Myanmar (Burma), Wishing, Hoping, Praying...
19/01/05 Filed in: Travel
Living in Myanmar these past 6 weeks has been a
fascinating opportunity, rich with beautiful people
and ancient places steeped in spiritual tradition.
During this time I have been especially fortunate to
live with and get to know a wonderful Kayin family
(pronounced Ka'ren). Headed by Naw Lay, a
single mother, with 4 sons and 2 daughters it is a
close knit family from the very small village of
Mezali, along the Ayeyarwady River
delta.
Most of their early life, living in a small one room thatched house, they know everything about each other and are constantly looking to help one another. Contrast this with life in the western world where one might casually ask, 'how's it going', and then go on watching TV. Here they 'see' each other and understand. When someone comes home they stop what they are doing and greet them and talk about how they are doing, are they happy. If someone looks tired or feels uncomfortable, you might find one family member after another taking turns giving them a massage: sister, aunt, even the mother's village friends and relatives might join in. And yes, on more than a few occasions I have found any number of relatives taking turns working on me, massaging my shoulders, my back, giving me a head massage that continues on until I tell them I'm happy. As a family their mission is to ensure that each other is happy and has a better chance to succeed in life. Family is their basic support system and pretty much all they can depend on.
In the village they grew up in you won't find running water, electricity or paved roads, and certainly no Mega Mart shopping center, cell phones or gas station to fill up the new sports car. It's just simple life at its most basic. Working in the rice field, tending a flock of ducks, hauling water from the river, singing village songs and being with family.
Having spent so much time with them I feel almost a part of the family. As a small token of my appreciation for everything the family has done for me during my stay here, I'd like to share one small story told to me quite innocently by the family....
WISHING AND HOPING, DREAMING AND PRAYING...
Lay
Wah, the younger of two sisters has four brothers.
Her father had died from an illness when she was
still quite young so her mother works very hard,
often many jobs, just to get money for food (a few
dollars a month). Times were very hard but Lay
Wah loved her family and especially her mother who
worked so hard for them all. Thus at the tender age
of 12, it often fell upon Lay Wah to care for and
feed her younger brothers while her mother was
working.
One evening, after feeding her brothers and putting them to sleep, Lay Wah found that there was nothing left to eat, not even the simple rough village rice they relied on. She was very distraught and paced back and forth, very worried that her dear mother would soon come home from a long day's work and there would be nothing to feed her. All Lay Wah could do was open and close the empty rough wooden rice bin and hope. Again and again she opened the box, but there was nothing inside. With her mother returning any minute Lay Wah didn't know what to do. Instinctively she closed her eyes and turning deep within and began to pray. In her innocence and deep inner silence, she softly asked, 'Please God, help me, I need rice to feed my mother, please God, help me now'. Lay Wah opened her eyes and this time when she raised the lid of the rice box it was filled with rice and not the rough quality village rice, but the finest quality pure white rice.
Naw Lay, Lay Wah's mother, entered the house moments later to a surprised and beaming Lay Wah, who presented her mother with the rice. Her mother was also quite surprised to see so much expensive rice and, knowing they didn't have enough money to afford expensive rice, wondered where it could have come from. But all Lay Wah could say was that God had sent it.
From my perspective, if I don't see or find anything else on this journey, I know I've found everything I could have dreamed of finding, and so much more.
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com
Most of their early life, living in a small one room thatched house, they know everything about each other and are constantly looking to help one another. Contrast this with life in the western world where one might casually ask, 'how's it going', and then go on watching TV. Here they 'see' each other and understand. When someone comes home they stop what they are doing and greet them and talk about how they are doing, are they happy. If someone looks tired or feels uncomfortable, you might find one family member after another taking turns giving them a massage: sister, aunt, even the mother's village friends and relatives might join in. And yes, on more than a few occasions I have found any number of relatives taking turns working on me, massaging my shoulders, my back, giving me a head massage that continues on until I tell them I'm happy. As a family their mission is to ensure that each other is happy and has a better chance to succeed in life. Family is their basic support system and pretty much all they can depend on.
In the village they grew up in you won't find running water, electricity or paved roads, and certainly no Mega Mart shopping center, cell phones or gas station to fill up the new sports car. It's just simple life at its most basic. Working in the rice field, tending a flock of ducks, hauling water from the river, singing village songs and being with family.
Having spent so much time with them I feel almost a part of the family. As a small token of my appreciation for everything the family has done for me during my stay here, I'd like to share one small story told to me quite innocently by the family....
WISHING AND HOPING, DREAMING AND PRAYING...
One evening, after feeding her brothers and putting them to sleep, Lay Wah found that there was nothing left to eat, not even the simple rough village rice they relied on. She was very distraught and paced back and forth, very worried that her dear mother would soon come home from a long day's work and there would be nothing to feed her. All Lay Wah could do was open and close the empty rough wooden rice bin and hope. Again and again she opened the box, but there was nothing inside. With her mother returning any minute Lay Wah didn't know what to do. Instinctively she closed her eyes and turning deep within and began to pray. In her innocence and deep inner silence, she softly asked, 'Please God, help me, I need rice to feed my mother, please God, help me now'. Lay Wah opened her eyes and this time when she raised the lid of the rice box it was filled with rice and not the rough quality village rice, but the finest quality pure white rice.
Naw Lay, Lay Wah's mother, entered the house moments later to a surprised and beaming Lay Wah, who presented her mother with the rice. Her mother was also quite surprised to see so much expensive rice and, knowing they didn't have enough money to afford expensive rice, wondered where it could have come from. But all Lay Wah could say was that God had sent it.
From my perspective, if I don't see or find anything else on this journey, I know I've found everything I could have dreamed of finding, and so much more.
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com