I
have unforgettable memories in Sittwe university. One of memorable things is a literacy
campaigntrip to Ann township with my teachers and friends from Sittwe
university in March, 2013. I have never been to Ann township before.So I was so
excited as a volunteer to go there.
We
started that trip with teachers and friends from Sittwe university by coach at
around 7 o’clock in the morning. There were a teacher and eight students from
different majors in my group. I was very happy along the trip. We stopped to
have our lunch in Mrauk U, an ancient city of Rakhine state. Even though I was
very tired on the car, I was so active. We reached Ann at about 9 o’clock. We
had dinner in the restaurant and we slept at basic education high school of
army. The teachers gave us training how to teach the students (villagers) for
two days at that school before we went to rural villages. After two days, our
team went to a place, KhamaungChaung village that we had to go by car. It was
on the mountains along the trip. We saw some undeveloped villageson the way to
KhamaungChaung. Before we reached KhamaungChaung village, our team separated
two groups for two villages. Our group teacher and another 5 students left a
village before KhamaungChaung. My one girl friend, a new boy friend
and me stayed at KhamaungChaung village. That village was very far from Ann
township.And that village was a Chin ethnic (Asho) village.
It
was a very small village located on the road to TaungKote township. They were
very poor.There was an only basic education primary school in that village and
there wasn’t even a small clinic. In addition to there was no electricity so there
was no internet connection.
I
met a lot of interesting things during my trip as a volunteer in that village.The
next day when I went to the school to teach, I saw most of people were very old
and some of girls with their babies. They all were very honest and simple. Most
of the students were over 30, 40 ,50 and 60 years old and the youngest students
were over 15 years old there.
Meantime,
we had many difficulties. There was no electricity therefore we couldn’t
contact with our family for one month and 15 days. But whenever I think about
it, it is a great memory in my life. We lived in a tiny house near the school
and ate the food given by villagers. We felt our house we lived was not very
safe because there wasn’t door; besides, there were a lot of holes and the
house was ruined. Furthermore, type of food was new and strange for us. Sometimes
their traditional curries were very delicious. One of my favourite curries was
bamboo shoot cooked in burnt bamboo.
This
time, I would like to share for our daily life when we were there. In the
morning we had to go to the stream to take a bath. It was a little bit away from
village and it was notclean either. For our drinking water, we used a well that
was situated near the school. One lucky thing was we could drink coffee and a
small cake bought by a villager for our breakfast.Having our lunch treated by
the villagers, we taught the students for 3 hours in the afternoon. In the
evening, after we had taught, we went to the stream to take a bath again.
Having had dinner, we taught the young girls who were absent for they were not
free in the afternoon. We used candle at nights.
Sometimes
before we went to our bed we three talked this and that near our small house that
was situated on the hill looking at the stars in the dark under the sky. We
sang together when we missed our home or someone by each. I really enjoyed that
event. Sometimes we made a conversation with young girls who visited to us at
night. They were absolutely honest and shy.I was really love them. I asked them
why they want to read the letter and how they will do if you can read and write
the letter. They said they wanted to go to Yangon, the city of Myanmar to work
there. But they couldn’t go to anywhere because they had not attended any
classes. I was really shocked when I heard their words. They will end their
life without having any chance to dream and hope their goal.Whatever I knew I
had a chance to learn number and literacy. We can get knowledge,skill and value
from our classes comparing with them. I believed all our behavior from our attitude
came from our classroom. I wanted to give everything I knew to them. But they
didn’t get an only chance to attend the class regularly. Most of the students
who were very old and attended the class regularly could read and write the
letter. I used part of my life in that village. I love all villagers. When we
came back to our home, some of villagers cried and they invited to visit their
home again. I want to visit there if I had a chance. I can never forget that
big memory until I want to write about it.
