Why are the Mormons teaching English in Yangon?
One topic that I’ve wanted to touch on for a while now is the presence of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) in Burma. I would like to say up front that I am not an expert researcher on matters of LDS church governance...
The disappointing reality of not needing to speak Burmese to make it big in Burma (MM)
When I first learned Burmese, I didn’t know exactly to what end I would be learning it. I figured I’d learn it to a high degree of fluency (at least B2) and then go into the academic field of Linguistics as a professor. I never actually thought I would...
American education and how I learned about “tracking”
Yesterday (it’s past-midnight here, as I start writing this) I watched a documentary called “Waiting For Superman” by Davis Guggenheim. The documentary talks about issues in the American school system and how children are waiting for a Superman-like savior figure to rescue them from it. What is this so-called...
Five reasons why every teacher should just install their own Moodle setup
Some backstory I was in the middle of Nay Pyi Taw two years ago, teaching a class called “The Anthropology of Education” (whatever that actually meant. I didn’t choose the course title). It was supposed to be a Bachelor’s level class, but the students were not quite at that...
April 24, 2015: My arrival in Thailand
While I don’t have as many pretty pictures or anything to document my arrival in Thailand, I can at least talk about what I remember. My first impression of Thai bureaucracy at the airport wasn’t stellar. I deplaned and was going through the line. On the plane they give...
April 22, 2015
It’s hard to believe it’s been half a decade already… April 22, 2020 (which is already yesterday, in Burma time) marks the 5-year anniversary of me leaving the U.S. Also, thanks to dear COVID-19, it’s the 5th year in a row without me setting foot back in the United...
How COVID-19 deterred me from learning Urdu
Yangon has a lot of Indians. I mean, a lot of Indians. When I first arrived in Yangon, I noticed their presence and I found it very peculiar that are were Indian in every single way, except for the language they speak. The majority of the Indians I met...
Introducing Ex-Chats on Ty in MY
Last week, I started a video series in which I hold slightly-formal conversations and interviews with expats living in Yangon. My first is with Izaya Fleming, who has started studying for his MA in Education from the University of Derby in the UK. NOTE: If you cannot see the...
Well, it’s about time.
After several weeks of isolation and forced staying at home, I've finally got something done....