Another farewell

My job at DVB was mostly to oversee the transition of the English-language team from a Chiang Mai-based operation to one that would be run mostly from Rangoon. It was a messy situation that met a lot of opposition, especially from Burmese staff who had spent many years in Thailand. This was partly because of concerns about the political situation in Burma, but also had a lot to do with people’s personal circumstances (including the fact that they were expected to work for half the salary in a city that had roughly double the cost of living of Chiang Mai). The young foreigners on our team, however, were eager to go where the action was, and Libby was the first to make the move.

Eid and Libby barely knew each other, but Eid always had a special affinity for young foreigners — especially women — who seemed to be taking their lives into their own hands when they plunged into these new and sometimes risky situations. I suspect her feelings were a mix of solicitude and envy — real concern for their well-being, and genuine sadness at the thought that such boldness would have been conceivable in her case. She grew up knowing that she could never afford to fail, and that if she fell into difficulty, it would only multiply the hardships that her family already faced. Probably the greatest risk she ever took was getting involved with me. And as difficult as that proved at times, and as unsatisfactory I was as a husband, she never complained or expressed any regret. And yet, from my side, I still wish that I had been better to her, and had done more to make her feel that she made the right decision.