This is our last evening in Yangon. We have asked all the student pilgrims to write some reflections on their pilgrimage so far. Tomorrow the staff will add their thoughts

Tahlia writes

Wow, what an eventful last few days! Coming on this amazing adventure has already shown me so much about Burmese culture and how some parts of the community struggle to get through the day. Lots of the people we have met have all been very nice and they were not shy to welcome us into their lovely country. Seeing all the unloved animals on the streets made me sad and made me realise how great Perth is to be able to afford lots of animal shelters to care for our wildlife and pets. When purchasing an item at the markets and seeing the wonderful smile on the other side of the bench when you say thank you and goodbye just lights up my day as I feel like I have just made their day. I am looking forward to the next 8 days in the village learning more about their culture and making some lovely friends


Amy thinks that

Today was very different to the typical day of an Australian teenager. We began the day by having breakfast and then getting on the bus with our tour guide Saw to go and visit the Pagoda temple. This is something that I believe let us experience many different cultures especially the Buddhist culture as there were many people praying in the temples. We seem to be a hit in Myanmar so far as many people have wanted to take selfies and photos with us which is unfortunate as it is very hot and standing and posing is not a very pleasant experience. We then left the temple to go to the Myanmar World War 2 Cemetery which was the smallest of two that had plaques dedicated to the people that died in this war. Here we met a boy called Jo Jo who told us he was 14 and seemed to be very interested in his toy car. We then went to Scott's Market after some lunch where we purchased some gifts for family and ourselves and were able to experience more of the culture. It was pleasant as the language barrier didn't seem to be as large a problem as I thought. My experience today has made me very excited for the next 12 days and I am more than excited to experience more of this amazing and fascinating culture and I am currently very glad I chose to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Jazmin believes that

These last couple have day have been very eventful and long. We finally arrived in Myanmar with an amazing view of Yangon. We arrived in Myanmar around 6:00pm and everyone was knacked, to say the least, so we all got a good night’s sleep. Today waking up was very exciting because I was keen to see what this amazing city and country had to offer. Our first stop was the golden Pagoda. This was truly breathtaking and mind-blowing to see. We were literally surrounded by ancient temples, Buddhas and gold. This was a true insight of how the Myanmar people live their lives. Our next stop was a cemetery of people who had died in World War 2. This experience was very interesting and sad to see how many graves there were and too see the engraved messages on the soldier’s graves. Our last stop was Scott’s Markets. This was in a huge industrial building with markets piling on top of each other. At these markets I got to engage with a Myanmar boy, aged 15, and a Myanmar girl aged 13. These two people were surprisingly much smaller than me which I found very interesting. I can’t wait for what’s ahead of me and to experience and learn things from this amazing country.
Jazmin Dawkins

These last couple have day have been very eventful and long. We finally arrived in Myanmar with an amazing view of Yangon. We arrived in Myanmar around 6:00pm and everyone was knacked, to say the least, so we all got a good night’s sleep. Today waking up was very exciting because I was keen to see what this amazing city and country had to offer. Our first stop was the golden Pagoda. This was truly breathtaking and mind-blowing to see. We were literally surrounded by ancient temples, Buddhas and gold. This was a true insight of how the Myanmar people live their lives. Our next stop was a cemetery of people who had died in World War 2. This experience was very interesting and sad to see how many graves there were and too see the engraved messages on the soldier’s graves. Our last stop was Scott’s Markets. This was in a huge industrial building with markets piling on top of each other. At these markets I got to engage with a Myanmar boy, aged 15, and a Myanmar girl aged 13. These two people were surprisingly much smaller than me which I found very interesting. I can’t wait for what’s ahead of me and to experience and learn things from this amazing country.



Chris tells us
Gee wiz, have we been busy! So much has happened in this last two days it feels almost unreal. We’ve left everything familiar behind and jumped straight into the middle of a completely new and very, very different environment. We arrived safe and sound at Myanmar airport and were very glad and relieved to sit down and eat a proper meal for our first night at our destination. We were finally able to give in to the exhaustion of the day’s travel and get a good night’s sleep in our rooms. The people of Myanmar are extremely polite and friendly, and everywhere we’ve gone so far we have been greeted with warm welcomes from the locals as well as a rich and informative insight to the history of the country and its culture from our guide Saw Chit U, who has a wealth of knowledge to share with us. The culture here is very different and these early stages of our journey have been a real eye-opener for sure. I’m well keen for tomorrow and the rest of this adventure. 

Grace has a different angle
Today for me felt as if it was all about observing our surrounding environment. Taking in the culture, traditions, beliefs and behaviours of the local people. We were able to gain an insight into the lives of people who we will never see again, and those people have no idea that they have taught us a number of things about themselves just by being in where they were today. Seeing how generous the people of Myanmar are and how committed they are to their religion is eye opening as to how I personally live my life in Australia. It makes me feel so materialistic seeing how dedicated the people were to their prayer and the amount they put into their religious places. Seeing the gold used on the temple and used through the paint of the resting Buddha, I couldn’t help but think how else that specific material could have been used on building new buildings or roadworks. What other places are feathered with gold and why are they using it on this? This may sound clichéd but it really is inspiring seeing the selflessness and the way priorities are made here.


Bayley, one of the comedy duo, writes,Not going to lie, when I heard that loud banging noise on the door this morning my heart dropped, Icompletely forgot about where I was and who was knocking on my door, but then it all came to me. This morning I woke up for the first time overseas without my parents. This is start to a new and exciting adventure. Today was all about accepting and understanding the religion and culture of Buddhism. The most eye opening thing of today was walking around the Schwe Dagon Pagoda, seeing the way the people pray, seeing and learning about their traditions of prayers and reasons and learning about the clothing restrictions of entering the Pagoda. The most upsetting thing I saw in my day today was the animal cruelty, injured and sick dogs and mistreatment of birds trapped in small caskets, this is all strange to us because we don’t realise the meanings behind these things. Trapping the birds is a sign of captivity, as soon as you release one it’s a symbol of love and marriage coming your way. From here and now on I’ll be sitting on a six-hour train ride, buying barbecue corn and slabs of watermelon to cure my hunger as I travel to the mountains to start an experience of a life time. 


And her partner in comedy, Molly, writes
Let me just say I am a smart sausage for bringing a whiteboard because it’s been an absolute hit and a half. I have now gotten used to no technology and I actually enjoy not having to rely on my phone constantly. So far this experience has been very cultural and eye opening. Today we went to a temple and to see a giant resting Budda. We also went to a war memorial and the landscape and architecture of all of the locations was a wowza. At the temples I felt like I was in a Bollywood movie and was waiting for a flash mob. I surprisingly am enjoying the food so far as I am rather fussy. I have begun making new friends with the younger girls and they are a blast. Yesterday night at dinner I experienced the best pun ever but it was a had to be there moment so ill leave you hanging there. I have my pringles ready for tomorrows 6-hour train ride and I’m excited to see more of Myanmar and getting closer with more of the fellow pilgrims. Anyways, got to go, grace is dying to eat my M&M’s so I’m off. 

Tahla's view on things
 I’ve been here for only two days and I have had many different mixed emotions within only 24 hours. Arriving at the airport I felt both excitement and nervous for many reasons, nervous being that I’ve left both my family and friends and are starting to step out of my comfort zone, which for me is nerve racking. I’ve been exited for many different reasons for the main reason being that I’m doing something that I love to do which is to help others when needed. The first day was very daunting due to the realisation that this event is actually happening. Waking up the next day I’m feeling excited to see the culture side of the country, I’ve heard many different interesting facts about Myanmar and the people that live here. I’m nervous for the rest of our trip but excited for the adventures and experiences that are just around the corner

What did Katie think?
 Today was such an eventful day! As a group we went to the pagoda and I was fascinated by all the buildings being covered in gold, and the size of the buildings. After looking at the buildings and the Buddha’s inside we visited a war cemetery where I found it interesting at the different ages of the soldiers ranging from 18 to 38. As we were leaving the cemetery we were greeted by a boy named Jojo who we believed was about 7. We were shocked when we found he was 14 and I enjoyed meeting him. My highlight of the day was the Scott’s markets where I bought 2 items and a painting! After feeling a little nauseous when we first arrived in Myanmar, I am starting to adapt to the extreme heat conditions and the spiciness of the food! I am looking forward to meeting all the kids when we travel through the mountains and excited about everything else to come. 

Emma thought
Flying into Myanmar was breathtaking and scary at the same time as I didn’t know what to expect. After a few dramas at the airport we finally arrived at the Diamond Crown Hotel at 6:30pm and were all very tired and hungry. Today was a very new experience travelling around Yangon and learning about its rich history and culture. Arriving up to the Golden Pagoda was amazing and stunning. We were told that it was built with 6 tonne of gold and up close was astonishing. Walking around the base of the Pagoda I saw many different temples with offerings of flowers and food. One of our other stops was the cemetery of soldiers involved in World War II where we walked through the beautiful flowered pathways of head stones. Reading some of the headstones and how young some of the soldiers were was so upsetting and made me think of how lucky I truly am! We ended the day at Scott’s market which was full of jade, carvings, cloth and other traditional Myanmar items. Over the day I learnt many interesting and new things which I am starting to use to develop a better understanding of this country.  

Kiarah had some different thoughts

We landed in Myanmar after a 2 flights, and I can safely say I was exhausted, but the hotel beds were a comfort and after a good night’s sleep, I was ready for our adventure in the morning. We hopped onto the bus, with our lovely guide Saw Chit U, and headed to an amazing pagoda. The biggest standout for me is the amazing tropical foliage. The trees are huge lining most streets, and the round-a-bouts are stunning, with multi-coloured plants forming shapes including stars and spirals. There are plenty of parks, and even the small war cemetery was lined with huge hedged walls and each grave having their own type of flower bush growing. I’m loving meeting the local people as are so friendly, and their cultural clothes so vibrant and elegant. Overall I’m loving bonding with our group, the cultural emersion and learning about the locals, their culture and beliefs, and of course the stunning scenery. Looking forward to the rest of the trip. 

Leigh has blossomed as the trip has gone on and writes
Big day, long day. The first two days moulded together, interrupted by the planes. The movement was fun but hard. As we entered Myanmar was confronted by a strong smell, not something I could describe but it was different to home. Things in Myanmar were very different, our hotel was fairly nice, near someone buildings that weren’t so nice, people are walking are in very dirty clothes will taking iphones out of the back pockets , some people wearing traditional clothing will others wear very western cloths. The first day in Myanmar we were in the city, we hopped on a bus and went to a temple. It was a big spire surrounded by a big circle that held smaller shrines. The spire was huge, I walked out of the entrance seeing half and thinking, '’yeah, that’s fairly big", only to realize half of my view was blocked by the entrance. Then we saw a big statue of the Buddha, lying down, his design was very intricate. Later we went to a cemetery, one of the main things I saw was a fourteen year old, who was a bit bigger than my little brother, who’s seven. Myanmar is very different but very fun, it’s hard to describe. 

Caleb, has had a great trip so far
 
I have never taken so many photos in one day. When we first went to the Schwedagon Pagoda, it was the most awe-inspiring, awesome, brilliant, thing I have ever seen, even the entrance to the area was magnificent, and how I felt after I had done seen it, I felt almost insignificant, like the world was just a whole new level above me. Our second destination, the Reclining Buddha, it showed to me just how much the community cared for their religion, with a Buddha that was 20 metres long, and about 10 metres high, I felt so small in such a great world, like I had shown up to a day at work and everything had already been finished what they were doing, but it wasn’t the case, as both the Buddha and the area around the pagoda was being expanded on. Next we went and payed our respects to the Rangoon War Cemetery, and then we went to Scott’s market, a massive shopping centre encased by 4 main roads, with thousands of people bartering and selling goods, the place was just too huge to see everything, even in a few hours, and there we went to a beautiful art gallery, with amazing Myanmar artwork, I bought a painting, I just had to.