simon43

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...

Hmm, can I bring my Myanmar students with me? I'm in Myanmar for a reason!

Well, the spelling bee competition was all good fun! I learnt that most of the young students at this private school in Mandalay are actually Chinese, with their parents working in Mandalay or north Myanmar (the school also has a boarding section). I also learnt from another teacher at my school that petty theft has been increasing, as the civil war and lack of income begins to bite. 2 foreign teachers have been the victims of motorbike snatch thefts, snatching bags and mobile phones on the main road close to my school in broad daylight. There was no mugging/violence, just snatch and ride away fast. I've never heard of this kind of activity before, (unless you wander around drunk at midnight with a big gold necklace!) I will make sure that my backpack is secured on both shoulders when I walk, with my mobile phone in an inside pocket....

She should be paying you sinsod!

Never been a smoker. I am managing to keep the illness at bay by sleeping with my bottom stuck in the air, so that gravity helps to remove lung fluid. Plus boiling my kettle with the lid open to create a humidifer effect. Plus wearing a facemask when outside. So today my lungs were pretty good. I'll buy some salt at the weekend for gargling and nose flush 🙂

What about the 3 cats?

Today I have 'hijacked' by another school in Mandalay to be the judge and chief pronunciator for a Spelling Bee competition. This is because they couldn't find any native English speakers in town... But the school has made a bad error (IMHO) by appointing a US teacher as the second judge. Imagine the problems we are going to have: "The correct pronunciation for R-O-U-T-E-R is 'rooter' " "Hey ya all wrong buddy! It's 'rowter' " Looking forward to more fun today 🙂

They have never found anything wrong with my lungs!! No shadows in my lungs, no bacteria in my sputum, no loss of breathing ability. Yet I have had pneumonia many times, bronchitis many times etc. I gave up on doctors yonks ago!

Well, that's rather worrying!

Shoot 3 people dead and then kill yourself - that'll teach them ...... Weird Thai logic at play here.

I have somewhat delicate lungs, commencing about 25 years ago in the UK after working in a damp, unheated basement office that had been empty for several years. What started out as a mild cough developed into uncontrolleable coughing spasms and copious amounts of green/yellow phlegm collecting in my lungs. Several bouts of pneumonia followed.... The outcome of all this was that I moved to live in south-east Asia, where the air temperature and humidity seemed to suit my lungs better 🙂 I noticed over my 22+ years living in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos that my lungs were the happiest when living in the coastal south of Thailand, with salty sea air. However, my teaching usually took me to both Laos and Myanmar, where my bouts of bronchitis and buckets of phlegm would quickly return. I found that brisk walking each morning for say 4km would loosen up the phlegm, and so that's what I do. 2 years ago, I had a spell of teaching in Yangon. Unfortunately, my bronchitis came back with a vengeance and I had to resign from my post and return for treatment in Thailand. Recently, I have been living in Khao Lak, and my lungs have been very happy. But now I have returned to teach again in Myanmar, this time in Mandalay. You might (rightly) comment that this was a stupid move on my part, considering my lung history. But for personal reasons, I feel compelled to help the young students in Myanmar, even if it doesn't do my health much good lol So, within 2 weeks of moving to Mandalay, my bronchitis has returned. This time I am determined to 'beat' this highly-annoying problem, and not be forced to return to southern Thailand. The students really need their teacher, so I'm in no mood to abandon ship. I also wonder what exactly has caused the coughing/phlegm to flare up again. The temperature in Mandalay is still hot. The air pollution seems to be at a reasonably low level. What could it be that triggers my bronchitis? I know that bronchitis can be caused by a virus or bacteria or some kind of irritant. I doubt that the first 2 causes are responsible. I notice that I cough less if I keep my mouth closed and breath through my nose, or if I place a face-mask just over my mouth and breath through my mouth. So it seems that an irritant is most likely. But what?! Answers on a post-card please!