Meeting People

Let me tell you why working is so exciting. In short, it is because it is not really like working at all. I stay at the best hotels, meet a ton of interesting people and develop policies and educational material for my company.

Last night, for example, I flew into Yangon from Bangkok for a meeting on developing some software for a course Vicky and I created, and flew out right after the meeting. They held the plane for me (just kidding) and I flew to Mandalay. Imagine flying from one city to another for a meeting? When you work for a public school board, you are lucky to get taxi fare to go from one school to another!

Last night I had dinner with a wealthy entrepreneur from Yangon and two university representatives from Singapore who also happened to be ethnic Chinese women from Indonesia and Malaysia respectively. We had a chance to discuss politics, education, the state of Myanmar and the state of Singaporean women as the government encourages marriage and childbirth with various incentive programs. All this while music from Dr. Zhivago was playing in the background ,a movie I saw when I was in second year university. I couldn’t help but think of myself as a twenty year old again seeing Dr. Zhivago with his whole life in front of him. Now, here I was talking smack, as Joshua would say ,halfway around the world with people actually seeming to care what I was saying. with One could say I have come a long way but if truth be known, I am still the same guy I was 40 years ago. That is probably the sad part.

Now I am writing this because I am trying to avoid rereading the Singapore math curriculum. Next week I promised to give a series of workshops on the curriculum which to make an understatement, is grossly unfair to the teachers listening to what I have to say. Math was never my strong suit. Anyway, got to get back to my work. Speak to you later.

It is now later…I am in Mandalay avoiding writing another workshop I am presenting this Saturday on outcome based education and learning theory. Actually, it should be quite a lot of fun, but I do have to fiddle with power point a lot to-night which I am not looking forward to. I left school early to-day to play golf and went right behind my hotel. Last year, I walked up to the top of Mandalay Hill and you may remember seeing pictures of the sunset from the top. This year. I was playing golf at sunset from the bottom looking up at all of these fantastic pagodas each more impressive than the other as you climb your way to the top.

Today, I had a chat with the Singaporean ambassador to Myanmar who was visiting the school and asking the Singaporean teachers how they were doing. I asked if he cared about an honorary Singaporean just visiting Mandalay for a few days .He laughed. At some point it may not be a laughing matter.

OK, back to the power point. Nice chatting but I must work!

Here I am again with another story. Last night, the Yunan association in Myanmar had a graduation ceremony for their students who took Chinese. There had to be a thousand Chinese people in the hall in the Yunan community centre. I was very happy to be invited as a representative from my school and slink around the back seats. Instead, I was ushered up to the front row with the Counsel-General of China and the President of the Yunan Association. Can you imagine? The ceremony took about two hours and for about 90 minutes I had an urgent need to go to the bathroom. At little bit intimidating considering I would have to walk out through all these people!

At dinner, the women and graduates sat at different tables and the big shots sat at the head table. What on earth was I doing there? They served me first because I was probably the oldest and the only Caucasian but how do you set aside the food you do not want to eat when everyone is watching you?

Tomorrow I do the tourist thing. I am putting myself into the hands of my driver and telling him to show me what I have not seen yet. It should be quite relaxing not having to represent Jhanada in front of everyone. See ya!