We were picked up early by our guide Htet Htet and were taken to the market at our request to purchase some items for the monks and nuns we would be visiting today. We did not want to show up empty handed and so at her suggestion we purchased packs of pencils, pens and paper for the novices to use. They do a lot of writing and schooling when in the monastery. A novice is anyone under 20 years old, before they can become a monk.
When we arrived at the Kalawa Nunnery we saw many girls, mostly novices (anyone under 20) doing morning duties, some were learning their citations (Buddha’s teachings in Pali). We stopped for a few minutes and visited with some of the girls. Two of them were 15 and 18 and had been there since they were 7 and 10. Some of the girls were orphans and some from poorer families and this is a good option for these girls to be able to be educated and fed and have shelter. Once the girls or boys enter they can choose to leave at any time. The girls were interested in talking to us. They all had shaved heads and wore pink and red. They spent the majority of their day studying, since they are also all required by the state to read and write and study math. They also are studying the teachings of Buddha. We dropped off pencils and papers and pens which they received. Usually they don’t say thank you because those that give feel it is a blessing to give and they receive blessings by giving- I have to agree.
We walked next door to the Kalawa Monastery. There was an ordination, almost like an introduction to some young boys that looked about 4 years old. Their parents were there and we watched the little ones with their freshly shaved heads take off their clothes and be dressed in the monk clothes. They then were given their bowls and accepted donations. There was another group there from Semester at Sea. They made donations to the young boys and other family members there. These boys will spend 3 days here over night and learn to pray and some of the recitations. It is an introduction to their faith to teach them some basics and familiarize themselves to becoming a monk maybe later in life. We went out and over to where the monks were lining up for their last meal, lunch. Lunch has to be eaten by noon and is their last meal of the day. This meal again they had gone around to neighborhoods and collected food. Food that is leftover is fed to the poor or the animals around the monastery. Everyone in the community is responsible for feeding the monks. As they filed into lunch they all sat cross legged and all began chanting a prayer of thanks that went on for about 5 minutes. They then ate mostly in quiet. They aren’t supposed to enjoy the food. They are supposed to eat to sustain themselves and their duties and studies. There was a room of monks, over 20 and a room of novices, under 20. We gave one of the teachers, a handsome 28 year old monk who has been in the monastery since he was 7 years old! He isn’t sure if his life will be the life of a monk, but he has gone to university to be a teacher and teaches the novices here in the monastery. He accepted our gift of pens, pencils and papers. He was the one who invited us into to see the monks pray on their food and their dining area.
From the monastery we drove over to Scott’s Market, the city center’s main shopping area for cloth, snack, souvenirs, etc. On the way we passed the US Embassy- no photos allowed of embassies, and the home of On Son Su Chi. The story of On Son Su Chi seems very similar to the one of Nelson Mandela. Her father had been a national hero and essentially lead their country to independence and negotiated a treaty with the British for their indecence. Before it became official he was assassinated by a rival political party in Burma. His daughter is a national hero making many sacrifices and standing as the leader of the Opposition party to the military that is essentially still leading the country by fixing elections. On Son Su Chi was held as a prisoner in her own home for many years and her children and husband were not allowed ot come visit her or allowed in the country not being Burmese. When her husband was dieing of cancer they gave her the option to leave Burma but she could never come back. She chose her country knowing that she could not desert her country. Her husband passed away and wasn’t able to see her children for almost 20 years as she finished her incarceration for what they deemed as political crime. Incredible sacrifice. She would occasionally sit on her roof top right along the main road and here her give speeches, people would be run off and beaten if caught listening to her. She did live on a lake and at one point some American swam across the lake and into her home and wanted to ask her questions. As a respectable person she allowed him into her home and as as result her imprisonment was extended another 2 years for breaking the rules of her house arrest. She is an incredible example of someone willing to sacrifice and fight for freedom and democracy for her people. She is a local hero and the people of the country are trying to change the laws so that she can legally become president.
At the market area we explored the streets. Most of the action was happening in the area where they were selling cloth. There were lots of women using old looking but efficient black sewing machines whipping up skirts and tops and women pulling out bolts of cloth. It was bustling. I found a few useful long wooden shoe horns, which I bought for Nate and Sam. Kendall and I enjoyed exploring while the boys were off looking for some antiques. The antique silver bowls that looked interesting were very expensive, which surprised me since in Cairo or other markets they would have been much less. The sellers weren’t willing to budge on price so we moved on.
We took a little break at the hotel to regroup before we piled back into the van to head out to the outskirts of the city to meet the Lwins for dinner. I had not seen Mr and Mrs Lwin since I was a girl. I went to Holton-Arms for 10 years with their daughter Sanda.They are the only Burmese people I had ever met and were such warm and gracious people. It was fun to see them and get to know them as an adult and learn about their lives and have a greater understanding of their story and how they came to the USA. Mr. Lwin had come was a student in college and Mrs Lwin had been recruited for Voice of America - an American broadcast in Burmese. She had retired a few years ago as the head of Voice of America and her husband had spent 40 years working for the US Government in Foreign Affairs. They had come on a temporary visa with all expectation of returning to their country until the military took over their country and it became closed off to the rest of the world. Their parents both advised them at that time to not return home. They sadly never were able to see their parents again, since they both passed away before it was safe to return to their country. It wasn’t until the late 90s did they take their first return trip to their home country. Their friends that did return many were incarcerated and mistreated. One of those was On Son Su Chi, who I just wrote about who was a political prisoner for 20 years. There was a photo of Mrs Lwin and her while she was still under house arrest but was able to take to see a few visitors.
They were both such interesting and accomplished people, expected with the many great accomplishments and talents of Sanda their only child who has been a professor at Oxford and now lives in London with her husband and two daughters. I had not known they were Buddhist and they explained how they had hoped their daughter would marry a Buddhist. They explained how Sanda’s husband had agreed by his own choice and the support of his family to become a Burmese Buddhist and so entered a monastery in Burma before they were married. They were essentially married by their parents, a tradition in Burma, and then of course legally by the state in the USA. It was a lovely evening at their home and dinner at a neighboring restaurant in their community. They now come for 3 months each year for the past decade and enjoy the warm climate over Maryland’s winter cold and gives them an opportunity to reconnect with family they weren’t able to see for so many years.
When we returned to the hotel we said our goodbyes to Kendall. It was so fun having her along for the past week. We saw and did so much and just loved having so many good laughs with her. She loves to learn and got to see some of the biggest highlights of our trip: Shewedegon and White Temple, Long Neck People, the Monastery, and the hillside tribes. She is back to school with a short stop in Seol, Korea. There she is meeting Charlie Sachs, our former head of school at Park City Day School. Kendall had a great relationship with Charlie and really respects him. He is so thoughtful to come and get her from the airport on Sunday and take her around the city for a few hours while she has a 6 hour layover before heading back to Utah. We will miss Kendall but looking forward to having Syd join us in Southern Thailand later in March.
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