Kyaw at KL Petronas twin tower

 

Kyaw Tun

I grew up in upper Myanmar in a village composed of 80 houses near a stream. Life is simple, free and dirty. Nobody forbid me from doing of my own pleasure. My childhold is full fun playing and making wooden toy for myself.
I rememberred somebody told me that my father laying in the bed will never come back again. That i never believe. During the funeral i rememberred, the plasterer, who made my faterh grave, said he made an opening so that my father can come out if he wish. That I hoped forever.
I was particularly afraid of death. One reason is when a person die in our village, very eerie sound is played from the loud speaker. Many people cry very loudly even when they are not relative. It is customary to cry during funeral. I heard that somebody die due to wrong-time bathing. And also suggest that people should not bath, because there is no person death due to not having bath. I was very afraid to take a bath. I run away fervently if I were force to bath. Many people believed some devil becharm me to afraid water. My mother and other relative plead thoese deities (there are 36) to release me from encharment. I did not bath almost a year.My family is the rishest in the village. When my father died, he left successful running bussiness. Main bussiness is sesame grinding for oil. The bussiness accompany trading and transportation. It is exterordanily successful for a country proviance. But the bussiness decline as my mother cannot handle changes.
Every weekday, I with other friend walked to school in nearby village, called PathoTha. Though it is not far, I have to walk about 30 minutes. There is a grave yard between the two villages. When I was left behind other people, I have to walk quickly.
I start playing guitar that my elder brother bought. I was taught with Sai Htee Saing songs that I love to sing. My uncle, Ba Kye, a freelance school teacher, teach me how to play guiter. I play quit well after three months of practicing. My life is happy.
We move to a nearby town called Monywa when I was 14 years old. I was quite lonely in the city life. I have only two closed two friends. Almost never talk to a girl since than until final year in graduate school.
Whenever I have money, I play nintendo TV game for Ks 10 per hour. It is quite expensive since a day worker pay is about Ks 100 at that time. When I didn’t manage to get money, I just watch other people playing.
I attend basic higher education in high school state 2. One of the three high schools in Monywa. It was country-wide political stride out in 1988 and the school close about a year. When school reopen I attend ten standard. The matriculation exam is very important for every student and highly influent one life. Fortunately, I get good school and able to get engineering university entrance. Government is not stable and universities are not open yet. I waited about two years. I well spent this time to improve English. I read a lot of English classic novel. Mostly I bough a old book shop in Monywa and Mandalay. My English skill is almost zero at that time. Later I scribed Time magazines and able to understand with the help of English-English dictionary.