A day of firsts!

Marian and Jamie stopped off in Myanmar on their way back from Australia to spend a day with Min Chit, the young boy that Marian’s mother sponsors through World Vision. Read this wonderful story from Marian of their most memorable and humbling experience.

My husband, Jamie and I ended our 20-month-trip around Asia and Australia with a visit to Myanmar. And boy did we end on a high! Having only recently become more accessible to tourists, we didn't know what to expect of our time in Myanmar, but the people, landscapes and culture captured our hearts, and we left wanting more.

Wherever we have been, we've loved meeting local people, and so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Min Chit, a boy my Mum sponsors. Mum is a long-standing supporter of World Vision, and we were excited to meet one of her sponsored children and be able to tell her all about him and his community when we got home.

We were not able to visit Min Chit in his community and for that reason, the local World Vision staff had arranged for us all to go to the Amusement Park together. I have to admit, this prospect filled us with slight uncertainty and fear. An amusement park? In Myanmar? Sure enough, it had all the flashing lights, roller coasters, ghost trains and (Burmese) pop music, we were familiar with, even if sparks did fly from the dodgems and the staff had to push-start the rusting roller coaster! If it was an experience for us, it was certainly an experience for Min Chit and his little brother, Chit Yin. They had seen nothing like it in their short lives, and wandered around in wonder at the colourful rides, unsure what to make of it all.

Jamie soon got them onto one of the trains, and after the first go, the boys were pointing out all of the other rides they'd like to go on. I think Jamie had as much fun as they did! We even took Min Chit on the log flume, with its decidedly murky looking water, and got completely drenched! The boys loved the rides where they got to sit in cars - it was clear that this is something they had never had the opportunity to do, and it was very humbling to see how excited they were about driving in a car.

It was a day of 'firsts' for them - their first visit to an amusement park, and their first time on a slide. What we take for granted as a common part of growing up, in the UK at least, playing on a slide in your local park or back garden, these kids had never even come across.

It was also the first time they had drunk from a straw, so this too provided five minutes of amusement. We sat down for some juice to recover from our morning's adventures on the rides, dry off from the log flume, and hear more about life in Myanmar. The boys were accompanied by their mother, Khin Moe and the Area Development Programme manager from World Vision, who had kindly organised our visit and were able to translate for us.

At the age of 12, Min Chit has unfortunately had to leave school to start work this year - his Mum was having to support him and his 3 brothers on her own, and it had got to the stage where some extra income was needed. So he has started an apprenticeship at a local silk-dying factory, earning just a few hundred kyats each day (around 25 pence), though this will increase when he completes his training.

His mother, Khin Moe was remarkable, a seemingly very strong and resilient lady. She gets up at 3am every day to travel to the wholesale market to buy flowers, before returning to the village to sell them, carrying them in a basket on her head. This arduous enterprise earns her a little more than £2.50 a day, but she does so uncomplainingly - such a tough but simple life is difficult for us to comprehend. Through my Mum's letters and photographs, she has developed a connection to my Mum, which was lovely to see, and this alone made me feel grateful for the links World Vision makes, across continents and cultures. Khin Moe said that World Vision had given their community knowledge and helped with their needs. She kindly invited us to visit her in their home - I hope one day we can return with Mum to do so and to see what World Vision has achieved in their community.

Min Chit and his family members had the pale-yellowy paste worn on their faces - it's called thanaka, a natural sun-screen made by grinding the bark of a local tree and applied to the skin by people all over Myanmar. Min Chit was quite shy, though this was very understandable given our presence and the language barrier. We had brought a few small gifts for Min Chit and his brothers, which we handed over - some notebooks, crayons, pens and pencils, and, far more excitingly for the boys, a football! Their faces lit up with joy - football is a bit of a national passion, and Min Chit and Chit Yin couldn't wait to take it back to their village to show it off to their friends and play - they were over the moon.

They had to wait a little longer to do so though, as we went on to visit Mahamuni Paya, a glittering Buddhist temple, and a popular place of pilgrimage. It was the boys' first visit to the temple, and they enjoyed watching the fish and turtles in the pond, as much as they did seeing the temple itself.

We would like to thank the local team in Myanmar for arranging our visit - Jamie and I enjoyed it tremendously, and my Mum loved hearing all about it, and seeing the photographs that we took. We can't wait for our next visit.

Thanks to Marian and Jamie for sharing their story with us. The couple had so many fantastic photos that we decided to create a photo album to show you the best shots, check them out on our Facebook page where you will also have a chance to ask them questions.