Artikel fra Servas Bladet 2005 nr. 104

Soung fra Myanmar skriver:

(Se alle billederne i pdf-filen her)

Dear SERVAS Denmark:

I have just returned home to Yangon, Myanmar after three months in Denmark visiting many SERVAS hosts. Here is the story of my stay in your lovely country.

I am a Secondary school teacher in Myanmar, and as my school is standardizing to be an International school, there are some expatriate teachers working for us from whom we can learn International experiences. In 2004/2005 we had an expatriate teacher from Australia whose name was Ron. After a number of chatting with this eloquent Ron we became very close friends. One day Ron asked me as a favour to guide some foreigners around the school. Later on I found out that they were the Servas travelers who were hosted by Ron. He had hosted I many Servas families over the years and traveled around the world, which explained the constant stream of visitors to him and his Servas travel experiences! I became very interested in Servas and its aims. Ron arranged for me to spend three months in Denmark, at a school he visited a few years ago re SERVAS. Then with the complete explanations from Ron and kind helps from Siriporn, the Thai Servas coordinator, I became the first Myanmar Servas member.

Viggo, the Denmark Servas web master included the news about my visit to Denmark written by Ron in the Denmark Servas newsletter. I received emails of invitation from the gracious hosts before I departed Yangon. Many of them invited me to stay with them a day or two. I would have needed many months to fulfill all the invitations.

I was really impressed by their hospitalities. My destination in Denmark was to Skals which was about 4hours drive from Copenhagen. My concern was that how I could get to Skals from Copenhagen with my heavy luggage. I sent emails expressing my worries and anxieties to the hosts who invited me. This was my first trip to Europe and their replies encouraged me a lot in many ways while I was arranging my trip.

I flied to Copenhagen from Singapore via Bangkok. On my arrival at the Copenhagen airport all my anxieties vanished into thin air as I saw a lady holding a placard with my name on it. Hanne took me to her house and my first Servas experience started with a warm welcome by this kind lady. She had been to Myanmar and we mutually had a very nice chat about our countries and cultures.

On the next day, she put me onto a train to Skals Efterskole, a school where I was going to study the Danish education system. Sven Primdal, the headmaster, met me at the Hobro train station and I stayed at the school for 6 weeks.

I had wonderful chances to visit the Servas hosts on the school holidays and at weekends. During my stay in Skals, I had visited to three Servas hosts around the area and could learn about Danes cultures including languages, ways of life, beliefs and customs. I could happily let them know about the beauty and the friendly
people of my country also. I stayed with three other hosts in Copenhagen before I left to Italy. The hosts took care of me like their own kin. At the beginning of my stay in Denmark I was terribly homesick. Because of their care and friendliness I was able to dispel my miserable homesickness.

I have many fond memories meeting Servas hosts and their families who were the most hospitable people, including Sven & Signe from Skals who took care of me like their own kin, Hanne from Copenhagen who was the initial Servas host and showed me how to cook the typical Danish meal, Lila from Lindum who demonstrated to me how to grow organic plants in her garden, Boje & family who took me to the recycle station where an old Dane asked to have a beautiful Myanmar woman's photo, Edith & Viggo from Arhus who took me to the museum where I could see an iron-aged man preserved with bog, Lena, Annette, Maria & families who enjoyed Myanmar cooking, and cute little blond sweetie Anina, the youngest daughter of Denmark Servas coordinator Susanne, who loved to play with me.

I greatly enjoyed in inviting my hosts to my homeland. It was an unforgettable experience. I would like to express my GRATITUDE to all the people I've met through Servas and tell them how much I appreciate their magnificant hospitality.

 

Servas-bladet