A typical day in Nay Pyi Taw

Looking through a set of different lenses … 

Unlike Cambodia where plans changed within minutes of the day, where a meeting was switched to a different day, week or even month, where there was no such thing as a typical day; In NayPyiTaw, at home and at the Parliament it is different; there is indeed a typical day where life is somewhat reassuringly predictable!

Typically, Kevin and I awake to the early call of the rooster’s crow, followed by the Monk’s gong and the 6 to 8 barefooted Monks, old and young who are about to collect food donation from the local neighbours lining on both sides of the dirt-lane-way.

Whilst enjoying our breakfast and coffee outside our little porch, each morning, across the way, we watch the old man with his grandson pace about the neighbourhood.  Hands behind his back, clad in a white and green checker longyi with a green towel wrapped around his head to match his longyi, slowly the old man pushes his gait forward.  All the while, quietly following behind him, his 2 year old grandson emulates his grandfather’s every move, every step…    Beside us, there is a lot of chatter.  Next door, locals in the neighbourhood seem to be dropping by at the local family’s home for this and that.  The young boy, obedient and loyal to his grandparents, while his mother is away on an early shift, begins the day, chanting! With a wave or two on his bicycle, the young boy leaves for school after his prayer.

Here on the home front, the runt, the littlest chicken of the family boldly enters our courtyard to eat morsels of dried rice that Kevin has especially prepared for him.  He is soon joined by his mischievous brother and, mother hen who’s come to inspect what her juvenile children are up to.

Soon the activities on our little lane way slowly disperse to here and there and I usually get ready for work.

The black iron gates creek as I slowly back the car out on to the lane way.    The hand wheel is on the right hand side of the car.  However, I drive the car on the opposite side of the road, which at first was tricky to drive!

As I slowly drive out onto our little lane and on to the main road, I pass a group of Tanaka smiley faces waving in a chorus of  ‘Mingalabas’.

A heard of buffaloes encouraged by their master to equally line up to either side of the narrow road to let motorists pass through, are interrupted by impatient motor cyclists who manage to sneak through. They weave in and out and around buffaloes beeping their horns at them to speed up their gait and to move out of their way.

Once on the main road, street sweepers and more women sweepers covered from head to toe, to protect themselves from the sun, blend in with the traffic to sweep the already eerily clinical streets of Nay Pyi Taw where history of any sort seem to be forever swept away.  A leaf falls in the hand of a masked Tanaka face sweeper before it’s allowed to hit the ground!

Before approaching the first set of traffic lights, a policeman stops the traffic to allow a convoy of pearl white minivans to take precedence over the traffic and directs them to the main road.    These minivans filled with elected MPs from different constituencies throughout Myanmar are taken to the parliament to attend an important meeting.

Onward and upward on the main road, now half way to the parliament, a large group of monks line the street with their food bowls and umbrellas ready to cross the road for the pagoda.

Once I reach the parliament, I go through a set of 3 black iron gates boasting golden ornamental tops.  The guards salute me at the first set of gates and let me pass through.  At the second gate, a group of staff hand me both a car pass and a work pass.  I drive 200 meters more and enter the last gate down the way before reaching one of the 31 parliament buildings: The Union assembly a.k.a. the Pyidaungsu building.

Typically, predictably so, a chorus of laughter is heard in the corridors, in the parliamentary staff offices.  As I reach the shared research office at the end of the hall, there is more chatter and laughter from the wonderful staff I work with.

Typically the day begins with teaching my awe-inspiring students who are enthusiastic, engaged and motivated.  I can always depend on them to lend a hand for this and that.  ‘Tis truly a pleasure to be in their company!  Of course not to mention the incredible MPs that I also work with who are just as delightful!

Volunteering is about having an authentic experience wherever you are.  It’s about experiencing the small stuff:  having an Adventure to the electricity office on my way to work …. ; Coming to work to find a beautiful rose on my desk and having a communal delicious Myanmar breakfast with staff, all in courtesy of the parliamentary staff in our office.  It’s about paving the way for others who otherwise may view things differently than you.   Wherever we are, wherever we’ve been to throughout our travels and living and working overseas, we are usually happy and satisfied!

More later  … ) In the meantime, Wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for August