Flashing back to the present, last week our little Bosnian class of three students made it through a short but eventful fifth week of our 44-week course—eventful at least for me.
Month: October 2026
Colonial Echoes in Pyin Oo Lwin
Continuing with some posts I never had a chance to publish before we departed Rangoon in August… This past June, I flew with J and my mom to Mandalay, 400 miles north of our home in Rangoon, for a two-night visit. We had just spent a few days only slightly west of Mandalay in Bagan sightseeing with a guide and driver. We had arranged the same for Mandalay, hiring an established tour guide and known embassy contact who I’ll call T.
T’s company had taken me to Mandalay earlier in the year to conduct a prison visit with a U.S. citizen during an overnight trip I made with a member of my consular local staff. Unfortunately, between the consular access visit and meetings with schools and other local contacts, I hadn’t had a moment for sightseeing. I very much wanted the opportunity to return to Mandalay and actually see the city.
City of 10,000 Temples
Before much more time passes, I want to finish the posts I began writing while we were still in Burma. It was only several weeks ago, in mid-August, that we departed Rangoon. But with every week that passes, fresh adventures take priority and memories can grow dimmer or change shape. I’d like to capture as much of the magic I found in Burma before the details fade for me.
So backing up a little bit, during the June visit of my mom and her friend and co-worker J to Burma, which I touched on previously, we took a couple of domestic trips within Burma. The first was to the ancient city of Bagan. Colleagues had told me Bagan was not to be missed, which turned out to be absolutely true.
Bosnian (LSC100) Weeks 3-4: Training Wheels
The autumn equinox passed during week 3 of Bosnian and almost immediately, there was a marked change in the weather. The sunny days where I could get away with wearing the tank tops and summer dresses that comprised the majority of my year-round Rangoon wardrobe suddenly left me shivering in the classroom.
We had entered the transitional period before fall where the thermostats in office buildings were still set for Virginia’s humid, hot summer despite evidence the leaves are already starting to change. One day I’d be grabbing an umbrella and a jacket and the next day wearing a short-sleeved top.
We made a similar jump in Bosnian; almost out of nowhere we went from talking about our phone numbers and family compositions to learning how to discuss signing agreements, promoting economic development, and hosting diplomatic receptions.
