Burma

My mother’s family is from Burma. Going to Burma for the first time, when I was 16 years old, was a real life changer. I had grown up in a well-to-do family of doctors and engineers. These successful people had come from a place where hard work and dedication is the norm, in a country where the poverty is striking and the government cares nothing.

I had heard stories in my childhood of how my mother had to hide underneath a mattress when the government raided her friend’s house at night. How someone she knew disappeared one day and was never heard from again…

My experience in Burma was the best experience I could ever ask for. My family likes to travel, and together we have experienced many countries from Estonia to Mexico, but I can say for certain that Burma has been by far the poorest country I have seen. Despite the poverty, and the injustices they face against the government, the people manage to make do. I have never before seen such friendly people, so curious and outgoing and strong. I fervently hope that they will achieve democracy within my lifetime. They have to.

I snuck across the border into Burma on a dare. Yeah, what’re you gonna do about it?

A plethora of peoples, staring at me. Lots of signs I couldn’t make heads or tails of, in Burmese. Wonderful Buddhist temples and young monks doing work. The woven straw huts and jungle foliage.

If only I had more than one day!

I feel so blessed to have gone to this amazing country even if I only went to Yangon. I saw so many monks and nuns, i fed some during a feeding ceremony, i participated in a meditation, i met a head monk, i visited the shwedagon pagoda, i met amazing people, i saw heartbreaking poverty and gave food and money to children who deserved it more than any i’ve seen, i saw the junta in practice and feared the men with AK40 guns…overall i would say this was by far a worthwhile and intense place.

the sad thing is that I went on Semester at Sea and I was probably the last voyage to go because they have decided to take it off the itinerary because the nobel prize winner supposed to be leader is under house arrest and the junta is a terrible government.

just to let everyone know to join the campaign for burma!

http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/

“to help out the people of Karen”...
Karen is not a place…
but a group of people that have named themselves Karen that live in southern Burma and are currently engaged in civil war.
read many posts about people not wanting to visit Burma or not go back if they did visit already, because of the political situation.
my boyfriend is Karen, a refugee from Burma, and also served in this war. the Karen, since WWII have been trying to claim land for themselves from the oppressive Burmese.
there are other minority groups as well, that face these problems. they are being forced to live as the Burmese or Thai, giving up their own unique cultures, that soon, may not be in excistence on this planet.
it’s a very sad story, and scary that it is real and happening right now in this world.

This is the homeland of Aung Aung .. my dearest. Of course, I would wish to visit this place. To understand his culture, religion and the place where he spent his childhood, better.

Rangoon, Mandalay, Inle Lake

Ήρθαμε εδώ με την οικογένειά μας και μείναμε με τη μητέρα μου στο νόμο τόσοι πολλοί χρόνοι.

Η σύζυγός μου είναι μια βουδιστική και αυτή είναι από αυτήν την θαυμάσια χώρα.

I say go to Burma, but be careful who you give your money to. As a priveledged Westerner (meaning I had money and internet access), even I felt isolated from the world when I lived there. I cannot imagine how the residents of Burma would feel if no outsiders came to visit their country to witness and spread the word about their current situation of oppression. Living in such censorship is so damaging to society. The Burmese need outside contact! I am on Aung San Suu Kyi’s side, but I disagree with her saying that tourists should not visit Burma. Only the un-informed tourists should stay away because they end up giving money to the military regime. The concientious tourist will ensure their money goes directly to the people who need it so badly!

This is a country which puzzles me – I enjoy travelling to places which are well off the beaten track in advance of mass tourism yet I will not visit Burma until it, at least, starts to reform from its current politique.