football and a waterfall

During the whole last week the school’s football-Cup was taking place, so that I had hardly any lessons as the students were either training, watching or playing themselves. For five days teams from each class out of each section of the PDO (so NTTC, Fast-Track and Normal-Track) were competing against each other until there was the final game on Friday morning. The atmosphere was great, the kids were all really into it and cheering all the time and I have to say that there were quite a few talents playing on our small, dusty football-field. And I think I’ve never seen a more colourful audience! In the end one of the teams from the section in which I teach (the NTTC) won the girl’s final match and so we had a nice party in the NTTC building for our victors ;-) and to celebrate properly some of the volunteer and Burmese teachers on Sunday did an excursion with those girls.

 

I was invited as well and so 14 people left the PDO in the morning on the back of a pick-up truck heading in the direction of Pyin Oo Lwin. On this road from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin starts a steep path near the Anesakhan village down to the dramatically set Dattawgyaint Waterfall. After a 30-minutes walk we suddenly stood in front of this beautiful, huge waterfall forming smaller pools underneath it in the middle of the jungle. Even though the water was really incredibly cold we immediately jumped in and partly swam, partly climbed through the natural pools towards the waterfall itself. It was terrific! I felt like dying of the cold and drowning as there was water just EVERYWHERE when we fought our ways right through the waterfall to some small, hidden cave behind it. But we made it and finally we stood there glimpsing through all the water, shivering but grinning broadly. I guess we all had this amazing sensation of feeling more alive than ever, breathing more freely and just being happy right there we were.

 

After getting rid of our soaked, cold clothes, we found a nice spot in the warming sun where we had a very delicious Burmese picnic for lunch. Climbing up the way to the parking lot was quite exhausting afterwards, so that we had to sit down on the top again, drink some nice, super-sweet Instant-coffee and back in the truck almost everyone fell asleep immediately. Considering that the road down to Mandalay is quite bumpy and the whole car was shaking its way through all the turns, it really shows how exhausted everyone was to be able to sleep during this drive ;-)