I Love Mandalay

When I return from vacation in April and it is 120 degrees and humid, please remind me of this post.

This isn't a one-way street, where we happen to be going the wrong way.  It's just Mandalay, where people drive "as they like".

Beautiful, decorated fabrics used for formal traditional longyis.

Fresh tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes.  How about six for a dollar?

Red tomatoes, green tomatoes.

Carnations, roses, greenery.

This is the lady who handles the money at one of the stalls we bought from.  She handed change over via a long handled fan.

When I asked to take her photo, her husband wanted to get in the picture.  It is rare to see physical displays of affection in public, which is why she is laughing so hard..and trying to get away.

These women were watching as I took photos.  Taking a break from shoveling sand.  They were surprised that I wanted to take their photo.  I think they're beautiful.  By the way, they're bundled up, because even though they were doing physical labor, they were chilly.  It is winter, after all.  I was wearing a t-shirt and sweating because it was about 90 degrees.

I love to try new foods.  This is a vegetable.  It only cost 50 cents so I bought a bag.  It can be stir-fried, usually with other vegetables.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Longan and tangerines.  $1.00 worth of fruit.

Today is Sunday and I had a lot to do.  I was up early, ready for shopping for school and home.  About ten minutes before the taxi was to arrive, a friend stopped by to ask if I had plans for the day.  I invited her to join me.  She hesitated for a second then ran up three flights of stairs to wash her face and brush her hair.

First we headed to Zeygo Market.  On our way there, I experienced the normal and wonderful experience of connecting with the locals.  Making eye contact and smiling as we sat in traffic or passed each other.  One guy, about my age, was passing my taxi (he was heading in the same direction but in the lane of oncoming traffic) and we made eye contact.  I smiled.  He smiled.  Then he tried to wave while swerving back into the proper lane and almost wiped out on his motorbike.  No worries, he regained control, smiled and waved as he headed past us.

We went in a side entrance at Zeygo, which was fortuitous.  I'd never come in that way and had missed a whole section of the market.  First we entered the notions section.  Zippers, buttons, sparkly stuff.  A bit expensive, but will be wonderful for crafts for summer school.  One stall had nail polish, buttons, rubber bands and other assorted items.  I'll be going back there since we have no supplies like paper clips or rubber bands at the school.

We walked on a few feet and hit the mother lode of paper.  The vendor was more than slightly surprised when I bought 30 packages of crepe paper.  I explained I'm not a tourist but a "sayama" - teacher.  Ah, she understood.  For Valentine's day we're making a "card" for the parents - a sheet of homemade paper (bought from the crepe paper lady), with a heart drawn on, filled with torn pieces of crepe paper glued on and the kids will write - I Love You To Pieces.  Cute, eh?

Next we moved up a couple of levels to the toy vendor.  Sadly (and surprisingly) some of the cheap toys I bought the kids as rewards came up missing the other day.  I was restocking.  I got small Rubix cubes, sticky geckos, fashion rings and magnifying lenses.  The kids will be thrilled.  By the way, yes, like most teachers, I pay for this stuff out of my own pocket.  But easier here than in the US.  I paid $20 for the art supplies and toys and it's enough to last until the end of school.  The irony is that most of the parents are millionaires and could/would pay for this stuff.  I just hate to ask them for it since they've already paid hefty tuition fees.

Next we headed to Diamond Plaza.  Neither of us needed much at Ocean the grocery/general store but we spent 45 minutes there anyway.  First was the bakery.  I bought a loaf of raisin bread since that was the only sliced bread available and will be good for lunches for the week.  I also bought a couple of pastries.  Total price was $1.20.

While at the bakery, which has a section for dining in, I noticed two guys with plastic gloves on their right hands.  Why get your hands sticky when picking up a pastry when you can use a plastic glove.  Clever.

My grocery tab, which included confectioners sugar, hamburger, gin, cheese, dried banana chips and sushi was $11.  I'd planned to get an iced mochachino to go from the bakery but decided to pass.  Saved me a buck.

Next, a few blocks away from the "Chinese market".  It's an area where vendors set up stalls every day to sell fruit, veg and meats, along with an assortment of kitchen related items.  I love the Chinese market.  Remind me I said that when it is 120 degrees out, and I'm willing to settle for the less fresh, more expensive produce because it means less sweating.

The vendors at the market are delightful, as are the people who just work and live on the streets there.  Yes, I still pay the "foreign tax" that all foreigners pay even though I point out that I'm an sayama.  Sometimes that help, usually it doesn't.

Today, I bought longons (like lychee), tangerines, a perfectly ripe pineapple, cucumber, okra, a bucket and a basket for the shelf in my desk.  Total price was about $5.  I also got to take some photos and exchange many smiles with the people working there.  I also got to buy a vegetable I've never seen before being in Myanmar and had no idea how to cook.  But, it was fifty cents.  I brought it home.  There was another one that I saw for the first time here that I may buy next week.  I love exploring new foods.

When we arrived back at school the guards came out to greet us.  I only have to go up one flight of stairs and could have managed my bags but they insisted on helping.

I asked one of the English speaking guards about how to cook the new vegetable (which looks like a grub) and he had no idea.  He checked with another guy, who also had no idea.  Then, luckily, an assistant teacher was working overtime and explained how to cook it.  Stir fried, usually with other vegetables.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I love it in Mandalay.

The Experience of a Typical Shopping Trip

I was in luck yesterday.  I'd lost the phone number of my favorite taxi driver.  But, the guard on duty at the school speaks English and knows my driver.  Perfect.  15 minutes after he called, U Soe Min arrived to take me to Diamond Plaza for my weekly shopping trip.

Traffic, although it was mid-morning, was bad.  It is never good in Mandalay.  We took 35th St., one of the main roads.  It's 4 lanes.  Cars typically drive down the white line, allowing motorcycles to use the remaining road on either side of them.  That's a great plan unless there's more than one car on the road.  After a couple of near misses (motorbikes who tried to turn onto the road or make a left in front of us almost got wiped out) we made it to Ocean.

Mandalay is a major tourist site in Myanmar, mostly people fly in, spend a couple of days then head out to Bagan and Inle Lake.  Most tourists are with tours, either large or small.  So people seem to be more accustomed to seeing white faces traveling in herds, rather than alone.

Stepping out of the taxi at the entrance to Diamond Plaza always attracts looks.  Many of the vendors and taxi drivers who congregate there recognize that I'm not a new tourist and just smile or ignore me.  Yesterday as I was walking to the sidewalk I heard my name called.  One of the Myanmar employees, a nice woman who was hired to work in IT, had spotted me.  We chatted for a few minutes (I was thanking her for the ability to type this from my apartment) and then went on to do our shopping.

Our casual conversation was observed by those around us.  Groups of white people speaking to each other in foreign languages (most commonly French and German, in my experience) is normal.  White woman talking to Myanmar woman not as typical.  Not that people were gawking, just noticing.  It's the kind of standing out and lack of anonymity that I never quite got used to in Samoa.  But easier here because it's a big city.

Once inside, I headed to the elevator.  There were a group of young Myanmar women also waiting and as we all stepped on, they looked surprised, embarrassed...I'm not sure what all emotions.  Did they think I was just standing outside the elevator to wish them bon voyage?  Was it because I was at least eight inches taller (and 80 pounds heavier) than all of them?  I don't know but there was a lot of glances at me, smiles and giggling.

Once on the third floor I made my way to Dollar Plus.  I said hello to the guard who seemed to recognize me and zeroed in on the toy section.  I want to stock up on new treats for the kids.  Fun for them and self defense for me to have educational games for when they arrive early or finish their work early.

As happens in every store I go to, as soon as I reached the toy section, I picked up a nice young escort.  A young Myanmar woman who worked there was never more than six inches away from me.  Sometimes, I've been tracked by a covey of five employees, all huddled around me, watching intently.  At first I found it annoying.  Really, if you want to help just get the hell out of my way and let me look around.  And, I'm really not planning to steal anything so you don't have to watch me like a hawk.

Now, I just say hello to acknowledge their consistent presence and go on with my shopping.  They just want to be there to help me if there's anything I need.  And to carry anything for me while I shop.  That deck of Uno cards was getting awfully heavy.

After checking out with my stuff, I headed up the escalator one floor, focused on getting take away sushi for lunch.  Standing on an escalator allows people to watch me unimpeded.  Yup, I'm large, white and foreign.

I was greeted with smiles at the sushi shop, where they know me.  Our interactions are limited to me pointing at the menu and lots of smiles, but it's a relationship, nonetheless.  After placing my order, the girl waiting on me held up a cup, asking if I wanted the complimentary tea.  Sometimes and I do, sometimes I don't.  Today I did.  She happily brought it.  She also seemed happy that I had her keep the change.  Ten cents, USD will buy a bag of fruit or vegetables in the local market.

After stashing the sushi in one of my bags, I was off to the elevator to head to Ocean, in the basement.  I was the only one in the elevator and it was kind of nice.  No staring.

As I entered Ocean, I stopped at the security guard to let him tape closed my packages (even though they'd been taped closed when I left the store where I bought them).  We both smiled as we went through the drill.  He's used to me by now.

Walking around Ocean, I got stares, giggles and was approached a couple of times by kids wanting to show off their English.  They got stuck at "Hi!"  I give them credit for having the nerve to approach a stranger.  I get the stage fright.

When I go shopping on the school bus with the other teachers I don't get as much attention.  I don't know if it's that we're always there at the same time/day and people are used to that or if it's that it's clear that I'm not a tourist, based on what I'm buying.  Most tourists don't buy 12 packs of TP.

One consistent thing is that everyone checks out what I've got in my basket.  Once, at the check out counter, one group of women got carried away and started moving stuff around in my cart so they could be sure to see everything I was buying.  And they were discussing it.  It was as if I was completely invisible until I said hello in Myanmar and started taking things out of the cart to place on the counter.  They seemed a bit embarrassed then.  I think their curiosity just carried them away.  Today, no one touched, they just looked.

I wonder what they think of my purchases.  What's with all the cheese and butter?  But she's got a bunch of local vegetables.  And why all the games?

After checking out, one of the many security guards (who also function as bag boys) helped me load up hands/arms with my full backpack and four large bags.  Scrabble and Monopoly games aren't heavy but they are awkward when you're loaded down.

Up the incline escalator, across the ground floor, down the granite steps with no hand rails, across the busy street and I was back at the taxi.  Another typical day of shopping finished.