Lindsey Merrison, the director of this documentary titled ‘Our Burmese Days’, brought her mother, Sally, and uncle Bill back to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) to revisit their past and unearth family histories. However, it was a painful journey for both Sally and Bill because it was their first visit in 40 years ever since they left Burma, and what was once stored aside, had to be reopened.
There were two things that gave me quite a thought after watching this documentary. The first was when Sally, repeatedly and stubbornly replied that she did not want to state her reasons for not admitting that she was from Burma, instead from Hamel Hampstead. No matter how many times asked by her daughter, Sally still kept her stand firmly by keeping the reasons to herself.
Her decision to do so kept me wondering why would she want to leave the past behind as something that would really affect her very much if it was brought into light. Was it something that had happened last time that she wanted to keep it to herself? Was it that she wasn’t proud of where she came from because she was afraid that people would look down on her?
In life, each and every one of us has our own secrets to keep. Even if we let someone we trust know everything about us, there will be at least one secret which we want to keep it and bring it with us to our grave. However, if the reason were to be her (Sally) not being proud of her origins and afraid that people would look down on her, then it is quite disappointing because it was where she was born and brought up. A place where it had mould her into what she is today. Her parents were buried there, and that was where her childhood memories still linger. Personally, I feel that she should not deny that she was from Burma. So what if people look down on you because you came from a third-world country? It is like indirectly disowning your mother, and saying that other people’s mother is yours. It also reminded me about Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, who went to Vienna and denied her roots. Somehow denying your origins or roots is equivalent to not staying true to yourself.
Second thing that I realized was that we should be proud to be Malaysians. I hear people complaining that Malaysia is a country that has its flaws which, sad to say, could not be accepted by these people. But think it this way – at least Malaysia can provide its citizens food to eat, the economy though may not be as stable as other countries, it is still stable enough for us to live through. Every city in every state is slowly developing, and we are lucky to have sufficient basic necessities. Thus far, we haven’t had a war ever since we gained independence; though just very little and small disputes. What more could we ask for? Public and private universities are also mushrooming.
It is undeniable that human nature, we tend to make comparisons between something old, and something which we deemed better. Looking at the state of Burma through the camera’s lens, I felt very fortunate that I am lucky to have a comfortable shelter, good food to eat, and am able to attain education. I may sound like a typical girl trying to sound like she’s really happy with what she has, but yes, in all honesty, I am very lucky to be staying in Malaysia. I just hope that those people who complaint about this country will one day realize that they are already very fortunate to live in a place that is free from the most dangerous things that anybody will not want – earthquake, hurricane, constant protests, or drought. What more could we ask for?
There were two things that gave me quite a thought after watching this documentary. The first was when Sally, repeatedly and stubbornly replied that she did not want to state her reasons for not admitting that she was from Burma, instead from Hamel Hampstead. No matter how many times asked by her daughter, Sally still kept her stand firmly by keeping the reasons to herself.
Her decision to do so kept me wondering why would she want to leave the past behind as something that would really affect her very much if it was brought into light. Was it something that had happened last time that she wanted to keep it to herself? Was it that she wasn’t proud of where she came from because she was afraid that people would look down on her?
In life, each and every one of us has our own secrets to keep. Even if we let someone we trust know everything about us, there will be at least one secret which we want to keep it and bring it with us to our grave. However, if the reason were to be her (Sally) not being proud of her origins and afraid that people would look down on her, then it is quite disappointing because it was where she was born and brought up. A place where it had mould her into what she is today. Her parents were buried there, and that was where her childhood memories still linger. Personally, I feel that she should not deny that she was from Burma. So what if people look down on you because you came from a third-world country? It is like indirectly disowning your mother, and saying that other people’s mother is yours. It also reminded me about Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, who went to Vienna and denied her roots. Somehow denying your origins or roots is equivalent to not staying true to yourself.
Second thing that I realized was that we should be proud to be Malaysians. I hear people complaining that Malaysia is a country that has its flaws which, sad to say, could not be accepted by these people. But think it this way – at least Malaysia can provide its citizens food to eat, the economy though may not be as stable as other countries, it is still stable enough for us to live through. Every city in every state is slowly developing, and we are lucky to have sufficient basic necessities. Thus far, we haven’t had a war ever since we gained independence; though just very little and small disputes. What more could we ask for? Public and private universities are also mushrooming.
It is undeniable that human nature, we tend to make comparisons between something old, and something which we deemed better. Looking at the state of Burma through the camera’s lens, I felt very fortunate that I am lucky to have a comfortable shelter, good food to eat, and am able to attain education. I may sound like a typical girl trying to sound like she’s really happy with what she has, but yes, in all honesty, I am very lucky to be staying in Malaysia. I just hope that those people who complaint about this country will one day realize that they are already very fortunate to live in a place that is free from the most dangerous things that anybody will not want – earthquake, hurricane, constant protests, or drought. What more could we ask for?
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