Adults

STUDENT
NEWSLETTER
WRITTEN BY STUDENTS FOR STUDENTS
ISSUE NO. 2 | AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2019

INSIDE

PAGE 2:

BOOK REVIEW:
“ Don’t Sweat The
Small Stuff ”

PAGE 3:

MY LIFE AS A MONK

PAGE 4:

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

IN EDUCATION
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
by Tom Campbell
PAGE 5:
A big welcome to all our new and returning adult students. The rainy season is now in
full swing, so to keep you busy on these wet days we have another edition of the SPECTACULAR
newsletter to read at your leisure. This term’s edition of the newsletter has been written
by several of our adult students and we hope you enjoy all the hard work that has been
ISLAND “GAW YAN
put into the different articles included. Next term will see another edition, so if you are GYI”
interested in contributing, remember to sign up at the start of term. As always, we value
your feedback, so please take some time when you have finished reading to let us know
what you liked most in this edition and anything you would like to see in the future. Get
in touch via our new Facebook adult students page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bc.adult.students/

Book Review: “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff”
by Pe – Intermediate
by Thiri – Upper-Intermediate
© Matt Wright
I went to the bookshop 7 months ago and as soon
as I arrived, I saw a book and I knew I would get
really into it right away because of its title. The title
is " Don't Sweat the Small Stuff " and it was written
by American author Dr. Richard Carlson. It was
first published in America in 1997 and has sold
over 25 million copies all over the world until now.
It was the bestseller for 2 years and even in
Myanmar, this book has been the No.1 Best seller
for 7 months in a row.
I like this book because it has simple and clear
writing that can be understood by people of all
ages. It points out lots of small stuff in our daily
life, even if we hadn’t noticed it before. One of my
2
2
favourite lines in this book is " I'm not OK ,You
aren't OK AND It's OK" that means you're not the
only one who isn’t OK , everybody else isn’t OK as
well. Living in our society ,we can face many
problems and also meet different types of people
with different behaviour, lifestyle and ways of
speaking .If you want to solve those sorts of
problems ,this book will be your teacher and also
your doctor, so, you can follow and solve your
issues.
What I learnt from this book is we don't need to
run out of time for small stuff. We have to be
thankful to be born in a better life. Life isn't always
an emergency situation, we have a choice, what
are the important things and what are not?
Practice to be a good listener and also a good
speaker. Most of the people like a good listener
because they think you are completely focused on
what they are saying.
The book has revolutionised my life so much. I now
live my life more happily and I can learn from
problems more easily. I started realising what the
bad habits in my life are. Life is too short, so we
don't need to worry what the other people are
thinking. We don't need to run out of steam on
small stuff. If we keep practicing the useful tips in
this book everyday, we can reduce our
unnecessary stress. It really is worthwhile to read
it and I highly recommend it to everyone.
 3
My Life as a Monk
by Ven Khemernanda – Pre-Intermediate

In my monk life I must make an effort to practise

Dhamma and teaching Dhamma as the Buddha

© Sorrawis Chongcharoen
said. Now I have been teaching Dhamma to novice
monks and sometimes to other people I meet. I
love being a monk and sharing my knowledge with
others.

I became a monk (a bhikkhu) when I was twenty

years old. A monk first needs to lay down a Vinaya
rule and needs to meet some requirements. For
example, those permitted to be ordained a monk
have reached the qualifying age of twenty years
old etc.

In my life as a monk I have got 227 rules that are

very important to follow. Those include the four
rules that are more important than any others.
These are that, “an ordained monk shall not do
any type of sexual activity, they shall not steal or
take what is not given, they shall not intentionally
kill a living being and they shall not talk falsely”.

If I break any of these rules then I am no longer a

monk, not a son of Buddha and I must be disrobed.
I can then not be re-ordained as a monk in this
present existence.
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No One Left Behind in Education
by Ramona – Upper-Intermediate

While some children are busy enjoying their

lessons at school, others are out working, even
fighting for their daily needs. This unfortunately is
the sad reality of the slum children in
Thingangyun. Although they have dreams, they
realize that the possibility of making these dreams
come true is highly unlikely. This resulting anxiety
means they then tend to think of what they cannot
do rather than what they can.

Their family’s low income also contributes to their
struggle. They cannot afford to go to even
government schools. Instead, some of them go to
monastery-run schools which are free of charge.
Likewise, in their free time many of them have to
push trash carts to generate income and they
don’t really have time for study or reading. At
night some may want to open their books but
space and light are not very conducive at home. As
such they prefer to play on the street with friends
which affects their character and behavior.
There are millions of children facing the same
condition as the slum children in Myanmar. If we
believe that quality education is a key to nation
building, then we should stop thinking that
education is the duty of our government only, it is
indeed the moral responsibility of every citizen.
Therefore, it is you and I together who can
improve the quality of education for our
underprivileged children. I believe by making small
contributions we can make a greater change to the
lives of many children in Myanmar.
 5
Spectacular Island “Gaw Yan Gyi”
by Soe Moe Oo – Advanced

for a few minutes but this impromptu view

Gaw Yan Gyi is a mysterious island, located near
remains one of the highlights of my time in Gaw
Nant Tha Pu village, in South West Myanmar. It is
Yan Gyi island.
not only famous for its double beaches, beautiful
rock formation and reefs but also the breathtaking
Myawaddy Pagoda, on the top of Gaw Yin Gyi
view from Myawady Pagoda. Knowledge of the
Island is the best view point to see the sea and
pagoda spread by word of mouth and it has now
surrounding area! The view from the pagoda was
been famous as a tourist attraction for
magnificent. I went around the island and saw the
approximately 5 years.
picturesque rock formation and reefs. Swimming
at the pretty beach of the south of the island was
I went alone to Gaw Yan Gyi 5 months ago and it
one of the unforgettable moments of my life
was an adventure for me to visit this natural
paradise. I took “Kan Htoo Aung” an express bus because tourists haven’t discovered the area yet,
so the beaches are completely unspoilt.
which departs daily at 8:00 pm from Dagon Ayeyar
Highway Bus Station. I arrived in Nga Yok Kaung at
The days I spent on Gaw Yan Gyi Island were
around 5 am the next morning and had breakfast
totally stress-free. During my days there, I stayed
to kill time before the ferries started running. I
in a village and enjoyed the local life immensely. It
took a motor-cycle taxi to the jetty and crossed
gave me not only a new experience but also made
over the river with it. The jetty was bustling with
my trip a budget one. I thoroughly recommend
local people to cross the river. Passengers carry
visiting and staying overnight at Gaw Yin Gyi
everything on the boat, even pigs and motor
Island!
cycles. I was only there