They say love is a
sweet captivity and, like a wildflower, it can grow anywhere. What makes people
fall for each other? Why do we fall in love? What makes someone a loveable
person? What is this thing called love? Confused and dazed as usual, I find
myself unhurriedly rubbing my beardless chin while listening to “Can’t Buy me
Love” by The Beatles. One thing is for sure: I become restless around the
wunpawng shayi and I do not know why. I lose control because of her. Though
there are more than a million reasons to love and adore her, I am only sharing
my top ten reasons why she has turned me into a hopeless romantic. The list is
not necessarily in order of importance.
1. Excellent
conservations.
There is nothing like
conversing with the love of your life in your mother tongue. It is an
incredible feeling to talk to my girl in Jinghpaw. We can talk about almost
everything and the conversations rarely get boring. I can listen to her
sweet-nothings all night long.
2. Cute nicknames.
The first time I heard
a girl calling me Tsawra I literally went insane for a moment from massive
excitement! My heart pounded against my chest as one girl whispered to me Um
Tsaw mung Tsawra hpe ndang tsun hkra grai tsaw ra ai le. I’m alright. I’m not crying.
Well, please hand me the tissue papers!
3. Being sought after.
No one can deny the
fact that Kachin girls are far more popular than the boys. This really upsets
me as I have to fight so hard to get the attention of the wunpawng shayi. I am
keeping my fingers crossed that the girls keep treating the wunpawng shadangs
as their first priority to date and mate.
4. Yummy dishes.
As a saying goes, the
fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I can always enjoy that
organic vegetable soup, fish curry cooked with local herbs, the pounded chili
dish, and the nawhpu and penny-worth salads. Only the wunpawng shayi will make
it right! Bonus points if
she knows how to make tsa-pyi. Oh yeah.
5. She understands
tradition.
At least she will call
your parents Gu yan Moi. We all know Myen girls will call their parents-in-law
A-Phay and A-May. Here in the U.S, the girls call them by names. Thanks to our
foreparents, we have specific terms for these relationships!
6. Married for life.
The divorce rate is low
amongst wunpawngs. Majority of our women are very faithful to their husbands
and family. They won’t forsake you when things get tough. They stick with you
through thick and thin. Just like in most cultures, the guys pass away first
leaving the wife with the little kids. I have met many widows who never
remarried even if they could or should have. I don’t think many wunpawng men
can do that.
7. The kids speak your
language.
Being a small minority
group in comparison with the global population, it is becoming increasingly
very difficult to keep the Kachin languages alive especially for the wunpawngs
who live far away from the motherland. It is important to fluently speak the
language of the host countries but we must also make sure the kids are able to
communicate well with our relatives back home. Imagine my loving mother and my
kids having to use body language to communicate! Only the wunpawng shayi can
save me from this misery.
8. They are
action-driven.
When looking at
prominent people amongst the wunpawngs, you will find women far more successful
than men in various sectors: social responsibility, volunteering, fashion,
modeling, music, education, etc. In the U.S there are more wunpawng females in
colleges and universities than their male counterparts. I’m sure it is the same
trend in Kachin state and elsewhere in Myen Mung. Apparently there are factors
affecting this gap that we need to address. The women have also won prestigious
awards for their hard work and dedication.
9. She loves fashion.
It is a known fact the
wunpawngs create and wear some of the best traditional dresses in Myen Mung!
Put our traditional clothes on any girl: Black, White, Brown, or Yellow and men
will turn their heads twice to steal a glance. I wish more fashion designers
would invest in men’s fashion so we could also be strutting around like a
peacock!
10. Tease me, please
me.
Last but not least,
they are excellent lovers, you know what I mean. They will love you and let you
love them. They look good even without makeup. They excite, delight, and ignite
you. They will drive you wild with their bedroom eyes and vibrant personality.
They will captivate you with their joyous exuberance and spontaneity.
Tsa Doi La
Ref: Our Voices,Issue II 2015 (Publication of the Kachin - American Ramma )
Read ' Our Voices Magazine' from HERE
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