Until December 1 we are temporarily owners of some serious real estate. Wondering how? Read on to learn about the latest developments.
We started our last blog with the number of infections in Myanmar, which was still not bad at the time. However, that number has risen to a few thousand in recent weeks. The government has therefore created strict measures, and the 5.5 million inhabitants of Yangon have all received a Stay-at-home order. Travel is restricted throughout the country, and in-country travel, or even in-city travel, is subject to strict three-week quarantine requirements. This is a lockdown like we have not (yet) had in the Netherlands. Yangon, a city that is normally teeming with people, car horns, taxis, and buses was deserted from one day to the next! Incredible. We see pictures of streets that are completely deserted which is a bizarre sight!
With the permission of a 'ward elder', one person per family can leave the house to do the shopping. This week the lockdown has been extended with three weeks.
We heard back from our business partner Ruata that this has made life difficult. Keeping his company running without 30 employees is impossible as they are unable to leave their homes. Many people in the country are day laborers and a day without work is a day without income. Because most people have virtually no savings, it is difficult for many families across the country to keep all mouths fed.
We also heard from Hannah, our translator, that this far-reaching lockdown causes problems as permission is required for every step outside the house, even in the countryside where she now is with her parents.
Even though we have already set up our required company, we do not yet have permission to build tourist houses. However, we can have a house built for ourselves and this is happening as we speak. We are frequently in contact with Hannah and she keeps in touch with the village and the local ‘superintendent’. It is encouraging to hear that a large number of families have income while working on the construction of our house, for which the villagers are very grateful.
It is certainly welcome in this overly complex period in their country. Due to the rainy season they could not start construction earlier, but they are now working hard on our house. Even though it’s all handcrafted, the price of a house is different to what we are used to here in the west - you can't even buy a small family car in the Netherlands for the price we are having our house built for.
Meanwhile, the government has had the road to the village improved, something the residents have hoped for for years. Our Dutch country roads are definitely of better quality compared to the mountain road there, but every bump and hole less is a blessing!
In the meantime, we are working on the language. The unfortunate thing is that we can't test our words and phrases in the Myanmar market and see people smile when we try to speak their language. How would they react if we didn't say 'please' but 'chau zu pyu yway'? or not 'thank you' but 'chay zu tin par tae'. What would it be like if we said 'coffee thout chin par tae' and we actually got a cup of coffee?
Learning about the culture is an especially important part of integration. Probably even more important than language, said an expat friend. Being open to a different culture requires a lot of empathy, patience, and respect to build good relationships and trust. We have already encountered many special situations related to culture so far. The government in Myanmar explains some cultural differences in a fun way on the Ministry of Economic Affairs website. Here are a few...
When you give something to someone or receive something, make sure you do it with your right hand and support the right wrist with your left hand.
In the Netherlands it can seem a bit strange to have your arms crossed when you are in a conversation with someone. It reflects a closed attitude in which you are not open to the thoughts of the other. In Myanmar it shows respect and it is a sign of attentive listening.
It is impolite to say 'No' in Myanmar because you may offend or disappoint someone. Even if you order something in a restaurant and they don’t actually have the ingredients in stock, they will initially take your order. At a later moment, with hesitation, they will inform you that it is not possible for them to prepare this meal for you.
You come across this regularly as people will always try to stay polite and save face. So 'Yes' does not always mean 'Yes'. A 'No' is often done a bit later and with a shy smile. It takes some getting used to and a matter of asking more questions than we are accustomed to.
Ah, and then there is safety. We have already spoken about it a few times, and the government itself also says that safety is not always taken very seriously.
People can ‘safely’ climb the ladder on their flip-flops and then walk over the narrowest ridges without any protection.
Myanmar’s borders are still closed to all foreigners, and we do not know when they will open again. So, in that sense we are still at a standstill. However, we have been working hard and have been able to sell our house in Rumpt. If everything moves forward according to plan, on December 1 we will hand over the key to a family from Utrecht. We are very happy that we succeeded in selling our house. Although after 21 years, it is also quite challenging and saddens our hearts to let go of our lovely house in its beautiful environment surrounded by nature and many picturesque places.
As the plan is to spend part of our time in the Netherlands, we bought a small vacation home in the east of the country! It is a lot smaller than our current house but is still big and good enough for us as a 'Home' for ourselves during the times when we are in the Netherlands and is rentable to vacationers when we are in Myanmar.
We are already busy refurbishing it with help and will furnish it with our own furniture in the next few weeks.
Until December 1, we are therefore the proud owners of real estate in three locations - our house in Rumpt, the holiday home in the east of the Netherlands, and a house under construction in Myanmar! Quite a nice feeling.
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