City after City

It's only been a couple of days since my last post but SO MUCH has happened! I landed safely in Melbourne and went to my friends house (Deevya) in Northcote, Victoria. It was my first night there and we went out; she introduced me to all her friends, which was cool because they were all Punjabi :]. We walked along the beach, chilled, and talked all night, before we knew it, it was 4AM!! & the late night's and early mornings begin!! The days kind of blur into one as so much happened during the day and at night. Walked through the streets of Melbourne, went to the city to explore, went on a guided tour through the city, ate at a Thai restaurant, gambled a little at Crowne casino, traveled via tram bus and train, and went to a top of hill that overlooks the entire city.! 

Guided Tour: It was really cool because it was an "Underground Tour" which means they tell you the negative history about the city as well. On the tour we saw the Parliament house, China Town, Federation Square, Carlton Gardens, RMT jail, Hosier lane (graffiti), State Library, and the Block arcade. Thats only a fraction of what else there is to see. All of it was so cool especially the gardens and hosier lane. The gardens were so beautiful; as I walked around I heard birds chirping, saw people eating (picnic's), and smelt fresh flowers. Hosier Lane is a street where people do graffiti work; they have a huge wall that people have to get permission to draw, and then there are side streets where anyone can come and spray paint. The designs and color was just spectacular! 

Crowne casino: I honestly never thought i would even try gambling, but let me tell you, it is addicting. I spent a lot of money.... a whole whopping FIVE DOLLARS! haha It was just something I wanted to do for the experience. The casino was absolutely HUGE, & it was a 24/7 service. I was suprised to see how many people were there during the afternoon; the way everything was decorated was beautiful! Just FYI, I did win some money but then gambled that off!

Hill: This wasn't just any ordinary hill type thing, (idk how to explain it), It was a hill that overlooked the entire city of Melbourne. We went at night time so everything was lit up and you could see the stars right above. AMAZINGGG. The only down fall was that it was freezing so standing outside wasn't the best. & then i stayed until the sun came up so you could see the transformation of the clouds, the lights, and the atmosphere!

Wandering the streets of Sydney

Early mornings, late nights, sight seeing, and making friends pretty much sums up my first few days in Sydneyy! One thing that i’ve learned so far is that LIFE IS EXPENSIVEE... especially when you’re in Sydney. I paid $5 for a water bottle... i mean really? That better be some quality H20 right there! Oh & people are really friendly here: I asked a guy where the pay phones are and he told me that i could just use his phone... this doesn’t just happen everywhere :]

Touring around Sydney - went walking for about 3 1/2 hours and learned a lot about the history and saw the famous sights (harbor bridge, opera house)! The city is absolutely stunning. And did you know, the Australian crest has a kangaroo and an emu on it because they are two animals that cannot walk backwards therefore Australia is always moving forward :] BAMMM. I could live here. There’s a place down by the water called “The Rocks” where they have little shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafe’s. There was this woman dancing in this colorful dress waving a fan welcoming everybody. They have this statue and its of a pig... apparently if you rub it’s nose and give it a coin, it gives you good luck. (I think they just wanted my money) - Some people did it though... On my wanderings I met Sarah, from Manchester! It was soo cool meeting someone who was also touring and from England; we kept each other’s company for the day!

Also, I met a friend named Laura, she is a law student here in Sydney. She took me to her friends party at their house and then to Imperial (gay bar/club). I’m all up for trying new things but this was interesting, but it was worth it. Loads of laughs and a different experience. Her friends were extremely funny and nice; we went out for Lebanese food (delicious - i would recommend it but i kinda don’t know the name of the restaurant). I’m so thankful for Laura because she assisted me around Sydney, told me where all the hot spots are, and most of all, gave me company! It get’s a bit lonely traveling alone but it’s a great way to meet new people! :]


I'm sitting at the airport now while writing this, hoping that my computer doesn't die on me, but life is full of surprises! I'm waiting for my flight to go to Melbourne, Australia! :] I was originally going to take a bus but that takes 14 hours, although the views would be beautiful, i thought i'd take the easy way out and fly, only 1 1/2 hours :] TIME IS MONEY; MONEY IS TIME? lol. I bought a cookie to eat and it was absolutely disgusting... i still ate it though. It's amazing what you do when you're hungry. 
==> And it's one of the first times that i've been early to the airport. You know what i get for this.... A 2 HOUR DELAY -_- bad karma or a lesson? not really sure. I think i'll stick to the added pressure of being late than being bored, alone, hungry at an airport!

Adventures down undaaaa

WOW! Australia :] the place that i’ve been wanting to visit for years and years... i’m finally here. It was a long plane ride but definitely worth it. My first surprise was the weather: its supposed to be summer here and all that i could feel was the cool breeze coming through the doors of the airport. But don’t fear, i came prepared... i took out my jacket and put it on! The McIntyre’s picked me up from the airport and that’s where i had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. McIntyre, Amelia, Elyse, and Nicco. I was exhausted from my 14 hour flight but i knew if i went to sleep, i would feel the jet lag later. Instead we drove around Sydney, went to the city center, and walked along Bondi beach! It was absolutely spectacular.
I wouldn’t mind moving to Sydney!! The people are friendly and the weather is great.

Waking up early to the kids playing outside was great; it’s amazing to see them all laughing, playing, and having fun. Kids are completely innocent and don’t expect much - all they want to do is get a little dirty, run around in the fields, and laugh. It was 7:30AM (Amelia’s 6th birthday); I was not suffering from jet lag at all!
ADVICE: when you arrive in a country, go along with there day. For ex: eat meals at regular times, do not rest until night time, and then make the most of it!

 


For Amelia’s birthday, we went to Taronga Zoo for the afternoon! I think i was actually more excited than her; I just love animals. Magic moments: eating lunch overlooking the elephant area; giving Amelia a piggy back ride through the zoo; seeing my first kangaroo; and seeing a hippo poop in water haha. 

There was a lot of walking involved but we got the Skylift back up and it overlooked Sydney: not only could you see most of the animals in the zoo but also the lake, Sydney harbor, Sydney Opera house and many tall buildings. It was spectacular! 

We went home afterwards; exhausted from the walking and long day, the kids and I fell asleep in the car. A great power nap; kept me energized for the rest of the day! When we got back home, the kids played on the trampoline, swam in the pool, and played a Pokemon game! Then it was dinner time, since it was Amelia's birthday she got to decide where we ate: GPK was it (Gourmet Pizza Kitchen). Arriving at the restaurant completely starving, we ordered quickly.... 30 minutes later - no food, not even the salad came! Mr. McIntyre inquired about it and they said that there oven broke! WHEN WERE THEY PLANNING ON TELLING US THIS!?!? a bit dramatic but definitely called for, we walked out and went to the new Chinese restaurant down the road. Thank god because this place was deliciousssss!
Night fell and I tucked the kids to bed and read Amelia a bed time story - it was so cute! Cannot wait to be a mother :] but i still have MANY years yet to come.

Last day for the McIntyre's - heading off to the USA! It's funny because one of their stops is Orlando so they will be visiting my family while I'm here at their house! It was sad saying bye to everyone because i had just met them and became so close but i know January is right around the corner and ill see them when they return. 

India.India.India

There’s honestly no place like India... in a good way of course. I’m currently sitting on a train that’s taking me from Jalandhar city to New Delhi; 4-5 hour journey. From what I remember from my last train ride, this is much better; last time i stood up for a couple hours after seeing a cockroach crawl up the chair, but so far so good. This train ==> reflecting over the last 12 days, listening to music, and enjoying the scenic view; it is the life.

You know when you’re in India when you hear the constant car horns, cow’s mooing, smog in the air, and the friendliness of people. Every time I come its a whole new experience, i meet new people, try new foods, and try new things. I went from drinking tea once a month to three - four times a day!!! It was literally crazy; where ever you go in India, they offer you masala tea and it’s rude to say NO, so that meant a high amount of sugar intake. I got used to it and enjoyed it, i knew i wouldn’t get it any other time so i focused on the positives. It wasn’t just tea though, it was food as well; i definitely need to start hitting the gym again. Advice: If you go to India, never finish all your food on your plate because you’ll just keep getting more.

Our adventure started off in Delhi with Ajay, Harry, George, and Fan. We chilled in the hotel, went to the local mall, saw a film, ate loads, and had spa treatments. From then our team split directions, George and Fan went to Haryana where they volunteer at a school, and Mattu Uncle (Harry’s cousin) picked us up to take us to Jalandhar. Before this happened, we stayed in a guest house for a night called the Chalet; its usually the meeting place for the pilots of Kingfisher, Jet, and Indigo. They were all drinking Black Dog Whiskey and Ajay & I were told that they were flying in the AM, we exchanged worried looks; apparently you have to be sober only 8 hours before or something...! I still don’t know whether they were joking or not!

Fish Pedicures... every tried it? It’s something i can cross off my bucket list. What an experience. If there’s one place i’m extremely ticklish, it’s my feet, so think about it: 100 fishes swimming around touching your feet. It took a while to get used to but it was worth it at the end, my feet were as smooth as a baby’s bottom. 

We finally got to meet the Singh family in Jalandhar city; they were all so lovely and treated us as one of them. Their house was on a farm so they had so much land where they grew potatoes, tomato’s, and cucumbers. We went exploring through the fields, saw loads of cows, and chickens, and climbed on top of the chicken shack; the view was amazing; so peaceful. 

Everybody here seems to eat dinner fairly late, around 9-10pm! It kinda threw of my system but we always went to sleep late so it wasn’t too bad. In the family, Poonam is getting married right before Christmas so it’s quite hectic getting last minute things together: clothes, preparation, and food. Also indians, I think, are just generally addicted to playing cards, i know it certainly runs in my blood. We would all play in the morning, afternoon, and night time; the same game: Bhubi. I would have my good days where I would get out first, but then there were bad days where i would just lose.

The school that George and Fan volunteer for was a memorial school for Gilly Mundy; Harry had known Gilly from a while back and wasn’t aware that he has passed away therefore speaking at this school was a true blessing for him. The school was in Haryana which was a four hour drive from where we were, but we still did it; we went a day before the event and stayed for the night. Here we had the pleasure to meet part of Gilly’s cousins. In the morning we went to the school and attended their assembly where they sung the national anthem, celebrated kid’s birthdays, and listened to live debates. 

After that we walked around the school and went into the classrooms to see the kids learn and the teachers in action. We obviously could not leave the school without teaching the kids how to do REPOH, so we took turns to lead REPOH and explain the meaning behind it all (the teacher and principal even joined in). The 20 minute break approached; can you believe it, the kids only have a 20 minute break throughout the whole day and the majority of them don’t even eat lunch!?! i was absolutely shocked! Anyways, at the end of the school day, harry was delivering his 1 1/2 hour coaching to the teachers, but there was a challenge... quite a big one; LANGUAGE BARRIER. The teachers barely understood english, and if they did, they were too shy to admit to it and participate in the activities. Things just always work out though, we got a translator - not the greatest but it got the job done. The looks on the teachers faces after was unexplainable, their state changed dramatically. At first they were dreading being there but by the end of the course, they didn’t want to leave. Mission Accomlished.

Side Note: A couple of girls came prepared a dance for us - they sung and took turns dancing!

I’ve been told by many people to go visit the show called “The Kingdom of Dreams” and then i saw many advertisements about it... even in Switzerland! I come to think of it as a sign. Anyways, i made it happen. I set it as one of my goals and on my last night in India, I went with my brother. We went to the Zangoora show: 2 1/2 hours ; in Gurgaon; gold seating. The place was absolutely amazing, the way everything was decorated and set up; they had statues everywhere, food stalls, dancers, and shops. The play itself was mindblowing - the story was great *quite comical too*. I’m so glad that I went! Definitely recommend it to everyone!!

LAST CALL FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TO SYDNEY VIA SINGAPORE... LAST CALL!
- I was going through security as this went off, and the only thing going through my head was OH SH**. I literally got all my things and ran; knowing my luck though, my gate was on the other side of the airport so by the time i got to the ticket counter, i was literally panting; i went to get my water [[that i bought AT THE airport]] and they told me i couldn't take it aboard. I was ready to hit them -_-

3 countries; 2 flights; 1 day

Breakfast in Yangon, Myanmar

I had the earliest flight out of Myanmar so I had to wake up super early, and have breakfast alone. It got quite lonely because normally there’s 6 of us. But don’t worry, i still had my daily sugar donut’s and fruit! Mr. Mohan was planning to pick me up at 7am as my flight was at 8:30 [[personally, i thought this was WAY too late to go to an airport]].. he didn’t show up... 7:05, 7:10, then 7:15, he strolls in! At this point i was freaking out because my flight was in an hour and i was no where near the airport (35 minute drive). We got to the airport at 7:55 and i’m rushing but soon realize that the airport is sooo small and there was no line so i had 30 minutes of downtime. PHEWWW.

Lunch in Bangkok, Thailand (10 hour stop over)

What to do during a ten hour stop over? - Get to know the airport very well; the amount of times i walked up and down pretending to look busy...! I managed to effortlessly fill three hours, just in time for Ajay, Fan, Harry, and George’s flight to arrive. But we still had another 7 hours! The only option was to go to the city and chill; massages all the way! Going back to Lavana (went before Myanmar) to get a full body oil massage was the best decision i’ve made; it was soo relaxing and perfect way to pass by a few hours. After a relaxing massage came all the rush. Time seemed to fly by as we only had 2 hours to go to the airport, check in, go through security & eat. PRESSURE. Of course my baggage was over weight by 5 kilo’s -_- so that took forever to sort out because i didn’t want to carry things, but thats what it resulted in. Then Ajay insisted that i get upgraded to an exit seat so i could sit with him but i was fine with a regular economy seat, i’m not fussy; huffing and puffing around, we exchanged money for the upgrade and went through security (30 minutes until plane leaves). 20 minutes left to walk through the airport to our gate which would be the last one at the end of the airport, and grab something to eat. Stopping by at Mango Tree and getting a thai green curry seemed appetizing even though we were definitely pushing for time (10 minutes - we still did it). Then running through the airport like mad people, while on the intercom they are announcing “Last call for flight FD3796 to Delhi, India”!!! Of course we made it otherwise i wouldn’t of had dinner in India. ;]

P.S - I crossed something off my bucket list: I’ve always wanted to take a bus to my plane and go outside rather than go through the walk bridge thing that connects the gate to the actual plane!!

Dinner in Delhi, India

Arriving in my homeland, INDIAAAAA!! Boy was I excited, i had just been to India a few months ago but you can never get enough of it! Since Fan, George, Harry, and us were all on separate flights, we had to wait 2 hours for them to arrive. Finally by 1AM, we were heading out the airport to find a taxi to take us to the hotel. The taxi was too small to fit all of us in as well as our luggage - on the roof it goes! **let’s pray that it doesn’t rain**. The driver forgot to tie it down to the car, and as he gets into the car, i’m like “ummm, the luggage on the roof” and he’s like “oh yes, sorry”. worrying much. Being taken to the wrong hotel and then trying to get to the correct one makes us arrive at our hotel at 2AM. By this time, i’m tired, cranky and hungry - not the greatest of combinations. GOOD THING THERE WAS 24 HOUR ROOM SERVICEEEE!

24 hours left!

Only 24 hours left before we depart the great city of Yangon!

In the AM, we went to an orphanage to visit about 1000 kids; it was a 45 minute drive from our hotel so we got a ferry (big taxi). Arriving at the orphanage, we were introduced to the main monk, the “papa” and then we were free to do whatever we would like. Being the energetic bunch that we are, we rounded up the kids and taught them REPOH. We didn’t just teach them the words and actions, but also the meaning behind it. Their celebratory move at the end was amazing; they all went crazy and had the biggest smiles on their faces. Then we played other games, the best was musical statues!! Our speakers didn’t work that well so you couldn’t hear the music but they just  copied us and went crazy; it was great to see them come out of their shells and express themselves. They were giggling, dancing, and clapping like never before, it brought the greatest joy to me! 

Their energy did not stop there.... they wanted to play some more so we went outside and played catch and dodgeball. One HUGE magic moment for me was when some of the little girls and boys grabbed my hand and took me outside to play with them; they held onto my hand throughout the games. IT WAS SOOO HOT OUTSIDEE.... definitely broke out into a sweat, but it was worth it. Next came the goodies! Giving each person a snack and a piece of candy. They all lined up along the staircase and came one by one. As they came i gave out some high fives [[some hit quite hard lol]]. 

LUNCH TIME FOR THE KIDS. Before we knew it, it was lunch time. The kids rushed to the room where they ate and a couple people served them rice, fish, and curry. Harry, Ajay and George wanted to serve so they took over... it was a job well done. By this time, me, Fan, and Chris are walking around. We had the opportunity to see where the orphans live... their rooms. The older girls/boys would have a separate room while most of the youngsters shared with each other.

I reflected on the way back home; so many thoughts ran through my head at one time, i asked myself a million questions like “Is that how a real orphanage is? Do they get beaten? How often do they smile like they did? Do they play often? Fed everyday?” I didn’t want to be negative but sometimes you just can’t help it. Looking at the bigger picture helped, these kids are better off being in an orphanage than having NO food, NO parents, and living on the street. The fact that the kids are so innocent and continually smile show their pure heart and their drive to still have fun. By the end of it, i was proud of me and my whole team that we could make a difference to them, whether its one day or a million.

It’s all about manicures.com! That’s right... having a little down time left, Fan and I decided to go to the spa and treat myself for a manicure! it felt great to relax. Didn’t think anyone could fall asleep while getting a manicure until i did; i was awoken by my head dropping lol. Somehow, 2 hours go by!!! Fan and I lost track of time and it was 6:15... we had promised the boys to be at Diane’s hotel by 6 to help cook dinner! WHOOPS. It all worked out in the end like it always does; we got there and helped with the last minute things, and then cleaned up afterwards (so we made up for it). Dinner was magnificent as Chef Harry and Chef George was put to work; they cooked for 16 people and had a big variety of food! The process was quite hectic as the proportions came out wrong.. somehow at first we ended up with only 8 portions of rice. We all sat by the pool to eat, have drinks, and have a laugh.

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up! What a task!! So many dishes to do and the kitchen was a pig sty, vegetables everywhere, pots and pans scattered etc. What seemed to be an eternity later... the kitchen was spick and span, except for the floor but thats a whole other story! Two reserved tables were waiting for us downstairs at the bar so we could “mingle - at - the - bar”. The football was on, the lights were dimmed, disco lights were on, and live band was on.... couldn’t of gotten any better! We all chit chatted for an hour or so until the adults wanted to sleeep! we said our good nights and all that was left was George, Fan, Chris, Ajay and me.... and some other random table of men! The entertainment had stopped for a little becasue they were on break but we wanted to sing so we created our own karoke session where we sung I’m Yours by Jason Mraz and Lean on Me! Unforunately, by our dearest friend Chris, the Gupta’s were boo’d off the stage while Fan was called for an anchor! George stepped up to the plate and presented a poem/ rap (I don’t know how he does this on the spot - still amazed). The night was coming to an end, it was 12:30 already and i had to get up early to catch a flight (standard), so we paid the bill and left. BUT.... here in Myanmar, they are quite fussy with the types of notes you use, they cannot be BENT, WRINKLED, MARKED ON, in any form or shape. Our bill had a red line on it which is usually marked by the bank while counting, but they created a huge fuss saying that they wouldn’t accept it. Twenty minutes later, we were still arguing but eventually figured it out. As we were leaving, they had said that we only gave them 1 note instead of 2!!!! At this point we were like woah, what the heck are you talking about!! After “discussing” and going through everything, we came to the conclusion that we were just tired and couldn’t be bothered to do anything, so we just paid it again. Karma - what goes around comes around.

1:30 AM - I started packing- had to wake up in 4 1/2 hours! Procrastination at it’s finest.

Coaching Course

Day 1

Setting up the room was a mission because normally the coaching course holds 15-20 people but this was definitely not like that, there was 44 people!! The room had to be set up in a certain way, a U- shape to create a certain atmosphere. The kids/teachers that came to this camp are the people that attended the SuperKidz camp and the Teachers camp; one person represented each school.  On day 1 it was the introductory session for coaching so we talked about what coaching, mentoring, teaching is, and about state management. To put “state management” into effect, we did a board breaking process where the participants would write down their fears, and everything thats holding them back on one side and everything they ever wanted [[their goals]] on the other side. They were to connect and become one with their fear and understand that the outcome is to BREAKTHROUGH the board and achieve their goal. Making sure that they are in the right state and motivated to break through the board is vital, we did this by pumping up the music and telling them all to make their power move (YES). It was extremely powerful seeing them break through the board; some people couldn’t do it on the first try, second try, and even third: their focus wasn’t there. After changing their focus, they broke through the board with no problem!The emotions were spectacular; people started crying, and all were super thankful!

SIDE NOTE: Normally theres a certain type of board that we use during this process and they need a couple days of preparation (drying etc); but these boards were one of a kind. They were much smaller than others and had fray pieces of wood coming off so it was quite possible to get loads of splinters. Harry got a splinter in his finger (pretty deep); its amazing how the small things create the most pain.. especially papercuts!

Day 2

A bowl of fruit and 2 sugar doughnuts is a great way to start the day :] **I ate the donuts without licking my lips (you can try this at home)!!

Today during the course we talked about types of questions, mirror matching, and listening. An exercise took place in which we divided the participants into groups of three, A, B and C (listener, speaker, and observer). The game started out very serious, no smiles etc, and ended up in laughs and sighs of relief - I won’t tell the game just in case you end up playing in the future, but lets just say it was an experience!

Phyu, a girl that was in team 10 on the teachers camp gave me a digital picture of me and her - it made my day! It was the sweetest thing ever so i put it in my journal for me to keep forever. She was such an inspiration and i’m so happy that i met her!

Went to the Traders hotel for a dinner buffet and it was the best ever. Oh by the way, Happy Thanksgiving; it didn’t feel like it at all being in a different country other than the USA. The food presentation was incredible; there was a HUGE variety of food: meats, fruits, desserts, pasta, sushi, bread etc. Buffets are VERY dangerous, unlimited food and me.... lesson learned! I just kept going up for food. I got chocolate pancakes and then went up for more with ice cream and chocolate sauce! it was delicious though :P On the walk back to our hotel we were bombarded by kids on the streets asking us for food and money; I had some banana’s in my bag so we gave it to them; surprisingly the kids spoke very good english!

Day 3

FINAL DAY OF THE COACHING COURSE!! mixed feelings; happy and sad. 

The boys, Ajay, Chris and George decided to all wear the traditional Myanmar outfit, Lungi! They had a tough time putting it on and they had to be careful that it wouldn't come off throughout the day... funny!

The regular state inducers to get all the participants up and ready to start the day; we danced, clapped, and played full out. The content of the course started with the ‘rights of a child’ of when they are able to access their personal records and get treatment and then slowly transitioned to reaching goals, and the coaches role in coaching. The participants were broken up into groups where they could coach 1 on 1 and apply their knowledge and learnings. Harry asked a question to everyone “What would you do if your client says I love you, what would you say to them?” The answers that some of these teachers had were hilarious!! We were all in fits. 

Lunch time - Mr. Mohan wanted us all to experience the kitchen food from the school as opposed to the normal restaurant food we order - they really wanted to make a great impression so they provided us with SO much food, and presented the food in such an amazing way - so much color and a huge variety of food. Surprisingly, i really loved it, it was very tasty and different.

Towards the end of the day, we all knew that the course was coming to an end.... hugs and tears slowly appeared. We all had the opportunity to go in front of everyone and present what we valued the most, who we are thankful for, and what we are committed to doing. Harry called me up on the spot with no time to prepare, but surprisingly, I WASN’T NERVOUS at all; I just went up there and did my thing.
Thi Wai got a present for Harry, a big board with the YCA symbol and then signatures of all the teachers/students in TLA 8; she started to cry and that’s what got me emotional, the tears streamed down peoples faces from that point on. The funny thing was that we were going to take a group photo afterwards and people’s faces were red and blotchy from tears; and then the poor camera guy had to take photo’s from at least 20+ different cameras (our cheeks hurt afterwards). At the end, Su Miat gave us all bracelets to remember Myanmar and then 4 girls sung us all a song - it was amazing!
Even through all the tears, we just had to remember that it wasn’t the end, it is just the beginning.

Dinner Time - We fancied some Italian food so we went back to the restaurant, La Opera! We got the meal deal again, and i shared with Chris, only this time we got BUSTED! We felt bad afterwards but the guy said this time it was okay, just don’t let it happen again. Before the food arrived, we all read some magic moments that the teachers/kids wrote over the three day course. We went around the table and shared. It brought back so many memories. Towards the end of the dinner, a HUGE bug flew by George and Harry and i flipped out! They all decided to mess with me, I was already on edge, but that didn’t stop them. George threw little papers at me and I kept thinking they were bugs... i even screamed! 

Fun fact: Myanmar doesn’t have a McDonalds, KFC, or Pizza Hut!

BrainWorks

Waking up early seems to be the common denominator on this trip in Myanmar; at first i didn’t like it all, but now i don't mind; there’s so much to do and so much to accomplish. Our plan for the day involved going to TLA 2 and watching their assembly; they had been preparing this for us. Getting there before school started allowed us to connect with the kids, play with them in the playground, and learn about the school. The kids were jumping on the trampoline, going down slides, and running around - who ever thought someone could have that much energy at 8AM!! The play was called “Bossy Mary” - it included a girl that was very bossy and how they stopped - the message/ lesson was shared at the end of the play. I felt so involved with the play as i answered the questions that the teachers asked and participated in the activities, the little kid inside me came out. A girl named FiFi lead the group with motivational phrases and incantations: 

Now I am the voice

I will lead not follow

I will believe not doubt

I will create not destroy

I am a force from good

I am a leader

Defy the odds

Set new standards

Step up - step up - step up

I was absolutely mind blown because she was only 3 years old, and she was already stepping up to become a leader. Her confidence was phenomenal and she inspired me for sure. All around the classroom there were motivational quotes, drawings and pictures [[ kids are visual people]]. This really opened up my mind because normally the word “school” is associated with boring, long, and tiring, but here in Myanmar [[BrainWorks]], kids love school. “SCHOOL IS THE BEST PARTY IN TOWN”

The second school we went to was Su’s school where we were going to watch their assembly. We arrived and there were 3 boys an 4 girls dressed up in the traditional Myanmar dress, a Laungi, with a bouquet of flowers; not only that but they had drawn pictures of us and put them on a board with our name attached. It was honestly the cutest thing i’ve ever seen, my jaw dropped. Each kid grabbed us by the hand and took us upstairs to the classroom; the girl that took me was named Noe Noe [4 years old]. The look on the kids faces when the performance was happening was in aw, they sat there full of curiosity waiting for the next move. What i loved the most was the fact that the kids had FUN, and they were learning at the same time. It wasn’t FAKE at all, they came from the heart and only mean well.


Relaxed afternoon/evening that day; sat by the pool for a couple of hours; did some work; listening to music; and then got a pedicure! Fan and I went to the spa around the corner at Diane’s hotel, and treated ourselves to massages and pedicures! It felt so great to relax and my toes look nice now ;]
The team decided that we wanted a break from the regular thai, chinese, and myanmese food, so we switched it up and went to an Italian restaurant, La Opera. It was honestly a mission and a half trying to sort out reservations, taxi’s etc, but we finally got through it and came to a conclusion. We got one taxi for 6 people and squished; Chris and George sat in the boot.

Arriving at the restaurant, which was quite fancy might i add, in a batted up taxi and 6 people getting out was priceless!!
The restaurant offered a deal for 22,000 chet, you could get unlimited pizza, pasta, drinks, and ice cream! TALK ABOUT A DEAL!!! we were quite confused because we couldn’t possibly wrap our heads around the fact that you can get that much food and drinks for the price that it was at. Ajay and Chris ordered that, and Chris ended up ordering 2 full pizza’s, 2 plates of pasta etc. - I was sharing with him but the waitors just thought he ate a lot! During dinner we shared magic moments, and reflected over the trip so far and it was basically a trip down memory lane. On the way back to the hotel, we did the exact same thing with the taxi but we couldn’t fit anyone in the boot at all so we just all squished in the car. The driver was absolutely crazyyy, speeding like crazy and we swurved so many times to the point where we all thought we were going to crash. 

Day off from all the madness

FINALLY A DAY OFFFF!! felt so good! but still had to wake up early... in fact even earlier because the plan was to go to orphanages and schools to give out candy and connect with them.
The "BrainWorks" bus came to pick us up from the hotel at 6:30AM and we went to the port to go on a boat to cross the river; we got a taxi that took us to the school which was 1 hour away.. it was a bumpy ridee!

^^Some of the kids at the school! They were sooo cute -  we taught them how to do REPOH (repetition- easy - pleasure - often - habit) and then gave them all snacks ; they were so happy and grateful for what we gave them. It brought SO much happiness to me just to be with them - absolutely mind blowing!

At the end, they all gave flying kisses! Oh and we taught them "Heads, shoulders, knee's and toe's" so they sung along and did all the movements as well! INCREDIBLE!

On the way back home, we saw some guys cracking coconuts on the side of the street and pouring out the juice, so we asked them if we could buy them so we could drink the juice - it would be refreshing!

Apparently they were young coconuts so the coconut shaving things weren't ready and the water wasn't sweet so it wasn't that good but it was definitely an experience.

Teacher's camp

Heyyy! I finally got my blog together so i can keep you all updated about whats going on during my travels!!

At the moment, I'm in Yangoon, Myanmar (Asia), and I'm doing leadership/coaching programs with Harry Singha for kids and teachers! Last week we did a two day Superkidz camp, and today was the last day of the three day teacher's camp! Let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing! The energy that the teachers have was incredible, i never thought that teachers could be so enthusiastic!!

I was in charge of two teams, 9 and 10, marvelous and victorious!! They were literally amazing, they didnt know each other at the start but by day three, they were calling each other their family! the love and support that was presented was breathtaking! I met so many amazing people that inspired me, and the Youth coaching team! Unfortunately, their names all have three parts so they were basically impossible to remember, but one person that stood out to me was a 11 year old boy! He was soo cute and so inspiring because he lead/coached teachers that were twice and triple his age. Just watching him through the day grow and prosper was a magic moment for me!

On top of that, the icing on the cake was that i overcame my fear of public speaking! I stepped up and did what i had to do, which was to speak in front of 300 people! I'm not going to lie... at first, i was SOO SCARED, i was ready to be sick, but once you're up there, its completely fine, you just forget about everything and talk from the heart! This was my biggest magic moment of the day!

SAYING GOODBYE IS THE WORST!!! everybody got really emotional as we went through the picture slideshow that Chris and I made - as people shared their magic moments and what they learned, tears streamed down the kids/teachers faces - happy tears though!

Then after all of this we went to Shwedagon Pagoda where we looked around and explored the temples. They have these statues type things that represent each day of the week, and you do certain rituals according to the day you were born. For instance, I was born on a Monday and i had the lion (i think) and i had to pour water on it three times along with some other things, and then the person would pray to you. Being superstitious and all, i believe[d] that it would bring me good luck.... so far so good :]
It was absolutely beautiful though, everything was lit up and gold; the tiles were nice and warm from the sun earlier that day and the atmosphere was great!