We’ve been back to school now for two and a half weeks. This year is my 20th year working in a school-where has the time gone? That’s us on the first day up there-it was raining which was a shame, but no one made us wear matching grey t-shirts (that showed every drop of sweat) this year!
We’ve been remarking that re-entry into school and life in Yangon is going so much more smoothly than last year. I pity all the new people who are spending every spare moment trying to shop for furniture and impatiently waiting for their shipments. You hit the ground running here when you arrive from Bangkok and you never really get to slow down and enjoy anything until at least the middle of September. But in your second (and hopefully subsequent) years, everything is so much easier and relaxed. Gav and I both know what’s going on with our jobs, we have our house help all set up, and we know fun places to go to eat or have a fancy cocktail.
One of us likes to order drinks that match our shirt
We’ve gotten through the first hurdles of the new year, including Back-to-School night(s). You may remember that last year I had a bit of a trial-by-(very sweaty) fire during one of the evenings helping parents get set up on a new system to connect to their child’s classes. Luckily this year was much more calm, with only the new parents needing to come and get help with set-up. Plus now I know not to ask what the student’s name is, I just find the teacher and then scroll through the kids and tell the parents to point when they see their kid’s name. I barely broke a sweat despite the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to have the gym doors wide open, letting all the sweet, sweet air con escape into the muggy night.
The weather is starting to get a bit less rainy, although as I type it is bucketing it down. Now usually these showers happen once or twice a day for a short period of time, and we are even starting to see patches of sun. One of the new teachers did ask if it ever got sunny here, which made me laugh because that guy is going to be wishing for some cloud cover in a few months. The actual air temperature is pretty nice-about 27 or 28 degrees Celsius (London was about 5 degrees hotter than Yangon last weekend!) but the humidity is crazy, so don’t worry, I am still sweating. Nell enjoys the brief spells of sun though.
This photo really captures the “unique” architecture of residential Yangon-another story for another day
Lest you think our arrival back has been all sunshine and fruity cocktails, let me tell you what happened after our dog walk today. We got out at our usual time and walked to the local lake, where we try to find some space to let Nell off the lead so she can run around. As usual, she headed to the banks to eat gross stuff, drink some gross water and splash a little. We got home and had breakfast and when we were doing the dishes, I noticed blood spots all over the floor. I thought Nell had cut her foot so grabbed her to check her over and sure enough, blood seemed to be coming from between her toes. And then I saw it–a LEECH crawling on the floor! The only other time I have come into contact with leeches is when we were in Borneo. The way they sit on the ground and kind of search up in the air for something to grab onto is revolting. I hate them and the way that you can’t tell that you have one because of the anaesthesia they inject when they attach. Upon further inspection, we found TWO MORE on the floor, searching. Blech. We grabbed them in some paper towel and Gav asked what we should do with them. I said “squish it” which in hindsight was very stupid because guess what leeches are full of? Blood. Of course by this time Nell is on the couch leaving little doggy bloody paw prints on the cushions. I found two spots where the leeches had gotten her between her toes, but no more creatures. That might be the end of her freedom at the lake for a while, I will die if I get a leech in my own house.
In other glamorous news, either the humidity or the anxiety of going back to school has done a number on my skin. It has been a constant parade of zits since we returned and I am getting fed up-this better resolve itself soon because at nearly 42 I should not be spending my time doing the following Google searches…
That crap should be over in High School.
Gav and Schubie's Adventure Blog 
Hilarious and gross, oh so gross! By the way, your gene pool predisposes you to acne until you are in your mid sixties-buckle up. We’re so lucky.
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Ugh — leeches! Among the many, many things I would never think to expect in Myanmar, and certainly not indoors! Your blog is an endless source of novel information. I love that picture of Nell in the driveway, and glad you’ve both started the new year smoothly. We’re up and rolling too, and finally last week we finished all the introductory stuff and now it’s down to the daily routine. I’m so happy!
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