From: Gyit Tu
EMail: mgyit@yahoo.com
I love my country but I have not been back for visit since 5 years ago. The last time I went back for visit was in 1995 and it was a hectic & short 2 weeks which passed by as if with speed of light. Do not be mistaken; I feel very happy to go back for visit. I grew up in a foreign land but I never forget the memories or attachments of my birth-place. If then, why haven’t I visited more often? It’s not the distance. From the country I currently reside, it takes less than 2 hours of plane ride.
First of all, I dislike having to “pay” my way through, beginning from the Yangon Airport. If I didn’t have a “present” for those in-charge, I could be the last one leaving the immigration counter. Never mind the fact that I only might have one small luggage with me. In many places, a group of people will swarm to you and offer their “help” to make your official paperwork more efficient. Of course, you have to give something back in return. You see, in the country I live in, there is no such thing. As long as I am honest, I can get things done efficiently anywhere and any time.
Being a girl, I love shopping. But when back in Yangon, I simply hated going to shops because I had to do the endless round of bargaining and looking out for best deals. I do not understand why the shops will double the selling price when the buyers will eventually slash it down to original price during the process of bargaining. Do we really enjoy wasting time that much? I simply do not understand. That is why I adore the fixed-price-policy in shops of foreign countries. I like the fact that I don’t have to worry about whether I am paying the right value. Even if I was overcharged, I can be sure it won’t be double.
When I was walking along the crowded streets of Yangon, I was scared of being run over by cars as well as people. I heard obscenities being shouted over the traffic. Are we not supposed to be religious Buddhist people? People seemed more hostile than ever during my last trip. On the road, they looked at you from head to toe, as if what you are wearing tells them of your character. I really hated having to carry a thick wallet whenever I went out to buy something. If only they had such thing as credit card, it might help.hen I was a kid, my mother made me wear all those gold ring, bracelet, and chain whenever we had to go for certain functions. I simply disliked that. I didn’t understand why I had to wear all those; to impress people? To be accepted as one of them? Burmese people have the habit of adorning from head to toe in as many gold chains, bracelets, and rings made with big (the bigger the better) diamond, ruby and every other valuable stone available in our country. Mind you, there are people who wear those all the time. I wonder; don’t they find those very heavy? Do they think a person’s quality or status can be determined by how many diamonds or how much gold he/she possesses? When my Significant Half presented me with a gold diamond ring (as symbol of our “unofficial” engagement), I asked him why he didn’t get a white gold or silver (which I prefer over gold) ring with diamond. His answer was simple; “I don’t want your parents to think I can’t even afford to give their daughter a gold ring”. I was amused at his answer but saw some truth in it. Probably our old folks have this mentality in their mind (not that my parents judge people by their wealth).
I love meeting my relatives and friends whenever I go back for visit. But why can’t they understand that being in a foreign country isn’t as glamorous as they thought? When we give them the true pictures of “suffering” stories here, they think we simply are finding excuses not to help them. It’s true we might have a better life here (latest technology at our fingertips, no mosquitoes, not a single power failure, better education). However, what they do not see are the times we have to work under heavy pressure, have to face the hostility of some racists, and having to constantly prove to others that we can keep up with this ever-changing world we live in. That is why I hate those people who go back to our country with glorious tales, which were probably made up to save face at times. Why cant we be truthful & shed the tears too?
My foreign friends tell me of how beautiful our traditional attire is. Though I have to keep tightening my grip on “longyi” every couple of minutes whenever I try, I still find it something of a treasure. So I was rather upset when I saw many youngsters in Yangon, wearing dresses and skirts or even trousers to temples. It is good to be modernised so that we can keep up with advanced world. However, I think we should not lose our culture & traditions. I live in outside Burma but I still try to pray every day & whenever I was scared, I will chant “than boat dae” for protection. I wonder whether the younger generation in Yangon is still following our religion & culture.
I have never been to countryside of Burma. The furthest I have been to, outside Yangon, is MonYuwar (a town near Mandalay) which is my parents’ hometown. All my foreign friends, who visited Burma, complimented on the politeness, kindness and ever-smiling faces of our countrymen. I cannot recall whether they only meant those at villages. However, I remember seeing those qualities when I saw the video footage of my relatives’ “phar yar htee tin pwel” at a village, far from city. There is no doubt in my mind that our countryside still beholds the many qualities of our burmese people. That is why, one day, when I am old enough to retire, I will go back to burma where I can be surrounded by people who speak my mother tongue and who will always be willing to give a helping hand. Only then, I will learn to wear the beautiful, traditional “long gyi” attire.
Until then, I love my country but I will still have to reside in a foreign land.