trapped in Burma

It’s hard to imagine how anything could rival my experience in Vietnam, but Burma (Myanmar) was another amazing experience. This was the first country I did completely indy – I had no SAS trips. I went around with a few other students, seeing the Golden Rock Pagoda, Shwedagon Paya, a Buddhist monastery, the white elephants, and Scott market. The highlight of my trip, however, wasn’t the sights we saw – it was the people we met.

Burma was taken over by a military junta in 1989, which remains in power today. It is one of the most isolated countries in the world, having only recently reopened to foreign investment and relaxed restrictions on tourism. When it was a part of the British empire, Burma was one of the most prosperous and advanced of the British colonies. In the 80s the UN ranked it among the 10 poorest countries in the world. Since then, the economy has improved somewhat, but many people still feel that Burma is slipping backwards in development. The people have endured decades of repression and economic stagnation. Criticism of the government has been brutally put down. Plainsclothed secret police patrol the streets, listening for a whisper of dissent – particularly when Burmese interact with foreigners. Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been under house arrest on and off for years.

We were warned before disembarking that attempting to discuss politically sensitive issues with Burmese would certainly get the person interrogated, and possibly thrown in jail or worse (Burma has a record of human rights abuses). Accordingly, we did not ask about such topics, but from my 5 days of interaction with the Burmese I could tell that many of them are bursting with desire to tell us what they have suffered and what they want for the future. Often they would come close to saying something sensitive, then shy away.

We had the good fortune to meet a monk, Aung, who has been teaching himself Spanish (note: name changed for his protection). He hopes to get a sponsorship to a monastery in Mexico. When he discovered that we spoke Spanish, words poured out of him – criticism of the repressive government, of their detached economic policies that have ruined the economy, the censorship of information. Aung is an incredibly articulate and thoughtful person, speaking both English and Spanish beautifully (mostly self taught). Despite all the restrictions has managed to become very well informed about the world. He comes from a fairly disadvantaged situation, even for Burma – he is one of 5 children in a family of peasants; his father died when he was very young. He joined the monastery when he was 11, and through this avenue has managed to become educated. I was struck by how much he knew about American political history (particularly of Lincoln and FDR), and about current world situations.

Aung challenged all my preconceived notions about what a monk is like. He is full of energy, singing along with the radio in the taxi, always joking and laughing. He likes to watch soccer and didn’t get much sleep during the World Cup. He has a Gmail account (supposedly blocked by the government) which he accesses through proxies. He is intense and passionate, not serene and detached. Aung is such a broad-minded and curious person, trapped in a country that has isolated itself and peers out at the world nervously and suspiciously. If given the chance, I am certain he would be an active and engaged global citizen. I fervently hope he will have this opportunity.