Ok, so we're back in Burma. And Europe seems like it was a long long time ago, even though we're only back since the 8th of august.
So, what happened apart from the fact that i haven't had time to keep this blog updated (or even to write some posts at home).
School has begun and i have obviously made the right decision in May when the school split. We already have more students now than we had at the other school. And the facilities are great. Ok, i have 20 kids in my class (which makes it the biggest class in the school this year) so i have a bit more work to do than i had to last year. Apart from the fact that i now teach Grade 4. But all in all, nothing to complain about there.
Then there was the matter of housing...First we stayed in a hotel in downtown, thinking that we could find a place relatively quickly, like an apartment for three months, after which we would have time to look for a house. But that proved a much more difficult goal than we had anticipated... It is extremely problematic in this country to get a 3-month contract for anything (not to mention a normal contract where you just pay up every month...). And the prices were ridiculous for what was on offer... We saw an apartment where we'd have to give up the master bedroom to have a decent living room and they still wanted more for that place than we paid for our apartment last year. And that one was furnished! We also saw a house which on the outside looked very nice with a lovely big garden area. Ok, it was brand new, not lived in yet and the garden was a bare piece of land but i thought those were all things in its favor. And then we saw the inside. Honestly, even now a month later i still don't know what these people were thinking when they build it. There was a kid of overgrown hall that would have to be the living room. But for taht it was too small. Then there were 3 bedrooms but at odd angles with the hall/living room or the other non-bedroom place that wasn't big enough to put a table in so it wasn't the dining room/kitchen (there already was an outside kitchen ) but the only 'free' non-door was was completely covered by a counter with sink and cupboards everywhere. So i was wondering where anyone was to sit down at a table and enjoy a meal. There was no space in either this room or the so-called living room. Another example of a waste of time....
Then we decided to move to a hotel closer to my school. Much closer.. 5 minutes walk. Which was absolutely great. And Xenne and KK often accompanied me to school. Xenne, especially. loved it since he always was immediately surrounded by half the teachers staff and a bunch of school kids all trying to give him more attention than is good for him... We stayed there for quite some time. Still searching for a place to live. We'd extended ouur time for an apartment up to 6 months rent since it was just impossible to find a decently priced one for 3 months. But even then, no luck at all. And the same with the houses. We were eventually considering a house we didn't really want since it was quite far away from the school when a taxi driver told us he knew a guy who new houses for rent in the quarter we were staying in. Ok, it wouldn't hurt to talk to him. That same day (it was a sunday) Kk and I walked to a massage place near the hotel when the taxi driver came up to us and introduced us to that other man. He had several houses we could see immediately. Since we were due to give an answer about the other house on Monday and Xenne was well taken care of, we decided to go and see those houses. The first house we saw is the house we live in now. It is on the other side of the big street from my school so now it takes me about 10 minutes to walk there (including the 3 minutes it takes to cross that busy street). Unfortunately they sold of the big garden part (big for a Yangon garden but in my opinion way to small to but a house but who am i). There are guys now building a separation wall between that property and where we live. The owner lives on the same land as our house is on, right behind us. Easy if we want something. The house needs some work but nothing we can't handle and most important of all, it has a big outdoor area for Xenne, a garage KK can use for what we plan to set up and they were ok with a 6 month contract. Which is still a lot of money to pay up front, luckily i could get that as an advance from school.
I wanted a western toilet downstairs and they even put in a bathtub. Now Xenne is really happy... Not to mention it is easy for the girls that have the room behind the garage. I know Myanmar has few luxuries but having a housekeeper and a nanny for less than $100 a month + a room to live in + food is one of the things that make life in this country a little less difficult. These girls think they have a wonderful job and for Myanmar standards we pay quite well. Especially since they have a day of every week. I think it is rather embarrassing about how little we pay. And it has it's downsides.. I can't find anything in my own kitchen...
For the rest... it is too hot here. And too humid. Last week it just wouldn't rain. It was horrible. Luckily we have decent power most of the time though every day at least for an hour or 2 the power is off. And it is still rainy season. Unfortunately it is worse than last year everywhere through Yangon. Even the expensive service apartments have problems at the moment.
Ok, let's see if i can post this and then i have to go shopping. It is amazing how many small things you need when you move (and how much that all costs...).
