UNCHANGED YANGON

MY CHILDHOOD

Years of my childhood are in faded memory. Vaguely I remember, I was about 5 or 6 years old when first visited to this place.  Though I was born in Rangoon yet due to my parents’ migration of their professional works, I grew up in a Coastal city called DaWei (formerly known as TAVOY) which belonged to Southern Lower Burma region. Since young age, my parents always wanted me to improve English language and sent me to Rangoon on every summer holidays to stay with my relatives to take special English classes at St. John Convent High school. Being medical doctors by profession, my parents are always occupied with their clinical and patients’ works. Therefore they rarely could travel for any non-emergent reasons nor accompanied me whenever I had to go to Rangoon.

To be honest, I wasn’t happy the time being in Rangoon.  Though I stayed at my grandy’s house, I was feeling myself like a total stranger.  I sensed like I am at somewhere I did not belong to.  Means my summer holidays in Yangon, I cried everyday. Why?  Because I miss my parents and my town.  Seriously!!! I talked to my parents  everyday and asked them to come over Rangoon to see me. Finally, my beloved Dad came up to Yangon to see me.  I was so elated. Dad brought me around Rangoon.  Dad and I have plenty of similarities.  Our hand writing, our voice over the phone, our favorite  food and the likes.  We are Chinese but we both love eating Indian food!  There used to be a banana leaf restaurant (I can’t remember the name) on Shwebontha Street we normally go and eat. I enjoyed my Dad’s visit because I could go out here and there with him.  My aunts never let me go out even during those weekends and public holidays.

DAYS IN YANGON WITH MY DAD

One sunny day, we were walking along the Anawrahta Road (formerly known as Frazer Road).  I was so strange seeing those street vendors on platform, we sometimes eat street food and it was so fun. And Dad normally visits his close friend, Mg Mg Hnyat (Photo Mg Mg Hnyat).  This place is just next to Mg Mg Hnyat’s house.  Yes, it’s 33rd Street (Upper Block) of Kyauktada Township, Rangoon.  The area that is usually packed with numerous street vendors, photo printing shops, a few cameras and other multimedia accessories shops.  And it’s right behind the Yangon City Hall.

SHOOTING

Since my childhood days, I always see this place in my mind.  It used to be like my playground. I love that place, for the price of no reason.  Yes, I simply love it.  So I murmured myself, “I’ll shoot this place when I could buy a camera”.  I sense like I have many good memories there.  Inadvertently, I happened to go there again in 2009 June.  Actually, I went there to buy a HOYA UV filter for my NIKKOR AF 50mm f/1.8 lens.  I captured this shot after buying the filter.  And I  have transformed it as monochromatic tone means recalling my childhood days.  Time swings so fast and it’s been 20 years.  To me, there are no significant changes.  It’s unchanged, it’s untouched and it’s Rangoon.  Yes, I miss Rangoon a lot.

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Unchanged Yangon