Discover Ancient Myanmar, SHARE-Scholarship

                 Discover Ancient Myanmar

          Hello! My name SUN-PISETH. I am SHARE Scholarship awardees batch 4th at Mandalay University, Myanmar. It too fast for me for this 110 days in Mandalay. Let go back to the past 110 days before I start my mobility. Honestly, a lot people around me told me to give up this scholarship, because they worry about the political issue in Myanmar and they said it might difficult for me to communicate with Burmese people especially maybe I don't like Myanmar food. There are many things in my brain always appear in a single day, and I ask myself should I come here a not?  at that time I remember myself word that I always tell myself when I face with a lot of problem and judgement from another people is "Be a positive thinking person by taking all the negative voice from people around you to earn you positive results, because the opportunity never comes to the person who gives up". Finally, I decided to come to Myanmar. It's my first experience for study abroad. I think I will fact a lot of things in the coming day soon. but one thing that I can realise is I will gain new culture knowledge and I will know new people, new teacher, new education system, especially food I can't imagine should eat that kind of food or not? time fly too fast it's 20th December 2017, it 's my departure from Phnom Penh Airport --> Sovannaphume Airport--> Mandalay Airport. and it's my first experience for flight with change plane I'm worried about my baggage how can I find it if I lose it?  It over of my worried because I already arrived Mandalay now please enjoy my story................................................

Time is fast, it was over these past one hundred and ten days that I have made Mandalay my own. After Hnin Thida Aye and Thwe Yamin Saw come to pick up at the airport I have arrived my new home in Mandalay, I stayed in Mandalay guest-house in a single room alone. however, I feel comfortable with my new room. Both of them has brought me to try the first Myanmar noodle, Be honestly I can’t eat because of the smell. But I don’t know how I can talk to them. I’m afraid I make them feel I don’t like Myanmar food I just shake my head and say it ok.The first ten days of December 20th, 2017, like a baby, I’m really afraid to communicate people in Mandalay because most of them can’t use English as well. And I do not yet know any restaurant or market yet, the first meal for me this a few days just only bread and noodle, In contrast,  everyone here makes feel home again especially my Head of department Pro. Thanda Soe and her husband love me as their son and they bring me to the pagoda for the first a few days after I arrive Mandalay, I spend about 5 days to take rest before I start my class. At that time I will afraid and scared what I need to do and how I introduce myself to my new classmate and professor? Five days for me take a rest is gone and 25th December 2017 is my first day in Mandalay University, I come very early and I come into my class with slow action and I feel surprised all the students in the class are girl except me. I imagine and ask myself “How it can happen 26 students have only one boy?” at that time I decided to sit at the back on the right side because I think it not good if I sit in front of them. Moreover, I feel wonderful when my professor come and she already knows about me. I start to ask myself again how she knows me because only professor Thanda and her husband that meet me how my new professor can know my background? After that on the second day, I have met new gentlemen Mr.KNP and I have changed my seat to sit with him and mostly we always go out for lunch together. And he becomes the third Myanmar friend that I start my communication and we become closer and closer. During this time a few days in class, I have to visit Mandalay Hill by hiking with some of my classmates, everything makes me feel better than the few days that I can’t even find a restaurant for has breakfast, lunch or dinner. Now I have them to bring me for food every day. During the second month, like a kid, I started to walk properly in Mandalay. I began to explore Mandalay’s restaurant life; eating with other friends I made through random events I had attended, like a seminar. I also travelled to Ubien Bridge the place that I wish to visit before I come here. And my study life starts to become busy day by day, I always got a lot of assignment every day. What I remember is professor Daw Tin Moe Yi, She is my Hospitality and Tourism teacher, she always takes care me and ask me every-time of her teaching. She always asks me I can understand what she talking or not. I feel like I am younger brother in a family that get warmness take from mum. What a special thing is I always got an individual assignment of her subject. But I’m happy to represent about Cambodia. At that time I start to know my first Indonesia friend and my first guesthouse friend she is Heberina I have the first dinner with her and my lovely sister(Pyae Man Kyaw). And we start to have dinner together and go to market together. It was in the second week of January another awardee has arrived everything to look noisy and happy. Moreover, we have known another foreigner students Christopher and Hun they are my good brother  And we have visit Pyinoolwin Kandawgyi together on 25th January 2018. Furthermore, on 19th January 2018, I don’t know which period or which subject, the teacher was absent and we all to go playground nearby our university at that time I remember Htet Htet she told me that “please stay behind me you might scare about it when we come into ghost house”. Firstly when we come she stay behind me but after we arrive at the ghost house she runs to behind me and holds my hand. I can know she really scares about it. However, it is not my last trip in January 2018. On 25th January 2018, we have visit Min gun it is really wonderful trip in January for me. We all use taxi and boat to go there. I don’t when I start to become a Burmese people because I can to a lot of places in Mandalay without pay money that another foreigner does. Everyone said I look like Burmese 100% if I can speak Burmese more. In the third month, Mandalay saw me gain traction and begin to speed-walk in this cultural concoction of a city. I started to know bits and pieces of the Mandalay map like the back of my hand, especially the route to and from my university as well as all of the restaurants and some market around Mandalay University. My self-imposed curfew became later and later due to hours-long meals with friends followed by happy hours at classic restaurant with breath-taking views of the city, or about our lesson and which place with need to visit during weekend or holiday. This months not only Inn Wa and Sagaing on 24th February 2018, that I have visit. Moreover, I have visited a lot of pagoda in here like Mahamoni pagoda, Kuthodaw Pagoda and so on… and my study become more busy than before day by day. At that time I have some problem with my group assignment but I never care about it too much what I need to do is give my love to everyone. I don’t care how they look at me. Thank you god that make us become closer again after that story happened we understand about each other then before. The fourth and final month. It is born month I have visit Bagan city with my hypers friends and my Cambodia friend Ester. And it is a wonder that we celebrate two birthday on that trip. And It’s my wonderful birthday party for me they try to surprise me with a cake with food and wine. After we play card and drink wine almost three hours, we can found two people lose they are Lynn Nandar Kyaw and Hsu Mwat Mon they are drunk but they still say “I can control my feeling” we have visited a lot of pagodas in Bagan. But we also fact some trouble things when we want to buy something and celebrate Ester birthday, Sandi son, he wants to eat pizza and we need to sit outside the restaurant to waiting for him because we can’t leave him alone. Moreover, the early morning that we plan to visit sunrise my fucking E-bike have a problem and it makes us can’t see the balloon flight and sunrise. In short, it makes us keep a lot of memory in Bagan. After we visit our trip it time to thinking about our exam, everyone is busy for prepare their note for the final exam. Especially all of my professor they call me to give some advice for the exam. At that time my heart makes my cry after class (Intercultural Communication) as I remember Teacher Daw Cherry Kyaw San she talks about some story that I can know it’s not a good thing and I can see the tear in her eye. I start to ask myself what happened to her? why she cries? And I notice that every time she explains the lesson to everyone in class she will ask me “Piseth do you understand I am talking?”. But this time she speaks in Burmese only and it makes me think that it might be because of me that make she feel sad. The reason that makes she feel sad like this maybe I performance in her subject is really bad. And until today that I start to write this later I still not yet know about the results clear. I want to say sorry to her if I make she feel bad like this. Moreover, My beautiful negotiation teacher Daw Moh Moh Aye she always communication with almost every-time of her period and I always selected by her for answer the question and practice any homework or role play I really like her. Furthermore, Teacher Daw Shwe Yee Htoo, even though she does not talk to me a lot, but she also know care about my study and my exam every-time she meets me she always asks me “ Piseth are you ready for the exam? Are you ok? “ that kind of questions make me feel comfortable to answer to her and I’m pretty sure that everyone in English department loves me. Last but not least teacher Daw Zune Zune Pwint Phyu even though I don’t sit for the exam on her subject but I really like this way that she teaches, I always attend in her class every week, and she also take a good care of me by asking me every-time when she finishes teaching us. For instance Teacher Drama I’m really sorry that I can’t remember her name teacher, but I know she also one of my wonderful teacher. She always asks me about the lesson. Did I understand it or not? I always say I’m ok teacher, but if I say the trust maybe it not ok because it’s the first time that I study about it. What I can do is do my best on the exam day. I hope I won’t make you feel sad after the result release. finally, Teacher Soe Soe Win and Teacher Daw Maw Maw Than both of her take a good care of me instead of teacher Thanda Soe that she has a mission in EU country. Both of her always follow and ask me about my study and she also help me for my visa problem even though it not ok for it but I’m really happy when I saw everyone in English department take about me. When talking about visa I can say it the only worst problem that fact in Myanmar I feel disappointed with someone who responds to it. At least they inform me and my Indonesian friend about the requirement for extension visa. I don’t know it takes too long time(4-5 week) to get one letter from education ministry in Myanmar. Because in Cambodia we no need to wait too long time like this. If talking about visa I need to talk to a person she is rector of Mandalay University, she also pays attention to it, I can go to meet her directly to get her signature. We start to stay far from each other. And we have no time to go out and eat something together like before. Only my Hyper Sandi, Zambo Aye, Hsu Htet Thar, Hsu Myat Mon and Mr KNP that we still go out and have lunch together. But even though we have the exam, in fact, we still enjoy a homemade cocktail on Friday after we finish 3 subjects. Until this point I found myself understanding more about native Burmese people and culture. Studying abroad allowed me to grow academically as I became conversationally fluent with my English speaking; socially as I made new friends; culturally as I learned more about my Myanmar culture and heritage; and personally, because it had never crossed my mind that I could come to study in Myanmar. As I stated before, if you had asked me two years ago where I would be studying abroad, I probably would have said somewhere in Europe, never thinking of returning to my motherland. But through the unique study abroad SHARE Scholarship program with EU-SHARE, I found myself in Mandalay for the semester and falling in love with the city, people and more intrigued by the country. I have left Mandalay with the feeling of leaving a close friend; I can’t wait to see it again! Mandalay, this is not a “goodbye,” but a “see you later.” I will be back! So hopefully, see you in a year or two! Love, Piseth.