Survival rather than healthcare
Northern Myanmar village is ’blessed‘ with marble bounty providing highly prized material for carving Buddha statues Naučte se gramatiku podle textu
The stone used to be chiselled by hand. Now, much of the work is done with machines. “I was born in this village and for generations this is what we have done: the men work on marble carving and the women work in the marble mines or polish the marble statues,” said 25-year-old Mya Lay, in a house fashioned from dry bamboo sheets, with a floor made of marble chippings. For years, she has walked down from the mines from morning till sunset carrying marble slabs on her head, laborious work for about $3.50 per day.
Some fear the clouds of dust that cloak the village could make them sick. Inhaling marble dust in other contexts has been linked to silicosis, a serious lung disease that can be deadly. “I think the marble dust is not safe, but most people here only focus on survival, rather than their healthcare,” Kyi Khaing, a workshop owner said.
A bigger worry is the impact of the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year and has since spread globally. Myanmar has reported only hundreds of cases of the virus, but trade with China, which buys most of Sagyin’s statues, has been hit. The closure of the border between the two countries has meant Kyi Khaing has been unable to export his wares.
“The finished products are just sitting still,” he said. “I haven’t been able to deliver them anywhere. The buyers stopped coming as well.”
Still, Kyi Khaing thinks some things in Sagyin will remain constant. “I believe until I die we will still have marble here,” he said. “Anywhere you dig, there are marble stones.”
V dnešním textu byl použit předpřítomný čas průběhový, a sice „… who has been carving statues since he was 11…“(„… který tesá sochy od svých 11 let …“). K vytvoření tohoto času potřebujeme pomocné have, minulé příčestí been a významové sloveso s koncovkou -ing. Použijeme jej tehdy, když chceme vyjádřit, že něco probíhá po nějakou dobu či od nějaké doby, např. It has been raining for half an hour. (Prší už půl hodiny). It has been raining since I came home. (Prší od chvíle, kdy jsem přišel domů). Do češtiny takové věty překládáme přítomným časem.
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