Hsar's Story

I grew up in Karen State. I have three brothers and three sisters. I am the second oldest. I remember moving a lot as a child, sometimes three or four time in a year because the Burmese army would burn down our homes and churches. My family didn't have much money. My father grew vegetables and raised chickens and pigs to help support our family. My mother would weave and sell her items to help also. Many times the Burmese soldiers would eat the chickens and the pigs and then they would kill the ones they didn't eat just so we wouldn't have any food. This happened several times. I went to school in the forest starting at age four. But when I got to fourth grade I didn't go for two years because of the Burmese soldiers. They had come to our area and wouldn't leave. We had to keep hiding because we never knew where they were.

When I was thirteen years old my parents sent me to Mae La Camp to live with my grandparents so I could go to school. I liked living in the camp. I felt much safer and I had a school to go to everyday.

My older brother and I came to America together. After we left the camp , the rest of my family left Karen State and went to live in Mae La Camp, the same camp I had just left. My parents didn't have a place to live because of the soldiers so they were living with another family. There was not enough food. So, they decided to go live with my grandparents in the camp.

Since I came to America I have gotten married and I just had a baby boy. My husband and I came from the same camp but we had never met before. We met here in the States. Before I had my son I was working full-time. I loved my job! When my son gets older I plan to go back to work. I'm glad I came to America. I feel safe and I have what I need. I hope to be able to see my parents and siblings again.

Hsa's Story

I was born in Burma. I went to school in Burma through grade 1. When I was a child, the Burmese military came to my village and two other villages around us and burned them. Then we moved to a big village for one month. My parents didn't like it because it was too big. So, we moved to the forest with some other families. Every month we had to hide from the Burmese military for two (2) years. Then my father heard that if we went to Thailand there were people helping refugees. So, we left Burma in 1987 and moved to Thailand. We lived right on the river for two (2) years but it was too close to the Burmese army. We moved to Mae La Camp in 1989. We lived in the same place all these years. My mother still lives there today. Every three years we would tear down the house and rebuild it in the same place. I went to school in the refugee camp. I went to school and started in grade 1 and finished in grade 10. I met my wife in the camp and got married in 1999.

After I got married I went to Mae Sot, outside of the camp, to find a job. But the Thai police caught me and took all of my money and sent me to Burma. I was scared and alone. I didn't know anyone and I didn't have any money. I had to be careful with what I said and I had to speak in Burmese when my language is Karen. There was a gate to get back across to Thailand. In order to cross you had to have money and I didn't have any. I met a lady and she asked me if I was okay in Burmese. I told her that I was looking for a job and I got lost. She asked me where I was from and where was my family. I told her they were in Burma in a village so she would leave me alone.

I wasn't a Christian, I was still a Buddhist. I didn't know how I was going to get back across to Thailand. I decided to pray to Jesus to help me get back to Thailand. When I woke up early in the morning there wasn't a guard at the gate so I snuck back across to Thailand. I began walking back to Mae La Camp. It took me two (2) days to walk and I had no money or food. I ate fruit from trees, that was my only food. By the time I got back to the camp, my lips and mouth was very broken out from eating so much fruit. I was sick for two weeks. When I got back in June, I really thought about what happened and how Jesus had answered my prayer. On August 15, I decided to accept Christ as my Savior and I was baptized in the church. I wanted to follow Jesus.

After that I began working in the camp with Medical Education, I began educating people about HIV, hygiene, malaria and immunizations. I worked for eight years. My first year I received 500 baht which is $14.25 a month in American dollars. After three years, I made $28.57 a month. I worked forty hours a week. We were then able to buy meat and vegetables for my family and my wife's family. We had two children at the time and I took care of my wife's parents.

I came to the United States in 2007. I have learned a lot of English. I have had three different jobs since I have been here. I was laid off at my first job and the second one was too far away without a car. I have been with the present job for a year and a half. My wife's parents came to America in 2009 and they live with us. I also have been blessed with another baby girl. The only thing I worry about now is losing my job and not being able to support my family. Everything else is good.

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.