Feeling blessed in Yangon


Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

“We (I) will help you”

I have been told this sentence over and over again. Everywhere I found myself here in this beautiful city of Yangon, I got nothing but generous help. A kind of help that I would never have imagined of…

I have been working and receiving help from Burmese locals this past week. Sincere, caring, talented, trustworthy, and kind are the first adjectives that popped up in my mind when thinking of how to describe them. Surprisingly, this blog is, by far, taking me much longer than usual. I am not sure if I can do them justice in conveying how amazingly loving they all are.

Coming here not knowing anyone and having almost no proof of my identity, I had thought that building trust would be a difficult challenge. I can’t be more wrong. My premature assumption was clearly proved to be invalid.

 

A UNDP National Consultant trying to call and successfully connecting me with everyone he knows that works on water issues…

A retired pro-rector and an adviser on environment and education showing up in the guest house and taking me around to meet the people that he knows can help…

University professors agreeing to help with anything they can, from sharing their knowledge of the issue to directing me to the right people…

Senior engineers, consultants, and directors agreeing to take me along in the field, offering help with translation, and resisting my failed attempts to pay for my own breakfast, lunch, and snacks…and all agreeing that they now have a new “daughter”

A business owner coming to find me, offering her whole day (and potentially more days) taking me to meet with her friends who know of and experience water crisis, helping to find a translator for the VDO clips Janine and I had filmed in the dry zone…

A monk, a doctor, a reporter, and many individuals taking their time and patiently sharing me their stories and thoughts…

A local NGO calling and offering to come find me…

 

Meeting one person leads me to many more. Unexpected help is being offered.

Burma is an absolute definition of beauty. Beautiful country, beautiful culture’s’ (and I would like to stress my “s” here), and beautiful people.

I can’t be more thankful. I keep wondering what I have done to deserve all this.

“Are you Buddhist? In Buddhist, if you are good, the good thing will come to you”

Right. Now I will just have to live up to what has been given… Not easy.

Shwedagon Pagoda (2), Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda (2), Yangon

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