1
50
1
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/37070/archive/files/0a28ae1ee6733556688e732ba3e6c99c.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=QQzEgl%7EwMhczg9r%7Eni%7Ev6JwmSKQQ7o4vhNqNK9cDqzTB784ETsj6-wUWumj3ibHboHjjzIshX2XJPev3w0xvafQoL7WT4W8XtibtiSqlN5Z%7EN4JoP50x08YxnI4r7nRTM0aATSnUpskxZoyPVxkiwh152rOm2PjS9qvpC7SE04lV6hzdGpNK9wxr5zVHk63u2jXdmXJBfCPUPqEergA2ghzDFoC7T4Mh1C9-tKqRzv1gbaUoEVVN9JF44jHCCubwx5s-CxdGP4vqK14uRJ2nLmXXQ%7EMBIfjw0MZxMGX%7Et7BSie74LSSnZ-ZDU0AYlyVblt7Tt1qFFdSe8KH6VP0hnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
1b2db2e7960db4d67f0ef4e5e2236209
PDF Text
Text
1
�Preface
The stories collected in this book retell the experiences of refugees as
they leave their homelands and settle in the United States. While
some of the problems they encounter during the resettlement
process are severe, the purpose of this collection is not to criticize
particular agencies and institutions, which provide many beneficial
services to the community, but to bring greater awareness to difficult
situations.
Although not many refugees from Burma are resettling in Lowell
anymore, all other refugees who are currently coming to the U.S. are
facing similar challenges. Considering this situation, this book is
written with three goals in mind. Our first goal is to point out gaps
in the refugee resettlement system so that responsible stake
holders, especially policy makers, will have a chance to look into
the current system and make changes to serve new refugees better
in the future. The long-term support for refugees, which is the postresettlement program, will need to be in place for refugees to
become self- sufficient. Secondly, we will provide some of the
refugees’ background information as well as their needs so that
service providers will have a better understanding of the refugees’
challenges and can try to find ways to serve refugees better. Lastly,
this book not only intends to record the refugees’ stories before
they fade away from their memories, but also to help future
generations learn about their histories, identities, and how their
ancestors struggled and sacrificed for their future generations to
have better lives.
2
�1
Acknowledgement
I personally would like to thank all the community members who
generously contributed their time, stories and pictures for the book.
Adult refugees wrote their own stories in Burmese, which I translated
into English, while the refugee youth wrote their stories in English.
I am also very grateful to Professor Susan Tripathy from the Sociology
Department at UMass Lowell for helping with everything from
editing to applying for the grant to publish the book. Huge thanks
also to Nyan Lynn, a Burmese master journalist student at the
Emerson College for helping with all the formatting and layout for
the book.
My appreciation also goes to the Indochinese Refugee Fund for
giving us the grant for this book publication. This fund was
established by the former Indochinese Refugee Foundation (led by
UMass Lowell Political Science Professor Emeritus Hai Pho and
Center for Diversity and Pluralism Director Emeritus Tuyet-Lan
Pho), and is currently administered by the UMass Lowell Center for
Asian American Studies, co-directed by English Professor Sue J. Kim
and Psychology Professor Ivy Ho.
James Aung
Lowell, MA
(February, 2017)
© 2017 All rights reserved.
©
3
�
STORIES FROM SAYDANAR
Introduction
Between 2007 and 2016, about 300 refugees from Burma
resettled in Lowell, Massachusetts. The majority are ethnic Karen
and Karenni from the Eastern parts of Burma. They were traditionally
farmers, living very rural lives in the most underdeveloped parts of
the country.
These ethnic parts of Burma are resource rich, which has
resulted in armed conflict for up to 60 years (since the British handed
over independence) between the Military Burmese Government and
ethnic rebel groups. As a result there are over 150,000 refugees living
in nine border camps across Thailand, and thousands more who are
undocumented and working as illegal migrant workers.
Many refugees have lived in these refugee camps for over 25
years, including many who were born there, with no freedom of
movement, and no right to work in the camp. The United States has
resettled up to 150,000 refugees within the last eight years. Although
grateful to have security and a future for their children, the refugee
populations from Burma face many challenges to fit into the new
system and culture.
4
�After eight months to one year’s support by resettlement
agencies in the U.S., refugees are expected to have reached a point of
economic self-sufficiency. Many are illiterate, having never attended
school or attended only primary grades; many have skills only in
farming or traditional customs such as weaving; very few speak
English; and the majority have never lived even in a city in Burma,
let alone a large city like Lowell in the U.S. Achieving self-sufficiency
in this time span is a challenge.
SayDaNar recognizes the need for continued support to the
community with specific cultural and language bridging, to help all
generations acquire necessary coping strategies for life in the U.S.
and to reduce the psychological stress and frustrations of cultural
adaptation. The community from Burma has a lot to offer a cultural
and artistic city such as Lowell, and with the right support,
encouragement and empowerment will be able to richly contribute
to the present cultural, social and economic environment of the city.
SayDaNar supports self-learning, education and growth – seeing the
community not as subjects of charity, but as individuals who via
effective access to information are able to support themselves and
their families and choose the best course of action for their lives in
the United States, and to contribute to their new city of Lowell.
5
�Personal Stories of Adult Refugees from
Burma currently living in Lowell
Zaw Aung
I lived in Taung Gyi City, Shan State in Myanmar. My father
ran a goldsmith business to feed our family. I am the third son out of
eight siblings in my family. My father worked alone and was able to
feed all our 10 family members. Even though we were not rich, we
were able to live comfortably and attend schools. However, when
the currency money was de-monetized by the military government
in 1985, our family became disordered and my father also died.
As for me, after my father died, I quit school and started
working. I sometimes worked as a goldsmith and sometimes worked
as a mechanic as I was struggling with the life until the military took
a coup in 1988. I became one of the armed group members.
Besides the military government, there is nothing that I do
not like about Burma. I love and like everything. When I was living
inside Burma, even though I have never faced any physical abuses,
6
�I would have to say it affected our mental health. Because our family
became chaos after the currency money was de-monetized and the
coup. I really hate the military government and left Burma since
1988 and have never gone back since then.
How should I say for a refugee? We were in a jungle in ThaiBurma border where the armed groups lived. The military accused
the villagers of supporting the armed groups and destroyed their
villages, and those villagers came to live with us. In 1996, it
officially became a refugee camp.
Since then until I came to the U.S. in 2012, the years that I
lived in the refugee camp were exactly 16 years. In the beginning of
becoming as a refugee, living places and food were getting better.
After 2006, when the UNHCR brought the refugees who worked in
cities to the camps, we faced many difficulties in the camp. The
camp that I lived in is as big as a small town so I would have to say
it is quite a big one.
The problems were reduced ration food, reduced materials
to maintain houses and not being allowed to go out of the camp. Due
to not having enough food for the family, we went outside of the
camp illegally to work near the Thai villages under very cheap
7
�wages to support the families. In the beginning, I would say with the
permission of the Thai government’s personnel, the camp authority,
we were allowed to work about one week or 10 days.
However, the transportation fee could eat up all of our wages
that we earned for a week or 10 days, so we went out and worked
illegally. Because I went out illegally, if I were arrested, the ration
food would be cut. The daily wage there was, if calculated in dollars,
about 5 or 6 dollars maximum.
Both health and education were pretty good in the camp.
Even though the clinic in the camp could not afford to have a full
time doctor, there were health care providers who were able to
perform quite a lot and lived in the camp as well as two or three cars
to transport patients to a hospital in the city. We didn’t have to pay
to use them.
We had to pay a little for education; for example, the
traditional custom fee, such as the entrance fee, teacher fee, etc.
With regard to the refugee camp, there was nothing to like about it.
Nothing was ok and there was no freedom due to having to live
under the Thai military.
We always had to look at their face whatever we did. The
most difficult thing in the camp was the future for the children
because the education from the camp wasn’t recognized anywhere.
Because the education was not guaranteed, it was so difficult for
families when they didn’t have a chance to resettle and go to a third
country. The children’s future was getting worse when many families
didn’t have the opportunity to resettle in the third country.
The decision to come to the U.S was for the future of my
children. We thought even if my children didn’t finish their education,
8
�at least they would be able to go to college and learn from a world
standard education. We thought that would be the best we could give
them as a parent. Therefore, we tried our best to resettle.
It took 8 years for me to resettle in the U.S. When we were
notified to arrive in the U.S. on September 11, 2012, our family was
so happy. We gave away all our belongings from our house and
killed animals that we had at home to celebrate and have a farewell
party. Some were happy and some were crying.
The disappointment began when we got to Quincy,
Massachusetts. We were really depressed because on the night that
we arrived, the organization that sponsored our family left a chicken
and a fried rice box in the refrigerator for our family of six and left
us for one or two days. The worst thing was their office was in
Boston, but we lived in Quincy. It was not very easy in the beginning
due to the language barrier as well as the transportation difficulty.
The office was very far from where we lived so we had to
take the subway and buses. Whenever we went to the office, we had
to spend the whole day. They only gave us $10 or $20 when we went
there. We are a family of six but the rice cooker was so tiny and it
wasn’t enough for us. My wife’s niece from Lynn brought a rice
cooker for us so we gave her the small one.
Our case was transferred to the Lowell office but the Lowell
office didn’t help us very much either. We were told that we had
signed the lease for six months. We weren’t informed until the lease
was signed. We were planning to go to Oregon because my friends
asked me to move over there. However, we were told that we would
not receive any welcome money if we moved. So we requested to
move to Lynn where my wife’s niece lives but they moved us to
9
�Lowell. We didn’t have any bed.
We didn’t have a blanket or a mattress. Before we moved,
we were told that everything was set up in Lowell and not to bring
anything. However, when we arrived in Lowell, the apartment had
nothing--no blanket and no mattress. We slept like that for almost
two weeks. Finally, we got mattresses from a family who just got
here and moved to Minnesota. We picked up his family’s mattresses.
I saw the different treatment among different refugee communities.
When some Iraqi refugees came, everything was set up almost
perfectly. However, when refugees from Burma came, we don’t
even have food that we eat even though the case manager was an
Asian. It began to get better after we moved to Lowell. We have
people from the same country here as well as SayDaNar organization.
After getting food stamps and Medicaid, as we became
settled in the U.S, I started looking for a job. I started working on
April 4, 2013, at the laundry company in Haverhill. I forgot
everything to start a new life. As of today, it has been over three
years. Children are able to learn their education. If we don’t
understand things, SayDaNar organization helps to solve the
problems so even though we don’t speak, read and write the
language, we are not disappointed.
Since we can be rest assured for our children, we only need
to move forward in our lives peacefully. Therefore, we are very
grateful to all the organizations and the U.S government for arranging
us to resettle in the U.S. There is nothing that I don’t like in the U.S.
Since every opportunity has been given, I think we only need to take
the action to do it. I like everything because I know that I can live
anywhere if I know how to live.
10
�Le Say
I lived in a village with my parents until I was 11. I’m not
sure if that village was in Karen State or not. After I left, I never
went back to that village. When I lived with them, they sent me to
school. We only have elementary school in our village. We worked
in a farmland for our living.
About one month after our father died, there was a battle
near our village. Some weapons fell in our village so we had to run.
Our village was located near a small stream. Everybody ran, and so
did I. I couldn’t see anyone. I hid in a hole on the sand near the
stream where I used to play with my friends. After the battles, when
everything became quiet, I came out.
My family was so worried about me because they couldn’t
find me so they thought I was killed. When they found me, they
were so happy and beat me up with a stick. After my father died, no
place made me happy. I didn’t have any place to go either. One
month after that, when my elder sister came back to Karen State, I
followed her. I was allowed to stay to the end of middle school.
When I was taking grade 6 exam, I took the exam in a jungle
11
�under a tree because we ran away from our village due to the fighting.
I got malaria and was very sick when I took the exam. My teacher
asked me to go home but I refused to go because I didn’t have
enough time coming to school. Sometimes, we have 2 days or 3
days of school in a week. Sometimes, if the situation was not good,
we had to hide in a jungle.
The medication was so bitter and made me dizzy. Sometimes,
I was thinking back, and I thought we almost died. We didn’t have a
clinic, no medications. We heavily relied on home remedies for any
sickness. One time, I was very sick and fainted but nobody was near
me. One of my friends, when she had fever, her body was so hot so
we placed some banana leaves on her chest as well as on her back to
release the heat.
When I lived in the Karen State, we had to walk one whole
day to go to where food was stored. We went as a group. We left
when the sun rose, around 6 am, and walked through jungles,
climbed mountains up and down until we reached where the food
was stored. By the time that we got there, it was already dark. Then
the next morning, we carried rice and walked back to our village.
I worked as a schoolteacher in a village for one year. I only
had 2 students in my class. Families were not able to send their
children due to difficulties. Families who lived a little far from the
school couldn’t come to the school because they didn’t have an
umbrella in the rainy season. They didn’t have a raincoat or shoes.
We had to clean an old fish paste sack to use as a raincoat.
After Manalplaw fell, it was around 1994 and 1995, we
didn’t have a permanent place to stay. We moved here and there and
hid here and there. I wasn’t personally tortured but I have seen those
12
�things. I had to run when the enemies came, move when there were
battles, and run from the battles and bullets. We ran from the village
to the jungles without having food and places to sleep. Nothing was
good since we had to live in a jungle.
The sound of shootings was behind us. We were not sure
where were the shootings and bombings, we just ran. When we were
hiding in the jungle, we were a group of people, families, relatives
and friends. For food, we tried to carry some rice that we had. We
cooked the rice with a small pot and made soup with some vegetables
that we could find in the jungle. We tried to inquire where it would
be safe for us and traveled there.
Before we were able to build a hut for us, we placed leaves
on the ground and slept on them. Things were getting worse and
worse. It became the worst in 1997. I like the natural and the
traditional culture, the religions that we ethnic groups believe in.
However we faced unfair treatment from civil war. They
tortured us, killed us. They burnt our houses. They destroyed the
paddy fields. They came during harvesting time and put fire on the
paddy fields and burnt all the rice stocks. Sometimes, we even had
to cook corn.
They gave us so many kinds of troubles. Due to the civil war
and the conflict, our living was in trouble. For example, I know a
girl who now lives in Minnesota, when she was about over 1 year
old, her parents went out with a group of about ten for grocery
shopping at another village to feed their families.
On their way back home, they met with Burmese soldiers
and everyone, all women and men, were arrested. Her father’s neck
was cut and he was killed. They were detained somewhere near the
13
�border. Finally, they were able to find ways to escape and her mother
came back to her daughter. However, since the mother got back, she
was sick all the time until she died. The daughter was left with her
grandparents.
It took us about one month to get to the refugee camp.
During our journey, our food ran out so we had to ask for food
from villages on the way. Sometimes, we even had to boil corn and
ate this. We were left behind because we were trying to take care of
some people who were more vulnerable than us.
Some people who knew where the refugee camp was had
gone first. Nobody was able to help each other. We didn’t know
where the refugee camp was and were wondering and looking for
the refugee camp for three days along the river on the Thai Burma
border. One day, someone found us and took us to the refugee
camp. When we crossed the river, my sister and her daughter, who
was only one month old, were almost drowned.
My sister suffered a lot from the harsh journey. After
delivering her baby she wasn’t able to stay warm and got wet in rain.
Since we got to the refugee camp, I never had a chance to return. I
wasn’t able to return either. Sometimes, I was thinking about it and
I didn’t understand. We had to run and run and I didn’t know why
we had to run. Did we run because other people ran?
We slept without mosquito nets so many of us were bitten by
mosquitos and got malaria. My elder son was always sick. He also
got malaria, which he was treated for only when he got to the camp.
Both of my sons have different issues. With my elder son, I carried
him all the time and breastfed him whenever he was hungry.
However, I had to leave my younger son when he was young.
14
�Before we came to the U.S., my youngest son was sick and
hospitalized. We were given the date to travel to the U.S. but the
flight was postponed because of his condition. We had to wait 6
more months. My younger son was malnourished because I wasn’t
able to stay home to breastfeed him when he was young.
We lived in the camp for 15 years. In the camp was a food
warehouse, health care clinic, school, camp committee, security,
youth organization and women’s organization. The camp that I
lived in had 15 sections. Each section had about 150-200 people. I
think the total population was over 15,000. We got enough food.
The foods that we got were rice, cooking oil, bean, chili, fish paste,
canned fish and salt. Those foods were distributed by NGOs such
as MHD and ZOA.
Due to the need in the school, I had an opportunity to work
as a teacher. I worked for 10 years. During the first 3 years, I got 300
bhats per month, which is probably 9-10 U.S. dollars. After that, I
got 500 bhats per month until 2008. In 2009-2010, based on the
teaching subject and the years, I got 760 bhats. There are two
elementary schools, one middle school, four high schools, KYLMA
and NKJC. The main subjects that are taught in the schools are
English, math, Karen language, Myanmar language, history,
geography, and science. The rest is arts and crafts. Recently, the
Thai language is also taught in the schools.
For healthcare, there is a laboratory, hospital, clinic, and
maternity clinic. Those are all free. The difficulties that we faced in
the camp was the affect on our health due to mosquitos and sand-fly
bites, and because of not enough clothes, blankets, mosquito nets,
and other materials. We had no food for nutrition. There is no
15
�opportunity to go out to earn money. Therefore, we got into trouble.
Due to many difficulties, we decided to come to the U.S. for
our children’s future when the U.S. called for resettlement.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) helped us to come
to the U.S. and gave a medical check up. For elderly people, disabled
people and people with chronic diseases, a nurse accompanied them
from the camp to the U.S. Because of the language barrier, a person
was assigned in the airport to help refugees. Finally, we arrived in
the U.S.
In the beginning, we met with our case manager. We felt sad
because everything was new: language, houses, place and location.
We couldn’t think of how to build our lives. Even though, I knew
that everyone had more or less their own difficulties, I felt as if I
didn’t have the ability. However, when I met with other people, they
told me about their experience when they got here. I was glad to see
friends, people who helped us.
The biggest difficulty is the language because we can’t read
and write. However, I got a job because of friends and people who
are here. I was happy because I was able to overcome 50% of the
difficulties. In America, everyone has the same rights. The ones who
live here are kind and have good will. You have opportunity to work
as much as you would like to. I like those things. For that, I greatly
appreciate it.
16
�Key Meh
When I was in Burma, we worked in a farmland for living.
We had family and relatives there so they came to help when we had
work. We also had a school but it was only at the elementary level.
Because we were illiterate and not educated, we had to work on a
farm. The best thing I like about it was we were able to live in our
own house, our own space in our town in our own country. Due to
various conditions of the country, the ruling of the Burmese
government is not good.
It will be endless to talk about how the Burmese government
and the Burmese soldiers bullied us. We felt as if whether we lived
or died, nothing would make a difference, so we wandered in jungles
wherever they took us, and finally ended up getting to the refugee
camp, which we didn’t even know existed. We lived in the camp for
10 years. Life in the camp was just like that. We built a hut for our
family with wood and bamboo that was distributed by the
organization in the camp. Rice, oil, beans and salt were also given
but we had to be frugal in order to get through the whole month. If I
have to talk about it, there will be a lot.
17
�The most difficult thing was not having security for our lives.
We worried about it too much. The camp is a big one but I don’t
know the measurement. I never have asked the number of families
or people in the camp. I heard other people say it but I forgot. Food
was distributed by an organization; I would say a world organization.
Sometimes, it was enough for the whole month but sometimes it
wasn’t. The people who have education can work in the camp, like
a schoolteacher or a health worker. I used to work as a schoolteacher.
When I started working, the salary was 500 bahts, and then it was
increased by the years of working. When it is 10 years, the salary
will be up to 800 bahts. 500 bahts is $16.66 and 800 bahts is $26.66.
For health, we had a clinic. If we had a regular illness, we
went to the clinic. If too serious, the clinic sent us to a hospital in a
city. However, it didn’t work out well. There were so many people
who died, but who shouldn’t have died. There was no doctor in the
hospital. We didn’t have to pay money. Compared to my village, I
liked the camp because it was clean, had health care for children and
a little education.
There were schools and the system was memorizing.
Children went to school. The Thai authorities were very scary. What
I didn’t like is we were not allowed to go out of the camp. I felt as if
we were detained in a detention center. The thing that made us so
stressed out, was that illiterate people could not do any work so they
did not have enough to support their families. People became what
they should not have become.
Therefore, I decided to come to the U.S. When I came to the
U.S, I came with an interpreter on the way. But there was no
interpreter when I got in the U.S. So I showed the IOM bags that I
18
�had with me, then a security officer accompanied us. After that the
ones who would help us came to pick us up with their cars.
I didn’t know what happened in the beginning in the U.S. I
didn’t know the direction, east or west. Sometimes, I felt as if I was
dreaming. I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t speak English. I didn’t
know what to do. Getting around was also difficult. I didn’t know
whom to contact. I had never used the stove in the apartment where
I lived. I was so worried if I used it wrong. Later on, when I got to
know the people who came before me, I asked them to help me. I
started my new life gradually.
When we met with the caseworker, we were told to call when
we need help. We didn’t have a phone yet that time. After we had a
phone, we called them when we needed. When I called, the phone
was never picked up. I was told not to call during working time.
When I called after work, I was told that it was their personal time
and didn’t pick up the phone. I didn’t know what time to call. It was
worse when we got sick. We didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know
the hospital or the clinic.
When I got to know the places, I didn’t speak the language
and didn’t have a car. When we met with the caseworker, we talked
to him about it. Our caseworker asked us why we came to an English
country if we didn’t know anything, and if we only came to give
trouble to other people. The caseworker also said that in this country,
they only care about children but not elderly people, and to learn by
ourselves for everything. If we needed to go to an office or a hospital,
we needed to be able to go by ourselves. The longest they,
caseworkers, took care of us was from the beginning to a month.
After one month, they had nothing to do with us.
19
�The caseworker never showed us where and how to apply if
we didn’t get health insurance and food stamps. We were so stressed
when we didn’t get those benefits. We didn’t have food stamps and
health insurance because we didn’t speak the language and we didn’t
know what to do. We only got health insurance for 8 months after
our arrival.
Food stamps were only given to kids who go to school.
Sometimes, some people from an organization, I didn’t know which
organization, came to visit our apartment. They opened the
refrigerator. We didn’t know what they were talking and asking
about. We guessed that they might be asking the name of our
caseworker so we told them the caseworker and the agency name.
They looked here and there and then went back. Because our
caseworker told us not to open the door to anyone if we didn’t know
them, and if we opened the door and something happened, they
won’t take any responsibility, so not only us, but all the Burmese
were so scared.
When my family was in Texas, we never felt safe. We saw a
lot of killings and robberies. One Karenni youth was killed outside
of his apartment. We lived at the same apartment. His relatives were
coming to visit his family from another state, and couldn’t find the
place so they called him to wait outside. Somebody shot him when
he was waiting for his relative outside of the apartment.
When the police came, they said that he wasn’t a citizen so
there was nothing that they could do about it. Another Burmese
Muslim from our apartment was also shot in his knee when he was
sitting and chit chatting with his friends at his balcony. A car drove
by and shot at them. When one Chin student came back from school,
some people hit him with a rod on his head. He was admitted to a
20
�hospital for a week.
One of my Karenni neighbor’s car was hit by a Bhutanese
car, and they both argued and were about to fight. When 911 was
called at around 1pm, the police came over around 3pm. When
police officers came over, they didn’t even come close. The police
officer also told them not to come closer. They stood from the other
side of the street and shouted to inquire what happened.
Many Karenni students dropped out of school because they
were struggling in the school because of the language barrier. They
didn’t want to go to school so they pretended that they went to school
in the morning, and came back in the afternoon along with the other
students. We didn’t know where they were wandering the whole
day. I never stopped worrying until my sons came back home. Even
though I was afraid, and knew that it wasn’t safe to go out at
nighttime, I was determined that even if I had to die, I was going to
look for them until I found them.
With regard to America, it is very good for opportunities.
However, I am very worried for my children because if they can’t
take all the opportunities, it could lead to the worst life. Another
thing is if you don’t speak English, you lose so many opportunities.
Now, we would say it was getting better after arriving in Lowell,
Massachusetts.
However, I still lose many opportunities and benefits because
I do not speak English. I really want to learn to speak English. The
school has a speaking class but it doesn’t fit with my work schedule.
It always is one thing or the other missed. What worries me the most
is whenever I think about the funeral expenses and the cemetery to
bury me in when I die.
21
�Peter Nyint
I was born in Loikaw Town. Back then, the Burma Socialist
Programme Party ruled the country. I was the eldest son in my
family. The year I was born was 1960. I grew up in Pruso Town after
my parents moved from Loikaw to Pruso. I studied from grade 1 to
grade 4 in Pruso Town. After I passed grade 4, I moved to Taung Gyi
City to continue my study. The school is called Seminary. I studied
from grade 5 to grade 10 at that school. I dropped out of school after
I failed grade 10. After I quit the school, I started working as a
missionary. I tried to apply to a civil servant position but I didn’t
pass the interview. What I like the most about the system was the
affordable commodity prices. For example, a sack of rice was only
22 kyats.
My family has 7 sons. During the Burma Socialist Programme
Party, porters were taken from my family because of having too
many boys. Even though I was never taken, one of my brothers was
always taken as a porter. That is the thing that I dislike the most in
Burma. Therefore, I moved to Karenni Revolutionary Area in 1985.
I served as a schoolteacher in the area. That time, the refugee camp
22
�was not established yet in Karenni Revolutionary.
Only later on, Karenni refugee camp was established. In the
Karenni refugee camp, the fixed monthly salary for the Elementary
school teachers was 300 bhats, the middle school teachers 400 bhats
and the high school teachers for 500 bhats. After the Karenni refugee
camp was officially recognized, salaries for teachers were given
according to their years of working by an NGO called JRS. I served
as a school teacher for 27 years in the camp.
Due to the frequent Burmese military attacks to the Karenni
Revolutionary area, the Karenni people couldn’t stay there anymore
so they crossed Thai land and formed a Karenni refugee camp in
Thailand. I lived in the refugee camp for 24 years. The most difficult
thing in the camp was not being allowed to go outside freely.
Karenni camp 1 and Karenni camp 2 were demarcated. I
guess the population was over 20,000. Food and living spaces were
given for families in the camp so it was enough for daily needs.
However, there was no extra. We were allowed to work in the camp.
I worked at the education department as a teacher and earned 950
bhats. I do not know about the exchange rate to U.S. dollar.
There is a clinic in the camp and there are health care
workers. We didn’t have to pay when we went to the clinic to get
treatment. There are schools in the camp from elementary to high
school. Every school-aged child is allowed to study. The education
system in the camp is very similar to the system in Burma. However,
the Karenni language was the extra subject.
When we were living in the camp, we had to be afraid of the
Thai authorities. Thai soldiers, who guarded the camp, beat me
when I came back in the night after visiting other places. I decided
23
�to come to the U.S. because we were not allowed to go out freely. I
lived happily in the beginning of arriving in the U.S., because I
didn’t have to be afraid of the Thai military, police and the Burmese
military.
My family of six came to the U.S. on the 1st of April, 2009.
That time, the caseworker placed us in an apartment. We didn’t
know any other Burmese family. In the beginning, the caseworker
fed us chicken and bread. We ate like that for 2 weeks. After that, the
caseworker gave us $80 so we went to a shop and bought the food
that we were familiar with, rice and curry.
However, it wasn’t enough so we requested the caseworker
again. The caseworker said that we had to buy food with the $80.
Even though we said it wasn’t enough, the caseworker refused to
give us more. After a while, he gave us $80 one time, and $120 one
time. We had to buy food for our family. Our family received a food
stamp card only after 2 months. Things were getting better because
we were able to buy food with the food stamp card.
Then, one of my daughters got hit by a car and admitted to a
hospital. I had to go to the hospital in Boston to look after my
daughter for 8 months. I was very worried and sad. During that time,
I wasn’t able to eat home food. I ate whatever food that the hospital
fed me. Later on, a Baptist pastor heard the news and came to see
me. He gave me $500. Only that time, I was able to go to a shop and
ate the food that I like so it was getting better.
However, transportation was not good. I was able to go back
to see my family only once a month because it was the time that I
didn’t know how to get around. I could even say Rev. Maung Maung
Htwe is my benefactor because while I was taking care of my
24
�daughter in the hospital, he helped me with money and food. Even
though my daughter came back from the hospital, she fell off from
the bed and broke one of her legs. We had to admit her in the hospital
again.
I am the head of household but because my daughter was in
the hospital, I wasn’t able to work. I went to a local agency for about
one year to learn English. Therefore, the food stamps benefit was
continued for us. After that, I started working. Since the year that I
started working, the food stamps benefit was reduced because it was
said that my salary was getting higher after working. Sometimes, the
food stamps benefit was cut for one or two months. We had to send
the documents to request it and had to apply again. After that, the
food stamps benefit was allowed.
However, it was not like before. My eldest daughter wasn’t
in my household list so I had to contact the food stamps office to fix
it. The food stamps office added my eldest daughter but they took
out my youngest son so I had to contact the caseworker again. The
benefit was getting less and less because we had been living here
almost 7 years. Now, the food stamps benefit was only $19 for a
month. If it is not enough, we have to spend our money to buy food.
My daughter became 19 years old so she is not eligible to receive the
food stamps benefit. I like the health benefits in the U.S.
25
�Philisato Kawhla
My name is Pilisato Kawhla and I was born on April 12,
1991 to a poor family in Myanmar. I did not have a chance to live
longer with my parents because when I was just seven years old,
they sent me to a boarding house for my education. I moved to
Thailand because of the instability of political situations in Myanmar.
There were a lot of violations, torturing, human rights abuses and
forced labor in Myanmar. Most people got out of the country for
jobs, security, and education.
So, I arrived in Thailand in April 2006 as a refugee. Then I
went to school until I graduated from Karenni Post Ten in 2011.
After that I was teaching at a Karenni high school as a volunteer for
two years. Then I married Teresal JoeJar as my forever partner on
July 12, 2012, and my daughter was born on December 19, 2012.
After my daughter was born, I tried to find my specific future for my
family. As everyone knows, there is nothing more important than
family. I am the man who has to build the future for my family. I
could not imagine my family’s future living in a refugee camp
forever, because there were no opportunities, security or freedom.
26
�Nobody wants to leave their family, but I had to because I had to try
for my family to escape from the refugee camp, and I did not have
any other way except by immigration. My wife could not go with
me because she did not have the UNHCR document registration
card. We wanted to live together forever, but we painfully had to be
apart because of the future of our family.
I arrived in the US on January 15, 2014. After I had been
here for a year, I heard in January 2015 that my daughter was
suffering from retinoblastoma cancer. Even though I heard this bad
news about my daughter, I could not do anything, and tears fell
down from my eyes. My wife and I encouraged each other to be
strong and we hoped our daughter would recover again.
Unfortunately, I did not have any chance to hug, touch, take care and
see my daughter until the day she passed away on July 4, 2015, due
to retinoblastoma cancer. Nothing is more painful than losing a
daughter. When I had lost a daughter, I did not want to lose my wife
anymore. My strongest wish is to reunite and be with my wife
forever.
Now my wife is lonely living in the refugee camp without
her daughter and husband in a scary shelter and environment. She
has to live with bad neighbors. Sometimes people undervalue and
underestimate her instead of encouraging her. She faces a lot of
disturbances by living there because most of the people there are too
rude.
Sometimes they call her as a widow, and they tell her to
marry another one, and sometimes they tell her that your husband
will not come back anymore or he will get married to another
women. In this current situation, she still can try to overcome all
27
�these disturbances, but I’m not sure that she can overcome more
disturbances in the future. Even though I hear from my wife that she
is faced with difficult situations, I cannot do anything for her.
How much pain we have for loving each other without being
together and losing a daughter. We cannot stop crying whenever we
are talking on the phone. She has a lot of depressions and pressures
by living alone with all the difficulties she is facing. Now, the doctor
said she is suffering from the symptoms of heart attack and needs to
take medicine everyday. In the beginning, I thought it was best for
my family if I came here, but everything is getting worse and worse.
I do not want to lose my wife again and I cannot let what happened
to my daughter happen to my wife.
Youth and Young Adult Stories
Ma Gret:
“The most terrifying experience I ever had.”
Have you ever experienced being a refugee in your life?
Would you want to know and learn how it feels to be a refugee? I’m
going to tell you about a refugee’s life and the feeling of being a
refugee. It is how my family and I experienced our lives since I was
born.
First of all, my parents were originally from Burma. They
moved to Thailand in 1990, because they were forced to move out
by the Burmese military without knowing where to go. They lost
28
�their homes and land, therefore they had to settle in a refugee camp
on the Thai-Burma border. It is hard to live in a horrible place facing
difficult situations.
Therefore, to be called a refugee is the opposite of an insult;
it is a badge of strength, courage and victory. They fought for better
lives. I was born as a refugee and had lived there for fourteen and
half years. Life was very tough because there was no freedom and
we couldn’t do whatever we wanted. We also did not have enough
29
�food and were told to just stay in the camp. If anyone left we would
be arrested by a Thai soldier.
In our lives as refugees, we have struggled with lots of
things, such as jobs, economics, and education. We were not allowed
to go wherever we wanted besides the camp. Can you image how
hard this would be? If you were in my place what would you have
done and how would you feel?
Secondly, my father was a teacher and my mother was a
homemaker. We did not have much income because my father was
the only one who worked in my family. Fortunately, my siblings and
I got an opportunity to study while living in the camp, however we
did not learn much English because our English teachers were not
originally English-speaking people, so their English was not fluent.
A million people have lived in the camps, and they have
faced situations similar to what my family did. Most of the refugees
have lived there for several years. Many preferred to live in a better
place, so most of them decided to make a new settlement to places
such as U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Canada.
However some of them are still remaining in the refugee
camp even though there is no way for them to go outside. They are
intending to go back to Burma to rebuild the homes and lands that
they have lost. For example, my uncle’s family and my aunt’s family
want to keep their own places.
Thirdly, as times have gone by, the UNHCR (UN Refugee
Agency) has offered protection and assistance to ten millions of
refugees to move to a different country for a better life. Therefore,
my family and I were told to apply for settlement to the U.S.
Surprisingly, we thought about it and made an agreement. So, my
30
�family and I finally arrived in the United States on April 2, 2009.
I feel like my life is getting much better here than it was as a
refugee in the camp, because I get more opportunities for an
education to make my future better. Nevertheless, I was faced with
a language barrier because I did not know how to speak English at
all when I first got here. Sadly, I felt discouraged and isolated when
I started going to an American School. It was pretty hard for me to
learn a second language, I even cried in the class because one of my
classmates made fun of me saying: “You’re stupid and you don’t
know how to talk.”
So, I was shocked and I didn’t know how to respond to him.
But I was also optimistic because I believed that I would eventually
make it one day. Although I have faced many obstacles, I’ve never
wanted to give up on things easily. In addition, I feel like I’ve been
improving my English learning skills each day while going to
school. Nonetheless, I honestly still feel scared and shy towards
other people or students while communicating with them.
In conclusion, being a refuge or an immigrant from another
country is not an easy thing to face; I would say that it is important
to learn the language before entering a new country. That would be
the best way to start. And refugees and newcomers to the new place
shouldn’t be neglected by others and should not regret going to a
new country with many opportunities.
31
�Dah Hsi
Everyone has different experiences in their life. Some are
good, some hard, some easy and some so tough that it is hard for you
to forget. There is a place where there is no electricity or other
electronic services, and not enough food to make a living. Also poor
education and on top of that, there is no freedom. That was a place
where a little girl Dah was born and grew up.
First of all, my name is Dah Hsi but most people call me
Dah, which is a short and easy name. I was born in a Thai refugee
camp. I always wanted to travel place-to-place and see the beautiful
side of another world. I am afraid to get stuck in just one place
without any freedom at all, a place where you cannot even go outside
to look for food or a job for a better life. Despite this, we had no
choice and we could not even do anything about it because we were
just a refugee people that lived under the control of the Thai
government and the United Nations. All of the food, clothes, and
education are from the helping hands of the UN organization.
My original country is Burma, which is also known as
Myanmar. Myanmar is where my parents were born and grew up.
32
�Due to civil war they had to flee from their country. They made their
living and new life in a Thai refugee camp and I was born there.
Even though I was born in Thailand, I’m not a Thai citizen, nor a
Burmese citizen.
It’s hard for us to live as non-citizens for both countries and
there is no way we can go out to other places. Both of my parents are
Karen. Karen is one of the ethnic groups in Burma. Most people
here do not really know what the Karen people are when I tell them
I’m Karen. I know it’s hard for them to understand because Burma
is just a small country, but we have so many different ethnic groups
and they all speak different languages plus different dialects.
However, the main language in Burma is Burmese.
I grew up and graduated from high school in the refugee
camp before I came to the United States. While I was attending high
school in the Thai refugee camp, I had to learn 4 different languages:
Burmese, Thai, English and Karen. It’s hard for us to speak one
language to another language but we try the best we can. I stayed in
the Thai refugee camp for 15 years and I went through so many
experiences.
I don’t regret the past where I came from because I learned
from my mistakes and I’m happy to share my experience with those
who don’t know and don’t have the same experience as me. I’m not
ashamed of myself for being a young refugee girl because I have
learned a lot from that. I came to the United States in 2010 when I
was just a 16 year old girl. Then I went to Lowell High School and
graduated from there in 2014. I’m thankful to God for all the
blessings I have received until this moment of my life. I’m proud
and happy to be who I am.
33
�Der Say
In 1991 I was born in a Thai refugee camp. I am from Burma.
My home family originally is from Burma. My parents were born in
Burma. My parents moved to Thailand at Kay Bo refugee camp. My
parents and I were living in Kay Bo camp and after five years our
village was burned by the Burmese army soldiers. We ran; we could
smell the fire and the smoke burning as we escaped with heavy
breath.
My parents and I had to run away to hide in the forest to save
our lives. It was dark. We had to stay still and we had to stay high up
on the hill. We were scared because the Burmese and Thai soldiers
were shooting at each other. This was very scary for us, but we
eventually got to a Thai refugee camp after many days.
We thought we were safe in the refugee camp but we were
not. My parents and I experienced terrible suffering imposed by a
brutal Thai military. They made it hard for my parents and we had
very little to eat. My parents and I had so many problems living that
we looked for a better place. We felt so sad and frightened because
we didn’t know that we could go when we were ready. My parents
34
�and I tried to find another refugee camp where we would be safe.
My parents and I moved to Mae La refugee camp. When we
moved to Mae La camp, I was five years old. Before this, I use to
live in the Kay Bo refugee camp where I started preschool, and then,
I suddenly had to stop. On Mae La, I had to restart preschool when
I was five years old. I had to learn three different alphabets. I had to
study Karen, Burmese, and the English alphabet language. I studied
hard to learn all three languages.
After preschool, I was going to elementary school. I had to
start first grade. I had studied seven subjects. I studied Karen,
English, science, math, Burmese, history, and geography. I studied
hard because I wanted to learn all seven subjects. Then I completed
elementary school. After elementary school, I went to middle school.
I had to start fifth grade in middle school. I was scared, I did not
want to fail.
I studied nine subjects in middle school. I studied Karen,
English, math, science, Burmese, history, geography, Thai, and the
Bible. English was my hardest subject, but I never gave up. I
continued to study hard. When we lived in the refugee camp, we had
to work hard and study hard in life. When we lived in the refugee
camp, we couldn’t go anywhere. We had to stay in the camp all day.
We were so bored and we didn’t have fun. We also felt very bad
because we didn’t have freedom.
Then, when I entered the seventh grade in the refugee camp,
I heard that our camp leader had announced that the American
government invited us to come to the United States. My parents told
my siblings and I that we were going to the United States. My
siblings and I said we didn’t want to go to the United States. We
35
�were very hesitant because we didn’t know how to speak English.
My parents told us that they wanted us to get an education. My
siblings and I said we would go to the United States, even though we
still didn’t know how to speak English. My family and I agreed to
come to the Americas. All of us applied to come to America, and in
2007, we arrived in the United States.
On our first day in America, we felt so uncomfortable
because we didn’t understand what anyone was saying and when we
got off the airplane, everything was very confusing. We felt so
isolated because we didn’t know how to get anywhere. After a few
weeks, we felt much better. Then, the horrible feeling returned
because my brothers and sisters and I had to start high school very
soon. We were extremely nervous relying on our limited English.
On our first day at high school, we felt so scared because we didn’t
know everyone. To our surprise, many of the students and teachers
helped us find our classrooms. We felt miserable because we didn’t
know anything about where we lived, or what we were studying.
But, we all studied hard in high school.
I studied hard enough to attend a program where I can get
my education and also get my career. I am now studying to be a
certified nursing assistant at Shriver Job Corps. I am also working
on completing my studies to get my high school diploma. I think
you would agree that my journey is now complete.
36
�Dahlia Paw
To start with, my name is Dahlia Paw. I was born in a very
small village in Thailand, called Mae Ler Maw, but my parents are
originally from Burma. The village where I was born consisted of
about 15-20 families. Lives there were very simple with not much
investment for a better life. The villagers work in the field on a daily
basis and feed themselves off from the farm.
The roofs of the house are made of thatch leaves and the
walls are made from bamboo. I lived there until I was 4 years old,
then my mom decided to move into Mae La camp because they have
a school and it is free. In the village, there was no school and the
villager does not even know what is the meaning of being educated.
Mae La Camp is one of the largest refugee camps in Thailand,
with more than 40,000 refugees. It is mainly composed of ethnic
Karen people (84%), the third largest ethnic group in Myanmar.
They fled following attacks by government forces against the KNU
(Karen National Union). Life in the Thai refugee camp is as boring
as it was in the village.
The Thai police forbid the refugees from going outside the
37
�camp because they do not have a Thai passport and are not Thai
citizens. When Thai police see refugees go outside the camp they
would arrest them and put them in the jail. The weekly food rations
for refugees are distributed by UNHCR (United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees) and include essential items such as
rice and oil.
Rations are only provided to registered residents who are
physically present at the time of distribution. Some people who had
Thai passports were allowed to go outside and make extra money,
and some people work inside the camp so they do not just depend on
the food given by UNHCR. As for my family, we did have a pretty
good life in the camp compared to other families who had just
enough food for each day.
In camp my mom worked for the Women Social Worker
(WSW) organization. The WSW helps single mothers who had been
displaced. They provide a house and food for the mother and her
children. As a WSW my mom made about 350 baht, which is about
12 US dollars.
School in camp was fun, even though it’s made of bamboo
and thatch because I got to be with my friends all the time. However,
I did not like the school system and how the teacher teaches. The
teacher made the students memorize what they teach and never
asked them to understand it. So most of the time students forgot
what they learned the next day.
I did not like to learn back in the camp because at the school
I went to, most of the teachers do not know how to lecture due to
lack of knowledge and education. In 2007 the United Nations started
sponsoring refugee people in Mae La camp. The following year my
38
�parents decided to come to the United States for a better education
and a better life.
At first my mom did not want to come because she was afraid
that life might be more difficult for her and my father since they do
not speak any English. However, for my brother and I to have a
better future, they were willing to face any challenges.
I moved to the United States in 2008. The first two years in
the United States were very tough due to the language barrier. I still
remember how boring it was the first day of my school in the U.S.
because I couldn’t communicate with my classmates and I did not
have any friends.
Everybody in the room only spoke English except for me
and my brother; we felt like strangers from a different planet.
Everything was different from what I had imagined, including how
people talk, act, and dress. I thought life would be easier and school
will be fun but it wasn’t. Besides this, my family encountered culture
shock, so we were afraid to go outside the house and thought police
might arrest us if they saw us going outside, since this had happened
to my family back in the Thai refugee camp.
After a year in the United States I made a new friend because
I could speak enough English to communicate with them. As time
passed on, I had overcome this struggle. However, as for my parents,
it is hard for them to learn a new language and find a good paying
job. So, in my house I play the role similar to head of household. I
am responsible for writing monthly bills, rent, and all the paper
work my family receives from the mail. I am doing all this because
my parents are trusting in me since they cannot speak the language.
At this moment I had come to realize how important education is
3
9
�and understand that it is the path to my better life.
High school was the best experience in my life because I
learned a lot about making new friends. During my high school
years, I discovered my interest in things I want to do in the future. I
got involved in after-school clubs and became part of a sports team.
Besides this, I volunteer at SayDaNar Development Center and at
the International Institute. Doing this helps me to improve my
confidence and language skills.
Last but not least, I am a sophomore student at MCC
(Middlesex Community College) and hoping to transfer to a fouryear college afterward. I want to become a nurse because I enjoy
nurturing sick people. In general I also love to help people as well.
At the moment I have to finish my prerequisite in order to get into a
nursing program at MCC. It is going to be a long and hard process
because of limited spaces available for nursing students, but I am
ready to fight for my dream and a better life.
40
�Bawi Ka Zham
“Everything I know about morality and the obligation of
men, I learned from football (soccer)”
– Albert Camus
In July of 2007, I made a list of goals I hoped to achieve for
my family and what I wanted for the lives of my five young cousins.
My ambition was unwavering, yet I prepared myself for the
possibility of many difficulties. One of these obstacles was severe
poverty.
My personal goals stood as a testament to the love and
obligation I felt towards my family. This deep commitment to
succeed for my family and myself was inspired by loss. I lost the
person whom I loved and needed the most in the world. I was twelve
years old when I lost my grandmother, living in Aasaw Village,
Myanmar. Aasaw is a small village located on a mountain ridge
without electricity, running water, and education.
Only thirty percent of children attend school. Of that thirty
percent, only five to ten percent graduate from high school I used all
45
�my strength and my need to survive by hiking 45 miles to the border
of India in order to hunt and sell what I caught to pay for school.
When I lost my grandmother, I decided to leave the country because
I could not bear to walk past the place where she was buried. Each
time I walked past was a cold reminder of my beloved grandmother’s
hope to stay alive until I grew up and could care for myself.
Even though my life was full of misery, I realized it was not
the end. My childhood may have met an abrupt ending, but instead
I began to plan for the future, for my cousins and for myself. My list
included: leaving Myanmar, going to Malaysia, finding a job and
most importantly, attending a university.
In 2008, it was time for me to leave Myanmar and go to
Malaysia. My mother was not there to take care of me, and my uncle
had five children to send to school. If I had stayed, I would have
been forced into child labor, or I would have become a soldier for
the Burmese Army. I had to leave. When I finally got to Malaysia, I
worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week. I did not have the
time, the money or the opportunity to attend school. I lived with
thirty people in one apartment so that I only had to pay fifty RM,
about fifteen U.S. dollars, each month.
Working on my own and living in a crowded apartment, I
thought of my cousins, my grandmother and of the countless times I
played soccer with my family. Thoughts of my family and my village
overwhelmed me, but also led me to stark realizations. I always
knew that I loved my family. I realized that we also needed each
other to succeed. It is impossible to score a goal for the team without
passing the ball to each other.
I sent back most of the money I made in Malaysia to my
42
�cousins so they were able to remain in school. In 2011, six students
graduated from high school in Aasaw. Five of them were my cousins!
I was very proud.
I am a firm believer that we must take turns passing the ball
and scoring the goals. They scored that goal for our community, and
I assisted them by passing the ball. I worked and I ran for the
opportunity to help my family and we won!
Many things have changed since I first played soccer with
my family, but this ideology continues to guide me today. With it in
mind, I aspire to complete the last wish on my list – attend a
university.
Knowing against all odds that I can accomplish anything I
set my mind to, I will not only attend a university, but graduate with
an engineering degree. Then, I will say thank you to my family, my
teachers, and my friends, who helped me achieve my goals.
43
�Mee Reh
My name is Mee Reh, I am 24 years old. I came from
Myanmar to Thailand as a refugee in 2010. I would like to explain
about my autobiography and educational history. English is my
second language and I am not good in reading and writing or
speaking. I attended school for 9 years in the refugee camp. I learned
how to write and read while I was living in the camp.
There are many people like me facing the same situation as
well, more than 50,000 people who live in the camp and couldn’t get
out because we weren’t allow to go out of the camp. And we never
had enough food, not enough health care and not enough education.
UNHCR provided a clinic and school for us but not enough. Back
home in Myanmar, I had not been in any situation that my parents
always complained about, because they had been ruled by a military
government.
I was only about 5 years old when my family decided to run
away from the military. After facing many difficult situations in our
life, we were looking for a better life and decided to come to the
United States. I have been attending school in the United States for
44
�4 years now. I have been learning how to write, read and speak in
English. To be honest, I couldn’t speak any English when I arrived
in the U.S. but I always pushed myself to be challenged. I speak 3
different languages (Karenni, Burmese and English).
One particularly good experience I had in my past education
is with the subject English. I love to learn English, because the
English language can change my life to live in the United States. I
really like America, because I have more freedom, healthcare and
education. I love to live in the United States.
I know by myself that I have to study hard and work hard to
be a good academic student. I always give plenty of time to learn
more and more and I am ready to challenge myself.
One particularly bad experience I had previously was that I
came to the United States very late. When I got to the United States,
I was already 17 years old and started to learn English when I was
17. That was really the worst experience I ever had studying in my
life in the United States. But I never gave up. I understand that to
start with the beginning is a good start, and it is good to have a
strong foundation.
In 2010, I started school in the United States at Lowell High
School and I loved Lowell High because I had a chance to study
with all students from across the world. It was very good to learn
with international students. I have been learning reading and writing
from high school through college.
I didn’t know that America had so many different cultures or
religions before I came to the United States. But now I truly know
and I love to present my culture. I won’t ever forget about my culture
and I won’t ever forget where my story began.
45
�Say Paw
I came to the United States when I was 14 years old. I was
born and raised in a refugee camp at Thailand. However, my parents
are originally from Burma. There was nothing much that I know
about Burma since I did not live there, but I did know how we
struggled to live in the camp.
My father started to tell me his story when I was around nine
years old. At that time, I was surprised and understood right away
why my parents had to live in Thailand as a refugee people. It is not
easy to live in the camp or in the United States. My family had to
overcome obstacles both in the camp and the United States, in
different situations.
I remember my father told me that the reason why he came
to the camp was not because he wanted to. They had to flee from the
Burmese military, which came and burned their houses and land and
then killed the people who did not have a chance to escape. My
father had to run all the time and hide inside the forest until he got
to the border of Thailand. He started his new journey as a refugee
person in Thailand.
46
�Living in a Thai refugee camp was not easy. There are many
camps that were in Thailand. I believe people faced different
experiences living in the camp, but for my family, it was not easy.
The house that my family lived in was built of bamboo and thatch.
The house was not a problem to us at all, but other things could be a
problem.
For instance, the Thai government in charge of us did give us
rice and other food to eat. The thing was, that we couldn’t eat the
same food everyday. My father needed to have a job, so he could
buy us delicious food. We did not get to eat good food as we wished.
At the rainy time, my family planted vegetables and sold them to
others. That is how my family made money.
The second reason was that we could not go out and get jobs
freely in Thailand. We were just living there as refugee people, not
as residents of Thailand. We did not have permission to go outside
freely. My family wanted to be able to eat delicious food and wear
nice clothes, but we did not have the money. When we really needed
money, my dad secretly went out and found a job to work.
After my family got free from living in the camp, we came
to the United States. But we still had to face problems. My family
and I had never lived in a city. My first year in Lowell was terrible
and the major problem that we faced was language. I am sure that
my parents had to face a lot of stuff while living in Lowell.
However, as a student, I had to go through all the process of
attending school and getting to meet new friends. During my first
day of school, I felt so nervous and worried. The teacher talked to
me and I did not understand what they said. I also felt afraid while
sitting in the classroom. And I wish that I could just go back to the
47
�camp instead of living in America.
Everything got much better after two years of living in
Lowell. As a student, I learned English faster than my parents so I
used my basic English to translate for them when they had an
appointment. Sometimes, I explained to my parents about their mail.
I felt less stress when I first arrived in Lowell. It is not easy for me
to go through all this especially when I did not know any English.
However, I worked hard and tried my best in school so that I could
help my parents.
As a child, I went to school everyday but I did not get to
learn the English language. I only got to learn my native language.
For me, it is tough to live in the camp because we did not get to see
the real world. We just lived there as a survivor and we worked hard
to make our life better. When we came to the United States, it was
hard to adjust and learn new things at first.
Over time, my family got used to living here. I am glad to be
in United State because I have freedom. There is more opportunity
for us to earn money than there was in the camp. Nowadays, I still
try to learn more English and I still struggle with English grammar,
vocabulary and sentences. But I think it is much better than in the
camp.
48
�Thank you
to the children
of Saydanar
for their artwork,
which was all
completed in
preparing for the
‘‘Eat to Educate”
cultural event
during Spring,
2016
49
�50
�51
�52
�53
�54
�55
�56
�57
�58
�59
�Stories from SayDaNar Casework
James Aung
I came to the United States as a refugee in 2008, and was
originally resettled in Boston. I got a job, and moved to Lowell. I
saw that many refugees from Burma were struggling due to their
language barrier and lack of knowledge of the system. I started
volunteering to help them as much as I could. I went on home visits
to help them, and tried to get the families’ needs. I took them to their
appointments.
Whenever they called me, I tried my best to go and help
them. However, realizing that I couldn’t help their problems by
myself alone, I reached out to other Burmese community members
who have been here for many years. Our group tried to help and
support the refugees from Burma, and finally formed SayDaNar
Community Development Center. Here are some stories from my
experiences helping the community.
School Advocacy
When one of the community leaders, Mrs. Wah (not her real
name) told me that her family was moving to St. Paul, Minnesota, I
was so sad. I didn’t want the family to move. She and her husband
are very active and always help other people. I asked why they
decided to move to St. Paul. I was very confused because they were
doing well.
Both husband and wife had full time jobs at the same
company and they had a car, which the husband drove to their work
60
�Photo - Tory Germann
everyday. Their work was more or less a 30 minutes drive from their
apartment. The family was also almost ready to buy a house and
even enrolled in Individual Development Account (IDA), through
which a family can get up to $8000: the family saving up to $4000
and the matched money from the program up to $4000, to buy a house.
The family doesn’t need to pay the money back since it is a
government program to assist refugees. Mrs. Wah told me that her
sister’s family was coming from Thailand to resettle in the U.S soon.
Her sister wanted her eldest daughter to go to a high school. Mrs.
Wah worried that her niece might not be able to enroll in the high
school here since she is almost 18 years old.
The high school here in this area doesn’t allow the registration
of any young adults who are 18 years and older. In St. Paul, however,
she said that high schools accept young adults up to 21 years. She
also said that her sister is a single mother with three children and
doesn’t speak English so she needs to support her sister because she
will be struggling in the system due to her language barrier and lack
of knowledge. I felt really bad because I wasn’t able to help very
much, and knew that the family had to restart their lives again from
the beginning.
61
�The family withdrew their IDA savings account and lost an
opportunity to buy a house and moved to St. Paul in July 2014. After
a few weeks, Mrs. Wah called me to let me know that her husband
got a job at an egg farm, which was more than a 2 hour drive from
their home, so he couldn’t come back home everyday.
He stayed near his work and shared an apartment with his
colleagues, and came back home once a week. She said that her
family wasn’t very happy in Minnesota and wanted to come back to
Massachusetts. Her sister’s family from Thailand came to the U.S.
in March, 2015. Her eldest niece was able to enroll in a high school
in St. Paul and started grade 9.
I was so happy when Mrs. Wah told me that her family as
well as her sister’s family would like to move back to Massachusetts.
However, she wanted to make sure that her niece would be able to
enroll in a high school because her niece turned 18 last April. I told
her that since her niece was in grade 9, she should be able to register
in the high school here.
However, I told her that I would double check with the public
schools. I reached out to a staff from the public schools to find out
about it and I was told that the student should be fine since the public
schools should accept any student up to 21 years old. I let Mrs. Wah
know about it so she decided to come back. She asked me to buy air
tickets for her families as well as to rent an apartment for her family
and her sister family.
I bought flight tickets for the end of June, 2015 and rented a
four bedroom apartment for her family. We also set up furniture at
the apartment before they came. We went to pick them up at Boston
Logan Airport on the day that they came.
Mrs. Wah took her niece to register at the high school in the
62
�middle of July, 2015. However, her niece was refused registration
because she wouldn’t be able to graduate from high school when she
turns 22. Mrs. Wah asked me for help so I contacted the staff that I
reached out to before from the public schools administrative office
and explained the situation.
I was told that the student has the right to be in the school
until she is 21. The staff contacted the high school registration office
then she asked me to tell the family to go back to register. The family
went there the next day, and the student was able to register. She
took an assessment test and was told that she would start from grade
9.
However, in the beginning of August, 2015, the student went
to the high school registration office again since she didn’t hear
anything from the high school. She was told that the High School
Headmaster refused to let her enroll due to her age, since she
wouldn’t be able to graduate at 22. I contacted the staff and explained
about the problem.
The staff said that she would contact the assistant superintendent office regarding the issue. In September, I heard back from the
staff and they told me that the assistant superintendent said that the
student would not be able to go to high school due to her age.
It was suggested that I should file a complaint to the
Department of Education (DOE). I asked the mother and the student
to see if they agreed to file a complaint. With their permission, I filed
a complaint. A staff member from DOE got back to me the next day
and asked me some questions to clarify the story. Then he said he
would contact the public school.
The next day, I got a call from the public school attorney. He
said that he looked into the case and the student never requested for
63
�an appeal. I told him that the client didn’t know and just came to the
U.S. a few months ago. The attorney said that the superintendent
would take her complaint as an appeal for her case. He said the
superintendent has looked at the case and reconsidered that she
should be allowed to attend high school.
He told me to inform the student to come to the high school
to be enrolled tomorrow. The student and her mother went to the
high school the next day. Everything went well, and she was able to
start her school right away on the same day.
This has been an ongoing problem for refugee youth who
are over 18 and were denied enrollment in high school due to their
ages, not only refugees from Burma but also other refugees from
different populations. Some refugee families from Burma moved
out of state because their children were not allowed to enroll in high
school.
It doesn’t just happen in one city since I also saw some cases
in other areas as well. A refugee girl from Burma in another city also
faced the same problem when she tried to register to enroll in high
school. She was denied and not allowed to attend high school. She
was told to go to an ESL class and get her GED if she wanted to
continue her education. She asked me for help so I got involved, and
went through the same process. After my unsuccessful advocacy
with the Parent Information Center as well as the Superintendent
office in the city, I finally filed a complaint to the Department of
Education with the girl and her mother’s permission.
The girl was allowed to attend the high school after DOE got
involved. However, I received a letter from the Superintendent,
which states that the decision not to allow her to attend high school
was the right one, therefore, the girl should go to an ESL class to
64
�earn her GED. What surprised me was even though I received that
letter, which confirmed their previous decision, the school also
allowed her to attend high school.
After she was able to attend high school, I got a call from
someone who is helping the African community. She said her refugee
community also faces the same problem. It is a gray area, and public
schools administrative staff make decisions based on what they
think will be the best for their schools, not what is the best for the
students. Although a staff from DOE told me that it is a law that
public schools should allow students who are under 21 to enroll in
high school, neither I nor the DOE staff could find this detail.
Unemployment benefits
Even though everyone is enjoying the summer, refugees
from Burma are struggling to pay their rent. Every year, the sewing
company that many refugees from Burma work in closes for two
weeks. Workers are asked to apply for unemployment benefits.
Depending on the years each individual has worked at the factory,
clients will get paid either for one week or for two weeks.
The ones who have been with the company at least two years
and over usually get paid for two weeks so they don’t need to apply.
However, the company closed for three weeks this last August, so
everyone who worked for the company tried to apply unemployment
benefits as no one gets paid for the third week.
The workers are given information where they can ask for
help to apply for the benefits at a local career center. They can also
apply over the phone or online. Due to being computer illiterate and
having a language barrier, clients usually go in person to the center.
65
�The career center used to help clients to apply for the
unemployment benefits; however, the office doesn’t do this anymore
since a couple of years ago, due to budget cuts from the government.
The center will give a piece of paper to any one who walks in to
their office that explains how to apply for unemployment benefits
either online or over the phone. Clients will always come back to me
to apply for their benefits.
Many clients came to see me to apply for their benefits in
August. The new ones were easier. I just needed to go to the website
and create accounts and apply for benefits for them. The most
difficult cases were the ones who have applied in the past and have
accounts but forgot their passwords. It would not have been easy
even if you speak the language and have computer skills.
Calling the unemployment office is worse than a nightmare.
Whenever I call the phone number, the minimum waiting time is 45
minutes, but I usually have to wait over an hour. I keep waiting and
waiting until someone answers the phone, if I am lucky. Many times,
the line is disconnected before someone picks up the phone or while
I am talking to the staff member after waiting for almost an hour.
A client came to show me a letter that he received from his
company. When I had a look, it was an instruction about how to
apply for unemployment benefits either online or over the phone.
This client had applied for his benefits last year so I tried to help him
to log in to his account in our office computer. However, he forgot
the password of his account so he couldn’t log in.
He also didn’t remember the secret question so I had no
option but to call the call center. I am very reluctant to call the call
center because I knew that I would have to wait at least one hour. I
was right! I kept waiting for about an hour until the line got
66
�automatically disconnected.
I had to ask the client to come back the next week because
the call center closes at 4:30pm and it was already after 4pm so we
would not be able to make it. My office hours are usually in the late
afternoon on Wednesdays and early afternoon on Fridays so I can
only help them to apply on Friday afternoons.
The client came back the following week so I called the call
center again. This time, I was lucky to be able to talk to a staff
member after waiting for over an hour. I explained the problem so
the staff verified with the client over the phone and sent a link to
reset the password. Finally, I was able to help the client to log in to
his account and open a claim for his unemployment benefit. He was
notified that he would receive his benefit of over $300.
He came back after a few weeks because he didn’t receive
his benefit, which he was supposed to receive. I helped him to log
into his account and to see if he missed anything. Finally, I had to
call the call center phone number again because there was nothing
wrong with his claim. Again, I had to wait over one hour before a
staff member answered.
The staff member said that the check was sent to a wrong
address so I gave him the correct address. However, both the client
and I were confused because the client never moved to the address
that the staff member mentioned. I was also told to call a phone
number to request the check be sent to the correct address. I called
the number and talked to a staff member but he said that I was calling
the wrong department.
He told me to call the main number. I didn’t have enough
time to call the main number since it was around 4 pm already so I
asked the client to come back next week. The client has come to see
67
�me to make the phone call every Friday. However, we have not been
lucky enough to talk to a staff since nobody picked up the phone
even though we waited for over an hour each time. The telephone
line was always disconnected. The client was even saying that the
government does it purposely so that people will give up applying
for the benefits. It has been almost two months already but the client
has not been able to receive his check yet.
When I met with a staff member from the career center, he
told me that now there are only three places across Massachusetts
answering all the calls. As a result, people have a very long waiting
time. He suggested to me that it was better to do it online. I explained
to him most of my clients are computer illiterate on top of their
language barrier. I asked him if his office can help when the clients
come in for help. He said the clients could use the computers in his
office and his staff could help clients and explain how to apply
online.
However, he said that he didn’t have enough staff to go
through the whole process of applying for the unemployment
benefits. Every year, many of them struggle to receive their
unemployment benefits and most of them have given up applying
due to the difficulties.
Medical Bills
One of the Burmese refugees who doesn’t speak English
came to see me today. He brought a medical bill that was for a
doctor’s visit back in August, 2015. He said he didn’t understand
why he received the bill because he had medical insurance, and he
paid the co-payment during his visit. I called the phone number on
68
�the bill, and found out that it was from a specialist clinic.
I was told that the clinic needed to have a referral from the
patient’s primary care physician (PCP), which the patient didn’t
bring. I called his PCP office and requested them to send a referral
to the specialist office so that his visit could be billed to the medical
insurance. The staff member who does referrals told me that his
doctor didn’t know about the appointment, and plus it was out of the
time frame, which is 90 days, so the insurance won’t accept the
referral even if the doctor sends one.
I explained that this client was referred by his PCP to this
specialist in the past, and that is why he got a follow-up appointment.
The staff looked into the system and found out that his PCP did refer
him to the specialist back in 2014. The staff member explained to
me that the patient never came back to inform his PCP that he went
to see the specialist back in 2014.
Therefore, even when the patient got another follow- up
appointment from the same specialist in 2015, his PCP wasn’t aware
about the appointment. Now it is over the 90 days period, so the
insurance won’t pay for his visit; therefore, he will have to pay for it
from his own money. The staff member also told me that the patient
needs to come back to inform his PCP every time he sees other
doctors so that his PCP is aware of all the issues and can follow up
as needed. I feel really bad for the client because it is not his fault
that he went to see the specialist. He didn’t make the appointment
with the specialist’s office. And he didn’t know that he needed to
bring a referral or had to go back to inform his PCP about his visit.
Why did the specialist see him in the first place if he didn’t bring a
referral? Why wasn’t he informed that he has to bring a referral
when he got the appointment?
69
�Even though any health care providers receiving funds from
the government are required by law to provide an interpreter for
patients with limited English proficiency, private doctors, who do
not receive funds from the government, are not required to provide
interpreters for patients. When refugees’ primary care physicians
refer their refugee patients to see specialists for further evaluation
regarding their health problems, refugee patients struggle to get the
services from specialists due to the language barrier. However,
refugees are still new to this area, and don’t know where to go. In
addition, refugees are required to bring their own interpreter. When
refugees can’t find anyone to translate for them, they simply just
don’t show up for their appointments.
If providers are able to provide interpreters, not only will the
refugees have a better understanding about their health, but also the
providers will be able to treat their refugee patients more effectively,
because the refugee patients will be able to follow the providers’
instructions. As refugees are able to evaluate their health problems
with specialists, they are more likely to be able to prevent themselves
from getting sick. Therefore, the refugees will become healthier, as
a result, their health care consumption will go down and so will their
health care expenses in the long run.
Electric bills
Recently, many new electric companies were trying to get
new customers. Their representatives worked very aggressively to
get new customers for their companies. One time, I saw one of the
sale representatives was knocking on the front door of an apartment
very hard and didn’t stop until the door was opened. I have seen the
70
�same kind of situation many times among refugees from Burma.
Each time, I had to call the electric companies to cancel their
contracts, which they didn’t even know that they had signed up for
until they received welcome letters in the mail. When they brought
those letters to me for translation, they all were very upset after they
found out the truth.
A client, who has limited English, came to see me with a
letter that he received from an electric company. The letter was
welcoming him as a new customer. He was kind of confused by the
letter because, he said, he never applied for electric service from that
company. After a short conversation, I found out that a lady knocked
on his door, and tried to talk to him in English a few weeks ago.
He didn’t understand what the lady was talking about besides
the word “electric,” because he understood the word “electric” in
her talking. He gave his electric bill because the lady was asking to
show it to her. He just said sometimes “yes” and sometimes “no”
during the conversation, even though he didn’t fully understand
what the lady was talking about.
I explained to him that the new electric company was offering
him a lower rate, compared to his previous company’s regular rate.
However, the rate that he receives from his previous company is
lower than the new company is offering because he got a discount
rate due to his income and his family size. Finally, he understood
what the lady was talking about.
I called the electric company, explained the whole situation,
and cancelled the service because the client wanted me to do so. I
explained to him that in the future if he doesn’t understand anything,
do not say “yes” or sign anything, even if he understands and doesn’t
want it. The families could have forced the sale representatives to
71
�leave but they didn’t do it. On top of the language barrier, due to
coming from war torn zones and living under a military government,
many refugees from Burma are afraid to speak up for their rights.
They are always afraid to deal with anyone who has power.
Citizenship applications
Today I helped one of the clients for his citizenship
application. I still remember that he didn’t speak a single word of
English when he came to the United States in 2009. Now he is so
eager to take his citizenship. He always comes to the citizenship
class on Saturdays at the SayDaNar office. Sometimes, other people
may miss class but he never does.
He is so determined and works very hard to earn his
citizenship. Regardless of his English language barrier, he tries his
best to learn the 100 civic questions and all the information from
the citizenship application so that he would be able to pass the
interview and become a citizen of the United States. I am so glad to
have a chance to support his dream.
There are many people in the community from Burma in
Lowell. Many of them are due to apply for their citizenship.
However, not many of them are willing to study for the citizenship
test. Their excuse is that the test is so hard because they don’t speak
English. However, I don’t think it is true. They just give up learning
and don’t want to study because they think that they are too old to
learn. I can’t wait for the day that this gentleman passes the test
and becomes a citizen of the United States. He will be a very good
example for the rest of the community that it is never too late to
learn and if people work hard enough, they can achieve their dream!
72
�Travel Documents
Today, one of my clients came to see me and said that he was
going to New York to pick up his travel document for a trip to
Thailand. He has never been to New York, so he is going with one
of his Karenni friends so that he won’t get lost. He has been here in
Lowell for only over a year so he is not eligible to apply for a
passport since he is not a citizen of the United States. However, he
can apply for a Refugee Travel Document to travel outside of the
country. The reason that he is going to Thailand is to see and support
his wife, who has been depressed since her daughter died. His
daughter died a few months ago due to lack of medication in the
camp.
I helped him with his travel document application at the
United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and
visa application at the Thai Embassy in New York. When he
submitted his application, he also put a prepaid envelope for return
postage, but the embassy said that they never received the prepaid
envelope. He purchased a plane ticket and his flight is on March 9,
2016. However, I had told him that he didn’t need to buy a ticket for
his visa application, because I called the Thai Embassy to find out
whether he would need a ticket for the visa application or not. I was
told that a ticket was not required, but he bought it anyway because
his friend said he needed it.
Sometimes, people trust more the information that they
receive from their friends. In this case, he wouldn’t even need to go
to New York to pick up his document if he hadn’t bought his flight
ticket. He could have found another way to get his document back.
Now, due to his flight schedule, he doesn’t dare take a chance to
73
�wait and decided to go to New York to get his document so that he
will be ready to travel by March 9th.
Proof of residency
One of my clients brought a letter from Mass Health, which
states that he and his wife need to submit their proof of residency in
order to be eligible for health insurance. The family has been here
for almost 5 years and their status has not changed. They have lived
where they were since they arrived in the U.S. They also had
submitted the same verification in the past for a few times but Mass
Health still was asking them to submit the same information again
and again.
The letter also described a list of acceptable letters for the
proof of residency, including utility bills, pay stubs from the last 60
days, mortgage or lease; but the wife has none of those. All the
utility bills as well as the lease are in her husband’s name. She used
to work but had to quit her job due to her medical condition, and
now her husband is the only person working in the household.
Therefore, she can’t provide her pay stubs either. I suggested
the husband ask his wife to go to the city hall to request a proof of
residency letter. The city issues the letter and charges $3 per person.
He can then submit this letter to Mass Health.
I have seen this kind of situation many times when clients
are asked to submit some verification to determine their eligibility
by government agencies. It is reasonable that the government
agencies will need to verify the information to determine the
eligibility. However, it is a big challenge for refugees, especially, the
newcomers, because refugees don’t have any of the acceptable
74
�verification forms that are listed. It will create extra stress for the
refugees on top of all the challenges that they are facing in the new
countries.
401 K
One client, who wanted to enroll in a 401 K retirement plan,
asked me to help. She said that her company told her to call a phone
number in order to enroll in the program. She doesn’t speak English
so I called the phone number that was given to her. I explained the
situation to the associate from the financial firm and requested a
Karen interpreter. The associate asked me to verify her information
and whether I could assist with the interpretation.
Even though I requested an interpreter, he didn’t call an
interpreter but went back and forth with me to verify my client’s
information. I told him that I don’t speak the client’s mother tongue,
so finally, he told us to hold while he was trying to get an interpreter.
When the interpreter came on the phone, he spoke the language that
we didn’t understand, so I intervened and asked the interpreter what
language he speaks.
The interpreter said that he speaks Korean so we told him as
well as the financial representative that we were looking for a Karen
interpreter, not a Korean interpreter. I had a feeling that this would
happen because the representative didn’t pay attention when I was
telling him the name of the language. From my experience, it
happens a lot because Karen and Korean are very similar, plus most
of the people are more familiar with Korean, but not Karen.
The representative told us to hold so we waited. We were on
hold for a while but didn’t hear anything, and finally we found out
that he hung up on us. We were so frustrated with the situation but
75
�we didn’t have enough time to call back again. I asked my client to
come back next week to call the financial firm again.
The following week, she came back so I called the same
phone number, and got a representative from the firm on the phone.
I explained to her that my client wanted to enroll in the program and
needed a Karen interpreter. She told us to wait and called a Karen
interpreter right away. She got a Karen interpreter and was able to
help the client. Finally, the client was able to enroll in the program.
Even though a company has the same rules and policies, it still
depends on employees who provide the services directly to the
clients. For example, from the experience with this financial firm,
even if it is required for employees to provide language support for
any client who has the language barrier, some employees don’t want
to provide it because it is not convenient for them. This makes it
much harder for the clients.
Specialist referral
Today, I helped one of my clients who has been referred to a
specialist. She came to show me a letter from her health clinic,
which states that she needs to call the specialist’s office to make an
appointment. The client doesn’t speak English and doesn’t know
where the specialist’s office is.
I called and made an appointment for her, and then translated
the paper and explained to her where she needs to go, and gave her
the address so that her husband can take her there. I also requested
an interpreter for her so that she will have no communication barrier
when she meets the specialist, and better understand what is going
on with her and what kind of follow up she will need to do
76
�afterwards.
In the past, the clinic staff called and made appointments for
patients, then informed the patients about their appointments.
However, they stopped doing it. I called the clinic staff member who
refers patients to specialists the first time, and I found out that clients
received letters to call the specialist’s office to make appointments.
I asked how could the clinic expect their patients to call to make an
appointment.
The staff said the specialists’ offices didn’t allow the clinic
staff to make appointments anymore because many patients that the
clinic booked didn’t show up, so the clinic lost money.
That is the gap that we have in the system. Patients will be
unlikely to call and go to see the specialists due to the language
barrier and not knowing where to go. Then what will happen? Their
primary care physicians may think that the patients have gone to see
the specialists.
The ones who suffer will be the patients. Their health
problems may become worse and some clients may end up going to
emergency rooms and staying in hospitals. As a result, not only may
they may lose their income, but also our health care spending will
increase. We could have prevented this kind of unnecessary cost, but
it is not happening.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Test
at the Lowell General Hospital (LGH)
Today, one of my clients came to show me his GI appointment
letter from a hospital. The letter explains in detail what the patient
77
�needs to do before the test. According to the letter, my client will
need to go and get three different over the counter medications.
Then he will need to mix them and drink it several times during the
night before the test.
He is also not allowed to eat or drink until his test is done the
next morning. It really surprises me that the provider thinks the
patient will understand the procedure. I also assume that his primary
care physician will request an interpreter for his appointment,
therefore, the provider at the hospital should know his English level.
In addition, it is not his first GI appointment because when I was
trying to explain about the complicated process, he told me that he
already went there for the GI test in the past.
However, the provider couldn’t do the test because he didn’t
drink the liquid, which needs to be mixed with medication. Without
using an interpreter to explain the procedure, how is the patient
going to understand clearly what he needs to do before the test?
Even if he understands what he needs to do, how he is going to get
all the three different over the counter medications from a pharmacy?
Even if he gets all the medication, how is he going to make sure that
medication is mixed properly and he drinks it accordingly? If he
fails any of these requirements, the provider will not be able to
perform the test again when he goes for his appointment. That will
have a negative outcome for the patient, the hospital and finally even
the government. The hospital will also lose its revenue. The patient
will not be treated and followed up on as needed in a timely manner,
which may have a negative impact on his health.
Therefore, the government may have to spend more for his
well being in the future. All these things could have been prevented
by simply making a nurse visit before the test, ordering all the
78
�medication to be ready in the office, and explaining to the patient
how to mix it and how often he needs to take it. Then the patient will
have a very clear understanding about the procedure and will be able
to follow the instructions. Then the test could be done without any
problem.
This is not my first experience. I had a very similar situation
with a different client in the past who called me and said that she got
a call from a phone number, however, she didn’t understand. She
asked me to call back that number to find out what it was all about.
When I called the phone number, I was told that she had a GI
appointment at the hospital and needed to pick up medication before
the appointment. She has been in the U.S. for a few months and
speaks no English. Besides, she had no idea where the hospital was.
I had to take her to the hospital and pick up the medication, and
explain to her how to take it. Finally, she was able to make it for her
appointment. About 90% of the refugees from Burma came from a
rural area. Everything here is so different from where they came
from. Preventive care is not something that the refugees ever
practiced in their lives until they came to the U.S. They never go to
see a doctor unless they are sick, therefore, having tests to find out
what is going on with their bodies is uncommon practice for them.
Moreover, due to the language barrier, clients are reluctant to
seek help even if they are sick. Refugees already have stress due to
all the challenges in the new country. On top of that, the language
barrier also causes stress for refugees because of not being able to
express and communicate with others effectively. Many preventable
health problems are not prevented in refugee populations due to a
gap in the system, which is caused by the communication barrier.
79
�Youth Volunteer
Recently, I got a Karenni youth volunteer to help me with
casework. He is studying at Middlesex Community College (MCC)
now. When he came to the U.S. six years ago, he was only 19 years
old. However, he wasn’t allowed to go to high school due to his age.
He was told to go to adult education, where he registered and studied
for almost four years.
I told him in the beginning that he should go to MCC,
because he finished grade ten in the refugee camp. I explained to
him that even if he was not allowed to study at the college level, he
could start at the ESL level, and then he could eventually move up
to the college level. However, he didn’t have enough confidence to
go to college so he remained in adult education.
Last year, I talked to him again about going to MCC. I told
him that he didn’t have to pay for his tuition fee since he would be
eligible for financial aid. This time he listened to me, so I showed
him how to fill out a financial aid application. I also told him to go
to MCC to take a placement test. He finally went there, and took a
placement test.
Then when the semester began, he started with an ESL class
and a math class. Since then, he has been at MCC. Now, he is getting
into college level courses and starting to choose his major. I am very
glad that he is going to be in college, and even going to a university
when he graduates from MCC. I was also able to recruit a Karen
youth who is studying at MCC. They both have been helping me to
assist families.
80
�We can all be together!
Today, we cleaned the SayDaNar office. We didn’t have a
chance to organize all the stuff in the new office since we moved in.
I asked some community members to help with the cleaning. Most
of the community members who come to volunteer at SayDaNar are
from different ethnic groups from Burma. Moreover, they all have
different religions. Some are Buddhists, some are Christians and
some are Muslim.
Most of them have never had a chance to meet people from
different ethnic groups for a long enough time to get to know them
until they came here. Even now, they may still be within their
groups most of the time, but they always come together when I ask
them to help with any of the SayDaNar events. It seems like
SayDaNar serves as a common place for all of them to come
together. They talk, make jokes and laugh while volunteering
together for SayDaNar. It is very nice to see them getting along
and working together.
We have eight main ethnic groups in Burma. A civil war has
been going on between the majority Burmese and other different
minority ethnic groups for over half of the last century. There are
also tensions among ethnic groups. Sometimes, even the ethnic arm
groups fight each other. We all suffer from the civil war regardless
81
�of which ethnic group we belong to.
People, for sure, have different personalities, and it will be
very difficult to bring everybody together. However, if we are given
a chance and enough time to get to know each other, I am sure we
can definitely find ways to live together. If we can get along with
each other here, why not in Burma?
It is very important to understand that the process is more
important than the outcome. Everyone prefers the best result.
However, in my opinion, without being able to bring everyone in the
group together, we are unlikely to get the best result even if we get
grade A. Besides, without respecting each other, we will not be able
to work together. How do we define the best result?
Is getting grade A without the bonding among the students in
the group better than getting grade B with the bonding among the
students working together to achieve the same goal or vice versa?
People have different personalities and expectations. We can’t
expect everyone to be the same.
We all need to find ways to compromise with each other to
be able to work together. It is also very important for us not to judge
other people without knowing what is going on in their lives. We
need to be aware that different people have different skill sets and
weaknesses. Things that can be easily accessible for someone may
not be easy for other people.
Refugees from Burma are struggling in Lowell. They have
difficulty becoming self-sufficient due to the language barrier and
not being able to navigate the system. Since there is no other
agency that provides long-term support for refugees from Burma to
become self-sufficient in Lowell, the services that they receive
from SayDaNar make their lives much easier. They will not feel
abandoned and hopeless but supported because there is a place that
they can always go for help.
82
�Many of them really appreciate it, and are willing to volunteer
to support SayDaNar whenever they can. It is a place where every
ethnic group from Burma in Lowell comes and works together, and
gets to know each other better. If everyone is given a chance to get
to know each other, I am sure most of us will have better
understanding about others; therefore, our society will be more
peaceful. There will also be less burden on the whole society as
individuals become self-sufficient.
Because of SayDaNar, other organizations in Lowell that
have been struggling to support new refugees, due to the new
languages as well as new culture, get to know more about the
refugees from Burma as well as these refugees’ needs. Therefore,
these organizations are able to find ways to serve the refugees from
Burma. As a result, both sides: the providers and the refugees, will
benefit, as well as the society as a whole.
SayDaNar is a community-based organization. We do not
have any budget to run SayDaNar. Our community members come
together to raise funds that we need for SayDaNar by selling
Burmese food at the Burmese Food Fair, Lowell Folk Festival and
Southeast Asian Water Festival. We especially rely on UMass Lowell
volunteer students to run our afterschool program, which is mutually
beneficial for both the refugees and the UMass Lowell students.
As a student at UMass Lowell, I am very grateful to have a
chance to combine my volunteer work with my education. I am
also happy to raise awareness about refugees from Burma in
Lowell. It has been a great pleasure to see the connection between
UMass Lowell and the communities in Lowell. As this connection
grows, both UMass Lowell and the communities can benefit from
each other. In the future, I would like to see UMass Lowell have
more collaborations with different communities in Lowell.
83
�Burmese Refugees
Face Challenges in
Their New Homeland
By Nyan Lynn
LOWELL - When she heard the news that
her family was chosen and granted
permission to go and settle in the U.S., Le
Say was overjoyed and excited, not
knowing what to expect in her future
homeland.
She saw the brutalities of the
military junta back in Karen State in the
eastern part of Myanmar (formerly
known as Burma). Worried about the
future, she left her village and fled to
Thailand in 1997.
84
�Photo - Nyan Lynn
In Thailand, she stayed at a refugee camp. After
staying there for 17 years, she moved to the U.S. with her
husband, children and two sisters.
Life in the U.S. is not as smooth as she expected.
“I was so depressed and downhearted as everything is
quite different from the place I came from,” said 37-yearold Le Say.
85
�Le Say said one of her biggest challenges in the U.S. is not
knowing English.
“As I don’t know this language, I’m still facing a lot of
problems,” she said in her apartment in Lowell, a 45-minute
commuter rail ride from Boston, Massachusetts.
Le Say is not alone. There are thousands of Burmese refugees
in the U.S. for whom English is a big challenge, said aid workers.
“They don’t speak the language. So, language barrier is very,
very challenging for them,” said James Aung, Executive Director of
Saydanar Community Development Center which is helping
Burmese refugees in Lowell.
“Even though they know or they can go to the place, but they
can’t communicate.”
In addition to language problems, refugees have difficulties
integrating into the U.S. culture and navigating its government
systems.
Due to the fighting between the government army and ethnic
armed groups, tens of thousands of ethnic people fled Myanmar and
stayed in refugee camps in Thailand and Malaysia for years. Some
stayed there for more than twenty years before coming to the U.S.
Many others continue to live in the refugee camps, waiting to
be able to settle in other countries while living on food handouts
delivered by humanitarian agencies.
The nature of Burmese refugees is also a barrier to integrating
in a new culture, said Meredith Walsh, Executive Director of
Worcester Refugee Assistance Project (WRAP).
“By and large, they are a shy, introverted community. So they
don’t necessarily go out to make friends with the Americans. When
Americans try to speak to them, they might feel shy,” said Walsh who
86
�has been helping Burmese refugees for years.
Another problem with some refugees is that they are
traumatized because they saw atrocities back in their country.
They still have nightmares.
“I still have fear of SPDC (the junta) in the dream,” said Key
Mhe, 54, who moved to the U.S.
She and her family fled to Thailand in 2000 together with
other villagers from her area in Kayah State, in eastern part of the
country.
While older people like Key Mhe often feel nostalgic
regarding the place they came from, younger people do not find it
hard to embrace the U.S. culture.
Nga Reh, 22, is one of them. He was born and bred in a
refugee camp in Thailand. He did not know how the outside world
looked like.
When he heard he and his family were granted permission to
settle in the U.S., he did not know what to expect exactly. He said he
expected his new home would be much different from the camp
where all of the houses are made of bamboo and thatched roof, but
he wasn’t prepared for much else.
“I was so surprised. There are many buildings here that I
hadn’t seen before,” said Nga Reh in an office of WRAP. “I’m very
fortunate to be in the developed country.”
After being in the U.S. for more than seven years, he is quite
familiar with American culture and he is going to college.
He even has a dream to keep his community safe and secured.
“I want to be a police (officer) one day,” he said with
confidence.
(Note: This story was written for Visual Storytelling Class at Emerson College.)
87
�3
2
88
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
SayDaNar Community Development Center. Our Journey to the American Dream, 2017
Description
An account of the resource
The SayDaNar, Our Journey to the American Dream collection consists of the PDF version of the book, <em>Our Journey to the American Dream</em>. Published by SayDaNar Community Development Center, the book is a collection of stories retelling Burmese refugee experiences of leaving their homelands and settling in the United States. <br /><br />The collection is completely accessible on this site.<br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml18" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml18</a>.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
SayDaNar Community Development Center. Our Journey to the American Dream, 2017. UML 18. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml18" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml18</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Our Journey to the American Dream book, 2017
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Americans
Refugees--Southeast Asia
Description
An account of the resource
"Our Journey to the American Dream" book is a collection of stories retelling Burmese refugee experiences of leaving their homelands and settling in the United States. Each story includes at least one photograph from the writer. The book also includes a section showcasing hand drawn artwork from "the children of Saydanar," according to the section description.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
SayDaNar Community Development Center
Aung, James
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
SayDaNar Community Development Center. Our Journey to the American Dream
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
SayDaNar Community Development Center
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf; 1 book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml18_ourjourneytotheamericandream
2010-2019
Books
Burmese
Refugee resettlement