Semester at
Sea Fall
2006 Voyage 
Where the Heart Is
By Evan Kleiman
The authoritarian regime has been
extremely oppressive, harsh and has been very influential in the
natural progression of the Burmese, yet what still has flourished and
manifested socially, and physically is where the essence of Burma lies,
it people, its uniqueness, etc. The land
on a sunny day is so magnificent it looks like a painting. The
buildings reveal this character that is much like the character of
human beings. The same wrinkles you would see on a 90 year old woman’s
face are revealed in the washed out buildings. So much so that you
could almost accurately predict when the building was built and
by whom. In it of itself this is incredible because in most places
around the world, the buildings are re-repainted; they are just masked
with “transnational paint,” even though underneath they are truly a
product of the vernacular.
The essence of the entire trip throughout Burma lay
in my interactions with the people. I spent it traveling through
villages and immersing myself in the exploration of primitive
lifestyles that solely represented the vernacular. Burma as a whole is
almost fully sustainable which has allowed it to keep an authentic
reality with very little outside influence other than American made
sodas and
high end hotels. It was untouched.
In "The State and the City:1988 and the
transformation of Rangoon" by Donald M. Seekins, he discusses the
impact of the forces of state and society upon the city. An
interesting
section explained how