Myanmar's Lady

A chance encounter in a camera shop led us to a conversation with a man called Thiha about the woman people in Myanmar call The Lady or Mother. An San Suu Kyi's photo is displayed everywhere you go. Thiha talked about the progress the country has made in the short time since An San Suu Kyi was released from her long house arrest, and how happy people are to see Americans visiting Myanmar. He said there was a long way to go. "The door is still closed, but the shutter is open," he said. He told us about traveling north to Kachin State to have a chance to greet Mother as she got off a train there. His excitement and optimism were inspiring. He said that she wasn't bitter about the years she was imprisoned. According to her, "Yesterday is simply a lesson for today." A good lesson for all of us, perhaps.