When we first arrived in Yangon, I was shocked by how developed and modern it looked under the city lights. Given the country just opened up to tourists for the first time after 50 years of military rule and foreign sanctions, I was expecting to see something a bit more rustic and untouched. Instead I saw a huge newly renovated airport, skyscrapers, mansions, nice walkways, hotels and bars. What I didn’t know was that the darkness of night was hiding the truths that we would come to understand about this place over the course of our three days here.
 
As Mike touches upon in his post, our first day in Yangon was incredible though it started out with a pretty rattling moment. That morning I woke up and looked out the window of our room to see that right there at the base of our window were people living in run down shacks cooking their breakfast over a fire. Garbage was strewn everywhere and little kids ran around barely clothed. I was completely taken aback by the dichotomy of my situation and theirs. Here I was sitting in an air-conditioned room with a bed and a bathroom, and not more than a few feet away, there were people living without any of those comforts. Never before in my life had I been confronted with my privilege so clearly. All I could think to myself was, “Wow, Hillary, this is life- remember this moment because this is an important lesson you should never forget.” This set the stage for the rest of our day and the rest of our time in Yangon.
 
Once we left our hotel we ventured out to see the famous Shwedagon Pagoda. On our way there we met with the kindness of the Burmese people- everywhere you looked the locals met you with kind eyes and nods of acceptance. The men chew on betel nuts (like chewing tobacco), which leaves their teeth black/red, and causes them to spit out a dark red fluid that stains all the streets of the city. Shwedagon itself is one of the highlights of our trip so far. It is absolutely breathtaking- you can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of pagodas that surround Shwedagon, each unique and built for it’s own special purpose. It was buzzing with locals who were there spending their afternoon praying, eating, sleeping, and socializing. As we walked around we realized we were one of the few foreigners there, and as such were getting a lot of attention from the locals. People flocked to us to take selfies-from groups of girls to entire families! It was amazing to feel so out of our element. After living in NY where you blend in and lose your identity to the masses, it is truly a strange experience to all of a sudden stand out. Although the attention made us insecure at first, we realized that the locals were incredibly glad to be able to share their culture and sacred site with us, and were loved to see us admiring it so much.

Once we left Shwedagon we walked down the streets and (as Mike details) got pulled into some kind of charity house where they insisted on feeding us. It was an absolutely unbelievable experience. They were some of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and although we did not speak the same language- their love, compassion, and joy was understood. At one point I sat down in a large group of women and children and it turned into a hilarious photo shoot- me holding a baby, everyone making funny faces, and Mike and I just being generally confused. The room filled with infectious laughter, and we all shared in this very special moment. Our first day showed us that even in this international/diverse world, emotions are a universal part of the human experience that don’t need a common language or culture to be expressed, shared, and understood.

Of course we noticed the poverty around us, but it all blended into part of the “experience” of our first day. When we came back from Bagan, we saw Yangon with fresh eyes and the severity of what was around us finally sank in. Never in my life have I seen such a stark dichotomy between wealth and poverty, and that’s taking into consideration the poverty I’ve seen in Colombia. There were these big modern hotels and office buildings surrounded by blocks of slums, and a few tourists such as ourselves roaming the streets trying to make sense of it all. Everything about the city assaults and berates your senses: the smells, sights, and sounds overpower and exhaust you. I am very aware that there are places on this earth where people suffer from more severe poverty, this was just impactful for me because it was the first time I had ever seen anything close to it. Yangon offered no escape, it essentially slapped you in the face and said, “Hey look, this is life- this is how most people on this earth live, and this isn’t even that bad. What do you have to say about that?”- and it forced you to respond.

It is difficult to put into words what it was like, but all I can say to conclude is that it was a very sobering experience to be confronted with these realities, but also beautiful to share in such a vibrant culture with such incredibly kind people.

Now on to Nepal!