Minglabar is hello in Myanmar. I have found travelling very fascinating: learnt hello and thank you in 8 new languages last year! The power of local language brings smiles on people's faces and makes everything easier.
I
am in Yangon for a month now. In my view, this city is raw, crowded, congested
yet calm, friendly and still mellow at night. Everything is rising, waking up,
finding a direction and taking shape.
My first step:
The
airport is a cute one. By that I mean, it is small and just about basic. As I stepped
out of the airport, I saw my cab driver holding my name card and waving out to
me. He gave me a huge smile and immediately offered to take my luggage. Ah,
back to Asia! I noticed that all cab drivers were wearing the traditional
lungyi and chewing betel leaf. Add to that some humidity. This totally reminded
me of Kolkata. Although in Kolkata, lungyi's are worn at home so this was a bit
surprising!
Why am I here?
My
work experience at Moody's led me to analyze Indian state government finances which
highlighted the deficit in public expenditure on capital assets. I believe that
a partnership with the private sector can lead to sustainable development
outcomes. Thus, here I am interning at a private equity fund in a frontier
market, working to build sustainable businesses in Myanmar. I am excited to be
here at a time when the economy is opening up and embracing changes in almost
every sphere.
The first week:
I
immersed myself in understanding the workings of my firm and what was expected
from me. The set up is very international, with colleagues from different
nationalities such as Myanmar, British, Singaporean, Canadian, Dutch and Portuguese. A talented and welcoming
set of people! I find the work environment very hands-on with a strong ownership of work.
The
dynamics on the roads are interesting: roads are flanked by hawker stalls on
both sides and pedestrians cross them while traffic is full-on. Cars actually
do stop for you (unlike in India) but it takes some guts and practice to carry
this out!
Mobile
internet penetration has reached 80% in just two years! This is a spectacular
development in Myanmar with two foreign players ramping up the
telecommunications infrastructure to support 3G from no internet two years ago.
Analysts predict many sectors would see a similar trajectory and thus this
country offers many exciting opportunities! So yes I have my internet, which
became my lifeline in this last year of travelling around.
I
attended two events in my first week: A women's networking event and a start-up
pitching competition. I admired the enthusiasm of both the organizers and
attendees. Foreign organizations are hosting these events with local partners
and bringing in ideas and expertise. You can see how nascent everything is and
yet to fill a room with 60 people is commendable.
I have been welcomed very warmly by my local friends. They are mostly those returned from an education abroad. They have chosen to come back because "things are happening here" and they want to contribute to that. Smart and bright people, they could be the ones to put Myanmar on the world map!
Officially, one more month to go. Unofficially, we shall see. Lots more to explore!
