"Nay count la?" Sa Ye never failed to ask me that every day at work. That's "How're you?" in Myanmarese language. He could tell if I was happy or not by the look on my face. If, somehow, my bad mood was reflected on my face, he would just asked "You not happy today?" And that would normally put a smile back on my face.
I have my family, friends, comfort and luxuries here. I'm in my own country working 8 & a half hours a day and drawing a much higher pay than them, who are working a minimum of 12 hours a day. And yet, they were the ones that cheered me up at work every day with their jovial faces, constant singing and contented laughter. It made me ashamed of myself. Their occasional thoughtful and nostalgic looks reminded me of what I have and what they don't.
The broken, word-by-word sentences were simple but were as clear as daylight. It took me some time to understand them at first. When you've gotten used to the way they speak, conversing with them can be quite fun and satisfactory. Satisfactory because both parties could get their message across and received a reply! Imagine a duck can understand and reply to what a chicken is speaking.
"You here I happy. You my best friend." So simple but yet it touched me more than a poem could have had. I could string a perfect sentence together but I could never be as expressive and sincere as them. All I could do was to nod my head and beam with pride because I felt really proud that I was considered a friend.
I have my family, friends, comfort and luxuries here. I'm in my own country working 8 & a half hours a day and drawing a much higher pay than them, who are working a minimum of 12 hours a day. And yet, they were the ones that cheered me up at work every day with their jovial faces, constant singing and contented laughter. It made me ashamed of myself. Their occasional thoughtful and nostalgic looks reminded me of what I have and what they don't.
The broken, word-by-word sentences were simple but were as clear as daylight. It took me some time to understand them at first. When you've gotten used to the way they speak, conversing with them can be quite fun and satisfactory. Satisfactory because both parties could get their message across and received a reply! Imagine a duck can understand and reply to what a chicken is speaking.
"You here I happy. You my best friend." So simple but yet it touched me more than a poem could have had. I could string a perfect sentence together but I could never be as expressive and sincere as them. All I could do was to nod my head and beam with pride because I felt really proud that I was considered a friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment