Back in Yangon

It was so much fun walking with Xenne at the airport in Bangkok. We had a bit of time we just strolled around a bit. But it was so much fun. Every stewardess, hostess and woman in a shop and an enormous amount of female travellers all looked at Xenne, reacted to him and even tried to play with him (which of course he didn't find a problem). I know he is cute but i never reaslised he was THAT cute. And i'm not joking. We walked around for the better part of an hour and almost every woman (and a fair few men) reacted to him. And even at the hospital where the nurses see babies all the time he got more attention than average.. OF course i'm used to that here in Burma sicne he is an oddity here (there are very few mixed babies here) but in Thailand...

I haven't figured out our new electricity schedule yet. It seems different from how it was before we left... But since we're back only a day and a half it is difficult to say how different.. I'm slightly optimistic that we have more power that the 8 to 10 hours we had before. Strangely our electricity bill was higher this time which in my pinion isn't possible since we had only a 3rd of the power we had the month before... So i have no idea what they are playing at. It was funny because when we were in Bangkok i didn't really think about the electricity (or the constant supply of it) until i heard the fridge one time. You know, when it makes that extra noise kindof like a restart. And i thought... ' ah, the power is back on'. Then realising that we had power all the time. But for me that sound is related to the power supply...

We're thinking of going for a short trip to Moulemein/Pha-an. Probably in a couple of days. It'll be fun since it is a place both Kyaw Kyaw and i haven't been to yet. We'll have to check bus- and train-schedules. Figure out what is easiest with Xenne and of course affordable ( a taxi would be most comfortable and easy since it is only about 5 hours but here the affordable part plays havoc). I'll keep you posted. For now i'll try to upload this. As usual not the easiest part since i keep being kicked off the srver that allows me to access Blogger.

For all you big Xenne fans ;-)

More busy than ever...

Wow, i thought Bangkok would be a breeze... Well, i was wrong. Friday and Saturday were busy but that was something we already knew would happen. Yesterday we ran into some Burmese friends of KK's and so that was a trip outside that turned into a long evening... (we only went out to get some lunch).... And today i spent the whole day at the embassy. I have never seen it this busy. I arrived at about 10.30, a little later than usual but traffic was all against me. The line for a business visa was long....) and when it was finally my turn, the counter closed. 12 o'clock and lunchtime. I'd be the first at 1. So i made sure i was there in time. Luckily they know me there so i was able to arrange for my visa to be finished today. Come back at 3 they said. I ran into a friend just before leaving so i talked a bit with her and with some Dutch who want to visit Burma soon so i had just enough time for a quick cup of coffee before returning. But at 3 my visa wasn't ready. And neither was it done at 4. Finally at 4.30 i got my things and could leave... Took the sky train + ferry back and arrived in Soi Rambuttri (where KK was hanging out with this friends, husband and wife) to find that he had ran into a longtime travel friend of ours. Someone we met first more that 2 years ago when KK and I travelled together for the first time. She was in India i thought but apparently not since i found her drinking with KK and his friend (the friend's wife was babysitting Xenne). Seeing her was fantastic. And she got some really interesting new stories to tell.....

In Bangkok (Friday 19)

We've all arrived. It was a bit different than we'd planned since KK flew out this morning (no more tickets for Bangkok Airways so he flew Air Asia) and so Xenne went to school with me. The kids loved him (especially the girls) but it was quite exhausting for him. Or should i say for both of us since i has to keep things going AND keep and eye on Xenne. But we've all survived.

Yesterday's performances were great. I think my 2nd graders found their dance a bit boring since they willingly did all the moves of different songs but never the ones of their own dance. I MC'd and that didn't go too badly either apparently. Anyways, it was a big success so it was worth all the stress it brought about.

Exchanging recipes (Sunday 7-12)

It is kind of fun but with at least 2 people (true, WOMEN) I do exchange information on how to make things like yogurt, real juice, cheese, baby porridge etc. In this country it can be difficult to get your hands on things like that.Actually, it isn’t always very difficult but it can be quite expensive. So I started to make a few things myself, like cheese (a sort of cottage cheese it is). And Dina, one of my friends and mother of Xenne’s friend Joshua, talked to me about making her own yogurt ages ago. But I never tried it till today. It is remarkably easy (just like making the cheese) but it was just something I had to try one time in order to become a bit more confident. And I just managed to fill several small containers of excellent, soft flavoured yogurt. So I’m quite proud of myself. Especially since yesterday I made my own apple juice according to a tip from another friend who said that making your own juice was remarkably easy and a lot cheaper than buying it in the stores (where it is expensive and where there is very limited choice especially if you want juice without sugar). My bread adventure hasn’t progressed anywhere beyond the first experiment with the convector oven (a combi microwave –oven thingy) when I burned two small breads completely when I forgot about them (Xenne fell asleep in my arms while the bread was being baked). And today I asked Dina if she new a recipe for making baby porridge. It is rather expensive here and has always sucrose in it (or sugar depending on the cheaper or more expensive brands). She says it isn’t difficult at all. So I need to try that somewhere this week. She on the other hand had tried making my cheese this weekend with a fair amount of success after having tasted the cheese last week on our picnic trip. And I’ll have to teach her how to make fresh pasta. I think I’m turning into my mother who was always baking and making things…



Aweful (Wednesday 10-12)

For the last 5 days we’re almost continuously without power. And it isn’t only our quarter, it is all over Yangon. It started on Saturday with no electricity for most of the day. It came back on early evening. Sunday it was the same. We thought it was just a temporary thing but now with 5 days like that I’m not sure anymore. I hope, really hope, that it is a maintenance thing. But KK has heard in a teashop that it might be a more structural cut, down to about 5 hours a day. Now that would make living in Burma a lot harder. It is winter time and I don’t mind us not having aircon since it is quite cool at night. And I can live without TV but I do like light when it starts to get dark. And I really hate not having a working refrigerator. Yesterday and today the power came on at about 6 pm again. But by that time you can’t see much anymore without any artificial light. And on Monday we had visitors here who we entertained by candlelight since all lights switched off at about 7 pm. Of course we forgot to turn some off so in the middle of the night I woke up because suddenly our bedroom was flooded with lights.

What about the rest, well I’m terribly busy with the final tests and everything that goes with report cards and all that. I’ll loose three kids, 2 because their father has been reassigned to a post in Malaysia and one kid whose family will go to Singapore. It’ll be very different without them. And of course it is entirely possible that I will have some new kids when the new term starts. We’ll see. Too make everything even more busy, the whole school is geared towards Christmas; the holiday (of course) and the Christmas program.

Ok, back to correcting, checking, grading and all else I need to do.


Sinterklaas party (Friday 12-12)

Today it was the Sinterklaas party organized by the Dutch committee here in Yangon. Xenne and I actually missed Sinterklaas coming by boat over the lake but we did see him arrive at the area around the swimming pool. I don’t think Xenne was very impressed though the other children really had a good time. True, many of them didn’t really know what it all meant, not having had a Sinterklaas party before. But they surely adapted fast to it. Maybe the whole getting presents wasn’t such a difficult concept to grasp. Xenne didn’t sit on Sint’s lap as many other kids did. Sint’s beard didn’t look like it could survive a fast, exploratory grasp from Xenne’s hands so it thought I’d better safe him from the experience. The party was nice, we even had home-made (hotel-made) speculaas. Super yummy. But Xenne and I didn’t stay for a very long time. He was getting tired from all the excitement and it being his usual bedtime. Me, I was growing tired of sitting by myself. Most people had either older kids (from 3-4 on) or were kids free. And it seemed nobody wanted to deal with a mama and baby. True, most of my focus was on Xenne. I did have a few short conversations but not much beyond the ‘hello, how are you, how did you end up here’ variety so it wasn’t like I was missing out on some sparkling conversation.
Sinterklaas in the middle of a big group of kids
Xenne unwrapping his first Sinterklaas present ever

What else is there to tell? Oh yeah, electricity is still a scarce commodity all over town. And it appears we’re back to our summer schedule: 2 days no electricity but evenings and nights ok and then 1 day some electricity and nothing in the evening/night. Honestly, it was better in the summer it seems. At least the power would come on at around 11 pm till early morning so at least we could have the aircons on. Last night we didn’t have electricity till 5.15 am (from 6.15 pm last night!). But maybe I’m drawing conclusions too quickly. There might not be a schedule at all. Or better still, next week this will all be over (who knows, one can always hope right). Schoolwork has mostly been done. Which is good since next week will be our last week of this quarter (and before a 3 week holiday). Monday my class will go on a short field trip to a snake pagoda here in Yangon. Will tell more about that next week. And next Friday Xenne and I will fly to Bangkok again for our usual visa run.

A relaxing Saturday (13-12)

I had planned to update the blog this morning but the power was cut before I had a chance to put the text of this week on my memory stick. And the battery of my very-cheap Chinese laptop is seriously bad by now. I think it lasted about 15 minutes before it shut itself down. Or maybe it seemed that short because I was distracted by a son who has figured out how to get of the mattress (which is on the floor nowadays after he almost fell of the bed once) and he was busy showing of with me keeping a watchful eye of course.

I’ve made fresh cheese, yoghurt and pineapple juice (boiled so it’ll keep for a little while) today. So I’ say I’ve been quite productive.


The last week before the Christmas holiday (Monday 15)

Yesterday we did the picnic again. Last time Xenne and Joshua couldn’t be persuaded to leave the mat we; brought. Xenne (especially was terrified of the grass. This time it was the absolute opposite. Xenne crawled everywhere with us running after him. And both boys did an awful lot of walking round the mat. Xenne still needs both hands most of the time but Joshua needs only one supporting hand now. They’re both growing up real fast…. Of course all the time we were in the park we had electricity. It went of at about 6.30 pm till somewhere early morning again. We are so on a schedule. I’d say we have power for about 8 to 10 hours a day. I have my tickets for Bangkok. KK wasn’t coming with me but we’re going to try to get him a ticket too. Xenne is so busy at the moment (maybe the 3rd tooth has anything to do with that) and so an extra hand would make so much difference. Unfortunately the agency that supplied my ticket called the school back at about 3 pm that there was no more space available. Too bad since I’d quite adjusted myself to the idea that he’d come with me (the man who delivered my ticket said that it wasn’t a problem…). Maybe Air Asia won’t be too expensive (and might still have seats). He’ll fly a bit earlier than Xenne and I then but on the whole of 5 days…

Today I took my kids out on a short field trip. We went to a pagoda where they have 6 Burmese pythons. My kids have been crazy about snakes ever since the beginning of the year so this was a great reward for all the work they have done. It was strange though, since they opened up the snake enclosure (probably because I am a westerner) and within seconds one of my kids was inside, stroking a huge snake (who was carefully held by one of the handlers of whom there were 2 in the cage). Most of the kids didn’t want to touch the snakes at first but eventually almost all of them had done so. And they had a hard time leaving… So it was quite a success I’d say.

Update for the first week of december

Differences (Saturday 29-11-2008)

Today Xenne and I went to see friends. They’re an Uzbek couple and she is pregnant. And with the vast amount of info you can get here…. Yep, just joking, there is NOTHING you can get here that helps you with your pregnancy except the occasional visit to a doctor for your check up and roaming the internet. And the second option isn’t even a very good one since the internet connections can be terribly slow and webpages can take forever to load. Not the best way of looking for info. So she gets most of her information from people at the school where they both teach and what they know about how things are done back in Uzbekistan. Anyways, there are other teachers with a 2 year old son. And apparently he is real fussy about what he eats, where he sleeps and all that. I knew this but never gave it much thought. After all, some kids are easier than others. Then today, while my friend was making a drink for Xenne, I heard that they still give this boy only lukewarm drinks, puree his food and so on. It started by my friend being surprised that I gave Xenne something to drink that came out of the fridge. She said it was a bit cold. I said that it wasn’t a problem. And Xenne loved the homemade plum juice. So we started to talk about raising babies. For me there are just a few big no-no’s namely sugar, salt, fried things and raw vegetables. But every once in a while he gets a bit of sugar, salt or something fried. Not much, but it can’t always be avoided. Of course, I try to be careful and do my best too give him a well-balanced diet but still, I’m not paranoid about his food. The parents of this boy on the other hand apparently made it their life to be overly careful with everything and now they’re reaping the results. So after comparing how things were done back home (Uzbekistan and The Netherlands) and how things are done here t we had some interesting differences. For example, in The Netherlands babies are soon left to play by themselves. Of course under a watchful eye but still. In Uzbekistan and here in Burma, babies are never left to their own devices. And from experience I know that our maid has serious trouble leaving Xenne to play by himself. She’d prefer to walk around with him all day. And in Uzbekistan babies are swaddled way up to 5-6 months so they can hardly move at all. My friend was also amazed at Xenne’s round head since all Uzbek babies (and adults) have always a very flat back of the head. According to her it happens because of the cradles the use there. Babies always look upward and never change sides. That is one of the reasons she wants to have the baby here. And I guess that the level of healthcare isn’t very different.

Picnic (Sunday November 30)

We’ve done it! We’ve finally found a spot where we can go outside and enjoy the outdoors. There is a little ‘funpark’ not far from our house. I never really went there after having been in a little part last year. All the equipment rather old and I would never venture in the Ferris wheel even though it looks sturdy enough. It also looks like something from the sixties. Anyways, we hawere there a while ago when KK decided to take Xenne for a round in the Merry-go-round. And he loves that. At that time the grass was still damp and so it wasn’t very inviting. But now the winter season has started with little rain and nice temperatures. So on Sunday we went to this place again with friends who have a son who is a couple of weeks older than Xenne. And it was so nice we were there for most of the day. Luckily we had brought a big mat to sit on since Xenne wasn’t at all happy with the grass under his feet….

Sinterklaas (Monday December 1)

We got an invitation to celebrate Sinterklaas. Apparently there is a rather big (22 or some) Dutch around here in Yangon and they are going to celebrate this affair on the 12^th of December. It’ll be interesting I’m sure. I know 2 Dutch here but I keep hearing about others. There are a fair few for sure since it is going to be quite a big thing. It is the first time that Sinterklaas will be arriving here in Yangon and he will be arriving by boat even. OK, only across the lake but I doubt the kids will worry about that…..

New plans (Wednesday December 3)

KK has been out all day today. First of all he bought 2 new bicycles. One of his cousins went with him to cycle them back. And then he went out to photocopy the leaflet I had made on the computer yesterday evening. Now he is busy distributing them around the hotels downtown. Over the past few weeks he has cycled all over town to find nice routes that tourists might like. And now we’re ready for business. That is, if any tourists are interested to cycle around Yangon. I think he has found some very nice routes that will show a different side of Yangon but there are some complicating factors. Of course, there are never many tourists here, relatively. And lately with that whole fiasco in Bangkok, well….. Then again, hotels might not let him post the leaflet so we can’t get our message across. And then there is always that underlying threat that someone might not be pleased…. But it is a very inexpensive way of starting a business here cause after all, we can always resell those 2 extra bikes if need be. And even if he gets only a couple of tourists a month it’ll be worth it. It’ll sure beat working for someone for $40 a month, no doubt about that. KK was thinking of letting this cousin help too. It would be a nice way in case people want different routes or if he himself needs to be somewhere. And since cousin has been living in a monastery for the last couple of months since he has no job and therefore no income, KK thought he might be interested. His brother can’t do it since he doesn’t speak English and shows no desire in learning it either. Anyway, cousin wasn’t interested. Why wasn’t very clear. He said something about his English not being very good but that could be remedied for sure. I suspect he just found the cycling too hard. But of course, I could be wrong. Anyway, I hope he comes back soon since I am quite curious what has happened in the leaflet- and response department today.

Ooohhhh.. sometimes…. (Thursday 4-12)

Well, as we probably all have every once in a while, today is one of those days. Somehow the kids in my class all decided to behave a lot less than normal. And why?? And when I came home it turned out that one of KK’s friends had been smoking in the house. A huge NO-NO! And it is not that he doesn’t know that. He’s been coming over for months. And he never smokes (inside at least) when I’m around. And this time KK was asleep in the bedroom (having returned really late yesterday after talking with some friends about his new venture). And both KK’s brother and our maid know that smoking inside the house is not allowed. But here the omnipresent Asian familiar trait comes up, they don’t want to offend him and so as long as I don’t find out… So I was rather pissed obviously. And both of them smiling a bit sheepishly (I think they’d forgotten to hide the evidence since the windows had been open or aircon had been on long enough for me not to smell anything). What I then hate most is that they so try to avoid conflict or to tell someone off. I suspect that this same ‘friend’ was the one who had been smoking in our apartment in May when we were on holiday in Thailand. And who burned a hole in one of our bed sheets (I don’t even want to think about what he had to do in our bedroom and our adjoining bathroom where I also found ashes). And then, while feeding Xenne, I saw that it was the same thing (although freshly made) that he has been eating yesterday and the day before. I think that when our maid finally gets something she sticks to it with a vengeance. And I don’t always have the time to make his food unfortunately. So I have to talk to KK about that so he can explain her that she needs to vary his food. Not that I haven’t tried that before. And asking about when he had his snack she said three o’clock (she does speak some English), milk she said because there wasn’t any food yet. So I said to her that she should not give him milk at that time, a banana or some other fruit would be the thing. Minutes later she says that she gave him a sandwich and milk for lunch and a banana as snack. But by then I wonder whether she does just say so because she thinks that that is what I want to hear or whether she’s actually done so and just got confused with her English. Honestly, sometimes this country and the mentality of the people gets to me.

Different

It is quite different to actually write a blog for myself and not typing it for Stinker. Maybe it will help keeping it more updated.

It isn't easy really since i can't access the blog from school since officially it is blocked. Not that that means a lot in this country. Officially i can't access gmail, yahoo, the bbc website and so on either.... Luckily all the staff at every decent internet cafe knows how to circumvent those blocls. But since the school isn't there to allow us access to all websites, these routes don't have the highest priorities which is very logical. And so i have to go to an internet cafe to do the work. Oh well.... So i went this morning after our usual breakfast at a local teashop. Noodle salad for me like i almost always take with a cup of burmese tea. Kyaw Kyaw had a different type of noodle salad (there are several) and tea of course. Xenne had his own food. We used to give him Nan bread and beans but they don't serve that there anymore since the guy who used to make it resigned. Too bad, since it was really easy. And i like it myself too...

Ok, have to do some shopping. Joshua, Xenne's friend, has turned 1 year and of course that means a birthday present. Not to mention that i need liters of real milk. KK wants cheese (which i make myself) and i thought i'd giev making yoghurt a try too. So i'm going to be busy. And Xenne and i have an appointment with friends later today

A new start (25-11-2008)

Since Stinker is nowadays usually busy with Xenne and doesn’t want to come to the internet café anymore, I thought it might be nicer to start with my own blog. Stinker tried for a while to have me type all his stuff, but that was a bit too much.

So a new blog site with loads of empty bites to fill. I’ll try to keep this blog a bit more updated than skunkonthego. Not that Stinker is completely out of business. When we travel, he might still place some travel related observations on his site. But if all goes well, this site will be a bit more busy. That is, if the internet allows me too. At school my computer hasn’t been working for ages. Not that there is anything wrong with my computer, but the electricity supply is so bad that many a time the generator is running. And somehow that means a lot of difference in my classroom. When the generator runs, I have 1 (one!) light and aircon. Nothing else. Apparently they need a bit more than a weekend to fix it. Luckily we have the Christmas Holidays coming up.Hopefully, it’ll be better after that. And in the computer lab the connection has been awfully slow of late (probably not only in the computer lab but since my computer isn’t working most of the time, I have no way to check if it is something in general or not….).

Ok, so what is there to tell? First of all, Papa and Jet have been here. They’ve finally seen Yangon. Last year when they came over it was at an especially bad time (end of September…) so we left Yangon immediately to avoid the troubles… But this time all was fine. And they’ve even seen Shwedagon. Not that that was their biggest attraction here. Kyaw Kyaw tried to get them on all kinds of day-trips (and longer) not realising at first that their biggest attraction was right here in our living room.

Nowadays Kyaw Kyaw and I are completely into cycling. It took a bit of searching but now we have two very nice, second-hand, japanese city-bikes (a mountain-bike kind of bicycle). I cycle to school every day and it is fun. Ok, sometimes I get very little fresh air and a lot of diesel fumes but most of the time it is nice. And, of course, I try to be away from the main roads as much as possible. Especially since on one, you’re not allowed to cycle. Officially that is. But of course, being a westerner and having no clue (or pretending not to have one) I cycle everywhere. And all the security people let me. The other day I was even allowed to cycle on the road that has been blocked of for the last 2 years. It is the shortest way to school but unfortunately it is blocked again. Why? Nobody has a clue. But it was interesting to pass a certain place I wasn’t allowed to pass the last 2 years at least.

Oh, other interesting news: We finally got mail! Thanks Cathja for the lovely invitation. It came a day too late but it did come here. I hope the brunch was really nice. All the postcards that everybody sent before have gone… well, I have no idea where. But it was a huge surprise when I came home and to hear that we had mail…..

And then I need to write something about Xenne. He’s sleeping in bed now, right behind me. Tired of pushing the chairs all around the living room no doubt. Something he started during Papa and Jet’s visit but now is a regular exercise. We’re even using the shoes we bought in Thailand a month ago since he does want to ‘walk’ outside too sometimes. And I really don’t want him to walk barefoot around in our local teashops for example.

Oh, and I almost forgot another surprise. Long live (and love J ) the internet. The Friday before last we suddenly had a very unexpected visitor. I had read a quick email about her but hadn’t given it much thought. It was a woman who came to travel here in Burma and she had seen my posting on Hyves. After some quick questioning of my Hyves-friends she got my address and came over to bring me liquorice (yummy), cheese (double-yummy since Kyaw Kyaw likes that as well) , some Dutch magazines and a newspaper. Absolutely super!! The cheese didn’t survive long and the liquorice is also down to a fair few. She’s traveling around Burma right now. We’ve provided her with as much info as we could come up with so hopefully she’s having a great time. She said she might drop by again before she leaves. I hope she does. For one thing, it is always interesting to hear what others think of this country. But besides that, she was really nice.

Thursday 27-11-2008

Very early in the morning. I’m typing in the dark since both Xenne and Kyaw Kayw are still asleep (right behind me). Xenne woke me up at around 5 am since it was too hot for him. But the electricity was not enough to have the aircon on. So now the windows are open which is quite nice since there is a pleasant breeze. And since it is almost winter time the air is cool. Xenne is back asleep but I could not sleep. Luckily we’ve moved the laptop back to the bedroom table so I can write. At least this way I have something to do and I won’t lay still in bed writing in my head… A little while ago the gong sounded for the monks in the nearby monastery. Time to get up (between 5 and 5.30 I think it is, depending on the monastery). Soon they’ll be coming around here in a long line, ready to collect their daily rations from the people who live in these apartments. A quick look at block A and C shows that there are already quite a few people awake (and it is before 6 still). The number of people that give food in the morning is rather substantial though I suspect it is usually the maid who does the actual cooking in the morning. Me being me I wonder what that means for the merit that they (think) they get from handing it out…

Looking out over the lake (yes we have a lake view, of Inya Lake to be precise, it helps being on the 11^th floor) I see the apartment blocks that are right next to my school. Unfortunately, to get there, I have to go all around the lake. Looking at it, I realise it is actually already a lot lighter than before. Almost time to really get up and get ready for school. And cycle my way around the lake to those 2 buildings I can see in the distance. One is finished and one is half finished, with a huge crane standing over it. Not that I’ve seen or heard any work being done on that building in the last 4 months. Not sure whether it is a temporary delay or just a full stop like what happens here so often when money runs out or when the owner just decides to move elsewhere (like the government did with the national library. That huge half-finished building is a great example of this kind of abandonment).

My alarm clock will almost go off so time to put a stop to this writing. I also hear the small gong and the ‘warning’ of the monks who come for their daily breakfast. I might have a quick look out of the window. It is quite a sight. In front walks a man, no monk, who sounds the gong and who ‘chants’ the warning (not sure if it is a good description it is a repetitive phrase in a kind of like singsong voice). Then comes a long line of monks with their alms bowls, followed by the novices with their bowls. Some of those novices are very young (even around 7). And along the line there might be laymen carrying the food (packets) that are handed out. Sometimes they assist one monk; sometimes they do it for all. Oh well, time to ‘get up’ so I’ll write some more about monks some other time. I’m sure the topic will come up again.