If I had any tree planted in my garden ...

September news

If I had any tree planted in my garden, in Canada, I would have a flowering bougainvillea.   Our bougainvillea in our little courtyard has flowered since our arrival here in NayPyiTaw, since May 2017. What a treat! To me, overtime, bougainvillea flowers have become significant. It means life, joy and renewal.
A celebration for Kevin and I is indeed in order! September is an exciting month for us, because it marks our 38^th wedding anniversary. Kevin and I met traveling in India; and together we continued our travels throughout SouthEast Asia.  Since that time, after a number of years at home, in Canada, raising a family, watching our children leave the nest and beginning a life of their own, finding themselves on the threshold of a new life that awaited them, we’ve decided that it was time for us to embark on new journeys across the ocean; to live and work in developing countries. First, in Cambodia for 3 years, and now we’re in Myanmar for a year.

 
Throughout September, we had a series of invitations both from my Myanmar colleagues and from parliamentary staff celebrating birthdays, farewell parties, and various other events, and, visiting one of my colleagues, in her office.  KathyAung was transferred from the Pyidaungsu Hlataw to the Pyitu Hlattaw.   As for events, Parliamentary volleyball, football and table tennis teams received a logyi for work and their rightful trophies: some semi transparent, some opaque glass plaques with a sport symbol etch in the centre of each plaque.   What’s more, pleasantly surprised, my students and staff brought me a series of stunning colourful longyis that I now wear on different days of the week.

Here in Swe Kyia Bae district just around the corner from my house, La maison haute couture nestled in a row of this and that, that I’ll talk more about on my next post, were highly accommodating and couturier some of the longys that I got from various Myanmar people, to fit with perfection!

Here at home, across the way from us, tightly squeezed on the motorbike, was the usual family of three: the Tanakha boy at the front, dad in the middle and sister at the back.   Today, however, there was an extra passenger on board.   Today, there was no usual wailing from their 2-year-old brother; there was no usual comforting necessary from grandpa or a usual bellow from mum in the background. Today was an unusual day!  Their 2-year-old brother was squeezed in between his older sister at the back of the motorbike and his father in front of him. Their 2-year-old brother was taking his big sister and his big brother to school with his father!   On this special occasion, on this special unusual day, the family of 4 roared their usual roar to school happily waving a ‘Ta ta” bye bye in Myanmar.

At work, my students continue to inspire me so. I’m in endless awe as I discover more talent in their workplace and in class.  As I speak, they are in the process of developing, translating the activity resource book;  lessons that were tested, reviewed and refined with my class, that is at the moment very much at its infancy.  Still, the introduction and  the first units : 1 to 4 are progressing well!

Now that the MP’s are away doing some good work in their constituencies, the cafeterias are closed and work reduced?  Parliamentary staff in all departments, collectively congregate in groups, outside their department station to share their delicious lunches with their colleagues, and with guess who?  that they’ve lovingly prepared and brought to work from their hostels.  What’s more, during that same period of time, throughout the parliament, parliamentary staff spent a good part of their time sorting through large piles of duplicated files.  They collectively sat on their office floor systematically re-organized files, ripped and threw out a good set of documents in large rice bags that almost mounted to the  departmental ceiling.   These files, a staff claimed, ‘There are no longer useful for the parliament, for the officials’.

Other news, at the end of the month, approximately 50 potential new parliamentary staff, young men, only a few, and the rest women in rainbow-colour fitted tops draped over their chic-vibrant longys, came to Pyidaungsu Hluttaw to be tested for law, economics and IT skills.   Lined in the hall outside the research and training department, like school children in Cambodia, they patiently waited for officials and helpers (parliamentary staff) to instruct them to sit at a designated computer desk.  Each desk was approximately 2 metres away from each other, carefully and precisely set apart, closely supervised by the IT parliamentary staff who walked up and down the rows to monitor them during their test.  Some appeared nervous and certainly humble, ducking, bowing at the waist as these shy individuals passed their potential leaders on the way to a computer desk.

By the way,  results of  the hiring process; exams and successful new parliamentary employees will be publicized within the next couple of days – by the first week of October 2017.

That is all for now.   In the meantime, Wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for September …More will be added at a later date … :)