Solving problems
Posted by: Fats in: Fats, Vitamins & Minerals > Burma 2004A photographer from 7Day News came today and took my photo for their paper. And I finally finished the presentation materials for the sound workshop. 
I realized this was necessary to make sure that language does not become too much a barrier - it is much easier for the participants to understand if they could read a kind of caption of what I am trying to say.
THA called up yesterday and said he will arrive tomorrow, Thursday, to discuss his portion in the sound art workshop. I have asked him to present his work to the participants in the workshop.
I also just finished discussing with YN the Myanmar arts website, and we’ve finished the information design part and I’ve asked her to make a flowchart for the proposed website so we can discuss again tomorrow. I like YN a lot, she volunteered to work for the library and she comes on time for her schedule (1-4PM) three times a week. She knows English quite well and has also taken up German language classes to prepare for the possibility of studying or working in Germany where her aunt lives. During the web design workshop, she was very enthusiastic and learns quickly and likes to teach the others as soon as she is finished with her work. Her background is in computer programming although she says they learn very little about programming in school. She’s quite creative, though, and she was one of those who came up with quite interesting ideas to problems I gave them for the web design workshop.
Our cook, MC is here now after about two days off. I’m really very intrigued with Myanmar cooking – although what she prepares for us is a bit more tempered since our host has asked her to avoid too much meat and too much fat and oil in her cooking. Our host also taught her some Chinese cooking. The vegetable (salad) dishes are especially interesting - which I thought was a complicated mix of flavors. They serve the usual green leafy vegetables but add ground peanuts, the leaf of lime fruit, lots of chopped green chili, some lime juice, garlic and onion (they usually don’t slice the onions and garlic but instead crush them into a pulp). I definitely am going to try this kind of cooking at home! (Actually, I knew that MC already arrived once I heard the sound of pounding (peanuts and onions) with the mortar and pestle).
I also really like their tea mix - they come in sachets which are already a mix of tea, cream and sugar. They have the coffee mix too but I prefer the tea. Maybe I could bring some home too.
After all the work is done I can go around the city - maybe I could ask YN to come with me, it should be fun, and I could have someone to translate for me and explain things - and YN really likes to practice her English. I can probably even visit the Shwedagon Pagoda again - the last time I was there I felt so bad because it was raining and I had a really poor instamatic camera!
It’s nearly 12 midnight now and I just had a long and good talk with our host - it was really nice how openly we could talk to each other now about Myanmar and the center’s problems and experiences since the symposium in 2002. I’m going to miss our hosts when they leave for Malaysia early morning on Saturday. I better look after their cats when they’re away. I really like the big male cat, his name is Pu Kwe (or something like that) which means “naughty.” I told BY that poor Pu Kwe will no longer be naughty after getting spayed (or neutered?) yesterday! The vet came in the morning and turned the room next to mine into an operating room - had two cats spayed and neutered. A pity, the female cat, she had a major operation - she was already pregnant and the vet had her uterus removed. Anyway, I really like the male cat because he looked so much like my own cat George.
