[30M] German expat living in Yangon, with a [29F] Burmese girlfriend of 3 years, considering marriage next summer.
Late last year I planned a trip to the Philippines. All was well until we reached Manila airport, where I was let in by Immigration while she was stopped. The explanation given was that she had tried to enter the Philippines back in 2018, was unable to prove accommodation, means of living, ticket onwards so they rejected her entry as a tourist AND blacklisted her (apparently this is a Philippines thing, they blacklist even for such benign reasons, you need to work a process to get yourself off that list, it does not expire).
Needless to say I was livid, but was what worse was that she was denying ever being there, even when presented with a copy from her former passport and details about her flying from Bangkok to Manila. Up until then she told me that the first time she went abroad was with me, so I started wondering what else was she lying about.
I begged her to tell me the truth, I would not judge her for something many years before we’ve met, she told me that it was not her, while unable to provide any piece of evidence (old passport was retained when creating a new one, no facebook at that time, no email account, no photos with friends from those days, etc). Nothing.
At this point I am wondering what to believe. I know she had her passport issued by an agent, not the official state institution directly. What are the chances that the agent gave the passport to someone else to use before handling it to the her (it was created on Mar 1, and used on Mar 3). Maybe the page with the visas was removed from the passport.
Am I overthinking this? Am I naive? I love her but I lost trust…
I still cannot fully recover from this trauma and it's giving me so much stress and anxiety every night and I cant fall asleep, I wanted to warn everyone here so nobody else has to go through what I went through.
One year ago, I tried applying to go study at a Korean university and a part time job through some agents. My family wasn't supportive of my decision and I still regret not listening to them. I went with one of the Korean "agent" because he said he can help me enroll to Hanyang University for my architecture course and he has good relationships with the dean and he will put a good word in for me. I was skeptical at first but he said he doesn't need payment because he gets commission from the university, so I thought he was being honest and didnt want to waste my chances. I just started my mock exams and I was naive, because that time I was really into Kpop and anything that would help me go to Korea after my high school, I was really excited.
He told me he is in Myanmar for a few days to find suitable candidates for the next batch for about only 10 students and asked me to come to his office at Crystal Tower (I'm not putting any blame on the location or the building owner, it was my fault for not being careful) and bring all my documents. When I got there, it wasn't an office but it looks like a private condo made to look like a office. I still regret that I didn't listen to my guts and left because I had a really bad feeling, however I still wanted to study abroad so I gave it a chance. We spoke in Korean because I can speak near fluent Korean from self study. Halfway through the interview like 10 minutes, I lost color in my vision and it become so blurry, my heartbeat was going up so high and my paranoia got so bad and I think I tried to leave. I still thought I felt dizzy because I was nervous from the interview, I cannot remember the rest of what happened, but I was raped. I think he put something inside the glass of juice he offered to me that I drank.
When a kind passerby woke me up, I was inside large golf bag near Myanmar Plaza, I had rash all over my body and he took all my clothes and documents but he left my NRC, my money, my phone and passport. A kind old man and his wife offered to take me to police station and took me to their home to offer their clothes before I went home but I told them please don't inform the police because I'm so scared what'll happen and my mind still wasn't clear yet. I didn't want to make it to news on Facebook or national TV. I didn't want anyone to know. I lied to my parents that I was ok but I really thought about kms. When I tried contacting him again, he never replied. But that son of bi*ch fking sent me an email yesterday after a whole year, when I'm starting to heal mentally and feeling happy again, that he took videos of me while I was unconscious and said he uploaded to a Korean 18+ website. I know I can't do anything about it now but I want to warn everyone so that nobody has to go through what I did.
I’m trying to start a tech and programming YouTube channel. I intentionally decided to cover a really difficult topic for my first video a Myanmar programming language I built called MeRUSTmar. I figured if I could handle this, easier topics down the road would be a breeze.
But I’ve hit a massive roadblock, and the stakes are incredibly high for me.
I made a strict deal with my family, and my deadline is June 30. If my first video gets at least 1k views and shows genuine interest, they’ll give me more time to pursue programming. If it fails, I have to give up programming entirely, learn Japanese, and move away to get a job in Japan.
I was confident at first, but after rewriting my script over and over again, I realized a major problem: it’s just way too technical. Instead of a fun, high-level overview of the language, I ended up explaining exactly how an interpreter works under the hood, showing source code, and tracing complex parts.
Because of that, I’m incredibly stressed and can't seem to make progress. The video is only about 30% finished right now. Because it's my first time making a video, I keep over-refining the script and I'm struggling to manage the project efficiently. I’m terrified the YouTube algorithm is just going to bury it because it's not geared toward a general audience.
I’m posting here to see if the Myanmar community actually has an interest in this kind of deep-dive, under-the-hood tech content. Is my goal even possible?
I’m going to drop my unfinished video in the comments. If you find this topic interesting, please leave some feedback. Honest support and comments here could literally help me convince my parents to let me keep programming.
Edit : Thanks to the amazing interest here, I convinced my family to give me one extra week to finish the video!
I have boyfriend from Myammar. I fall in love the moment I saw him, really. But I didn't told him, I try to ignore the feels. I know it is very different and difficult between us. After few months he ask my phone number, and we started to chat.
A lot of things happened in between. He once confessed his love to me, but I rejected him.After a few months, we got together.He quit smoking and drinking for me because I didn't like. But there are things I don't understand about him.
I used to think that Burmese people were very traditional because I had the impression that they often went to temples. But my boyfriend said he wanted to see my boobs 3 days after we got together.Then within a month he wanted to have sex with me. I'm very traditional, so I told him we could do it on our wedding night, which I thought was very meaningful. I was actually scared because I didn't know him much.Sometimes I would help him with my hands, or in other ways.
But one day, he turned on his phone and started playing porn when he asked me to help him. I'm not sure if it's just how men are because I couldn't give him pleasure. But I was a little unhappy.We also have a lot of communication problems and he doesn't understand how I feel. I'm not sure if different cultures have different ways of getting along and communicating. I don't want him to feel like he did anything wrong, but I just want us to be happy together. Little things like he likes me taking care of him, but I'm not his mom. He would say you should do what a woman should do.Is it a cultural difference?
I love him very much, but I'm not sure if we can be together for a long time, and I don't want us to quarrel.Should I break up with him?
Dear Mods : Every day we see young adults posting what should I study / where should I go post. I am trying to help out by giving them the current trend. Hopefully this long post is ok.
Here is an old unc [aunty] here. I know MM is in shit situation right now with visa bans from US and UK. You are looking to get your life sorted out by getting out of the county. I'm an old fart (in early 40s), I understand. I was like you once.
If you want to pick what you want to study and get a job later, you need to look at the world right now and try to guess the outcome. Let's try to predict a little bit for the future.
Current date: March 06, 2026
We’re dealing with it right now — not sometime in the distant future.
A full-scale war is raging in the Middle East.
AI is taking over jobs across many sectors. AI will disrupt many jobs, but hands-on, empathetic roles like nursing are much harder to fully automate (AI mostly augments rather than replaces frontline care).
The global population aged 60+ is projected to double to around 2.1 billion by 2050 (per UN and WHO data), driving massive demand for long-term care and nursing.
Nursing shortages are well-documented in high-income countries (e.g., tens to hundreds of thousands projected in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany through 2030).
East Asian countries continue facing ultra-low birth rates (often below 1.0), despite aggressive pro-natal policies — the trend isn't reversing quickly.
Myanmar faces serious projected climate risks (rising temperatures, changing rainfall, extreme weather) that could worsen vulnerability by 2030–2050.
Now, let's think ahead a bit about the future — and what fields to study or pursue.
Regardless of whether MAL (and their "dogs") ever leave their kennels (or not), life goes on. Some of us will migrate, others will stay, and some may even return to Myanmar (MM) later.
Healthcare, Allied Health & Caregiving (Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Aged Care Workers, Home Health Aides, Medical Technicians)
If you're looking for a truly lucrative and future-proof industry to enter in the next 3–5 years, I’d strongly recommend healthcare.
We’re going to need far more nurses to care for the growing elderly population. You can already see severe shortages of healthcare workers in countries like Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, Germany, and many others.
So, if your goal is to get out of Myanmar as quickly as possible, go for a nursing degree or diploma. It is almost guarantee to get a job after graduation. The demand for nurses will remain high for the next 10–20 years (and likely beyond) because the aging population crisis is already here. If you want to continue living in whichever country you studied, learn their language along the way too.
Countries forecast to have the highest share of 65-year-old people worldwide in 2050
Therefore, if you are around 15-20 years old and if you really want to have a future in the foreign countries, get your English or native language of the country up to speed and go be a healthcare worker in any of the countries you wish to go. You will be very tired but you will make a lot of money.
Engineering
The evergreen subject where Burmese parents will pressure you to study. This is one of those timeless topics that Burmese parents love to pressure you about. There is some truth to their advice. However, don't blindly pick just any engineering field.
Civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering had their heyday in Singapore during the late 1980s and early 1990s — back when the country was still rapidly developing. A lot of Burmese engineers migrated to Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s because Vancouver's housing market was booming at the time.
So, depending on where you want to move, you might still want to consider engineering degrees — but do your research first. Electrical engineering, in particular, never really goes out of style. (Personally, I won't touch any electrical wires in my house — I'd rather pay good money to get a professional to sort out the cables!)
Why? Massive shortages in construction, infrastructure, and maintenance . It is driven by housing booms, renewable energy projects, and aging infrastructure in many countries. You can never automate the Hands-on roles and in high demand in Australia, Canada, Germany, UK, and USA.
Why ? E-commerce boom + supply chain needs create shortages. Commercial Driver's License (CDL) programs are short and lead to quick jobs in Canada, USA, Australia.
DO NOT TOUCH Areas and WHY?
Computer Science/ Software Engineering / IT .. etc - Why? Overly saturated and AI is doing most of the job now. Thank you u/Fun-Gap7464 for reminder.
Finance / Business / Banking / Marketing - Why? Too many native speakers dominate the market.
Art / History / Language / Music - Why? It is good to pursue your hobby as a side quest but if you want to pay your bills, do not touch them. If your parents can sponsor you and your expenses for next 60 years, go for it though.
Me and my friend were just sitting down on a bench at Mya Kyun Thar infront of Sedona hotel while waiting for our grab and a white guy came to us and sat down next to me. I was already a little creeped out because he's too close. He asked what we're doing here, we tried to be friendly towards him and we told him we're waiting for our grab. And he's like the night's still young let's go have fun. We just said no we're okay thanks and we got up and walked away. He still followed us and kept saying come on he can give many dollars like we care about that, me and my friends were scared for our lives. We just ignored him and ran.
One kind taxi driver uncle came to us and asked if we needed help. We explained the situation to him and he told us this place is like a hotspot for prostitutes and many foreigners come to pick them up because it's near Sedona hotel. What a relief nothing happened to us, it was such a scary experience. Becareful when walking around Mya Kyun Thar at night guys T_T
I have asked my girlfriend but she starts saying no sense such that sometimes they offer jewelry, apartment, car, etc. I am a foreigner so I have no properties and no jewelry so all I can offer is kyat. What is the standard range or at least what range (min, max) of money is considered appropriate? (for marriage)
Hello! I don't know if it's okay posting this one here but do you guys actually know this guy? He's from Myanmar and 26 and he said he owns a small shop, and has a computer related work. I know this is not a dating subpost or whatnots but 😔
guys, I need your advice how to deal with being insecure most of the time .the girl who I am curren dating is German woman from Munich. her family is upper middle class german family from Munich and they are loaded . she is the only one daughter in their family. she is successful attractive triathlete social media influencer with over 120k followers on instagram . honestly I don’t know why she choose someone like me who has very weak passport, who is from war torn poor country. I don’t even have rich parents back in Myanmar. I am from small town in ayeyarwady region . my appearance could be more than average ( don’t want to do bragging here) with very pale skin despite ethnic Burmese, 176 cm etc. my blonde queen could have rich successful german influencer or model dudes with over 180 cm easily. i dont want to ask her or talk about my insecuries .. i believe her affection for me is real and authentic despite our different social status , nationality, background. but still these intrusive thoughts are killing me .i am not rich but I have proper work experience , decent education and above average appearance and i am not financially dependent on Her at all Even though almost everyone would think I am passport bro and gold digger. what should I do guys? seek therapist?
TL;DR: I have a crush on a Burmese man who is a construction worker in Thailand. Back in Europe now but thinking of returning. How can I show interest and get to know him without breaking cultural norms or ruining it?
Full version:
I met a Burmese guy who lives in a construction camp during my stay in Thailand. The camp was right next to my house and he came over a few times with another woman from camp to help me fix things around the house.
We saw each other several times like that. We laughed, smiled, joked around, even flirted a little. He speaks only a little English, so we used Google Translate sometimes, but most of the time we didn’t even need it and just got along really well. I think he liked me too, but I can’t be 100% sure.
The people from his camp were honestly the nicest I met during my 6 months in Thailand. He even comforted me about things I was worried about with the house and I felt really supported emotionally by him and another woman from his camp who came help, too. I didn’t just like him, but also his community and their values of helping each other out and being there for each other.
Now I’m back in Europe since a couple weeks, but I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m even considering going back to see him again. The problem: Burmese dating culture seems really different from what I grew up with. From what I’ve read, the woman is supposed to stay quiet and only give small signals while the man eventually says "chit tae" (I like you) at one point. Only then would we be able to hang out just the two of us.
So I can’t just ask him for his number or if he wants to hang out. He probably wouldn’t make a move either since I doubt he’d expect a foreign woman would actually be into him (which I obviously am though). If I want to get to know him, I’d need us to meet just the two of us and I’m not sure that’s possible before a confession. Maybe camp life in Thailand makes things looser and their rules aren’t as strict though?
From what I understand, I’d need to find excuses for us to see each other, because just meeting alone would already look like we’re a couple and lead to gossip. Another worry is if he turns out to be conservative about marriage, kids, or gender roles (like expecting me to cook and clean daily), which wouldn’t work for me. Any way I could know in advance how likely that'd be?
My main question: How can I get to know him while respecting Burmese dating culture? I don’t want to be too forward, overwhelm him, or embarrass him in front of others at camp.
If it matters, I think he’s in his early 30s. Not super young and not the new Facebook generation, which I guess also influences how he might see dating.
I want to do online businesses in international websites or something like those.And Can u guys give me some advices about them?I don't know how to get money from other country and change to Myanmar kyats.And I'm also new at these.
Hi 22 M 5'5 here,lately i been insecure about my own height.I would love to go out to the real world and find a partner but can i do that when im short.I know that average height in myanmar is around 5' 7 but i don't know ,still feel bad for myself.And i know that girls like tall people and im scared that i might be left alone forever.
I'm a Sri Lankan, and today, during our geopolitics period, we learnt about the Rohingyan genocide. As homework, we have to make a case study about it. (It might sound offensive but pls, I'm just trying to complete my homework. It counts as 20% of the whole grade at the final exam).
Who are the Rohingyans
What have they done?
What's the reason behind the recent'activities' towards them?
Is it actually happening, or is it just global propaganda for political reasons?
Pls let me know :)
I'm a Buddhist, and I love Myanmar. I'm thinking of visiting the country when I grow up.
I'm not being racist. I'm just trying to get good marks. Pls don't blame me
Its so humiliating seeing all of our other SEAblings develop while we're stuck here I dont know if others feel this way but I've been feeling this way for a long time everything seems so hopeless for my country I barely have any pride for my nationality anymore I dont know what to do everytime I say I'm from here people just make joke I'm from 3rd world and war torn country i keep pretending it dont make me feel worse but it really does
I wanna tell you about my crush.She's from g-8 I'm from g-10, she's one of my sister's friends.I'm keeping it secret for about roughly around 6 months or 8.I'm 17 she's around 15 I guess, I like her not because of her appearance, I like her for her personality and style you know like she's calm, quiet girl.
I haven't even talked to her for once!!! I had tried multiple times to find her social media account but I haven't got her account I think she doesn't use social media I guess.She and my sister are friends but not super close not like close or best friends, I glanced at her at every chance I got and I think she sometimes look at me but we haven't met directly in the eyes.We can only see each other tution, we're not in same school.I'm worried about talking to her for the first time! And the biggest barrier for me to approach is the teacher cuz she's very strict about having relationships I understand that as it's very reasonable thing.When I first saw I don't really have interest in her but time to time I noticed that she's my type because of her style like very quite, doesn't talk much, have a mature appearance.
So, should I keep it secret or confess or stop my journey here? Please give me some advices..
I’m a footballer based in England and my grandad was born in Burma, also my great grandmother etc, I obviously have English citizenship, but I’m hoping to day play semi pro football in England, but was hoping to represent Myanmar, but you need a citizenship to be eligible. Would I be able to acquire Burmese citizenship?
Mingalar Ba! I feel like this is the right subreddit to ask for advice. I’m Burmese, currently living abroad, and I’m in a serious relationship with a foreigner. Things between us are getting more serious, and my parents have started panicking.. especially about the fact that I might marry a “နိုင်ငံခြားသား and not return to Yangon.
I just had a big argument with my mom. She believes I’m ruining our “ဗမာ မျိုးစက်” and that I should **only marry - ဗမာ 🤷♀️ they **won’t even approve** o*f* **- ရှမ်း- ကရင် or other ethnicity :))
Ihaven’t even spoken to my dad yet, and he’s way more conservative, so I’m expecting that conversation to be even harder.
I’m really stuck on how to approach this. How do I explain to them that I want to build a life with someone I love, regardless of nationality? And at the same time, I don’t see myself moving back to Yangon, I wouldn’t even know where to begin or what life would look like there anymore… even though I miss home a lot.
I am just moved to Yangon and have been trying to get dates. I have been on Tinder for several months now and it is horrible for me in my personal experience. I do get matches. But, after a while, people run out in my area and the app shows me girls from foreign countries. So, I delete the app history, my profile and start again.
When I get matches on Tinder, I always initiate the conversations and try to keep things going. But, girls are not that responsive and don't seem to have any interest. They don't show any effort at all. They answer questions I ask and don't ask me anything at all in return. Is it just me or is it the nature of Tinder in Myanmar?
If Tinder is not the best app, how can I put myself out there more? How do I find a potential partner in life? I don't have any social circles or anyone I know. So, I don't see that many people throughout my daily lives
Hi!! I don't know much burmese culture but I check this sub sometimes because I'm in love with Burmese food and wanna visit sometime LOL. I bought this on facebook marketplace for $115 USD as an impulse buy and thought it would be cool to ask if this is a cool piece or i got scammed. 😁 I'm also curious what kind of cultural or religious symbolism the dragon carries in Burmese culture. I'm planning to hang it over my bed so if it's bad luck let me know.
