Integration

February 3rd, 2013

Mandalay, Myanmar

Song of the Day: Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum

Mood: Relaxed

Foreigners

Myanmar is rapidly opening to the west and attracted over a million foreigners last year. Each foreigner needs to find out how he or she fits into the culture and how much to integrate. Some, like me, are here for several weeks and want to establish a sense of feeling grounded and connected. Some, like the Globetrotting Missiologist, are only here for a short tourist visit. Some are here for extended periods like the Liberator, who works through World Vision to identify and free child soldiers with the help of the government.

Chatting with the Globetrotting Missiologist and the Liberator

Small world moment: The Globetrotting Missiologist and I met at Yale 6 years ago and we discussed connecting my parents and him. A half-decade later, in Yangon of all places, everyone was finally able to meet in person. In addition, the G.M. teaches in California and he was randomly the roommate of the head pastor from my church in Detroit last summer at a conference in Milwaukee. It's a small world after all.

Gulliver in the Land of the Lilliputians

As much as I want to fit in, sometimes my size makes me stand out. In Jonathan Swift's epic tale, Gulliver travels to a land where the locals (the Lilliputians) are 1/12 his size. Although the dimensions are not quite right, I often feel like Gulliver here.

This 14-year old postcard seller is part of my dad's outreach to fatherless boys in Yangon

This weekend, I flew to Mandalay. For some people, the seats were big enough. For us Americans, they were not. Since the seats were so close, I had no room to slouch. Without slouching, there was nowhere to put my head, making the "headrest" useless.

My knees literally ran into the seat in front of me

Notice how much space the Burmese man across the aisle had!

Even if I put my head all the way back, I couldn't touch the seat

Thanaka

Like most foreigners one of the G.M's first questions was, "what's that stuff on people's faces?"  It's not a weird medical condition, it's thanaka.

Thanaka is a paste made from grinding bark, wood, and roots and smells like sandalwood although it can be made from a variety of trees found in Myanmar. (Thanks Wikipedia) It is worn by women and children. Boys tend to stop wearing it around puberty, although sometimes men still wear it.

Varieties of thanaka

Man demonstrating how thanaka is made

Thanaka serves four main purposes:

1. Aesthetic. Many people find the patterns attractive.

2. Sun screen.

3. Coolant. Myanmar can get hot (even in January, the coldest month, temperatures rise above 90°F almost every day) and the need to stay cool in the sun is paramount

4. Restorative. People believe that the cream removes wrinkles and keeps the skin looking fresh.

Longyi

Burmese dress is somewhat different than traditional American garb in that men and women wear longyis. While the majority of people still wear longyis, more and more men are wearing western-style clothes.

Posing with one of my dad's M.Div students

To more fully integrate, I have started to wear longyis on occasion and just bought my second one yesterday. People really appreciate the effort and tell me I look handsome, although they make fun of my tying ability.

"Tuk Tuks"

Many, many people commute around Yangon on trucks the G.M called "tuk tuks", although buses is technically correct. While I enjoyed my experiences on "tuk tuks", I still prefer normal cars with seat belts and no chance of hitting my head on the ceiling.

Typically, these little buses are much fuller. First the seats fill up, then the standing area in the back, and then…

Toilets

In most of the hotels and places westerns go, the rest rooms are very similar to what you find in America. You can see a toilet at this mobile urination station:

The less touristy, and more outside of Yangon we've gone, the toilets have changed. I've embraced many parts of the culture, but this is where I draw the line:

This serves all of men and women's toilet needs. Don't miss the bucket in water on the left hand side. I'm not sure what it is for, but there wasn't any toilet paper...

Angry Birds

Just as foreigners are rushing to Myanmar, western brands are also becoming increasingly present. Surprisingly, the most popular brand (by far) in Myanmar is Angry Birds. Everyone loves it! I find it shocking that people would even know about Angry Birds because phone penetration is only 5% for the country, which is mostly low-tech phones. (H/t: WSJ Jan '13) Yet, everywhere we go people are wearing Angry Birds apparel.

(From L to R: Street vendor, horse driver, M.I.T. student, notebook at Buddhist monastery)