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Today is July 24th, 2018 and we are here at the Hope Clinic with um to interview her for the Houston Asian American Archive. My name is Sarah Davis. My name is Lily Clark. Um So to start, can you tell us when and where you were born?

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And a little bit about your childhood? Um I, I was born in 1970 in it is in um a like a small not like to a small town like the name is and um I was uh so since um since I was born to, until my

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high school I live in and then after I finished my high school upon my uh college uh education, I went to Mandalay City. Yeah. So any, any information do you want? I, I'm not sure. Ok. Um Do you have any siblings growing? Oh OK. I have

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one big sister and two younger brothers. They are still in, in. Yeah. And what did your parents do? Uh uh before when I was um we have our like a tradition and medicine. We produce a tradition and medicine. And then uh later on like uh western

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um western medicine are most popular than the traditional medicine. So, business is so slow. Then later we change to the soy sauce, soy sauce and then uh chili chili sauce like we do. Yes. So do you have a store that you sold at or did you

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just distribute it? Distribute, distribute and still here? Ok. And then what did you study in college? Uh international relation? What made you choose that uh that time? I want to be ambassador. So I chose an Indonesian relation. OK. Yeah. And then did you work while you

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were in school or what was your like, college experience? Like college? Um It's like our country that time, our country is under the military detector. So we don't have the opportunity to do whatever we want because everything is controlled by military and then like a good

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position like ambassador or something like that good position can get like people are very close with the military group. So like our normal people cannot get like good position, good uh like uh uh the department of government, like the government office, we cannot get it. Ok.

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So how long was the military like there? Uh since 1988 2 like two years ago? So 2000 16 military government. So is that like um what was your experience like with that growing up? Like was it sort of a scary time or was it just sort

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of normal for you at that point? Yeah. So 1988 that time I was in first year in college. So um we have big revolution because of the socialist government is uh like uh uh they are like, they treat, they treat like a very bad to the

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popular people in Burma. So people cannot uh like and that they are rude, they don't want anymore and they are rude. So the student start to uh start to point out and then uh uh against the government and then big revolution happened. So at that time,

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I was a first year student at the college. So that time the college uh closed for like two years. We don't have any chance to go to study and then just stay home and um just stay home after that. Like um the military, they cook the,

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the power they take over the power and then they oppress uh most of the student, like they oppress mostly to the student because students are all the time start to like against. So sorry, I have you. Right. OK. So, and later like uh totally military uh

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military government to rule all of our country. And um so everything we do something related with politics, they uh they arrested and z get killed like um they try to kill the opposition opposite uh like opposition party. Uh They don't allow anybody to talk about related

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with the politics. You can do like any like drug or whatever. They don't care. Just, they care about only politics. So yeah, we are very keep quiet that time until, until 2014, 15. Ok. So were you part of any of this other students who like wanted

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to be part of the revolution or were you just trying to keep quiet? Um But my parents uh they don't want me to get arrested so they all the time control to us. Don't do, don't get involved. Don't make a friend with like the politic group

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po po like interesting, they don't let us make friends. Um But uh as much as we can, we try to against. Um So later, um I fell in love with the guy who is a very active politic and a student. So um he, he got arrested

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and then he got in a prison for is he was sentenced in prison for six years, but he released after two years. Uh and then we got married and then later they keep doing, he keep doing uh with the after he released. So we fled to

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Thailand Burma Bora area. Uh We stay in the refugee camp. So 2005, 2000. Ok. So you were 35 at that time? Ok. And then did you flee? Just the two of you or what did your family come? Uh No, only me and my husband. Ok. In

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the refugee camp, we lived since 2005 to 2009. Ok. And what was that like living there? Uh excuse me, what was it like living at the camp? Uh It is uh under the uh time government control. It was um like a how many m it is

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on the mountain? And then Bora uh close to the Bora Bama Bora. Um So we, we don't allow to go outside. Uh um so that the uh camp area, we just stay inside the camp area. They provide the uh like um some rice, like like one

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bottle, small bottle of the cooking oil and some uh nutrition powder and then some fish base, they just provide to us the and they don't allow to walk outside any business or any farm. So, but some people trying to sneak out and then walk at some

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farm area like a Thailand farm. Uh But uh we didn't go anywhere, we just stay inside the camp at that time. Um um My husband is a prisoner and then he has uh uh he's working with uh one NGO like uh organization in like a small,

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small, small town in Thailand near, behind the border. Um So they, he uh he's uh like under that organization working together. So we, he got get contact from all of the, all of the country. Uh So they used to visit the showroom and then he explained

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about our uh like um like our, our country story and how the, the government, the military government, how they uh like or whatever they explain. Like they have a show room like a small museum. So he got on many foreigners and then we try to start

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a uh English class inside the refugee camp. Yeah. So my neighbor, most are like a migrant worker from Burma to Thailand, illegal migrant worker. So they also cannot go back to. So that's why they apply for the United Nations to resettle to that country, any country.

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Uh So most are like a very low education. Uh So I start to teach my neighbor like ABC D. And then later, my husband, he got a with the uh teacher from England. He is from uh Cambridge or Port University from the education department. So he

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got contact with that person and then he visited to us to the camp and then he donate the money part to build a uh like a school. So we start to get the school school in Thailand in the refugee camp. So, yeah, we, we get the

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um permission from the camp. Um camp commander, commander and chief of the camp Thailand, Thailand commander and chief of the camp, right? So, yeah, he, he allowed us to do this program. Uh So later we get that to from uh Minnesota State. So they, they came

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to our, they came to the camp and then they stay with us to get the same house. And then we start to um we started to teach the English basic English and uh like the bands on the leather. We have. So we, we started the English

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class. Wow. So you were only at the refugee camp for four years? But in that time you started a whole school? Wow, that's so amazing. You can uh es ce sc in um uh like a refugee camp. Yeah. So how many people were in the refugee

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camp with you? Um Like uh some are politica, politica bra some are illegal immigrant worker. So some are like uh uh like ethnicity. They live in the area and a military military like they burn their house like they kill whatever they think. So, like uh ethnicity

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group and then uh group and illegal immigrant group. So we have three group in the camp. So most uh the one part is uh ethnicity group. Our part is uh I uh illegal immigrant immigrant group and then like a group. So mostly and the over uh

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nearly 10,000 yeah, nine camps, nine refugee camps in Thailand Bama area. There are nine refugee camps and in your camp alone. Yeah. Our camp alone is uh Yeah. Oh OK. Um Can you like, tell us about like the setting, what did the camp kind of look

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like the camp? The, the um we live in a small 10 10 or how do the hut hut, right? Uh The right uh the roof are made with the leaf, big leaf and the wall are made with the bamboo and then floor are also with made

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with the bamboo uh no door like a no like so we register uh at the United Nation of uh High Commission for Refugee. We register our name and then our the history. So later, uh all the people applying for the refugee status has to stay in

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the refugee camp. They don't allow to stay in the city. So they move all the uh oblige obligation. Uh uh uh So we, they, they, they send us all the people to stay in the refugee camp. Uh So that time when we get in there, it

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is a rainy season or are muddy and then the the the heart are like broken. So we fix our ourselves, everything like make a dough partition, something like that. And, and they provide us like some rice for one month for two people enough and one bottle

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of the cookie wine and then some fish sauce and then some uh like a powder but that are not enough for us. We cannot eat like this only, right? So some uh I have a my, my save some save money. I brought together with me and

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then we change the time time currency and then we buy our for meat for other vegetable. And then later some of the camp are like they have their own vegetable farm. We grow their plan, we grow the vegetable and then sell each other like and also

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like some city near buying the camp, they came to the camp and they saw the meat and other food. Yeah, we bought from them. Um, I guess I wanna ask, like, what made you and your husband decide to be, like, become refugees? Uh, because we cannot

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stay inside the Obama. Uh, he could try to protest against the military government so that, um, military intelligence people all, all the way all the time. Follow to them, like who are, what are they doing? You know, so always uh follow to them. So they cannot,

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he cannot sleep well at night sometime like he had some like the the bus bus buying, he thinks some people are coming to arrest him. So like not safe, staying, not safe all the time. Scary and then uh not secure. So that's why we decide to

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decide to fled to Thailand. Like from what do you say most of the people in the refugee camp or from Burma? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And all the nine camps are for Obama and we're most of them trying to go to the US or go other places.

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So the country we cannot choose which country we want to go, we cannot choose. So the UN depends on the year and time frame. This, this time to this time UN decided to go to United States. So this time and this time frame we apply, they

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decided to send to Australia, New Zealand, uh Finland and United Kingdom like that. Ok. So we don't know where we have to go even, uh, we don't know to, to get to that in Houston. Just we know do this ahead of our departure. We know we

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have to go to Houston today, do this ahead of. And while you were in the campus, were you able to communicate with your family or your? No, not at all that time. Uh, in our country there is no, like a cell phone communication thing. Uh Very

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strict, very, very strict. Only government, very rich people with uh like a crony or the business with the military government, they can get their cell phone. Very, very expensive, like equal to $5000 for one cell phone nobody cannot buy. So this cell phone, our country start

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to use two years ago just we can use the cell phone two years ago. So no communication. Yeah, we cannot call like we cannot contact. Yeah, when I just arrived to the United States 2009, I tried to call my family. Let them know I am here.

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You know, I need to let them know. So that time I buy, I bought a um like a phone card for $10. I can talk only two minutes, two minutes. It is like a landline, not a cell phone. So my friend house, house, we call and

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then they call my parents and my parents come to their home and then we can talk like that. So the So you didn't talk to your parents the whole time you were in the camp in 2009. That was the first time you talk to them. Wow.

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It must have been really amazing to hear their voices. Did they know that you were going to a refugee camp? They know like some information, some people like uh in, in the refugee camp there is a small city, some uh like a migrant worker walking from

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Burma. They have some document they can go back. They are not related with the they don't arrest that. So we get some information to them and then each other like why did your family choose to stay in Burma? They don't want to take a risk, just

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keep staying. They are normal life. We don't know our future even we move in a refugee camp. We are not sure we can go or not, we are not sure. Yeah, I see. OK, fine. So then what was it like when you first arrived in Houston?

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What do you remember? Uh 2009, January I think I get in Houston. Uh Actually my our de baa is in December 2008. That time in Thailand they have a big revolution, red group and then yellow group, big revolution and all the airport shut down. So they

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post to the uh the to January. So we get in January 2009, Houston. Uh I we are like a sponsor by the interfaith ministry agency. So the agency volunteer, they pick me up at the airport and then they brought to us and then they drop off

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the uh the mounting apartment, they rent their room, they arrange for the food, clothing, everything they prepare for us. So and uh next day is a Saturday and Sunday. I think we arrived in Friday. So Monday, uh the guest worker came to our apartment and he

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brought to us to apply the job to find a job. Right? Yeah. And then later they brought to us many different places like a hotel for housekeeping. Um And then like, uh I got a job at the men's warehouse distribution center. Ok. So what did you

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do there? Uh It is um like they rent the tuxedo. So after uh return, they used and they return back to the distribution center. We break down all the clothing and then scan and then the label like a like stock everything. Yeah. And how long did

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you work there? Uh It is 2009 March to 2010 January or February until I was uh I finished my, my school, I went to, I went to school. So it is my, my, I work at second shift uh 2 p.m. to sorry, four pm to next

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day 2 a.m. Yeah, next day 2 a.m. because I choose that, that schedule. I want to go to school. So I, I look for, for the school where I can go. So one of my neighbor he came from, he is also a refugee. So I have

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no idea. And then no friend uh like can, can like maybe get me to where I should go. And also agency also didn't help me for this case. So they just asked to force to work, just walk, walk, walk, they don't think about the school. So

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uh the guy also the same agency, we went together for finding a job, the same group. So he told us and then he find a school. We don't need to pay too much and then we can get a loan. So he brought us to the Texas

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School of business. So we went there and then we apply and then we take the test for the entrance and then we pass and I study for medical office management. And then one of my friends, she started for medical assistant and then he started for it

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but he didn't finish because he has big family. He is a, a leader of the family so he cannot go to school. Yeah. So is that for a Masters of business? Uh No, it is a school or business. Yeah. They have like a program like at

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school or something. I don't know how to call. Ok. So you already finished your college degree back? Yeah. Ok. Um What would you say was the hardest part of adjusting to life here? The hardest is um, security. Wherever we go we don't feel secure. You know,

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like these day, mostly these days I feel not secure whenever I park my car at the grocery store or like a parking, I need to watch out all the neighbor or the area. It can be safe or not. So, it is a scary scariest and then

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not feeling not secure. I get robbed or something. I'm so scared because most of our friends get robbed. Yeah. Mostly this area not secure. OK. Yeah. Um Did you and your husband do anything to sort of keep your Burmese tradition or culture when you were here?

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Yeah. Uh when we just arrived. Um So we have a many bame community in the apartment area. Uh We have a every year New Year festival in April. April 13. So we used to celebrate at that temple, the Bay Monastery. So I teach them like a

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tradition that dance the girl and then we celebrate the New Year. Uh But we have only once a year party. We don't have like too much because most are Buddhist. OK. So, yeah. So are you religious? Are you bud? Yeah, Buddhist? OK. Um So you mentioned

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feeling like insecure and scared. Have you ever faced any discrimination since you've been here? Like trying to find a job or? No, I never faced any discrimination and any problem. So like uh how did you kind of, how did you begin to assimilate into American? Culture

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or American society. How do I like um you know, become like used to, to be a American. Nice. Yeah, like the, the like uh culture, culture like American culture. Until now I am not really me into the American culture. Even the food mcdonalds like a fast

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food. I've been trying like, totally until now, nine years, maybe two or 34 times, not more than five times. Uh I just try to cook myself. Like I like our traditional food, our country like traditional thing. I like to eat. Um And also because of the

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religion, I think I didn't go to the any church like, so I am not familiar with the American culture until now. Yeah, I think so. I guess like, what is the Burmese community of Houston? Like like Burmese people in Houston, how do you guys keep connected?

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Mostly? We live the same area together like all around the Manchester or a like the other in all are the same area. We live the same place, mostly the same place. So we help each other sometimes when I was in the Manchester, even at midnight 2

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a.m. or to like a midnight they knock our door, whatever medically needed or emergency, whatever they need, they knocked the door, they call us. So we used to help each other. Yeah. So after you worked at men's warehouse, is that when you started working here? Ok.

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And then you tell us a little bit about what you do here and what the Hope Clinic is. Uh OK. I worked the Men's Warehouse until um like almost one year, almost one year after that, I finished my school and at that time, this Hope Clinic

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is a very small clinic. Like uh we have uh the first time I work here. It is only 19 employee 19. So I, we like um we are like some of um in, in our family community. Me and my husband are used to like elite, like

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navigate and find out what are they, what do they have? Uh How can they find a job? Something like we are. So my uh we used to do the volunteer at the Asian. Um uh There is a Asian um American Asian American Family Service. There is

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a organization over there. So, and uh my husband, he work at the Y MC A like a case worker so he can contact some of the in