Peat's Story

I was born in Burma. We lived in Karen State. I am the youngest in a family of five (5). My mother and father planted and grew rice. I went to school. Our school was in the forest. We did not have a building. We had 120 children in school with four (4) teachers. I started school at six years old.

Every month we had to give the army $2000 Baht so we could be safe. My parents wanted me to go to school in the camp in Thailand. I went when I was 17 years old. I lived with my aunt. I don't want to live in Burma because we didn't have money, we were very poor. I was always scared. In Mae La Camp I felt safer. I met my husband there and we were married in 2005. We still don't have money in the camp so we only received rice, beans, fish paste, salt, chilies, oil.

In the rainy season we planted long beans so we could make some money. We were still very scared in the camp. Every February and March we didn't sleep at night because we feared the army was coming.

We had a cousin that came to America before us and told us what it is was like to live in Dallas. So we decided to come to Dallas too. My husband's family moved to Nebraska. Now my husband has a job and we are expecting our second daughter. My mother, father, brother, sister and their families still live in Burma. My parents say they are too old to leave.

I'm glad we came to America. What we need we get. I feel safe here.