Myanmar gallery

"If you're feeling helpless, help someone." - Aung San Suu Kyi 

Semester at Sea packaged 300 sets of books, erasers and other supplies, some of which we gave away at a country school in the north. I met with third-graders, all 9-years-old, except the one looking into the camera. He is 11. They are trying to learn English.

Two American preschoolers traveling with their parents on the ship found a way to communicate with Burmese children. By piling up rocks and sticks and pouring sand on top, they amazed their counterparts.

These children in uniform are lucky because there is a primary school in their village, which has dirt roads and homes made of bamboo. They were glad to see us visit. Few children attend school because there are few in villages. Most kids try to sell postcards or knick-knacks to tourists now that Myanmar has opened up to the outside world. 

Burmese get the most out of nature. This young climber slit the fresh leaves of a palm tree to collect its sap, used to make liquor and candy. Dried palm leaves are then shaped into baskets or decorative items. 

Max Von Hippel, the teenage son of one of the ship's professors, shows children at a roadside stand the video he made of the tree climber (above). The curiosity and joy on their faces were contagious. 

This truck is an example of how the Burmese people make the most of what they have. It is in good running order and carries as many as 20 people (most of them hanging out from the back) to and from work.