Winter Solstice - I'll pick the thorns, the thorns.

March 5, 1956.

Last Sunday morning, my grandfather's life truly ended.

My grandfather had a silver betel nut at home. He kept his betel nuts neatly. His teeth were a little loose due to his age, so he always kept a small iron mortar and pestle with him to grind the betel nuts.

The old teacher, the old teacher, the old master

My grandmother passed away a long time ago. My grandfather's life is peaceful and peaceful, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. His speech and dress are traditional Burmese, and he is quite simple.

The whole town respected and revered Grandpa. When the morning sun shone through the window, Grandpa's gray hair shone even brighter,

The family-owned oil mill sits on the bank of a nearby stream, billowing smoke. The family lives in harmony, with the sound of the machine running and the food they eat. If someone from the nearby village comes to grind a basket or two of sesame seeds or beans, the workers are willing to help, so the relationship is good.

The siblings are not too far away. They are built in a row, almost in a row, one next to the other.

I don't go out much. It's been a while since I've been home. Sitting in the front room with a sigh,

It's been a long time. There is a sugarcane tree in the yard. The leaves are green and thin. The fruits are green and shiny. In the afternoon, I see some children picking sugarcane and eating it leisurely. It seems that children enjoy the sweet and sour taste of the small fruits. In the yard, there are only tamarind, betel nut, coconut, mango and guava trees. The rest are just beautiful flower pots planted by the grandchildren. A small wooden nesting house for the sparrows is hung on the eaves of the house. Entrance

There were three of them, and when I looked inside, I saw dry grass and straw. The little birds were picking them up with their beaks. They were even building a nest in a wooden house that people had made. Every morning, a landowner would scatter white rice grains in a vacant lot in front of the house, and the little birds would happily fly down and eat them. Not only the little birds, but also a rooster and three mother hens from the next yard would come and eat the rice. Grandpa's eyes were blurry, but he could see far away. He had to wear glasses to read up close.

Last Sunday morning, my grandfather's life truly came to a standstill.

The chronic pain also caused his heart to stop beating without showing any signs of illness. The doctor said it was heart attack. Grandpa's funeral was a huge crowd in the town.

The whole house was filled with my grandfather's former students and sons who came to stay overnight. It was great. Our courtyard was spacious and the elephant house had many rooms, so we were always ready to welcome all the guests.

I feel like I have nothing to rely on. I was only able to be human under the shadow of my grandfather's care.

Now that my grandfather has passed away, the town feels like it has no meaning to me. I miss him. I feel sorry for him. I feel lost. It's a huge loss.

The only name that remained in my life was “Your Uncle” given to me by my grandfather. I don’t know what it meant or why my grandfather gave me that name. When I started kindergarten at the primary school of the teacher Daw Mya Yi in the east of the city, my grandfather even gave me the name “Your Uncle”. Therefore, that name has been with me in my life until now.

While there were many guests at home, one of my grandfather's old teachers came to visit.

"Come on, let's take a walk along the riverbank in your town."

"My friend called me, so I followed him. The teacher was a bit cool. He was gentle and gentle, and he was from a city on the delta.

It's early in the morning so the air is cooler and fresher.

The reeds and green basil sway in the wind, and the white stems are also visible.

The water is flowing. The smell of the stream water is like the smell of coconut. Coconut

It smelled like dry hands. It wasn't sandy. It didn't smell like fish. The water was a pale yellow. I could hear the chirping of a pheasant from afar.

"Master, when I came here last summer, the smell of wild mushrooms was all around here."

We heard a voice behind us and turned around to see the school teacher, U Hla Wan. He was also the one who had come to pay his respects to my grandfather.

“I saw Ko Thein Maung and his wife walking out, so I immediately drank coffee and followed them,” said U Hla Wan. He was thin. He was tall. He had short hair, thick glasses, and was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt made of cotton and a golden scarf. He spoke softly.

“This town is very similar to the town I lived in when I was a child,” said U Hla Win, “Back then, there was an old pond behind my grandmother’s house. It was a big pond. To me, that big pond was like a real natural museum full of birds, flowers, and trees. The lotuses in the pond were colorful. There were white lotuses, red lotuses, brown lotuses, and hibiscus, as well as climbing plants. There were also groves of trees by the pond. Wild cats and snakes used to hide in the groves. The shrike, the heron, and the waterfowl that used to come to the pond were also happy in that big pond. The pond

On the bank of the river is a large kathmandu tree that blooms bright red when the sun sets. The sound of the dove on the kathmandu tree can be heard when the rice is on the rice paddy. When the kathmandu tree blooms, the birds sing in unison. At the foot of the kathmandu tree, the wild jasmine flowers bloom. Now that I have arrived in this small town, I am nine or ten years old.

"I miss my hometown where I used to live with my grandmother," he said. "Oh, my. I don't have my grandmother or grandfather anymore. I felt suffocated. I felt sad. | The three of us returned to the big farm.

| There are sugarcane trees along the road. The sky is turning a light blue. The sound of the kangaroo forest is still echoing.

In my heart, I don't want my grandfather to die, and I don't want those who came for his funeral to leave. I want them to stay in the compound for days.

People are full of images. Different shapes. Different personalities, different knowledge, different words. I often approach and eavesdrop on their conversations.

Among my grandfather's disciples, a man came, wearing a shirt not fully buttoned, a khaki overcoat, a worn Mandalay long-sleeved shirt, short hair, and a disheveled beard.

When he talks to his friends... this, this...

They also use the word "ma" and "my people" to refer to themselves.

He also likes to eat fried beans with hot water and fried gourds. He still sits in a deck chair under the shade of the big tamarind tree in the yard and reads.

I watched him read from the sidelines. He was very organized. He memorized the table of contents of the book he was reading. He read paragraph by paragraph. He also had a notebook. He wrote down the summary of the paragraphs he had read in his notebook. While he was reading the Burmese book, he was writing a summary in English in his notebook. I could hear him speaking English. He was very well-versed.

Because my grandfather was an educational worker, most of the friends and students who attended his funeral were from the academic world. Many of the pleasantries they shared with each other were about school matters.

One of my uncles was a university lecturer. U Bo Han. He told the young people in the town about the Western universities he had encountered, such as Cambridge and Oxford.

Some of them were being told. Even Sayadaw U Wisitta of Mahawong Yadanar San Kyaung listened to U Bo Han's words with interest.

U Bo Han's comments are also interesting.

There are 24 universities in England. Scotland has 4 universities. According to the latest figures, there are 24 universities in the United Kingdom. There are two types of universities in England: ancient and modern. Cambridge and Oxford are ancient universities. The remaining 9 universities are modern universities. Wales has the University of Salford.

"In Northern Ireland , there is Queen's University. One thing all universities have in common is that they have their own separate governance," he said.

U Zaw Pe came in and asked.

“So...as U Bo Han said...does that mean those universities are not under the jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Education?”

" he asked. U Bo Han nodded while drinking a cup of hot water...

"Yes. The professors who teach at universities are not appointed by the government of the country, nor can they be removed from their positions. These professors teach

There is no regulation on the subjects taught. Very independent. They are parliamentary system. Government House. That Parliament also only comes when individuals from the university community or non-governmental organizations strongly demand that there is a need for reform in the university... Depending on that, the government's upper house

"The House of Representatives is communicating with the heads of universities and holding discussions."

He said. Sayadaw U Wisittha, the abbot of Maha Wong San Kyaung...

"What the Lord said is clear. But what I want to know is... these are Oxford and Cambridge universities, but who pays for the tuition fees of the university colleges?"

"He asked. U Bo Han smiled and replied.

“According to the teachers at the university when the students were studying, the British government started providing some financial support for teacher training and scientific research around 1982. Before that, there was no support at all. In 1919, the government started a very important program in terms of financial support. The government decided to provide a lot of financial support for all disciplines.

Univesity Grants Committe ongelogem.cocorigen

A committee was formed. The task of the committee was to ensure that all universities received government grants were used fairly. The members of the committee were not government employees. They were people who had experience in the work of the university. The government grant also increased year by year. Before the Second World War, it was £2 million, and after the war, it had increased to almost £6 million. Despite the increase in grants, I have not seen any government involvement or control in the education of the university or in the appointment of professors, lecturers, and teachers.

"U Bo Han explained to the monk. The conversation in our courtyard became more lively. The spring wind was rustling the tamarind leaves. The young leaves of other old and young trees were also shaking. The old, red leaves were scattered everywhere.

I walked over to May Zin, who was sweeping the yard with a broom and a broomstick. May Zin's real name is May Zin Mon. She is the daughter of U Pe Than and Daw Thein Chit, the farmer of the farm next to ours. She and I lived in the same school in the town. She mourned my deceased grandfather as I did.

He was a respectful person. Now that my grandfather is gone, May Zin often comes to our yard and helps with small chores along with other friends.

“Ma’am… the knowledge about Cambridge and Oxford universities that the elders are talking about is very interesting. Come on… take a break from sweeping and listen, I’m really interested.”

| I told her. May Zin also paused from what she was doing and came with me under the big tamarind tree. The conversation was still going at a good pace.