Myanmar 2013

On 19 April, 40 volunteers set off for Yangon. This year's trip, unlike the previous ones where upgrading projects or building works were involved, was a much light-hearted one. As the dates of our trips coincided with the Burmese New Year and water festival, we decided to take the children out to the National Park on the first day and have a carnival at Full Moon on the second day.

We landed to a dusty and uncomfortably warm morning in Yangon. Nevertheless, it did not dampen our spirits as our hearts were focused on seeing the children at Full Moon once again. For some of the volunteers, it was a yearly trip that they would embark on without fail, while for some, it was their first time visiting Myanmar and meeting the children of Full Moon.

The first day was spent largely on logistics, organizing and settling down. In the evening, we came together for a good dinner at a nearby restaurant and toasted to a successful and fruitful trip ahead.

Day 2:

We started the second day bright and early. With all the boxes packed with water guns, goodies bags and food, we began our 2-hour bus ride to Full Moon. When we arrived, we were greeted by the children at Full Moon as they ran alongside the bus, waving and smiling.



Our cooking team began to get busy preparing for the children's lunch. It was one of the things that the children looked forward to because eating meat was a rare treat for them. It was a one-of-a-kind cooking experience for the volunteers as well, using firewood to cook and using pots the size of a huge cauldron! We are talking about feeding almost 300 people after all.



Soon the children were sorted according to their colour teams, fed and packed on buses all ready to head to the National Park for afternoon out in the sun. Regrettably, due to the large number of children at the home, only 150 children with the best academic results were able to go the park. The remaining children stayed back at the home and made Thank You cards for the people who had very kindly and generously donated or contributed to the home. The children were a little hesitant initially but as they slowly warmed up and their creative juices began to flow, the Thank You cards were simply original and beautiful.
 

 

Read more on my Myanmar Day 2!