It was in Thailand. I was working in a factory. One day, our manager sent me to a market where was located about three blocks away from our factory, to buy something. He also gave me his motorcycle to ride to the market. At that time, I did not know how to drive a motorbike. When I said that I did not know how to drive a bike, a little boy, who could be around five years old, told with astonishment that ‘You are human. You don’t know how to ride a motorbike?” I felt ashamed a little of it.
The boy was right. He was born in Thailand, one of the richest countries in South East Asia where almost every adult has a motorbike or a car. Since he was born, he sees that every human being is driving a motorbike or a car in daily life. So, he probably interpret in his knowledge through his experience that knowing how to drive bikes and cars is one of the natural skills of human beings. I came from very remote area of Burma, one of the poorest countries in the world where to own a bicycle is a golden dream for most of children.
In our Arakan, many people have never seen a train because we don't have even one inch of railroad track. Every Burmese government through out history just tries to occupy everything, from natural resources to historical heritages of Arakan, but they never think for the benefit of Arakanese and give anything back to the real owners of the land.
I learned how to ride a bicycle when I was a high school student but yet I did not have a bike. I knew how to ride a motorcycle three years later after I got in Thailand.
During the fall semester of 2006, I took sociology class and our class formulated a survey that was conducted at the College of DuPage. According to the survey, eighty-five percent of students use personal vehicle, which means almost every adult has a car in the United States. I began to learn how to drive a car in 2005 in the United States.
In Longman American English dictionary, the definition for the word, ‘car’ is – ‘a vehicle with four wheels and an engine, used by a small number of people for traveling from one place to another.’ However, when the people from poor countries interpret the word, ‘car,’ - it means ‘luxurious’ ‘rich’ ‘high standard’ ‘elite’ and so on, while people from rich countries interpret ‘car’ as a shoe, which is just something useful tool in daily life.
If I came here when I was a high school student before I did not know how to ride a bicycle, I could not imagine that how and what question that a five year old American boy could ask me.
Picture: http://www.bridalwave.tv/flower-expert-red-and-pink-roses.jpg
I learned how to ride a bicycle when I was a high school student but yet I did not have a bike. I knew how to ride a motorcycle three years later after I got in Thailand.
During the fall semester of 2006, I took sociology class and our class formulated a survey that was conducted at the College of DuPage. According to the survey, eighty-five percent of students use personal vehicle, which means almost every adult has a car in the United States. I began to learn how to drive a car in 2005 in the United States.
In Longman American English dictionary, the definition for the word, ‘car’ is – ‘a vehicle with four wheels and an engine, used by a small number of people for traveling from one place to another.’ However, when the people from poor countries interpret the word, ‘car,’ - it means ‘luxurious’ ‘rich’ ‘high standard’ ‘elite’ and so on, while people from rich countries interpret ‘car’ as a shoe, which is just something useful tool in daily life.
If I came here when I was a high school student before I did not know how to ride a bicycle, I could not imagine that how and what question that a five year old American boy could ask me.
Picture: http://www.bridalwave.tv/flower-expert-red-and-pink-roses.jpg
