Bamboo People

Chiko, a bespectacled Burmese boy from Yangon, wants to be a teacher. His father, a doctor, was arrested and imprisoned four months ago, leaving Chiko to support himself and his mother. Although schools are closed due to civil unrest, Father taught Chiko to read and write—skills Chiko loves but must practice in secret. One day, Chiko sees an ad in the government newspaper for a teaching qualification exam.

Over lunch, Mother mentions that their neighbors, Daw Widow and her daughter Lei, will visit. Daw Widow is very influential and discovered that Father was imprisoned for treating “an ‘enemy of the state’” (8). His whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

Chiko tells Mother about the teaching exam (at four o’ clock that day). Mother wants him to join a Buddhist temple instead, to avoid military conscription, though he wouldn’t receive a salary. Their argument is interrupted by a knock at the door.

Daw Widow and Lei arrive. Daw Widow has a steady income, leaving her relatively well-off; though she’s illiterate, she’s smart and skilled in intelligence-gathering. Lei is Chiko’s student and crush. They reminisce about Father’s medical skills and healing “glow.”