Andrew M. Guthrie Internship Photo Auction

Alone Together
Min Kun, Myanmar

I had vacationed in Myanmar in 1994. It was the most underdeveloped country I’d ever seen. By early 2013, the formerly empty streets were packed, economic activity was frenetic, and tourism was about to explode. Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country; and the people I met were so gentle that I struggle to understand how a prolonged ethnic conflict has plagued that country.

I visited a community for the elderly in Min Kun, a village along the Ayeyarwady River north of Mandalay. The facility had many detached buildings housing several seniors in each. When I entered the long room, I saw a man crouched in the far corner with rays of light shining on his bowed head. I photographed him. He waved at me to sit down. We conversed in the universal language of smiles, pantomime, and tone of voice. He showed me a translation of the prayer he says every day, and we took a “selfie.”

After we said goodbye, I turned to see the man I photographed in this photo. He had been watching us the whole time. He smiled and nodded for me to take a picture. I left soon thereafter. Thoughts of those two men stayed with me all day. They were gentle, but seemed bored and lonely. This photo is a fond memory of two charming men living in a dark room behind bars, alone together.

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