From Gangaw on Chin Border

  

We left Gangaw on the border of Chin State early as we had two villages to visit on our way to Pakokku followed the next day by the Popa Ceremony at Mount Popa, which I would like to write up. We visited two villages on the way: Je Pout Village with 88 houses and 450 people and Pa Ma Sa Village. Both are subsistent farming villages growing rice, beans, sesame and peanuts and they also had many coconut palms. One boy shinned up a palm and threw down six for us as lesong: presents!  Later that day we came across a troop of women making up the road – in the full heat and glare of sun – by hand. Young women generally make up the roads in Myanmar the only piece of machinery is a steamroller that a man operates. We gave the coconuts and some rice crackers that we had also been given to the young women. Our gifts produced lots of smiles.

Still at Je Pout Village we are giving away glasses generously donated by Sheila Allum of Langkawi and Claire Sancelot of the Hive at Bansar.

At the villages, we kept to our ‘rule’ of giving only to 70 year old people, but invariably one or two younger people managed to get in the ‘queue’. One, in particular, was Ma We Ma who was only 30 but she was a seamstress. She told us that three years ago she had too many orders and had worked too long in bad light and that was when her eyesight started to become poor. In both villages we heard the familiar story of people going to the doctor because they could not see and the doctor giving them sunglasses.

The word suitcase took on a different meaning. Several times Win San asked me to put a pair of glasses back in the suitcase. He had muddled the word with glasses case or glasses pouch. Of course we now use the word suitcase all the time!

Our first customer of the day was Daw Twe Ken who was 76 and had one eye that had gone blind and degenerated into a blue-grey blob. U Sa La aged 78 told us he was happy we had come because he had no time to go to Gangaw to have his eyes checked! U Aung Tin 75 found the right glasses the first pair he tried on! Several people found that in this village and of course it is marvelous for us as it gives more time for another village.

There were some comments today that made us very happy. U Aung Tin aged 75 looked around him and said YES I can see far away now. U Ba O told us he was AMAZED at the difference the glasses made. Daw Ma Gyi aged 70 told us she knew her sight was going about two years ago. It is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT when I put on the glasses.

Daw My Kyi who was 81 had to be helped to walk into the house because her head and hands shook so much. We were very happy when she found glasses to help her.

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Daw Mon Tay couldn’t remember her age, but thought it might be 65! (Of course we don’t stick to the 70 year old rule all the time!) U Kan Ley 72, was in army uniform. We asked if he used to be in the army. No, came the reply but I like the uniform!

We moved on to our second (and last) village of the day. Last because we still had about a six-hour journey ahead of us. Sebastian and I also noticed that Win San was very quiet and withdrawn which was not surprising given the news that Saya Htay’s mother had died.

The first house in Pa Ma Sar was owned by 85 year old Daw Gyi Li Sue. I am not yet 85, but the small, round branches that comprised the ladder that was the only way of getting into the house almost finished me off. I felt much sympathy for about eight other women who labored up that ladder that morning. For cultural reasons we could not have our ‘meeting’ under the house downstairs (which would have suited some of us much better!) Daw Mya Lise was 80 and it was about two years since she has seen  anything. We were delighted when, against our expectations, she could see quite a bit with a pair of Gifts of Sight. A woman with very deformed bow legs arrived. (My heart as in my mouth when I saw her going down the steps at the end of the morning)

We heard a very familiar story again today. A few people who managed to get the bus fare into town and could afford to visit a doctor, were given sunglasses. Trying not be judgemental I wonder if they are cheating the eye patients or are they just doing the best they can, bearing in mind the patients probably did not have enough money for ‘real’ glasses.

The visit ended with lots of happy chattering people and remarks like that of Daw Se Yea who found a complete difference BETWEEN not having glasses and now she has.