Inya Lake

January 25th, 2013

Yangon, Myanmar

Song of the Day: Fever by Michael Buble

Mood: Exhausted (I've been sick in bed for 31 of the last 37 hours)

Daily Walk around Inya Lake

During the week, the Professor, Labyrinth Lady, and I like to take a daily walk around part of Inya Lake. It's a great way to get exercise, experience local culture, and have quality time together.

Frogger

First, we play Frogger. (For reference, http://danventuring.blogspot.com/2013/01/traffic.html). We often leave around 5pm and can wait for several minutes at each part of the crossing due to evening traffic.

Beauty

There are so many beautiful and interesting sights to see:

Lovers' Lane

Along the way, there are many two-person benches where couples come to look at the lake and watch the sunset. I was asked to speak to an English class at a local university and when I asked the students where they would go on a date, they all said, "Inya Lake!"

 

Something that is common in Asia, but is extremely rare in America is the sun umbrella, which is lighter than a rain umbrella and is only carried by women or loving boyfriends.

Aung San Suu Kyi

In the distance is where Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi lived in house arrest for 15 years. Recent reforms have led to her release, which has led in part to the lifting of sanctions and high profile visits such as then-Secretary of State Clinton.

In November 2012, President Obama visited and met with her, which led to street vendors marketing new T-shirts:

Animals

I have always loved animals and there is no shortage on the walk.

 

People leave bird food by the side of the road in order to earn good karma. This crow tried to carry off the whole container, but only managed to drag it a few feet.

Requisite puppy break!

Businesses

There are a few businesses along the way.

I love names that allude to literary works

You know what you'll get if you go here

Some businesses are portable:

 

And yes, they do have a driving range where golfers shoot into the water

People along the way

One of my favorite things is seeing all the different people. Some of the people we've grown to know like the Exuberant Gardener. Even though she speaks no English and we speak no Burmese, the Labyrinth Lady and her have developed a deep connection. (To read about it, http://jillgeoffrion.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/connection-what-does-it-take/)

Most people we don't know:

Building an auto dealership

Playing "soccer volleyball" after a hard day's work

 

Praying to the setting sun

Traffic

January 22nd, 2013

Yangon, Myanmar

Song of the Day: Last Christmas (played at the restaurant where we had lunch on Sunday)

Mood: Happy

Mingalabar (hello)!

I've made it to Myanmar and am having a wonderful time so far. To introduce you to the culture, let's check out the traffic

An example of the Burmese language on a bumper sticker. People say that once you learn the alphabet, it gets easier. Maybe next trip...

Orientation

In Myanmar, cars drive on the right side of the road (same as the US). However, nearly all the drivers are also on the right side (opposite to the US). People in Myanmar used to the drive on the left side of the road, probably due to British influence, but it switched in the 1970s for reasons that aren't clear (source: WSJ)

However, in one taxi we did find a driver on the left

New Cars

The government recently eased import restrictions, resulting in a flood of new cars. A significant portion of the taxi fleet has been upgraded from Japanese cars from the '50s and '60s to Cherrys (China) and other newer cars. The government has initiated a lot of reforms in the past 1½ years, leading to a 67% increase in tourism income and over 1 million tourists over the past year.

As cars come in and visitors increase, there has started to be major traffic jams around Yangon. As cars increase, pollution has as well and every ride is filled with the smell of engine exhaust.

A fresh burst of exhaust

No seat, no problem

In America, the driver and the passengers in the front seat are required by law to buckle their seat belt. In some states, the back seat passengers also have to buckle up. Not so in Myanmar.

Share the road

Although car is the primary mode of travel, there are several options:

No motorbikes

One of the most surprising aspects of Yangon are that there are no motorbikes. Motorbikes are a staple of any other major Asian city, but are banned here.

Frogger

Did you ever play the game Frogger? Frogger was my first game when I first started playing Game Boy. The goal of the game is to take the main character (a frog) and navigate him through traffic to reach the other side without getting smooshed. This is exactly how you cross the street in Myanmar.

Essentially, you wait on one side until you see a gap that you think is long enough. Then you run into the middle of the road and wait on the thick white line until there is another opening. Cars continue to zoom around you from both sides and you hope you don't get hit.

Pace of traffic

Sometimes people come up to your window at red lights to sell small items:

Sometimes red lights can be minutes long

 As far as order on the road, Myanmar is closer towards the developing world than the developed world. To be fair, it is not nearly as chaotic as a country like India because people generally stay in their lanes (when it's convenient) and follow traffic lights.

Remember kids:

Transit

January 18th, 2013

Yangon, Myanmar

Song of the Day: Final medley from the movie Pitch Perfect (one of three movies I saw on the plane)

Mood: Jet lagged

Transit

So often in life, we want to complete what we're working on, achieve our next goal, or simply move on. On a trip, once the bags are packed, it is so easy to want to be at your destination that transit can be seen as a major inconvenience.

Yet, we miss out when we rush through liminal periods. So much of life's richness is extracted when we process our experiences. These transitional times are opportunities to refocus and prioritize what to pursue in the next season. I agree with Socrates' conclusion that "the unexamined life is not worth living" and I reflect in order to become a deeper person and live a more meaningful life. I didn't take as much time as I wanted  to reflect when I lived in Detroit, and I want to capitalize on this six-month period to prepare for business school and beyond. Transitioning to Yangon made me excited for the potential of my trip.

Saying goodbye well

At my church, I had volunteered to help my friends with a couple exciting organizations they are starting in our community. On the flight to San Francisco, I sent a draft of financials to support one of their business plans. I felt relieved as I had officially completed everything for which I had volunteered.

During my layover, I sent my farewell e-mail to my friends at BCG. I enjoyed reminiscing on all my great experiences at BCG, updating my friends, and giving them a way to stay connected to my life. I received input from the Insightful Associate which, per usual, helped me better say what I wanted to communicate.

With my inbox down to the single digits, it felt like I could finally move on and be fully excited for my upcoming adventure.

The Humble Genius

My friend, the Humble Genius (see picture), drove to the San Francisco airport and took me out to the Cute Creperie. I learned two important things from the Chinese crepery: 1. Lychee is not a good substitute for boba 2. Taro is better in pastries than as a tea flavor. The rapper Mike Jones might like his purple drank; mine was not as delicious

Having a meaningful conversation with him and continuing to see the fruit in investing in our friendship over the past 6 years made me so grateful for friends like him. One of my goals for the trip is to gain greater clarity about how I want to invest my time at business school. Meeting with the H.G. further confirmed my hypothesis that investing in relationships needs to be a main priority. Close friendships are essential for how I can care for and help others and for my own well being.

Cultural understanding

My transit helped put me in the right mindset.

As someone that is 6'5", long flights can often be terrifying for my legs. I had called ahead to try to get an aisle seat on my 13 ½ hour flight, but I didn't know how generous China Airlines would be with leg room. When I got on the flight and saw my seat, I was thrilled. Exit row for the win!

The whole flight I could stretch out fully and by the time I landed, I wasn't even sore. What a blessing!

On the 4 ½ hour flight flight to Yangon, the guy next to me had no problem putting his arm on top of mine on the arm rest or having his leg touch mine. Americans quite prefer to have personal boundaries, but when I've been in other countries like India, there is a completely different paradigm of personal space.

I realized that this trip will be full of minor inconveniences and it will be a very long trip if I get annoyed and mad when anything isn't like America. Instead, I can appreciate the pleasant surprises like extra legroom and renew my mind to appreciate the amazing opportunity I have to travel.

Stay tuned for initial thoughts from Yangon…