Homecoming

02/08/2021 - A week after the coup d'état

I remember my parents pressuring me to leave the country with the chaos piling up in my city. Until that time, I had never lived without my parents, and going abroad all of a sudden was something I didn't see coming. I wasn't ready for the adventure awaiting me; I didn't want to go. On the other hand, the internet shutdowns every night were infuriating. My first university year was online which meant that I had to attend midnight classes due to the timezone difference, and a class I took had a mandatory attendance. After missing a few lectures, the only option left was for me to leave the country. A week later, I was already in Vancouver. I left my family in a very short time, for a place which I had never stepped a foot on. It also happened to be the last time I saw my beloved cat.

Time flew by.....

First-year gone, second-year gone, a year of co-op gone, third-year gone.

It had been 1173 days since I last saw my parents in person. I missed home very dearly. The chance to go back home was in my hands, but the situation there worried me. Looking ahead, this might be my last chance to go back home before graduating, and then life awaits. I ended up buying the flight tickets. After 3.5 years, I was going back home!

I transited in Singapore. There, I got to meet my friends whom I had not met in 4 years. It was a very nice feeling seeing them back. We spent a good time chatting before I caught my flight back to Yangon. My parents and my brother came to pick me up; it really was great to see them back after many years. My grandma and cousin were home as well. I smiled knowing great things awaited :)

It has been 2 weeks since I landed in Yangon. The weather is extremely hot, reaching up to 41 degrees Celsius at times. The heat is fueled by the constant blackouts. The country has stepped back in time when it comes to this; 4 hours of electricity, then 4 hours of blackout repeats throughout the day. I am privileged enough to have been born into a family that provides for my needs, but I often think about how society survives this extremity. I have witnessed laborers working under the scorching sun to get a daily wage of probably 3 to 4 CAD, which is barely enough to survive a day given the rapid inflation going around. Sigh....

On the bright side, I got to eat a lot of things I have wanted since I left; YKKO, Dote Htoe, and more. I got to see the heavy rain with thunderstorms and smelled the fresh ground before it rained, which never happened in Vancouver. These were all I needed while in Yangon. The next few days should be even more exciting, and I'm really looking forward to it!