Tag Archives: Myanmar

Water is a Human Right

Whoever you are, wherever you are, water is your human right

As we marked World Water Day last week I would like to highlight the importance of access to clean water around the world.

This year’s theme of World Water Day has been “Leave no one behind – clean access for everybody by 2030”.

The heartbreaking reality

Here are some of the realities we are facing in today’s world:

  • 2.1 billion people live without safe water at home.
  • One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty.
  • More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.
  • Globally, 80% of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas.
  • Over 800 women die every day from complications in pregnancy and childbirth.
  • Around 159 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams.
  • Around 4 billion people – nearly two-thirds of the world’s population – experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.
  • 700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.

Water in Myanmar

As a United Nations staff member in Myanmar I can see the challenges of access to clean water every day. Since I moved here, I have been faced with the reality of having to use water from bottles and filters as the tap water cannot be used, not even for brushing teeth. While I am in the fortunate position of being able to buy clean water for my family, many people in Myanmar do not have that ability due to their limited income.

Inle Lake

I was glad to see that Myanmar has been chosen as a backdrop in the official World Water Day poster. Inle Lake is located in Shan State in the north of the country, a complex area with a long history and inspiring sights. The fisherman you see in the poster has a unique way of peddling on the lake, wrapping his leg around the pole to steer the boat. They also use the traps you see to hunt for fish. To me Inle lake as been an inspiring region were tradition and innovation is coming together. You can see amazing projects where renewable and sustainable energy meets traditional Myanmar and Shan state culture.

It is also a reminder of how precious these water reservoirs are. They provide livelihood to thousands of people.

Water is essential

Since we all need water to survive, people are forced to drink the tap water, resulting in many people becoming sick and even dying from water born diseases. People in the developed world do not think much about water as it is readily available around us. Once something becomes scares it will rise as a priority and gain our attention. We do not see water as a critical element for survival. In most developed cities, water is available as tap water or can be drank from clean fountains as I have experienced in Rome, Italy.

Living in Myanmar made me realize how important clean water is for our survival and wellness. Since water is clear and odorless there is a lot of trust we need to exercise when drinking water that it will be good for us and safe to drink.  

We often rely on known water brands to be certain that the water will be safe and clean for us to drink.

The fine water industry

The fine water industry takes this important step forward. Not only do premium brands provide clean and safe water to drink, they also ensure that minerals are available in their waters which will promote wellness in our lives. You will find a description of the mineral content on the water bottle label. The TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) will give you s sense on the overall mineral level in that particular water.

We are constantly in search of improving ourselves and performing at our highest level and with water we have an easy-to-implement product right in front of our noses.

Take a moment to think about the state of our planet when it comes to water and consider what action you can take to improve the current state.

Stay Thirsty!

30 Minutes of Tea Liberation

I often reflect back to the beginning of my tea studies.

Here I was in my kitchen in Rome, Italy, holding a thermometer in one hand and a tea timer in the other hand, nervously anticipating the right mix to get the optimal brew.

Fast forward now to my kitchen in Yangon, Myanmar, were I grab some tea leaves and throw it into hot water to get a wonderful cup of tea.

In a way the past year has liberated me from following the instructions on the box and use scientific instruments to make tea.

However the one area where I never felt liberated is how I always experienced buying tea.

In most shops a nice tea salesperson would carefully open a tin box based on my request and would allow me to have a careful glimpse into the box. In good stores they might let me smell the tea from a safe distance.

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How to Let Go of Your Tea Bag

(and explore a new dimension…)

Many people around the world who love tea every day engage in the same ritual.

Grab a tea bag from a box, drop it into a cup and pour hot water over it. Wait until there is some uniform color appearing in the cup and pour some more ingredients into it like sugar, milk or a slice of lemon. Then take a sip and hope that this mixture will not be terrible.

Or sit in a plane and after the meal service the flight attendant will come around announcing the arrival of the tea (or coffee) to be poured into your little plastic cup.

And many of us who are attending a conference or workshop, grab a teabag from a ‘selection’ box and hope for the best.

This is the daily reality, mostly in the western world, and there is nothing wrong with that. It is a beverage you made for yourself, you like it, it comforts you, and so of course that’s good for you.

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5 Ways Myanmar’s Tea Culture is Unique and Exciting

My Tea Life in Myanmar – One Year In

It is hard to believe that I have now been living almost one year in Myanmar. Time is really flying by! While my life at the moment is mostly focused on my mission with the World Food Programme and the well being of my family, I did experience pockets of tea life over the past year.

I know my blog has not been very active this past year, but that is about to change. Seeing the World Tea Expo happening in Las Vegas I felt a renewed commitment to be a more active part of the tea community. My passion for tea is as strong as ever and I need to share some of my observations more frequently.

Here are my Top 5 observations one year into my tea life in Myanmar:

green tea
1.) Tea is everywhere and a big part of life. I started taking it for granted that with every corner you turn, tea is part of the culture in so many aspects.This goes beyond the tea as a classic drink, but tea as part of food, cosmetics and sweets. I slowly built a life where tea is an essential part of it. I wake up in the morning and shower with green tea shower gel. I make it a special moment of my morning to pick a special tea for the day, which I will sip at work over and over. (More on this in a separate blog post.) I eat a wonderful pickled tea leaf salad and munch on green tea chocolate sticks and have a green tea desert for dinner. So many choices and little moments of  tea joy in the day.

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coffe and tea

How to Learn Generosity From a Simple Cup of Courtesy Tea

Some thoughts over a cup of courtesy tea after living almost a year in Myanmar.

This is a guest post by Kristen Palana, aka: Michael’s wife, “Ms. Tea.”


It has been nearly a year now since I first moved to Yangon, Myanmar with my family. Initially I wondered if I would hate, like, or even love my new home. It’s one of the few places in my life that I moved to without having had the opportunity to visit first. (The other two were Edinburgh, Scotland and Los Angeles, CA. respectively.)

Inya Lake in Yangon

Inya Lake in Yangon

So over ten months in I can say with profound certainty that it is indeed love.  Yangon, Myanmar is the most happening city in all of Myanmar and yet it doesn’t suffer (yet) from choking smog or that boxed-in feeling you might get from Bangkok, Hong Kong, or New York City from an over abundance of giant skyscrapers blocking out the sun. Continue reading

A Trip to a Yangon Supermarket – A Closer Look at the Tea Aisle

A few weeks ago, while on vacation in the US, I went to an ordinary supermarket, curious what the regular consumer can expect when in the mood for tea.

I was a bit disappointed to see convenience ruling over quality. Rows of teabags of all sorts, not that there is something wrong with it, but it would be nice to give the regular consumer some choice; an avenue to explore towards new heights and infinite better quality.

In all fairness it is getting a bit better when compared to years ago as some loose leaf tea has found their way to the shelves. However it’s still a far cry away from the wonderful complexity and taste wonderland that is the loose leaf tea world.

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How to Find a Green Tea Kit Kat and Other Secret Tea Delights from Asia

As promised I would like you to take you with me on exploring tea finds in this wonderful part of Southeast Asia. I would to start with small daily observation. I noticed that in contrast to Italy, were I had to made quite an effort to find good tea, here in Myanmar tea will find me.

As a new tea sommelier my willingness to find new, exciting things about tea is omnipresent. As part of my journey with you I would like to share interesting little items I came across, some you might be well familiar with and some might come as a surprise to you.

Tea Drinks

matcha-smoothieEverywhere you go, there is an opportunity to drink some awesome tea. One amazing drink I discovered are matcha smoothies, a bright green colored drink with a strong presence of matcha flavors.

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Establishing my new life in Myanmar

After a few weeMYRks of broadcast silence I am finally back behind the keyboard to continue my blog from Yangon, Myanmar.

You might think I lost interest or have achieved everything I wanted with this blog, but quite the opposite is true.

In the past weeks I had to set priorities as the move from Rome, Italy to Yangon, Myanmar, which is quite substantial. My focus was on settling the family into a new house, getting the kids used to a school routine and have a successful start into my new assignment as the Head of Finance and Administration for the World Food Programme in Myanmar.

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What is a Tea Sommelier?

TEASOMMELIER_SLIDERA big heated debate is currently running through the tea industry – what is a tea sommelier and how can these people compare themselves to highly skilled wine sommeliers?

As I am on the path to become a tea sommelier myself I thought it might be a good moment to add my five cents to this discussion.

In ancient times, the job of a sommelier (derived from the middle French “saumalier”) was to keep the provisions (food and drinks) of a royal house well-stocked. It also included tasting and taking sips of wine to ensure they are edible and not poisoned.

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The company that ignited my tea passion

Now this is not an attempt of hidden product placement, it is more an attempt to pay tribute and respect to the one tea company which ignited my tea passion and put me onto the road I am on right now (no worries – I am not getting any commission for writing this…).

8998416_teabagThe company I am referring to is tea retailer Twinings. When I was living in Germany, I was well before the point when I started my tea journey. Yes I admit, I was a tea bag dunker and certainly the shelves of supermarkets are full of all kinds of tea bag boxes. It was convenient and quick and I did not have anything to compare it to anyway as back then there was no ‘ loose leaf aisle’ for high quality teas.

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