
In the short 9 days stay in Myanmar, we visited 8 schools and orphanages, 3 majestic pagodas, 3 Nunneries, 2 monasteries, 1 hospital and 1 home for the elderly. We offered dana to thousands of monks and nuns, play with children, treated to cultural shows by the children. We watched sunrises and sunsets, counted shooting stars and awed by the beautiful display put up by thousands of stars in a dark night sky.
(right, the main stupa of Shwedagon Pagada)Day 1

We arrived at Yangon at 1145am and got right to work, to collect the items we brought with us. All 80 of us have put aside half of the luggage we can carry by weight to bring the donated items over.
The logistic team, with the help from rest of the volunteers and airport staffs were able to collect the donated items quickly and the checkout was fast compared to the previous trip. We checked in to the hotel with little hassle and by mid afternoon we make the way to our first stop, Samiddhodayasukhitarama Daw Nanacari Myanaung Nunnery.

Throughout the trip, Firefly Mission gave strong support to nunneries because nuns generally has lower status than monks in society and thus receive less support from the community.
Money and part of the items we brought from Singapore were donated to the nunnery. The 10 Preceptors (technically, they are not nuns thus the pink robes) then chanted to bless us and to share merit made through the offerings. So deeply moving was the chant that and many of us shed tears.
More Photos:



left; the Nunnery
center; shoes belonging to the 10 preceptors placed neatly at one corner
right; the 10 preceptors waving good bye to us when we leave

After dinner, we visited Shwedagon Pagoda. It is the most majestic pagoda I have seen. Surrounding the main pagoda were hundreds more smaller Buddha images and shrines and it took us more than an hour to circumnabulate the main pagoda as we try to take in the scenes that is constantly unfolding before us. The pagoda is said to enshrine the hair relic of the Historical Buddha and relics of 4 previous buddhas.





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