Which way to the pharmacy?, a photo from Sagaing, North

Photographer's Note

While we were scouring the streets to find an English speaking pharmacy for a diagnosis of severe ear ache for Keith (my husband) we bumped into these three English teachers from the local school relaxing in between classes with a pot of tea. Of course, they wanted to talk to us about the ear ache and so much more. The teacher in the blue longyi spoke very good English having learnt from the an Englishman many years ago, the teacher in the pinkish longyi however, was so hard to understand through his accent and his mouthful of beetle nut pan. I wonder how the kids managed.

ikeharel, ikeharel, Royaldevon, holmertz, jhm, CLODO oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

lousat (129885) 2020-04-18 2:06

Hi Elaine,really funny the way you describe the master's mouth in pink, I'm still laughing. So it was a pretty lucky meeting, the photo is very beautiful, but I did not understand if in the end you managed to find the pharmacy .. hehe ..Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

Royaldevon (75284) 2020-04-18 3:18

Hello Elaine,

How interesting!
I had a Romanian student (a mature student, in her 50's) who came to England unable to speak a word of English. She was very eager and quickly learned this new language, not only with lessons but by socialising with me and then working locally. She returned to Romania after about 10 years, for family reasons but stressed how difficult it was to maintain her English, because she had such little chance of practising it.

I would imagine, that without plenty of practise, this guy is not aware that is pronunciation needs correcting!

But, your photograph is one of those delightful moments, capturing the trio in a very natural setting (well natural to them) and reveals to us the differences and similarities of village life! They are well placed in the frame, the bench stopping us from rushing into the scene!

Take care,
Bev :-)

holmertz (92774) 2020-04-18 4:40

Hello Elaine,
My memory from the early 70's was that many Burmese could speak English quite decently, but since then the teaching of English to new generations has been deliberately neglected by the various useless military dominated regimes. The country has gone down the drain not just economically. Photographically it obviously remains just as good as before, and people seem to be as friendly as decades ago. It's a nice photo with a pleasant atmosphere of a place where time seems to have stood still. Even almost 50 years ago Burma was like stepping back in time.
Regards,
Gert

jhm (202883) 2020-04-18 5:45

Dag Elaine,

Talen is werkelijk iets vervelend wanneer u elkaar niet goed begrijpt.
Ik zelf was een wiskundige, en talen was niet mijn sterkste punt.
En dan nog wetende dat Frans bij ons als tweede taal werd ervaren.
Maar intussen zal de oorpijn over zijn bij jou man, en uw foto is zeker geslaagd.
Goed foto werk, bedankt.

Groeten uit Vlaanderen,
John.

abmdsudi (88445) 2020-04-18 7:45

Hi Elaine
Street people can make great subject as they go about the day, accompanied by your interesting story. You've good sense of focus to enjoy the those figs with good detail in the faces and I quite fancy their longyis. The meaty fig who leads the blinds fits the bill as a strong eye-puller for me that leaves a lasting impression.
Best regards

CLODO (45094) 2020-04-18 23:23

Hi Elaine

What a story behind this charming portraits in situation. A good life feeling with a cup of tea and chat with friends.
Cheers
CLODO

Miguel82 (47106) 2020-04-19 12:17

Elaine, the picture immerses us in the local atmosphere. The old faded bench and the walls add a lot of character to the scene. The men wear the traditional lunghi to feel fresh when the weather is hot. Fine colors, good sharpness, interesting photo note, regards.

dekanski (7661) 2020-12-30 5:07

And this one as the most interesting for me!