinner was filled with wonderful conversation, lots of laughs and love. After dinner, it was time for dessert. Although it was a birthday party for someone else, I was treated as a special guest. Auntie Khaing, a teacher at my school, served me my favorite coffee and cookies. I am always being thought of and shown the kindest gestures.

Days like today make me wonder how I will go home when my service is over. I am blessed with a wonderful community. A community full of kind, caring, generous and amazing people. Speaking of generous, I need to mention that one of the ladies from the gym that I’ve only spoken to a few times brought me supper tonight that her mother had cooked for me. It’s small, kind gestures like that that make me feel so at home here.

There are days, hell weeks, that it’s difficult to get myself out of bed and I wonder how I’ll complete 27 months of service. There are times where it feels like nothing is going right, times where I feel like I have no energy to keep going and I feel every mile between me and my friends, family and Ivy Jo. But then there are times where it feels like everything happening is a blessing and I feel so at home on this side of the world.

This is just a tiny glimpse into my life here. Today was different than yesterday, and tomorrow will be different than today. Each day here presents its own challenges and teiumpa, but one thing that is a constant is the kindness of the Myanmar people. It’s been six months and I am still in awe of the outward pouring of love and generosity that I feel. It’s a common Peace Corps phrase that every volunteer thinks their site is the best. But I truly think mine is, there isn’t anywhere else in the world I’d rather be right now.