Columban Lay Missionary, Lenette Toledo from the Philippines, shares with us a memorable train trip from Mandalay to Yangon, Myanmar.
On March 2, right after our yearly retreat in Mandalay, Catha and I decided to take the train from Mandalay to Yangon. I always love to take the train. Besides being more comfortable than the bus, I enjoy looking at the beautiful landscape and scenery from my window.
We bought tickets for the 5:00pm train to Yangon and to my delight it was twice as cheap as the bus. At 4:30pm, local priest Fr Philip from Mandalay and Paul his assistant, drove us to the train station and made sure we were settled into our seats before they left! Two generous, kind, and hospitable people we have met on our journey!
When I saw what the train looked like, I can only describe my reaction in two words! Oh! and Ahrrg! The windows were open which meant I had to brace myself against insects like mosquitoes and who knows what else! And it was windy, dusty and cold!
We couldn’t stop laughing when we realized and imagined how it would be sitting for 17 hours on such a rough journey. But it was not until the train started moving that we realized it was tougher and rougher than we had imagined. The train was really very slow and I felt I was horseback riding. It was awfully bumpy but surprisingly, rather than feeling agitated because of discomfort, I found myself amused by the whole situation.
I couldn’t stop laughing for a few minutes, so much so that our fellow passengers noticed our reaction and started to laugh with us. Whenever the train rattled we looked at each other and laughed. I had only one concern - will my body still be intact if I make it to Yangon the following day? The train is divided into sections. I think we had the best accommodation compared to those where seats are made of wood. I can’t imagine their discomfort all night.
Seventeen hours of a rough journey with nothing else to do but to sit and feel my body bouncing and shaking, I reflected on my personal journey in Myanmar for eight months which has been like a train ride.
There were bouncy, rough and shaky times. But God has been great as He kept His promise to carry me through by His grace. Life can be very challenging sometimes but with positivity, humour and light-heartedness, like my reaction to the train, I can beat all odds.
After all I was able to gaze at and bathe in the beauty of the magnificent sunset and beautiful scenery on my journey and empathize with the local people who can’t afford the expense of taking air-conditioned buses and planes. Surely, there is beauty in every experience even if at first it’s hard to notice. Just keep your eyes and heart open and you will see it.
Columban Lay Missionary Lenette Toledo is assigned to Myanmar. She comes from the Philippines.
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LISTEN TO: A memorable train ride Duration: 3:33mins, MP3: 1.62MB) |