Hnin Htet Phyu ~ Parliamentary Senior Officer

The following Parliamentary Senior Officer (student) ’s English case study is on page 188 in the English Voices of Myanmar Parliamentary Curriculum that was published in March 2018

 “The higlight was Traning for critical thinking , for  teamwork, lots of group discussions and presentation for my work”.

My name is Hnin Htet Phyu. I am from Tarmwe township, Yangon Division,  Myanmar

 

When did you first take English ? I first learn English language in basic education primary school , when I was in  primary class.  I started Learning English when I was 5 years old  . But that learning was very basic. 

  
When did you begin to speak English? I began to speak English when I was 27 years old. Because I am very shy and I am more interested in reading  than speaking.

  

What is interesting about the Cuso English class?      I am attending CUSO English Class for three months. This class gave training for critical thinking , for lots of group discussions and presentation . So , I was got more vocabularies , knowledge (about other countries and about Canada).  I could  thinking  more widespread in English , from critical thinking , group discussions.   And then I got confident to speak in english by do presentation much times.

Our class teacher , Alice  gave duties to us . We had to act like brainstormers , writer, presenter every day, every lesson. So we got  best outlook of team work . And then I am a shy person . I was not brave to present in front of class. But now I got confident to speak with the help of Alice. Because  she is very kindly and she is skillfull to teach speaking. She rejoined by a long way on our presentation.

We present about review, fashion, family life in Myanmar, Myanmar culture, parliamentary work, my hero, global citizenship everyday. CUSO learning style is very freely . We all liked this teaching style very much .

How has Cuso English Class helped you with your parliamentary work?  Our abilities of speak in English be well. We got confident to speak from our CUSO class. So, we are not shy to speak with other persons . So , we can help our MPs for their parliamentary work when they need to speak to Foreigners. And then we can search some English data from website , daily English newspapers , English news program from TV for translating to Myanmar language.

Would you recommend Cuso English training?  I would like to some recommend for CUSO English training. That is keep on “group work methodology concepts” and “  Do presentions for many topics” . Because of we need to be brave to speak English very well and have nothing any shy”.  In Myanmar some people are very shy person . So we need to do practice for speaking skill with native speakers.  However , we are happy and satisfied to learn English from CUSO English training. So, I would like to say thanks for all.

What was the highlight in Cuso English class?  

·      Training for critical thinking , for lots of teamwork for group discussions and presentation for my work.

·      Questions for conversation much me think deeply

·      I got confident to speak with my group for brainstormers and presenters  and to speak English much times

More later ... in the meantime, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for the rest of May 2018….:)

Room 5

... paving the way ... 
Success!

Today, a year later, my 60 parliamentary students received their certificates, together with a recently published Parliamentary Resource Curriculum that magically arrived at the Hluttaw Union Assembly, Phidaungsu on the morning of the closing ceremony.  Like the house of cards, U Bhone Kyi Aung, a high parliamentary official and others like him that were reshuffled somewhere a mile away in the grandeur of the parliament, was leaving for the UK the morning of the closing ceremony, and, still had set aside, his time and energy to honour my students at the ceremony.  With his usual grin, his usual firm handshake, he said, ‘I wouldn’t miss the closing ceremony for the world’.   The Myanmar people opened their hearts, gave their love, their friendships ...

Before the Change …

A year earlier however, it was a rough start!

Monday morning, on my arrival at the Parliament, on my first day at work, I was briefly introduced to the line manager and swiftly ushered away by a parliamentary staff to an empty office, to my desk!   Several cleaners soon followed, as per instructed, to move my desk exactly in line with the other 2, where my desk would firmly be placed!  What’s more, the same staff proceeded to take the place of my assigned line manager, (who evidently was new in the field) and promptly signed the 3-way agreement without discussing it with him or me?   The new line manager appeared to show little interest in the situation or in me?   Was he nervous too? Did we get lost in translation along the way? 

At the start of my placement there were several glitches that needed to be ironed out.  From establishing a classroom for English formal and informal lessons (to on job support); from the number of instructional formal hours I would teach, to discover whom my real boss was, at it appeared that I had many bosses? More to the point, I was intrigued at the lack of respect I was receiving by some people.  Parliamentary staffs would ask me how long I had planned to stay at the parliament? Others ignored me and didn’t want to have anything to do with me. There were times that I was included to some events by some, and promptly excluded or disinvited by others.   At first, isolated in my office, I wasn’t sure what to make of it all.  Everything was new to me.  However, I felt it important to make it work through trial and error and to go with the flow.  Looking back now, it appeared that I had an ambivalent role as an international employee who did not represent Cuso Myanmar. As a result, they seemed confused and didn’t know how to handle the situation ....   

What did we do?

Weeks later, after submitting a proposal for the 1^st set of parliamentary students and waiting for approval, U Bhone Kyi Aung the big boss, the new line manager’s boss soon took hold of the reigns to clarify the status quo, and eventually some things began to improve! U Bhone Kyi Aung is forward thinking, highly accommodating, fair-minded and very supportive.  He evidently is the backbone of the parliamentary system that supports the English programme and the role I was to play.  He wanted success.  With each parliamentary class, we had an open ceremony at which time he’d address my students about the significance of the English language, an important skill for them to use proficiently and competently in the workplace. Bhone Kyi Aung took me under his wing and became my mentor, my advocate …. :) Throughout the year at the Hluttaw, we worked closely together to share ideas, to discuss my work, the book (a work in progress) and the next steps.  And, in the process we developed a close bond!

With the backing of U Bhone Kyi Aung, I moved office. He gave me a choice of having two offices with 2 desks (one office with air-con and the other without).  I chose to move to the Research department, without air-con, where parliamentary staffs and the Line Manager were based. To me it made perfect sense to be in a congenial atmosphere where I was no longer isolated from the Myanmar people.  More to the point, I felt it important to play a pivotal role in the workplace where our skills, our culture, language, trust, friendships was aligned with U Bhone Kyi Aung’s belief.  Connecting through the hearts, minds of my comrades, meant that I’d also be in a situation where I could observe la vie quotidienne, the everyday ins and outs of my colleagues, the parliamentary staff’s general work function (in our shared office).  Working alongside each other, also meant, that through their lenses, a puzzle of intricate pieces at first, that I’d have the opportunity to learn something about the Hluttaw parliamentary system to better help the Myanmar people.  I did.

Room 5 …

How did I end up with Room 5?  U Bhone Kyi Aung stepped-up to the plate once again 

to overrule the case that Room 5 was a better choice (than the small class that I was initially assigned to), to comfortably house 20 students, the instructor, unforeseen guests, such as himself and to welcome other parliamentary officials, staff and/or anyone else at the Hluttaw that either wished to observe or to take part in my class at any time.

Our verbal contract also entailed my formal teaching hours.  U Bhone Kyi Aung gave me the choice to teach either 8 hours a week Monday to Thursday or 10 hours per week that included Fridays.  I chose the latter.  Sensitive, anticipating to the needs of the people, I wanted to have Fridays as catch-up days.  I wanted to give personal attention to my students that wanted extra help, conduct informal English discussions, nurture and support them in anything else that would help strengthen their English voices.  

As for my afternoons, U Bhone Kyi Aung and I agreed that Room 5 be converted to an informal on-job support venue sessions for small group training with parliamentarians and staff. That is to say, to help MPs and staff alike to effectively carry out their roles in the workplace and anything else that benefited the Myanmar people for a better tomorrow. This included IT, questions and answers addressing enquiries during council meetings, informal English conversational lessons, group discussions with Women MPs that represents, serve, work with marginalized groups in their constituencies, help staff in their department to respond to a proper English email from Burmese translation, to creating a parliamentary job posting (related to staff’s specific job responsibilities), which didn’t appear to exist at the Hluttaw when I first began working with them.   

6 weeks later, I met my first set of 20 parliamentary students in Room 5!  

What is different today?

Typically, predictably so, as I enter the grandeur of the parliament first thing in the morning, my day begins with a chorus of laughter that echoes throughout the corridors of the ZhaBuThiri Phyidaungsu building that bounces into the parliamentary staff offices.  As I reach the shared research staff office at the end of the hall, a bubbly wave of more chatter and laughter resonates all the way to Room 5 with words of contentment that speaks back to me. 

Room 5 is a place that Assessment begins from the moment my awe-inspiring, talented students enters my class.   As they enter Room 5, I mentally ask myself, ‘Are my English Learners feeling well, excited with full of queries?’ Are they nervous and unsure of the unknown with today’s lessons?  Are they enthusiastic, engaged and motivated? Is the class culture shifting from being once a cautious to a more confident and vibrant community of English learners?’    Each day is a different day with full of ‘magical’ possibilities’, with new insights and ideas.   Indeed, Room 5 is a room where my students thrive and surprise me with something new each day!

Throughout my teaching at the Hluttaw, there has been a positive change of pace in Room 5, a magical sense of transformation and successes in my students.  My students are excited to come to class and over time they have gained more confidence.  Shy students that appear to be more self-assured, are now talking, and even volunteer to share our morning introduction to the start of the day’s lesson: either to give a brief account of the daily news, discuss the lyrics of a song, review the day’s work, talk about Myanmar culture, ethnic traditional dress and or fashion, … and anything else that is of interest to them.  Once a month, together we typically celebrate our successes in the very grounds of the parliament. 

Parliamentarians are also feeling more confident with their Oral English skills and are even laughing at their own mistakes!  Conversational English with MPs is a fun and most interesting job one can ever hope to have and whom I have learned much from. These MPs come to the parliament with a wealth of knowledge.  Back home in their villages, in their constituencies, they have regular jobs like you and me.  They are teachers, farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers …

During my placement, outside Room 5, I also visited Parliamentary staffs in their designated workplace. This is to address what is it that they want to know and how to strategize ways to strengthen there English skills further in their jobs.   Their skills are brought back and addressed in Room 5 for teaching and learning prospects.  What’s more, we have also focused on the different creative writing interests, skills that were revealed in my talented students.

The change

Despite the political problems I experienced throughout my placement, despite the last minute bid to deny the closing ceremony for my parliamentary students, despite the rough start, success prevailed!  My motto: Keep an open mind, observe, listen, wipe the slate clean, be objective and be receptive to new ideas …

I have been asked several times by a number of people at the Hluttaw, ‘what is your secret in keeping your students?  They come to your class everyday.’   I tell them ‘I have an open door policy where my students come and go as they please.  Some have early morning commitments and still manage to attend my class.  Some, who are unwell, still come to class, because they tell me that they don’t want to miss new ideas or a new ‘exciting’ unit.  When I prepare for the next day, my students will pop in to ask if they can help me and or simply hang out… I say, my students are intrigued, curious and hungry to learn’!  I answer, ‘I’m flexible, a team player, open to ideas and mindful of my students needs. Therefore, I have a back up plan to change the lesson at the last minute if need be’.  I tell them that ‘my students are in a safe environment to freely discuss and express any issues that they want within the walls and safety of Room 5’.

English VOICES of Myanmar

When I began working at the Hluttaw Union Assembly, a parliamentary curriculum did not exist.  Part of my job was to create a Parliamentary Resource Curriculum book that made sense to the parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.  Consequently, my students were very much involved and included in the process of developing the book.  They also got to brainstorm the different types of units that they felt needed to be included in the book.  Throughout this yearlong mammoth project, the ‘global village staff’, the parliamentary staff together made ‘lemonade from 2 lemons’.  They diligently developed, typed, translated the English text to the Myanmar language and gave everything they had: their souls and their might to help out with every bit of the book from the grassroots up!

‘English VOICES of Myanmar’ was recently published in March 2018.  This practical Resource Activity Parliamentary Curriculum has become part of the ‘first’ Cuso collection, encased in the 3-Chamber libraries: Pyidaungsu, Phyithu, Amyotha for anyone to use at the Hluttaw, NayPyiTaw or anywhere else in Myanmar.  This also includes all sub-national Hluttaws throughout Myanmar.

What is the book about? The book is about expanding the boundaries of the English language using a higher level of thinking through the use of problem solving, critical thinking, analytical thinking to spark questions for conversation …  Some units include ASEAN Citizens, Our country ~ Our Parliament, Education (with a gender education section included), Healthy Living, Family Life in Canada and in Myanmar.   This book is also about social inclusion, gender equality, human rights and freedoms.

Since the book was published, the Hluttaw parliamentary leaders printed 35 more copies.  And Cuso Country Office Myanmar also printed more copies.

It is worth noting, that the curriculum draft was temporarily put on hold to print.  However, the parliamentary leaders overruled the case to continue with the process of completing the final details of the book and to have it published. What’s more, some units became a controversial concept, such as Gender Equality that I was initially asked to remove from the curriculum. Some parliamentary administrators claimed,  ‘we have NO issues in Myanmar.  Everyone is equal, this includes all ethnic groups in our country’.  However, after much discussion, the Gender Equality unit was changed to ‘Gender Roles, which the leaders approved of’.   Further, though the ASEAN Citizens Unit remained status quo, Global citizenship Begins With Me however, became ‘Part 2’ of the ASEAN Citizens Unit instead of a unit of its own, because it too, became controversial.  As a result, there are 11 units, instead of 12 units.  

Befitting with some of our controversial units, Room 5 was a safe environment for freedom of expression.   My parliamentary students (MPs and staff) freely discussed and expressed anything that they wanted within the secured walls of Room 5.  With trust, together, we talked about ethnic controversial issues and conflicts of their much-loved homeland. Myanmar.  This included the Rohingya crisis that they spontaneously had chosen to speak about. Though initially removed from the Myanmar map (at the back of the book), with much discussion however as to whether the word Rohingya should remain on the map or not;  In the end, we unanimously decided that it was imperative to put the word ‘Rohingya’ back on the Myanmar map, where it belonged, where the Muslim Rohingya people ‘rightfully’ belong. In Myanmar!

News travel fast!  Since the book was published, since the closing ceremony event took place last week, people that we don’t know, boldly come up to us Cuso volunteers, introduce themselves, shake our hands, and with a smile say, ‘You must be Cuso’.   ‘We hear good things about you, about the great work that you’re doing here’.  ‘Your English book is one of a kind. The first ever to be published in Myanmar!’

Did we just put Cuso on the map? 

Alice Chandler,  ESL Cuso Volunteer,  May 2017 – May 2018

Hluttaw Union Assembly, NayPyiTaw, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar

Volunteers for the world ~ un monde de voluntaire

More later ... in the meantime, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for May 2018….:)

NayPyiTaw in Bloom

… A day of Silence …

April was a month of festival holidays: a New Year’s celebration both in Bali and in Myanmar. April was also a month that spun into a wealth of brilliant unexpected inspiration moments in room 5, surprising news, unexpected turn of events, closing ceremony and wrap up in NayPyiTaw.

New Year’s Celebration in Bali, in Myanmar: Nyepi a public Hindu holiday in Bali …
The Myanmar parliament in NayPyiTaw, is closed for 2 weeks, however we were away for almost 3 weeks, which includes wellness days away from the ongoing Cuso Myanmar’s drama. For example, instead of receiving a constructive response, dialogue, we are either told ‘It’s classified information (when it’s not and may be looked upon as a legacy that was left behind to share and disseminate among volunteers), OR, solve it, and if we don’t like it, Leave!’  Of course this is Old news , I’m afraid. This thread of old news, I understand has traveled to various Cuso volunteers whose placements throughout Myanmar haven’t worked out. As a result, dissatisfied with their placements, dissatisfied with lack of support, transparency, and no one to turn to, they have left their placements prematurely.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018, Kevin and I arrived in Bali, Ubud to be exact, for a well-deserved holiday with lots things to do to distract us away from the misery, from endless unethical political situation at work .

Ubud is dotted with a myriad of temples, shops, cafés, restaurants … and yes, Western people that we can talk too …

As you may have well guessed, we’re not really museum or temple goers, instead, we’ve relished the cappuccinos, café lattés, good Western food and a good 2 – 3 hour walk early in the morning while Ubud still sleeps. A spa with a good massage and or a healthy lunch awaits us each day, before having an afternoon snooze. Just what the doctor ordered!
We also toured the island where we swam, read, slept a lot and did day tours. Considering that April is the hottest month of the year in Southeast Asia, Bali, on the contrary was comfortable in every aspect of the word …

Saturday March 17, 2018 was a public holiday in Indonesia. Marked on the Balinese Saka calendar, the Hindu community that mostly lives on the island of Bali celebrates Nyepi, the Day of Silence a.k.a. the Hindu New Year. Nyepi is a day of reflection for the Indonesian Hindu community. As a result, all activities come to a complete standstill from 6 in the morning to 6 at night! This means that Hindus are not allowed to cook, work, eat, talk, use their cell phones to communicate with the outside world, nor are they allowed to listen to music, or use any type of transportation … In other words, locals stay home with their families for a day of silence.

While we were in Bali, Myanmar celebrated the Water Festival known as the Thingyan Public holiday or Myanmar New Year. The Thigyan holiday, an auspicious day that last 3 days, is a time to wash away sins and to begin anew. Unlike the day of silence practiced by the Balinese people however, the Myanmar people, sing, dance on streets and use trucks with heavy water pipes to either hose people down or use water buckets to throw water at each other …
For us, for me, like the Balinese people, it too, was a time of reflection of our year in NayPyiTaw, Myanmar. It was a time to try and make some sense of some things that worked, and some things that still nagged me at the core. Things that still needed to be ironed out, especially now that the big boss was no longer in sight to bat for me.

U Bone Kwi Aung had been conveniently shuffled a mile away, so it seems, to another Chamber, the Phyitu Lower House. Now that he was no longer working with me, for instance, Parliamentary staffs had been told that they were no longer allowed to help with the Myanmar translation or to help out with the last minute details of the book. However, ignoring the risks, the requests, the staff felt it important to complete their project and consequently went ahead with it. What’s more, the bid of the closing ceremony orchestrated by the same two expat individuals who disputed with the leaders, that it was of no importance for my students (whom I had for the year), to have a year end celebration, despite having gone through the proper channels for approval …. However, in the end, on our return from Bali, miraculously things fell into place.

NayPyiTaw in Bloom … Unexpected turn of events at the Parliament
Every tree, bush, plants, tall, thin, fat are in bloom. With multi-coloured flowers lining the NayPyiTaw boulevards, a new wave of young, eager–looking potential recruits have been invited to the Myanmar Hluttaw Union Assembly, Pyidaungsu Zabuthiri building to be tested in law, economics, and IT skills. Results will be posted in the large white board in the open hallway , just outside the library. Like children, they gently place their right hand on the back of the person’s shoulder (in front of them) to form an impeccable row. The rainbow longys, mostly women with few men, stand in row upon row to answer to the roll call, to their names, while there is much shuffling back and forth (from some leaders) to oversee that each row is in a perfect line. Shouting and excitement and clarification continue throughout the roll call as par for the course; to ensure that all requirements are met before testing, oral interviews begins.
On our return from Bali, U Zaw Hen, Director General of Pyidaungsu, (once ordained as a Buddhist Monk), had returned to work, the parliament in NayPyiTaw with a shaved head (from his time away at the Yangon Monastery) to mark the Myanmar New Year 2018. With a smile, a nod, hands firmly pressed together in a prayer, he said ‘I spent 3 days praying in a monk’s monastery to wash away my sins and to give hope to the people of Myanmar’. Now ordained, he also said, ‘I will be spending much time caring for my ill-health mother in Yangon’.  He too, with his other colleagues had arrived to work early to tests the kaleidoscopic-looking newcomers. Later that day, despite testing, interviewing and dealing with a backlog of urgent matters that needed to be attended to, U Zaw Hen took care, took the time in dealing with the unresolved ‘closing ceremony’ issue. In the end, he and other leaders of the Myanmar Hluttaw Union Assembly, Pyidaungsu Zabuthiri building overruled the 2 expats and approved the go ahead with the closing ceremony …

Surprising News
Nwe Nwe Soe: April was month with surprising news. Nwe Nwe Soe, who eagerly tried to reach me while we were away in Bali, bounced-in with joy into my office first thing Monday morning to announce that she had been accepted to join the 6 months’ Parliamentary Institute of Cambodia (PIC) Fellowship Programme: July to December 2018.  Whilst in Phnom Penh, Nwe Nwe Soe, 6 colleagues from Myanmar together with Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand will also join the Regional Fellowship Program in Parliamentary Research. She is absolutely thrilled and couldn’t believe her luck after having applied with PIC 4 times. With this unbelievable news, Nwe Nwe Soe, also told me that she and 4 other parliamentary staff were invited by Myanmar Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) to spend the first week of May with the UK House of Commons Parliament to learn and observe some of their strategic plans, tools to take back with them in Myanmar.  Later, I learned that U Bone Kyi Aung was too, one of the chosen invitees for this UK trip.

Kyaw Nain Tan: Remember, the line manager that in so many ways appeared to be agitated, obligated to drift wherever the wind blew because he was managed by so many people, including the 2 expats ? Remember how he had arrived at the Myanmar Hluttaw Union Assembly, the same time as me? Well, NayPyiTaw is indeed in bloom with surprising news! With a wide grin, from ear to ear, he too bounced in to my office to say that he was finally leaving the NayPyiTaw Parliament and joining the Yangon Ministry of Education at the end of May where he could be with his wife and son. Since this surprising news, Kyaw Nain Tan became friendlier, transparent, and more respectful toward me. A ton of weights fell off his shoulder as he spoke to tell me that he was no longer working with Cuso Myanmar or had to answer to the 2 expats. Throughout the rest of April and May whilst we worked parallel to each other, Kyaw Nain Tan seemed happier, his shoulders lighter, more erect as he walked with an air of confidence around the office.

Ni Ni Aye: When I first arrived at the Hluttaw, I was greeted by a stern-unhappy looking woman, who not only escorted me to my office, to my desk, after barely meeting the line manager, but to tell me how I should dress for work: long skirt with a long sleeve blouse. This revelation was made only to Cuso Volunteers. However, paid international business partners’ attire, although (some) came to work dressed inappropriately, nothing was said. Ni Ni Aye, like Kyaw Nan Tan, had been demoted, transferred from department to department throughout the Hluttaw with a bad reputation attached to her name. Unfortunately, any one with a bad reputation ended up working in one of the busiest department in the Hluttaw, the Research department where I was base.
Despite this however, Ni Ni Aye had some very good attributes to her name. She spoke English very well and spoke it better than most in the parliament. As a result, for a short while, she was based in the International Relations department where she dealt with international expats’ entry work visas and general documents for Myanmar. She later, joined the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) department and, at the end of May will take over Kyaw Nan Tan’s position at the Research department, where she was, alas,  originally posted.

Once I really got to know the real Nyi Nyi Aye, I found her to be professional, efficient, and extremely effective in her work! Some parliamentary staff would say that despite her bad temper, sometimes offensive and abrupt disposition, she’s ‘open and direct and a really good manager and knows the Hluttaw inside out’. To say that she is a hard worker is an understatement! She is competent, skillful, capable, talented officer. I found her to be warm, fun and easy to deal with. In the end, it was a pleasure to work with her.

At the end of my placement, Ni Ni Aye was frank with me and revealed that it was the 2 expats who instructed she and Kyaw Nain Tan to follow their orders. Through them, as messengers, they’d oversee that no parliamentary materials was shared with Cuso Volunteers. They’d cancel Cuso Volunteers ‘ requested meetings with the JCC, cancel invitations to events for Cuso volunteers (democracy day), excluded Cuso from social events and so forth.  Ni Ni Aye personally apologized in the end for 2 expats’ unethical behaviour. She also wanted to let me know that her hands were tied and that her job was on the line if she spoke up. In short, she didn’t have a voice to bat for others.

Thet Oo Zaw was one of my students who didn’t like to miss my class. As a shy student, a man of few words, he hardly spoke in class, let alone comment on anything that was discussed in class. Today however, was different. There was a break through with Thet Oo Zaw! For the first time, during one of our many-heated discussion, he got up from his roller chair to announce that he too, had something to say. Mindful, careful of what he was about to say, ‘though this is my opinion and we are in Room 5’. He and others talked about the role of wealthy Myanmar’s businessmen, the rich powerful retired Tatmadaw generals; from terrorism, persecution and inhumane treatment against the Rohingyas to corruption and greed … Indeed, that day our discussion turned into a wealth of brilliant unexpected inspiration moments in Room 5, both from Thet Oo Zaw’s perspective and from other students who had built up the courage to express their thoughts about the sad state of affairs of their country.

Closing Ceremony
Despite the political problems I experienced throughout my placement, despite the last minute bid to deny the closing ceremony for my parliamentary students, despite the rough start, success prevailed! My motto: Keep an open mind, observe, listen, wipe the slate clean, be objective and receptive to new ideas …

Today, a year later, my 60 parliamentary students received their certificates, together with a recently published Parliamentary Resource Curriculum that magically arrived at the Hluttaw Union Assembly, Phidaungsu on the morning of the closing ceremony. Like the house of cards, U Bone Kyi Aung, a high parliamentary official and others like him that were reshuffled somewhere a mile away in the grandeur of the parliament, was leaving for the UK the morning of the closing ceremony, and, still had set aside, his time and energy to honour my students at the ceremony. With his usual grin, his usual firm handshake, he said, ‘I wouldn’t miss the closing ceremony for the world’. The Myanmar people opened their hearts, gave their love, their friendships …
Sadly, Cuso Myanmar staff were not interested in taking part of the ceremony, despite the fact that they were invited by both the Hluttaw Union Assembly, Phidaungsu parliament and me to attend.

‘Good afternoon to all you;
Letting you know that I’m about to write to JCC, who arranges our activities and the rooms, to request Room 3 to hold a closing ceremony for 90 people on April 27, 2018. Will one of you be able to attend the closing ceremony – is it customary for a Cuso Myanmar to attend such an event? I have also invited both Geoffrey and Francois to attend this event, which they have already accepted. Will keep you posted with updates re the closing ceremony .’

Cuso (LF) Myanmar’s response ‘… I know that our travel budget is very much diminished this coming (new) year so she (Cuso administrator) will have to see if it is possible.’ ‘…. pomp and ceremony mean nothing!’ For my parliamentary students and me, it’s about celebrating the successes and milestones together with the people whom they got to know and to love.

Wrap up in NayPyiTaw                                                                                                                     Once the ceremony was done, and books, the parliamentary curriculum was disseminated among parliamentary staff and leaders, I spent Monday at work to wrap up loose ends, to say goodbye over luncheons and dinners with close staffs, friends, where we cried, laugh and cried again …
News travel fast! Since the book was published, since the closing ceremony event took place last week, people that we don’t know, boldly come up to us Cuso volunteers, introduce themselves, shake our hands, and with a smile say, ‘You must be Cuso’.   ‘We hear good things about you, about the great work that you’re doing here’. ‘Your English book is one of a kind. The first ever to be published in Myanmar!’

What’s more after reviewing the book further, after the ceremony, the Hluttaw parliamentary leaders printed 35 more copies for the parliament. And Cuso Country Office Myanmar also printed more copies.

More later …in the meantime, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for May 2018….:)

Myanmar has a new president

March news: everyday was Christmas

Small mangoes, hundreds of them now maturing from our 5 mango trees in our little courtyard are strewn everywhere, some dropping-down like bombshells on tin roofs, the well to be exact, orchestrates the crashing of a tambourine-like sound when mangoes fall and smash to the ground each day.   2 days ago, heavy winds brought down 2 heavy large mango branches across the driveway.  Neighbours from every household immediately came to our aid with their machetes to cut down the heavy branches to clear the driveway.  Like the well-orderly maintained roads of NayPyiTaw, our driveway and courtyard was methodically done in an systematic fashion where everyone seemed to know his well-defined ‘duty’!  The son’s next door’s duty was to pick up the debris for a bomb fire to be had on our front lawn.

On the way to the market, throughout the month of March, small white, red and blue flags lined the dirt roads to the open field behind us where a large stadium was built to raise funds for the Monks.  Each day, deafening music for everyone to hear bellowed throughout the neighbourhood.   Rejoicing this occasion, Thanakha locals from the various communities, walked with friends and family to the stadium to pay their respect and to donate food and or small amounts of money.   This celebration is done every year throughout Myanmar to raise funds for the Water Festival in April.  

Through the last part of March, Kevin and I spent a week in Yangon at the printing shop for the formatting of the Curriculum.  It turned out to be a more complicated exercise than expected because, their software programming didn’t have the Myanmar 3 (or any other Myanmar number) Language installed on their computer, and the company was not prepared to install it.  To compound the problem further, the designer had never designed or formatted a book and I ended-up doing most of the work, showing, helping the designer where the icon tools were located on the computer.  He didn’t speak English and we seemed to play charades for on-going comprehension … :)  

On a sunny beautiful clear blue sky, a day where I thought we were progressing well with the book,  and with one of my many expeditions to the outside bathroom, their guard dog that normally is placed in a shady spot well away from the printing factory was let loose on that particular day and  bit me!  This dog had several dog bites from other dogs in the neighbourhood and, had also recently bit other western foreigners.  The people took good care of me and immediately took me to the hospital for a rabies shot.   What concerned me more was not the dog bite, but the blasé comportment from Cuso Myanmar.  They didn’t bother reporting this mishap, concern for the safety of volunteers, to Cuso Canada.  This is an on going problem that is very real in developing countries to warn Cuso volunteers of this problem.  In my opinion, it is critical for Cuso Volunteers to be well aware of dog bites in developing countries, so that not only are they well prepared for this inconvenient mishap that may happen,  but to be inoculated against rabies before the start of their placements and while in placement if necessary!  

March was a month that could have been Christmas everyday or Ground Hog Day, where something, a day is repeated over again or caught in a time loop.  In this case, in room 5, Everyday was gift day!  I was either showered with several gifts or a significant gift of some sort each day from my 2 classes.  After each gift giving, my parliamentary students sat me on a chair, preceded in taking their flip-flops’ off, formed a semi circle around me and in unison knelled down and bowed 3 times to the ground saying a prayer.  At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of it all.  My parliamentary students explained that, ‘Teachers are one component of the Five Infinite Venerables in Myanmar.  After the Bhudha, the Monks, I was like their parent, their mother, their teacher of love, of a higher order.  They said that they, 'Wanted to pay their respect, gratitude and love for me.’  At these words, I relented and began to weep.  They wept of joy with me!   My students indeed,  opened up their hearts, gave their love and their friendships … Naturally, I too reciprocated and fell in love with my students.  We had become family.   In my class their was never any right or wrong answers. The goal is to bring people together for fun and easy learning. It is to generate insights, ideas, questions for conversation ...    I feel truly honoured!  

Below is a letter from my parliamentary students explaining the meaning of gift giving, honouring and paying respect to their teacher.   

'Dear Alice, 
Teachers are one component of the “Five Infinite Venerables”, along with the Buddha, Dhamma (teachings of the Buddha), Sangha (the order of monks) and Parents.
 
U Aung Thin, a retired teacher from Yangon University, said Buddhists consider their teachers almost like parents.  In Myanmar, this kind of ritual (pay homage to their teachers)  has a much longer history.

Every year at Thadingyut (in October) , present and former students pay homage to their teachers at ceremonies across the country. Especially it is a way of remembering and honouring those people in society who (teach) pass on their skills and knowledge to others.

“A good teacher is like a family member to students. They mean a lot to their pupils – they’re a guide, leader, mentor, parents and friend,” To address someone as Sayar (male teacher) or Sayama (female teacher)  means you consider them not only a teacher in the conventional sense but also as a “life mentor” – someone who guides their students through the ups and downs of life.  We pay homage  to our teachers by kneeling before them and paying obeisance with joined hands, and bowing, in order to show gratitude and reverence and an opportunity to ask for forgiveness ( Example : If we make a mistake to you or annoy to you) , often involving gift-giving.  

Love You Alice,

Phyo, the Senior and Junior voices of Myanmar‘

Other news in room 5 where all the learning happens, an American teacher who was instructed to teach English to the same students for more than 6 hours a day for the month of March,  approached me half way through his term and admitted that his students were falling asleep because 6 hours of English was too much, too long!     He observed my class 3 times and invited me to his class for some suggestions.   One of which, I suggested that he use the 'people centred' approach in order to keep the students engaged with their learning.  That afternoon, we simply got the students to form themselves in groups of 5, to brainstorm insights and ideas on chart paper their morning lesson.  Tape they coloured written charts on one of the 4 corners of the room (Room 3 is a large room).   Each group to rotate every 5 minutes to read and share within each group what other groups had said about their morning lesson.   This activity lasted approximately 25 minutes. Students were smiling, full of energy, had a glint in their eyes for approval and wanted more ...

March 28, 2018,  7 days after former president U Htin Kyaw stepped down due to poor health, a new elected president (former Pyithu Chamber NLD MP speaker) U Win Myint was appointed by the counsellor.  The 10^th president was inaugurated, swore an oath in office today, March 30, 2018, together with the 2 vice-presidents: The 1^st vice-president, U Myint Swe from the military group who acted as president for 7 days until a new president was elected, was appointed by the Tatmadaw chief.  The 2^nd vice-president is Henry Van Thio from Amyotha Chamber NLD MP group, was elected by the people. 

More later ... in the meantime, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for April 2018….:)

There is something magical about the sea ...

February news ...   There is something magical about the sea … the ocean, about the way it moves.  How the moon pulls high tides and low tides in and out at certain times of the day.  Each day the sea is different, the landscape changes from champagne sand to aqua oceanic  sea, to a spectacular orangey-red sunset.  This makes the day magical with full of possibilities!

 In mid February we had a Cuso Annual Volunteer Conference, some 15 hours bus ride from NayPyiTaw.  The conference was held at GnweSaung Beach, where all Cuso volunteers from various ‘pockets’ of Myanmar met to share their experiences in their field.   Evidently, we talked about the successes, the milestones, the challenges, the next steps ...   At the end of the conference, instead of travelling back with the Cuso group to Yangon and on to NayPyiTaw,  Kevin and I used our 2 day travel departure time to stay in GnweSaung Beach. We moved to Eskala resort for a couple more days to enjoy a small holiday by the sea. Aside from enjoying Cuso’s volunteer company at the conference, Kevin and I had a lovely time soaking up the sun, swimming in the sea, strolling on the beach.  All we had to think about was 'how we wanted our eggs done ... '  Just what the doctor ordered!

It is clearly the dry season.  As I step on every stone, slightly raised on dirt lanes in our neighbourhood, on the way to the market, mound firmly in the ground on the way to the market,  I’m reminded of the time  when local Thanakka men, women, children collectively worked together, racing against the anticipated monsoon to fix the pot-holes with soil and stones of different colours, shapes and sizes.  With the dry season, children are now home from school for the next 3 months and return to school mid May.   On our return from Gnew Saung Beach, Kevin, at the market, was greeted with a pleasant surprise.  The main area where he normally buys produce, the bamboo poles were raised approximately 2 feet higher, above Kevin's head so that he wouldn't bang his forehead against the pole.  The locals were quite delighted with themselves, making a point of letting Kevin know that the bamboo poles were raised up for his benefit ... :)

February was month where more shuffling occurred among parliamentary staff and officials.   Like the House of Cards, officials and staff are conveniently, regularly shuffled to different departments throughout the Hluttaw – the parliament.  The big boss, whom we, developed a close relationship, whom I worked with throughout my time at the parliament, he too was moved to another department, a mile away from HR department, so it seems, without any explanations. The HR staff that I’m connected to went on with their business as per usual. One of the parliamentary staff, a few days later, had quietly and discreetly placed a tattered note in room 5,  in my class, on my desk with instructions of the big boss’s whereabouts.

 The following day, the big boss approved, the people’s book that we created from the grassroots up, to have it printed in late March, before the end of the Cuso fiscal year.

Elsewhere in the parliament, an official celebration of a 2-year term at the Hluttaw took place at the large parliamentary-dining hall.  The Tatmadaw, the MPs, Cuso Volunteers, Officials, some parliamentary staff and expat business staff were invited for the luncheon to hear the Lady give a speech on peace, in Burmese.  The Tatmadaw, MPs and expat business staff sat at the front, while Cuso Volunteers Officials with some parliamentary staff sat at the very back of the room. 

February ended with some confusion for some. Though it ended with both the EU and the UN jointly imposing sanctions against the government for the ongoing atrocity, others are not in sync and are  turning a blind eye to all available queues:  2 expat business staff, a branch of the UN are still providing lavish lunches in lavish hotels for workshops that could easily be conducted at the parliament for $0 – zero dollars.   Could it be that the $2million funds, (which these expats are receiving per month) be redirected where it counts?   Another competitive expat business tourism staff also placed at the parliament is planning in mid March to take a group of staff to Germany for a tourism experience. They too, like the 2 aforementioned expats blindly go about business as usual.

Cuso as always, step up to the plate where things are done in a timely way and successfully with spending $0 dollars at the parliament.   Oronie managed to merge the 3 chambers on intranet within 2 hours and yours truly was able to produce a curriculum that make sense to the people from the grassroots up. 

More later ... in the meantime, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for March 2018….:)

Fresh Bananas from our tree

January news ... Happy New Year!

This morning we were awakened to a fresh bunch, a hanging cluster tier bananas to eat with our muesli.  All in courtesy of our humble neighbour!   With a smile and a nod, he came around our house this morning to deliver bananas, while we sat on the porch with a hot cup of coffee in hand to ward off the early morning chill of 13℃ .  (yes, it gets that cold!).    Last night, our humble neighbour, who endlessly goes out of his way for us, had freshly harvested bananas  from our tree for us to have for breakfast this morning.  What a treat!  Banana fruits develop from the banana wine colour heart in a large hanging cluster, made up of tiers known as ‘hands’, with up to 20 banana fruit to a tier.   

Shortly after our banana harvesting adventure, we’ve since noticed that 3 new banana shoots are already sprouting from our old banana plant that was recently cut down to the ground.   

Here on the home front, Kevin and I take advantage of cool January temperatures to take a stroll either in the Herbal Garden grounds or within the neighbourhood.  The soft breeze almost engulfs us with whiffs of snowy-white perfumed flowers that guard the Iron Gate.   Our humble neighbour, on one fine day, aware of the heavy scented gust that too gushes his household, demonstrates the process of what the white flower seed can do.  The benefits.   White flowers, some already in seed clustered on stems,  our humble neighbour seems to perform  a crushing  magical motion for us to see; his hands pressed together with a plant seed between his hands, he shows us how seeds can easily soften into a powdery form.  Proud of the outcome, with a heavy throaty chuckle, he announces how this fresh powder is unique to Myanmar and how readily available it is for anyone to use and how good it is for a woman’s skin.   With this wealth of information, I offer him to pop by our little courtyard to harvest them at any time he so wish to share with his wife and eldest daughter … J   

Interestingly enough, one of our individual speaking presentations at the parliament is to do with ‘fashion’ that defines who we are as a person.  What compels us to be who we are and to do the things that we do?  Is it environment, our upbringing, our culture, the language we speak, I ask?  Questions for conversation are what we highlight regularly in the classroom.

Talking about highlights, at dinnertime in January, a black Mercedes drove in to our parking lot to request our passports and updated visa.  The 2 official immigration officers and the dual role individual: driver and English interpreter, stated, after scrutinizing our official documents 3 times over,  that  our papers were in perfect order.   Despite the fact, that the interpreter  had assured us that we no longer needed to show our papers at the NayPyiTaw immigration office the next day, Cuso SuSu had already warned us of our immigrations visit, that it was indeed necessary to go through the immigration official procedure through KoAung, our go between person who ended it up looking after things for us.    Naturally, this was another immigration routine check –in to ensure that our papers were in order! 

When it rains, it pours, or better yet, there’s never a dull moment to be had!   That same evening, the right-hand hinge of the iron-gate rusted off its hinge.  However, nothing could be done with it immediately, because we were leaving for the dentist in Yangon.  As a result, the Iron Gate was left open at the discretion of the humble neighbour who looked after things for us during our absence.

Elsewhere in NayPyiTaw, at the parliament, the parliamentary leaders met with us Cuso volunteers, Geoffrey and I and other International Business staff to welcome us to the New Year, to recapitulate some of the good work that we were doing for the parliament and what were our next steps?

The 3^rd week of January brought us another Cuso Volunteer.  In courtesy of Cuso SuSu , we dined at the Tai Restaurant just outside the SweKyaBae township to welcome the new volunteer François.  Naturally, at the parliament on Monday morning, I was disappointed to move out of the parliamentary Research ~ HR office to join Geoffrey and François in the old JCC room sandwiched between the Research and International parliamentary offices.  Rationale: Parliamentary officials felt it best that we Cuso volunteers share a room separate to parliamentary staff.
 
Yes, we thought long and hard about our wish for all you to ring in the New Year in.  Together with good health and happiness, we've added an extra hope for 2018, another wish for you to experience, something extra.  We wish you wonderful friendships, a skill that captures your imagination, a job that offers fulfilment, and, of course, new things in your life that will make your heart sing like the 2 birds who sing to us every morning at the wake of dawn, preparing a bird’s nest on one of our mango trees.

On this happy, joyful note, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for February 2018….:)