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    Opposite of déjà vu

    Myanmar

    There are [5] photos and [1] story about Myanmar

    Almost every day, Thura, the 10 year old son of Manue and Hayma, (his name means bravery in Burmese), takes his father’s buffaloes on a walk to the river. The buffaloes enjoy their journey grazing along the way to finally take a dip in the refreshing river. Thura sometimes joins his animal friends in the water and plays with them. He told me that the water buffalo posing with him in the photo is his oldest friend. After I departed from this village, I was overwhelmed with how this small family lived in togetherness with themselves and nature; how much the mother forest has to give to its brave child if he can appreciate and value what she has to offer by: isma Views[607] After preparing the campfire breakfast for the family, Hayma, the wife of Manue (her name means “forest” in Burmese) spends her morning hours cutting and laminating bamboo stalks into sheets and planks that serve as new walls for their small hut. Every year by the end of the monsoon rains, the bamboo planks have to be replaced and renewed to offer proper shelter for the family. Hamya explains that weaving bamboo is one of the ancestors’ techniques in the Shan Region: not only it shelters and protects us during the cold nights, but it also allows for the passage of the river breeze during the hot days. by: isma Views[914] Every early morning, the 40-year old Manue, a son of Pushia, returns with his oxen from the nearby forest with a wagon full of wood. Dressed in his traditional Myanmar longji and a jacket to warm him from the morning cold, he has been following in the footsteps of his father since he was a child. Manue delivers the wood to some of the neighbors in exchange of goods (rice, vegetables, eggs, etc) and sometimes to the neighboring villages in exchange of money that helps him buy specific goods and medicine for his family by: isma Views[768] Pushia, an 86-year old retired wood collector stands in front of his hut wearing his traditional Shan pants. Now, the grandfather of 4 kids has been living in this small village since his birth and has never encountered a foreigner since the last British occupation after the Second World War. Living a life without electricity, phone or television is not a great concern for him, he only worries that the sun will never rise again, and the wood will seize to exist. He is proud of all his tattooed body which makes him feel more connected to nature. by: isma Views[925] Tucked away from Hsipaw town in Shan State, Nothern Myanmar, there is a small village composing of about 15 houses residing on the basin of a river. Surrounded by a dense forest, with a population of about 30 inhabitants, the village is home for villagers from different Palaung, Shan and Pa O, minorities and a prosperous natural plantations of sugarcane, rubber trees, banana trees and, rice fields by: isma Views[953]
     

    Photos: Discovering unspoiled Myanmar

    Thursday, 4 Jul 2013 | Photo Gallery | Scholarship Entry

    Usually upon arriving to a new destination, we look for something familiar to feel more secure. However, my curiosity has swayed me to look for the "opposite of déjà vu"- to indulge in unexpected experiences and situations. In the last few years, I ... Read more >
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    Tags: hsipaw, myanmar, shan state, sustainable livelihood, unspoilded

    About isma

    Almost every day, Thura, the 10 year old son of Manue and Hayma, (his name means bravery in Burmese), takes his father’s buffaloes on a walk to the river. The buffaloes enjoy their journey grazing along the way to finally take a dip in the refreshing river. Thura sometimes joins his animal friends in the water and plays with them. He told me that the water buffalo posing with him in the photo is his oldest friend. After I departed from this village, I was overwhelmed with how this small family lived in togetherness with themselves and nature; how much the mother forest has to give to its brave child if he can appreciate and value what she has to offer

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