simon43

I found that although my voluntary class 2 top-ups were extremely slow in showing up on my NI contributions webpage at gov.uk, if I telephoned HMRC, they were usually able to confirm receipt of my payments within 2 weeks of making it. Just one more payment to make before they start to pay me 🙂 As I'm still working 2 jobs (in-class teaching in Myanmar and online teaching during the evenings/weekends), I have calculated that I will be almost swimming in dosh, (especially if I convert it to Burmese kyat!)

Yes it is! Especially because the students are desperate to learn/improve their English, since this can be a gateway to a job in hotel and tourism etc, and a means to provide for their families. (There seems to be a big difference in students' attitudes when comparing Thailand and Burma).

It sounds like teaching younger students might not be the best use of your qualifications. Additionally, many teachers prefer not to teach the younger kids because it can be like herding cats 🙂 Plus you need to understand that young kids are not going to sit quietly for any length of time. I teach KG and primary, mostly in Burma. I 'fell into' this role, and the ease of the teaching appeals to me. (No difficult questions from some smart high school students!). As for not touching the kids, (I mean in a motherly or fatherly way), here in Burma the teacher takes the role of parent while the young student is at school. So if you're not happy doing this, (which is totally the opposite of UK/EU attitudes), then you might appear standoffish. I'm one of the most popular primary age teachers at my school, and in 6 months I'll be 66 years old.... Simon (father/stepfather of 8 kids!)

In 22+ years, it has never affected me once, because I simply won't visit any attractions, national parks etc that operate a dual-pricing policy.

The OP says 'I wonder ...'. But how does an AI application wonder?

When I was teaching in Yangon 2 years ago, there were a few bomb and shooting attacks on police/army checkpoints. I was staying at Star City and the attacks meant that the traffic into town was terrible, thanks to the many resulting checkpoints. Here in Mandalay, my school is located right next to the Chinese consulate, which has already had a bomb chucked at it last month. So the police/army presence is high. My students asked me if they could build a sugar rocket, (sugar propellant etc), but this is definitely not a good idea 🙂 I had images of me and my students being dragged off to jail, (after being shot at first by the trigger-happy soldiers!).

So send me some $$$ and I will use 100% of it to help poor Burmese students. Surely you don't begrudge them an education

Geisha, thanks very much for your post. Yes, I used to build/manage those small airport hotels in Phuket. I am in Mandalay, so I'm not sure what has happened to Bogyoke market in Yangon. I'm sure it's still functioning, but it must be very quiet. Here in Mandalay I have seen 1 tourist couple in 3 weeks, (at the pagodas on Mandalay Hill). There are a few foreign teachers in town, but they mostly seem to be American Christians, who perhaps have a higher purpose for being in town. I'm not religious, but I do have my 'own god' who directed me yonks ago to help those who are worse off than me, (which means most people!), and that's the reason why I'm in town. There are many more children begging in the street nowadays, and petty crime has increased. The increase in the cost of basic foodstuffs must be hitting the local people very hard. I mostly eat local kinds of foods, and even I have noticed how things seem to be much more expensive than my previous trips. Next Monday, I have to return to the girls' orphanage to install my Windows learn English app on their computer, then across town to visit another orphanage in west Mandalay. If I have time, I'll walk up Mandalay Hill again (good exercise!).

Lol - I taught English to the airport staff about 7 years ago 🙂

So, the general opinion is that Burma and Laos are both boring, but the beer is great in both countries! I disagree with the first POV, but definitely agree with the second 🙂. But 'Myanmar Beer' is off the menu nowadays because of its ties to the military.

Monday is my day off from teaching science at an international school in Mandalay. I'm paid by the hour, so don't have to remain at school when I have no lessons. This suits me just fine 🙂. So first it's off to the copy shop to pick up some business cards for my little educational charity. Next, I jump into a yellow tuk-tuk and go across town to the Aye Yeik Mon Girls' Orphanage. This orphanage houses 127 girls of all age grades. The young students were all out at the local government school. So this gave me a chance to practice my appalling spoken Burmese. Happily, it obviously wasn't that bad, since the chief Nun and local teachers quickly understood why I was there, and one teacher was able to speak English at a level that far surpassed my Burmese! She explained that since Covid and the military coup, overseas donations and visitors had all but dried up. They had enough government school books and uniforms, but very much appreciated my donation of science books from KG to grade 9 to augment their rather dated government science books. I also helped the local teachers to install my free Android learning app on their phones, and they also showed me the computer room (note that 'computer' is singular for a good reason!). I promised to return the following week to install the Windows English learning software that I wrote a few years ago. They also asked me if I could buy some common medicines for headaches, fevers, cut and scratches etc. So my local pharmacy can expect some business from me soon 🙂 After leaving the orphanage, I stopped off at an electrical shop to purchase some wire to build a weather satellite receiving antenna. This project is for the school where I teach - I'm getting grades 7 and 8 students to install a school weather satellite image receiving system to receive and display daily images from the satellites as they pass over Myanmar. I build these spiral antennas out of a few bits of wire, tied to some chopsticks that form the supports for the antenna. I spotted this wood carver hard at work - excellent work!

A school which really cared for its youngest students would instill into them right from the start that any kind of bullying is totally unacceptable. At all the schools that I've taught at in Myanmar (and I teach KG and lower primary), the young students are taught that bullying is an absolute no-no. The teachers (who take the role of parents while the student is at the school), regularly remind students of this and I've never witnessed any bullying at my schools.

I had time off from school on Friday afternoon, so took a walk up to the copy shop to print some business cards. I passed one of the many temples on the way. Free drinking water is available outside in these clay pots. (I've never actually drunk this water - not too sure how clean it is!). The sign seems to read 'ရေကျသျိလ်် (the last letter font doesn't seem to display correctly...) I know ရေ (yay) is water. This sign seems to say 'water drops', but there is probably a better translation than that. Anyway, the 'yay' part is the most important. As far as my learning of Burmese goes, I seem to have got over the initial hurdles that most people get when first learning a new language. Actually, I have been learning this language off and on (mostly off!) for 12 years... But now, with a good understanding of the grammar rules etc, I'm able to create useful spoken sentences such as: 'Hi, I'm Teacher Simon. I teach Science and English. I have an educational charity and I donate books to schools and orphanages.' Of course, when I utter those phrases, some assume that I can actually understand fluent Burmese and reply with rapid sentences! But this 'sharp-end' practice of the language will certainly help me to improve my knowledge of Burmese. Right now, it is at #5 in terms of my language abilities >> English, Thai, Lao, French, Burmese.

^^^ Mark, please don't pollute this thread with your 'mumbo-jumbo'. Well, having just started taking the NAC pills yesterday, I am cautiously very happy! Last night I was able to sleep without explosive coughing fits. This morning on my brisk morning walk, I was able to easily cough up thin mucus. There definitely is a very positive difference 🙂

Yes, I know from experience that walking briskly and deep breathing (through a mask) helps to thin the mucus in my lungs. After 25 years of living with this problem I don't expect a cure, just enough respite to allow me to remain in Myanmar to do my charity work (2 years ago I was forced back to Thailand by very bad bronchitis when I was teaching in Yangon, the pollution was bad in the city ..)

Yes, very true, but unfortunately my other doctor (Dr Google), was unable to help me either!

Righto, I bought some salt in the supermarket to gargle with, and (a big surprise!), the pharmacy had a bottle of imported 60 NAC tablets 🙂 priced at 70,000 kyat (which is between $14-$35), depending what exchange rate you choose to use.

I have no idea! I explained my case history, the doctors took chest x-rays, lung function tests and sputum sample and analysis, and NHS, Bangkok Pattaya, bumrungrad hospitals declared that there was nothing wrong with my lungs and presented me (not NHS) with a bill! I expect my doctors to know what tests to perform, they are the doctor, not I!!

I have been 'analysed' by the best private hospitals in BKK and Pattaya, and none of these specialist doctors were able to find anything wrong with my lungs!! Even as I am coughing up copious amounts of green/yellow phlegm, they glibly announced that my lungs were all fine and x-rays show up no shadows or fluids in my lungs.... The same with the NHS doctors in the UK 18 months ago.... So I've learnt to live with this problem, and living in southern Thailand by the sea definitely minimises the symptoms. But for charitable reasons, I'm back in Mandalay, Myanmar. This weekend I'll buy some salt. During the day, I don't cough much, but it comes on at night when I lie down. Hence sleeping with my bottom in the air and head over the end of the bed so the phlegm can come out more easily. @Globalres, there are very few medicines available here in Myanmar, and Lazada etc do not deliver to this country. I'll see how it goes with salt gargling/nose washing (I did this previously in THailand and it does help).

Nope, I never use air-con at any time! (I got used to sleeping in high temperatures many years ago in Myanmar when the electricity was switched off every night and my condo building didn't have a generator!

Thanks, I don't have asthma or short of breath

Lol, no good hospitals here in Myanmar! Bronchitis is just a symptom of the problem.

Yes, it started 25 years ago from aspergillus mold in the basement office, but also seems to flare up due to irritants

My vaccinations are all up to date for flu and pneumonia (2 vaccine types)

Seems to be some kind of pollutant. I guess all I can do is to keep my face-mask on...