Mingalabar from Myanmar... or Sawadee Ka from Thailand?

Hello Steemians!

My name is Veronica and I come from Myanmar or Burma if you prefer the old naming system. Personally I prefer to say Myanmar as it's more inclusive of all the different nationalities we have in our borders. Myanmar is roughly the size of France and it's located between Thailand, Laos, China, India and Bangladesh.

Myanmar is a very diverse country. Even though majority of people living here are Burmese, we also have seven different nationalities such as Kayah, Mon, Chin, Kayin, Rakhine and Shan living in the states bearing the same names. If that wasn't complicated enough the country is also divided into 13 different divisions (regions), self-administered zones and self-administered divisions jointly inhabited ny 135 officially recognized ethnic minorities! Apart from Burmese (Myanmar), they all speak different languages such as Shan, Karen, Kachin, Mon, Mon-Khmer and different Chin languages.

My father is Mon-Chinese, my mother is Shan-PaO (a mix of Shan and one of the hill tribes). One of my grandfathers was ethnic Chinese who fled from China to Myanmar during the war. The other one is 100% PaO. One of my grandmothers is Shan, while the second one was Mon-Khmer. What does it make me? Go figure...;-)

I was born and spent most of my life in Taunggyi, the capital of a spectacular, hilly, always-green southern Shan State. Last year I graduated from the University of Foreign Languages in Yangon, where I've also lived for a few years. I can speak Myanmar (Burmese), English, French, German, Chinese and a few other tribal languages you probably have never heard about!

I guess I have itchy feet... How otherwise you could explain that even though I am only 22 years old, I've already traveled to 24 countries? I've also lived for a few months in Germany and Cambodia. Most recently I moved to Bangkok in Thailand.

Many people in Asia think that black is an unlucky colour. Not me though as I'm a total fan of everything black from fashion through cosmetics to food. As Yohji Yamamoto said: "Black is modest and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy - but mysterious. But above all black says this: I don't bother you. You don't bother me."