What is the experience of being a Muslim in Myanmar, the capital of stupa?

In other words, Arvin found a magic lamp on his trip. The genie said, what did you wish for? I can satisfy you. Gao Jiawen looked at his rustic appearance, then at Momo's fashionable dress and said, I want to be a fashionable person. The genie said: Yes. At that moment, Arvin's soul flew out of the body?

If Myanmar is the country of pagodas, then Yangon is the capital of pagodas.

When I landed in Yangon, Myanmar, it was already late at night and all the shops in the airport were closed. I can't find a money exchange shop or a shop selling mobile phone cards. I only have ten-dollar bills in my pocket, and my mobile phone has completely lost its function at this time.

A local middle-aged man came up with a bundle of Burmese coins and asked me in broken English if I wanted to change them. I asked him what the exchange rate was. He made a gesture to me, 100 dollars for 120000 kyats. More than 10 thousand less than the normal market exchange! However, if I don't change it and take a taxi, the driver can't even give me change. I was cruel and changed 100 dollars with him. On the way back to the hotel by taxi, I regretted how I booked the night flight.

That night, I stayed at a vintage luxury yacht hotel on the Yangon River. The hotel is actually a yacht renovation, and the retro decoration of the room makes me feel like a lifetime ago. The pendulum hanging on the wall, the nautical chart hidden in the mirror, the kerosene lamp used in the last century? All this tells me that I am sailing in the place I have just visited at the moment.

The pendulum of fate points to freedom.

The next morning, the sun shone on the Yangon River, and the river sparkled. At this time, it is the end of 1 1, and the temperature here is similar to that in early summer. I boarded the top floor of the yacht from the deck and went to the hotel cafeteria.

Watch the sunrise on Yangon River from the upper deck of the yacht.

The boy who appeared in front of me was Jimmy, wearing a red shirt on his upper body, black slim trousers and a pair of black sunglasses on his lower body. He is tall and thin, looks about one meter, has dark and healthy skin and long hair. When he saw me, he smiled and took off his sunglasses. I saw his deep eyes, two thick black eyebrows, a high nose and earrings in both ears. By contrast, I am really dwarfed.

He is really a very standard fashion model. If I can open Yangon and Myanmar like him, what I see and feel will be very special!

Maybe it's coincidence, maybe it's providence. When red and white meet, two lives intersect.

Jimmy has a gift for languages. His English is excellent, his pronunciation and vocabulary are good, and he can even hear some simple Chinese. He told me that he had attended a party hosted by a friend on this vintage yacht, so everyone in the hotel knew him. When we had dinner, the waiters all smiled and nodded to him. Perhaps in order to stay healthy, he eats very little, almost a quarter of what I eat. Once he went on a diet to lose weight and his stomach had a memory. Since then, he can only take very little food.

While chatting with Jimmy, I logged into Facebook and checked his account (Jim Ellis), and found that he is still a popular figure on social networks. He posted photos and videos, each with hundreds of likes and comments. What will be the daily life of a Myanmar fashion network celebrity? I am more and more curious about his life.

Facebook photos of Jimmy's fashion activities.

At the first stop, the place where Jimmy will take me is his home, which is a place where Muslims live in Yangon. It turns out that Jimmy was born in a Muslim family, so of course he is also a Muslim.

Every time he goes to church, Jimmy will put on his national costume, and maybe he can see a trace of sadness in his deep eyes.

Myanmar has a total population of about 55 million, with Buddhists accounting for about 90% and Muslims accounting for only 4% to 8%. In recent years, some extreme violent incidents have spread fear and suspicion. As the largest city in Myanmar at present, Yangon has basically escaped violence, but in May this year, there were some skirmishes here, which deepened the fear.

When I put on the traditional Burmese costume Dragon Ridge, I suddenly had a sense of fashion. Jimmy took me through the Muslim neighborhood and through his growth and daily life.

It is said that the root of violence is the legacy of the colonial period. At that time, Indians came to Myanmar as public officials and soldiers, many of whom were Muslims, which planted the seeds of resentment in the hearts of some extreme Buddhists in Myanmar.

Jimmy is walking on the streets of Yangon. Pagodas are almost everywhere, and everywhere can be covered with golden light.

Jimmy and I walked in the Muslim community, and people were not very curious about me, a white stranger. People are doing their own things quietly as usual. Only when Jimmy greets his familiar friends will they give me a notice and nod.

Regardless of yesterday's conflict, life is as usual.

Children playing in front of Jimmy's house.

Jimmy is at home.

Jimmy finally stopped in front of a low house. This is his home. Compared with the building next to it, this house is really inconspicuous. The house is divided into two floors, the bedroom is upstairs, the living room is downstairs and the kitchen is further inside. As soon as we entered the door, we saw Jimmy's family sitting in the living room watching TV.

Jimmy's family

This is really a big family. Jimmy's parents divorced. It is his uncle or uncle who lives with them now. Jimmy also regards him as his father. There are also three sisters and a little niece living together. I am also embarrassed to ask if these three sisters and he are the same father. Besides, he has a married brother and a married sister.

The woman on the right is Jimmy's sister, Mar Lal Singh.

When Jimmy's mother mentioned her sister Malasheng, her eyes were full of thoughts and sadness. Many years ago, Malasheng and her husband went to Ruili, China to make a living. Malasheng was found to have drugs in his backpack by the police. It turned out that her husband had hidden drugs in his bag and didn't tell her. She couldn't prove her innocence to the police, so she was sentenced to prison. It has been 19 years.

This reminds me of the story of the heroine in the film "Ice Poison" by China director Midi Z., who was born in Myanmar: Third Sister was trafficked to China and returned to Myanmar, hoping to save money to take her children back to live a quiet life. Third sister found her cousin and started selling methamphetamine. In a transaction, the third sister was arrested and the person who drove her on a motorcycle escaped. In order to relax his nervousness, he began to take drugs and eventually went crazy?

Movie "Ice" poster

Jimmy's family can only contact his sister Malasheng by phone and remit basic living expenses to his sister in prison every month through his brother. Not long ago, they learned on the phone that their sister would be released from prison in another year.

Jimmy told me that maybe it's because of my sister, my mother often goes to Lacrimosa, and her heart is out of order. He should try to earn more money to treat her.

In order to help us bargain with the taxi driver, Jimmy asked us to step aside. He went up alone and negotiated the price with the driver before letting us on the bus.

Saying goodbye to Jimmy's family, I felt very heavy on the road. I didn't expect Jimmy, who is cheerful and sunny and often has a smile on his mouth, to have such a bleak life behind him. In Jimmy's family, except that he and his brother are working to make money, it seems that all the other family members have no jobs. I can't imagine how difficult they will be financially.

From Jimmy's house, we took a taxi, crossed yangon river along the bridge and ran to East Yangon University where Jimmy graduated. This university is located in the suburb of Yangon, about 20 miles from the city.

The strong man who sells betel nuts, Burmese people like to chew betel nuts, and of course he is one of Jimmy's favorites.

East Yangon University was born out of Yangon University. Yangon University has officially become an independent university since 1920, and is about to celebrate its centenary. It was a first-class university in Southeast Asia 50 years ago. General Aung San, the father of Myanmar, Wu Nu, the first Prime Minister of Myanmar after independence, and U Thant, the third UN Secretary-General, all came from Yangon University.

1988 Yangon university was closed for several years after the Burmese democracy movement that shocked the world. 199 1 reopened, but 1996 showed unrest again. At this time, the relevant military government completely removed Yangon University from Yanzi Lake and established Yangon East University and West University. A famous history school has completely lost its vitality and spirit.

At the entrance of East Yangon University, we both look like college students in this dress.

The taxi stopped at the school gate of East Yangon University. After I got off the bus, I found that the school gate was really simple. Later, it was found that not only the gate was simple, but also the teaching building, classroom and teaching facilities of the school were simple.

At the school gate, we were stopped by the security guard. Strangely, we are easily recognized as foreigners wherever we go in Myanmar, even though we are all yellow-skinned. The security guard refused to let us in on the grounds that we were not students of this university. Jimmy won't let us visit unless he can find his professor or school leader to vouch for him.

By contrast, we two yellow people are really too white to be recognized easily.

So Jimmy had to let Momo and I wait at the school gate, and he went in first to communicate with the professors he knew. During the waiting time, I found that there were many taxis coming in and out of the school gate, but the security guard didn't even look at them. I told DOG that I knew we should stay in the taxi and let the taxi pull us to the campus, which saved us a lot of trouble.

After a while, Jimmy came out on his motorcycle. He was afraid that we would have to wait in a hurry. After communicating with the school professor, he flew out on a motorcycle. After getting permission, we successfully entered the campus of East Yangon University.

There is no artificial lake in the school, and natural ponds can be seen in the Woods.

If you want to use two words to describe this place, in addition to the "humble" used before, there is another word that is "primitive", which is slightly desolate.

Although we just met, Jimmy regards me as an old friend.

Jimmy hasn't been back to school for years. Compared with when he was at school, some changes have taken place in the school and some new buildings have been built. During the visit, we met several of his alumni who came to say hello. After graduation, they stayed in school to teach and became teachers here.

The main teaching building of East Yangon University may be closed at noon, and there are not many students here.

Jimmy majored in geography in college. For three years, he traveled about 15 miles between home and school every day, and it took him three hours by bus. In college, he worked very hard and got excellent grades, especially in English.

The teaching building of East Yangon University is overgrown with weeds.

The sun shines into the classroom.

Jimmy, who is versatile, tall and handsome, naturally becomes the object of admiration of girls at school. He met his first love there. She is a girl in the class next door to the school, a Muslim. One day, he passed by her and heard her singing, so he was attracted by her singing. He found her through her singing. However, good times are always so short. After graduating from college, the girl married someone else.

Jimmy's graduation photo

Jimmy, who graduated from college with honors, didn't find an ideal job in Myanmar. He said that many Myanmar companies do not hire Muslims, and even if they do, the salaries paid to Muslims will be far less than those of other ethnic groups.

Movie: goodbye tile city. In the gloomy tropics, the young girl Lian Qing meets the young Guo, who are all illegal immigrants who trudged from Myanmar to Bangkok.

In 20 14, in order to find a better job, Jimmy managed to get a work visa in Singapore and worked as a waiter in a western restaurant in Singapore. After working in Singapore for two years, he sent almost all the money he earned home to Yangon to treat his mother. In 20 16, his work visa expired and he had to return to Yangon.

Jimmy's Chinese textbook, he once went to Yunnan to learn Chinese, and he can communicate simply in Chinese.

I once read a message on the Internet. Because of employment discrimination, many Muslim men in Myanmar not only conceal their religious beliefs, but also shave their beards and take the same names as Burmese. Their daily life habits are not much different from those of Buddhists.

I started to travel around the world because I was tired of my job. Unexpectedly, at the first stop in Myanmar, I was destined to realize how happy some people are when they work in some places and at some time.

The student canteen of East Yangon University

After coming out of East Yangon University, we returned to the city, and Jimmy took us to a Muslim restaurant. This restaurant is a bit like a tea restaurant in Hong Kong. In addition to being clean and delicious, there is also a feature that it is cheap. These delicious cakes and snacks that exploded in situ are so cheap that we doubt life.

Muslim restaurant in Yangon

Now, Jimmy doesn't have a serious job, and the development of fashion industry in Myanmar is not universal, so online celebrities, as a fashion, can't bring him much stable income, but it doesn't affect his love for life at all.

Jimmy who likes taking selfies.

Jimmy has a dream in his heart. He wants to be an artist. God gave him good skin and rare talent. He is naturally sensitive to fashion and art and loves singing and dancing. Even if you live in the dust, you must absorb the nutrients from the dust and grow into a tropical plant in order to live with dignity and dignity. Perhaps fashion gave him this dignity. He made me understand that fashion is not only a luxury for the rich, but even people living in poverty can still rely on him for strength and redemption.

In Maha Bandoola Square, we sat on the grass. In this downtown park, all kinds of people gather here. They come from all over the world, have different skin colors, classes, races and beliefs, and enjoy this small green space. Jimmy lay on the grass and looked at the blue sky. This day is our dream. When I wake up, I will go on my way and his life will be back on track. Perhaps, the intersection of this day may make us change a little.

One sky, one dream

We met several children in the square. Jimmy told me that they are all homeless street children. They regard the park as their home and haunt it every day. No matter when they go, they can see these children there. I was deeply impressed by a boy whose face was covered with Tanaka powder. Jimmy asked me if I had any change, and I said yes. He bought a bunch of balloons from me and gave them to the boy. The boy is holding a balloon with a smile on his face.

Jimmy said it was the cleanest day he had ever seen. Every time he comes over, he is dirty, and sometimes he doesn't even wear clothes.

The boy smiled on his face with a balloon.

Jimmy and the little boy

When we were about to leave the square, I suddenly saw a woman sitting on the edge of the square, crying sadly and wiping her tears. Another woman next to her was saying something, perhaps comforting, perhaps helpless or equally sad. Jimmy said that the crying woman was the little boy's mother. She takes her children to beg near the square every day.

The next day, when we passed by, we saw the woman and the little boy again. They changed places, and I could hardly recognize their faces. When Jimmy pointed it out to me, I couldn't identify them quickly either.

We are walking through the lobby of a five-star hotel.

Through the crowded crowd, through the bustling or desolate, through the bright or dark, Myanmar seems to be gradually clear in my mind, and then suddenly blurred. This is a country that belongs to Buddha, a bipolar country, and a corner forgotten by time.

I hope Jimmy can realize his dream one day, and I hope the children can have a home one day.

Pry open with a crowbar

I gave Jimmy an idea. He speaks English and Chinese very well. I can introduce my friends who are going to Yangon as tour guides, so that I can earn some money.

If you want to travel to Yangon and need a tour guide service, you can search JameIris on Facebook or contact me by private message in the background.

Photography in this article, the first stop of global travel, Myanmar peer: Momo

DOG and the little boy

The first stop of the global tour in Myanmar has ended, and the second stop in Cambodia has been released in advance on the WeChat group of "Follow Gao Jiawen to the World", 65438+February 8, Shenzhen-Phnom Penh; 65438+February 14, Phnom Penh-Shenzhen. The winner of the free travel at this station is the netizen "Da Meng" who signed up through the simple book platform. Looking forward to a pleasant trip to Cambodia.

I'll wait for you at the next stop. If you are interested in traveling with me, you can sign up by private message backstage. I divide my trip around the world into different stations, and I will provide a free place to travel at each station. I'll pay for the round-trip air ticket and accommodation, and you are responsible for taking photos and recording our itinerary. The only criteria I choose are fun and congenial. Traveling with interesting people is not boring.

I will wait for you here.