Dari 3 chronicles di Asia, ini yang paling kusuka. Mungkin karena Pak Guy bukan cuma tinggal 2 3 bulan tapi setahun di Burma dan karena Pak Guy ngontrak rumah dan bukan tinggal di hotel dan karena Pak Guy di Burma bersama partner hidup dan anaknya yang lucu, Louis, dan karena Pak Guy sempat jalan-jalan di desa-desa Burma, travelogue yang ini lebih menarik daripada dua yang sebelumnya.Pak Guy banyak berinteraksi dengan masyarakat lokal bahkan menjadi guru animasi bagi penduduk lokal yang tertarik. Prihatin melihat mereka yang semangat belajar (tapi lupa melulu ngerjain PR-nya wkwk kayak siapa yang katanya sedang belajar bahasa koreah ya) tapi proses belajar mengajar terganggu karena listrik hanya tersedia 4 jam sehari dan batere laptop udah ngedrop semua hu hu.Penduduk Myanmar baik-baik. Pada umumnya mereka ramah-ramah apalagi kalau sama baby Louis. Di sepanjang cerita ini tidak ada keluhan berarti dari Pak Guy terhadap dua asisten rumah tangga yang bekerja di rumahnya. Bandingin dengan isi blog emak-emak yang suka ngomongin ART-nya (tunjuk diri sendiri). Nemu orang-orang yang nggak ok-nya di daerah Kachin. Ngenes :(, di sana banyak penduduk yang nyuntik setiap hari :(. Bahkan ada yang kerja nambang dengan bayaran suntikan. HIV pun merajalela.Selain pembahasan tentang budaya, politik, The Lady--di sana konon tak ada yang menyebut Aung San Suu Kyi, Pak Guy menyamakan hal itu dengan sebutan You Know Who-nya Harry Potter :P--, yang menarik bagiku adalah pembahasan Pak Guy tentang dirinya sebagai bapak rumah tangga yang bekerja di rumah. Lucu wkwkwk. Lho ya... meski kerja di rumah masih perlu ART dua orang kan :|. Burma Chronicles is an autobiographical account of a family who stayed in Burma for one year. The author is married to a worker for Doctors Without Borders and their family gets assigned to work in Burma for one year. While his wife makes trips into the less populated and underprivileged areas of the country, Guy is left back in the city with his very young son and too much time on his hands. He uses this time to do his cartooning, explore the city and get to know the culture a bit more.The book is fascinating because of the lack of message. Guy isn't here to spout anti-Burmese government rhetoric, nor is he making a statement about colonialism, nor any other. It's just simply his observations and a normal guy living in a foreign country saying "Hey look at this. This is weird/different/cool/worrying". You can't take from Guy's observations whatever you want. And being about a country that many of us wouldn't visit, Guy's book gives us a unique insight into a country and people we only hear about vaguely in modern history books and sometimes in the news in reference to their government. The descriptions and drawings are very simple and minimal, but they did make me feel like I was there. Another fascinating aspect of the book looked at foreigners in the country and how they live. Guys situation and other non-profit organisations deal with a lot of red-tape and they are generally not that well off. But while he is in Burma he connects with other foreign people working for multinationals who live like kings. These people live in mini-estates with guards, and have their own clubs and compounds which are beautifully maintained. Guy is only human and loves being invited to these places, but being a stay at home dad and being invited to a play date with the wives of rich oil workers proves to be a bit awkward. I really enjoyed this work and I'm going to seek out his others. Apparently he and his wife spent time in North Korea. I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the non-super hero graphic novel, and I'd encourage anyone who likes travelogues or finding out about different cultures to check it out.
What do You think about Aufzeichnungen Aus Birma (2007)?
If you have ever moved to a foreign country you owe it to yourself to read this book.
—Bhumika
Great picture of traveling in Burma and a quick/fun read.
—lhb
