Chu Paing

“When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I used to answer "a scientist" and later "an anthropologist". I had no idea what anthropologists study then, but I knew I enjoyed watching people engaged in their daily activities from the window of my childhood home's second floor. There was no climax, no plot, or no ending, but there was always something meaningful there in those facial expressions, those choices of fabric, and those changing tones of voice. Now, I am more than happy to be pursuing a career in a field where my childhood affinity is put to use in a professional setting. My childhood home has been long demolished, but I am still here watching people at bustling tea shops in Taunggyi, peaceful pagoda compounds in Mandalay, and crowded buses of Yangon nowadays.”