My wife and I had the unique opportunity to live and work in Myanmar for about 6 months in 2004. It was the experience of a lifetime and one that I thought worth sharing with Global Expats. While I was there I wrote a Travel Log detailing our experiences.
We were hired to teach English as a Second Language at ILBC (International Language and Business Center) which is a highly regarding educational institution within Burma. It caters largely to the military's children. We were there totally legally on work visas.
What follows is part 5, my final Diary post on our personal experience in Burma. Here I want to reflect on the country we saw, the people we met, and the repressive government that controls them. I make no claim of being an expert on Burmese culture or politics. I do think, however, I have some valuable personal insights into a very isolated country.
The people
In short the people are warm, hospitable, charming, curious, honest, and mild mannered. We always felt totally safe anywhere we went amongst them as long as they weren't in uniform. One thing that was really cool was the fact that most people over 60 spoke fairly good English due to the previous colonization by Britain. They were always eager to strike up a conversation with us and were most curious about what was happening in the outside world. That brings up the last thing I want to mention about the people and that is they are incredibly ISOLATED. Because of the political situation traveling for them outside the country is next to impossible. The squeeze the government puts on information entering the country keeps them largely in the dark as to what is happening elsewhere. They are hungry for connection to the outside world. That was the most depressing part. The most charming was to see them dressed in their traditional longyi enjoying the little things in life we tend to take for granted. As people walked by each other they took notice and smiled or nodded. You didn't see the teenagers texting or with cell phones stuck in their ears. The overall pace of life was just slower and more connected to the Earth.
One real benefit of living in Myanmar is the low level of tourism and skimpy number of expats living in the country. The government lets as few foreigners in as possible to limit the population's contact with the outside world. So the expat community is a small tight-knit one. Most were there with embassies, some were there doing business and then there were us the teachers. That was about it.
One of the most enjoyable activities we participated in with expats was the hashes. These were pre-planned runs/walks through various parts of Yangon and surrounding areas. The few expats that were living in the city would get together on Sundays and go through the back alleys and/or surrounding countryside getting some exercise, interacting with the locals and sight-seeing. It was always great fun and educational. At the end of the hash was the reward of snacks, beer and very corny jokes by the master of ceremonies!
The country
In short the country is beautiful and ugly, enchanting and depressing all at the same time. I think of it as a country of contrasts. Let me explain.
Yangon the capital is rundown but has many beautiful buildings and lots of parks and open spaces. We used to love to walk along the shores of Inya Lake before sitting down at a quaint lakeside open-air restaurant to have dinner. As I detailed in an earlier diary electricity is a pain in the butt! But, on the other hand, it has its charm because walking the streets of the city during power outages with hundreds of homes, shops and restaurants lit with little kerosene lamps is really cool! Another diary pointed out the pollution problems in the city and the sad condition of infrastructure and vehicles that drive on it. Incredibly refreshing was the total lack of western influence in the country. No fast-food chains, no 7-elevens or Quick Trips to remind you of the incredible impact western cultures are having on the planet. There are still places where McDonald's isn't.
We had the opportunity to travel outside the city into the countryside too. We visited
Bagan located in the plains of central Myanmar the sight of thousands of 800 year old stupas and temples covering a 40 square kilometer area. It is touted as one of the most spectacular sights in all of Southeast Asia. Built over hundreds of years by different rulers of different empires it is a stunning sight. While there we also visited Popa Mountain site of a Buddhist monastery. The ride to Mt. Popa began by driving through semi-arid land, through a petrified forest, through plush volcanic farmland to Mt Popa, an active volcano. At the little town at the base of Mt. Popa hundreds of monkeys entertained us by getting into a huge fight with each other. I know now why they are our closest relatives!
The Government
A very brief history:
On 4 January 1948 Myanmar became independent and left the British Commonwealth. Almost immediately, the new government was faced with complete disintegration of the country. It's history was a troubled one before this date and that trouble has pretty much continued to the present.
The name for the country was changed in 1989 by the military government from Burma to Myanmar. In a national election held in 1990 Aung San Suu Kyi"s National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had however already been detained under house arrest before the elections. She has been under house arrest off and on for the last 15 of 21 years but was most recently released on 13 November 2010.
Our first personal story in which the government of Myanmar touched our lives involved the residence of Aung San Suu Kyi. Her house is located on Inya Lake located 6 miles north of downtown Yangon. On our way to and from the school we would routinely have to detour around her residence due to the roadblocks set up to guard access. On two different occasions, however, we unexpectedly drove by her house in the vehicles taking us to school.
The first time was in a government looking townhouse type car that offered us a ride one morning. He drove right through the roadblocks without even a hint of being detained by the guards. As we flew by he pointed out her residence and we caught the briefest of glimpses.
The second time was more traumatic. We had hailed a cab for our normal commute and for some unexplained reason the driver decided to ignore the detour and proceed toward the roadblock. This time we got plenty of attention. Guards pulled us over and asked us to produce ID and wait in the taxi. The driver was instructed to step outside and follow the guards. For 30 tense minutes we waited in the cab while overseeing the cab driver receiving the third degree. When he returned he had what appeared to be a citation or ticket which he was not at all happy about. He didn't speak much English and we didn't ask many questions as it was clear he was not in the mood. To this day we have no idea why he took that route but it enabled us to catch a more complete second glimpse of the residence of the famous Nobel Peace Prize winner. Luckily we avoided getting an up close glimpse of a Yongon jail!
Another time the government reached out and touched us in a personal way was when my wife and I were out strolling the streets of Yangon one afternoon. We stumbled upon a university campus and decided to go in and take a look. We noticed the guard house at the entrance but there was nobody in or around it so we said what the heck, let's give it a try. We got about 2/3rds of the way into the place when we were surrounded by 4 guards. While nearby students looked on (we never got a chance to talk to any of them) we were personally escorted back to the entrance.
The final example of intrusion into our personal lives revolves around the internet. The government requires all e-mail traffic be routed through its servers so it can monitor communication into and out of the country. Everyone (expats) knew this so we conspired and researched sites that circumvented this Patriot Act type of eavesdropping. The trouble was the government would discover the sites periodically and shut them down. We had a site connected to professional baseball that we used for a while. I typed in all our addresses and one month later without warning it was shut down. Found another site (called Hot Legs - had trouble explaining this to some contacts) and one month later it was shut down.
So there you have it. The end of my tales of Myanmar. Would we go back? As Palin would say, "You betcha!" Would I recommend a visit? You betcha! But I caution you you won't see Russia. But you could possibly see Shwedagon from your living room!
Shwedagon
View of Yangon out of our apartment. Shwedagon in the background.
View of Scott market close to our apartment.