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Neil Sowards NEIL SOWARDS c 1 LIFE IN BURMA © Neil Sowards 2009 548 Home Avenue Fort Wayne, IN 46807-1606 (260) 745-3658 Illustrations by Mehm Than Oo 2 NEIL SOWARDS Dedicated to the wonderful people of Burma who have suffered for so many years of exploitation and oppression from their own leaders. While the United Nations and the nations of the world have made progress in protecting people from aggressive neighbors, much remains to be done to protect people from their own leaders. 3 LIFE IN BURMA 4 NEIL SOWARDS Contents Foreword 1. First Day at the Bazaar ........................................................................................................................ 9 2. The Water Festival ............................................................................................................................. 12 3. The Union Day Flag .......................................................................................................................... 17 4. Tasty Tagyis ......................................................................................................................................... 21 5. Water Cress ......................................................................................................................................... 24 6. Demonetization .................................................................................................................................. 26 7. Thanakha ............................................................................................................................................. 27 8. Paper Bags ........................................................................................................................................... 30 9. Primary School.................................................................................................................................... 32 10. The Pig Broker .................................................................................................................................... 36 11. The Tattooed ...................................................................................................................................... 39 12. Mismatched Toes ............................................................................................................................... 41 13. Buffalo Bell .......................................................................................................................................... 43 14. The Church Builders .......................................................................................................................... 45 15. The Outing .......................................................................................................................................... 51 16. The Family ........................................................................................................................................... 57 17. The Shin Pyu ....................................................................................................................................... 65 18. Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Standard .................................................................................................. 69 19. The Fish Harvesters ........................................................................................................................... 73 20. The Pilot .............................................................................................................................................. 76 21. The Scalper .......................................................................................................................................... 82 22. The Medal ............................................................................................................................................ 88 23. The Paddy Farmer .............................................................................................................................. 91 24. The Rafter ............................................................................................................................................ 96 25. The Toddy Farmer .......................................................................................................................... 100 26. The Train Ride ................................................................................................................................. 103 27. Visit to Rangoon.............................................................................................................................. 109 28. Rangoon to Hakha .......................................................................................................................... 114 29. The Chin Bride ................................................................................................................................ 119 30. The Leg Rower ................................................................................................................................ 123 31. Two Gallons of Gas ........................................................................................................................ 128 32. The Retirement Gift ....................................................................................................................... 133 33. The Trekker ...................................................................................................................................... 135 34. The Lawyer ....................................................................................................................................... 143 35. The Agent ......................................................................................................................................... 147 36. The Rock Singer .............................................................................................................................. 152 37. The Line Taxi ................................................................................................................................... 155 38. The Road Builder ............................................................................................................................ 158 39. The Censored ................................................................................................................................... 161 40. The Factory Builder ........................................................................................................................ 163 41. The Grave Robbers ......................................................................................................................... 166 42. The Demonstrator .......................................................................................................................... 168 43. The Student Soldiers ....................................................................................................................... 174 5 LIFE IN BURMA 44. The Porter ........................................................................................................................................ 180 45. The Soldier ....................................................................................................................................... 185 46. The Missionary Kid ......................................................................................................................... 190 47. The Guide......................................................................................................................................... 199 48. Mandalay ........................................................................................................................................... 208 49. The Refugee Child .......................................................................................................................... 212 50. The Birthday Party .......................................................................................................................... 216 6 NEIL SOWARDS Foreword Around the world are thousands of cultures and ethnic groups. Each culture and ethnic group has its own language, dress, ways of doing things, values, and cultural practices. Each contributes to the beautiful mosaic of the human race. This book is about the wonderful people of Burma--children and adults. With five different major ethnic groups, each with subgroups, and dozens of smaller groups. Only a sampling of their experiences can be shared. While the Burmese share a great deal in common with the rest of the human race, these stories emphasize their uniqueness in culture and ways of thinking. Burma is a country in Southeast Asia bounded by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos, Thailand, and the Bay of Bengal. It is about the same size as Texas, but is kite shaped with a tail. The population is thought to be 45 to 52 million. There are many ethnic groups, speaking 110 different languages. Burma was a kingdom for a thousand years until conquered by the British in a series of three wars--1824, 1852, 1885. Burma received independence in 1948 under the leadership of Aung San. Torn by a fifteen sided civil war, Burma tried parliamentary democracy in the 1950s but never established an efficient government under U Nu. The military took over, led by Ne Win in 1962, taking the country down "the Burmese road to Socialism" by nationalizing everything. Their policies took Burma from a prosperous
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