Ethel lives in Yangon and is a grandmother. For work she gives tours to tourists if they ask her, but mostly she is left up to the donations of tourists who she helps. It doesn't take much to feed the family; less than a dollar a day. She speaks fluent English. Her father was from England, and her mother from Burma. She is a Buddhist.
I met her at her "office," which is across the street from city hall and on the sidewalk in front of the main park. She rests there under the shade of a large tree nearly everyday of the week. She is quite a character; expressive and colorful. She talked openly with me about the government and even took me to visit some other friends of hers, including one man who was laid off when Pepsi Co. left Burma.
I had the chance to visit her home. There is no furniture, electricity, or running water. The grandchildren, her daughter, and her sleep on mats on the floor. It's at the top of a long dark cement stair case. Garbage is in the streets below, and a vista of identical such apartment buildings. She is humble and spiritual. She called me her "grandson."
I gave her a donation of 20 US dollars, for food and medicine. She was very grateful and said she will also use it to help other people who are more poor than she is. |
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