ITEMS

Aye Win interview, May 19, 2015

Aye Win describes her life in Karen State, Burma. Along with her time in a refugee camp in Thailand, how she came to the U.S., her family, and life in Cache Valley, Utah.

Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
1
CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee: Aye Win
Present: Aye Win, Meagan Gill, Chit Moe, Wes Van de Water, Bethany
Hanks
Place of Interview: Aye Win’s home in Logan, Utah
Date of Interview: May 19, 2015
Language(s): Karen; English
Translation:
Interviewer: Meagan Gill
Interpreter: Chit Moe
Recordist: Bethany Hanks
Photographer: Wes Van de Water
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-
18RL broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic
microphone
Transcription Equipment:
Transcribed by: Meagan Gill, May 25, 2015
Transcript Proofed by: Meagan, May 26, 2015
Brief Description of Contents: Aye Win describes her life in a refugee camp and in
Burma before she came to the United States. She explains what brought her to the
Thailand refugee camp and the difference between her homeland and her home here in
the United States. Aye Win also talks about her family, English classes, holidays in the
camp and out of the camp, and keeping in contact with her friends from the refugee
camp.
Reference: MG = Meagan Gill
MGI = Meagan Gill interpreted by translator
AW = Aye Win
AWI = Aye Win interpreted by translator
WV = Wes Van de Water
WVI = Wes Van de Water interpreted by translator
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
2
BH = Bethany Hanks
BHI = Bethany Hanks interpreted by translator
NOTE: Interjections during pauses or transitions in dialogue such as “uh” and false
starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcribed. All additions to
transcript are noted with brackets.
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
[00:01]
MG: Today is May 19, 2015. Its 1:07. My name is Meagan I am here with Bethany
Hanks, doing uh…audio (laughing), and Wes Van de Water, he’s taking pictures
today. We are students from Utah State University working on an oral history
project, refugees for Cache Valley. And today I am interviewing Aye Win.
Thanks for letting us interview you today. Can I have you state your full name
and birth year for me please?
AW: My name is Aye Win. Uh, my birthday May 1, 1974.
MG: K. Thanks. And what languages do you speak?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: I speak Karen & Burmese.
MG: K. Tell me about your family?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Can you rephrase that. A she’s not getting that question.
MG: Um…Tell me about your parents & spouse & children & where they are at?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[laughing]
AWI: Okay. Well, she’s still not understanding your question I guess. Well, she told me
that um... our family, my family came here for education purposes.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
3
[laughing]
[2:30]
MG: Okay.
AWI So you might want to ask in a different way I guess.
MG: Okay, sure. Start with how many children do you have?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Four, four.
MG: Okay. And do you have any other family with you here?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: No
MG: Okay. Can you describe the ethnic or religious community that you belong to if
any?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: My religious is Buddhist and that’s it.
MG: Okay. Can you tell me about your birth country?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: From Burma. I was born in Burma.
MG: How long did you live there?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[3:44]
AWI: About fifteen years.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
4
MG: K. And why did you leave?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: When or why?
MG: Why?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[4:19]
AWI: Well, uh when I was little you know um, I just kinda follow my parents I guess.
And there were Burmese military everywhere you know. They come to our
village they were attacking us and me I just follow my parents. We had to sleep in
a forest for three or five days. And then when we come back I’m just going back
with them so that’s why I think I…that’s why I left Burma.
MG: Okay. And after the forest where did you go?
AWI: Going back home.
MG: Back home to?
AWI: To village. Okay.
MG: To village.
[4:55]
AWI: So the…the Burmese military come attack everybody in the village so to escape
that we went to the forest. We slept there for a few days then when…you know
things quiet down we come back to our village again.
MG: Okay. And what was your experience like in a refugee camp?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
5
[5:49]
AWI: [clears throat] Well, my experience in refugees, um. Well, my experience in
refugee camp I got married and um...I had one children in refugee camp and back
then I wanted to go back home to visit Burma. But I was so scared that I’d…I’d
never get a chance to go back.
[laughing]
MG: Okay. Can you tell me about the food and medical care you received in the camp?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[7:03]
AWI: Um. Well, yes we…we do receive food and medical care in the refugee camp, but
for a pregnant women when I was pregnant back then. Um, we had like people
what organization who are called AMI, IRC, they like come every week and give
us…give the pregnant woman um…some like five eggs um…one bottle of oil and
then one bag of beans. So, you know just to keep the pregnant ladies healthy. So,
yeah if you…you were about to give birth and they’d take you to like…they’d
keep you at a hospital so like…they’d admit you to the hospital so that you can
stay and give birth. So, yeah.
[camera clicking]
MG: Did you work or go to school in the camp at all?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[8:17]
AWI: Yeah, well when I was small I did go to school uh…I went to school for four days
and that’s it. And after I got married I just never got a chance to go to school
again because I had to take care of my kids you know. And I ran eh uh…a little
shop in a refugee camp and I kinda sell stuff. Groceries.
MG: K. What were the day to day living conditions like in the camp like?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
6
AWI: Well, um…for…for guys, you know [clear throat] uh…for day to day they’d go
outside of camp and go and uh…plant corn, pick chilies, but for a woman
they’d…they’d stay home and take care of kids. And if they’d have more time
they’d also go outside of the camp and do the same thing as the guys.
MG: Okay. And did you celebrate any holy days, holidays in the camp?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes. Like Karen New Year we have Karen New Year and Christmas day and
those kinds of holidays.
[10:09]
MG: Okay. Did you use any special like decorations or were you able to get any kind
of presents for the holidays?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes, for Christmas we…we do. I did receive gifts like from a friend and then I
kinda have to give it back. Like you know from friend to friend thing. So, yes.
MG: K. What was the political climate like in the camp?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[laughing]
AWI: Um I…I don’t know.
[laughing]
MG: K. Did you feel safe in the camp?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yeah, um I mean I do like living in a refugee camp, but it just uh…sometimes like
we you know just kinda have to live with fears I guess. Cuz you had to be afraid
of the Burmese soldiers. You know they’ll kind of…will come your burn…will
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
7
come and burn the…the refugee camp cuz they do that all the time. Or sometimes
we had be afraid of Burmese military and the Karen military they were fighting
each other and we were…I was afraid I might get hit. So yeah.
[camera clicking]
MG: How did you learn about the U.S refugee program?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[13:26]
AWI: Okay, well so. Well, so…so you know I didn’t learn huh…well I so…the thing is
so…when I was let’s say teenagers age. Around teenagers age um…um…the
Burmese military were coming and forcing people to you know forcing people to
become a potter. And they were looking for especially like…like…eighteen to
seventeen years old man or woman. Both man and woman. So, you know I…me
and my friend we were just really scared. We were like uh…it’s not safe to live in
here anymore. Let’s just go to Thailand. Let’s just cross the border. So, yeah we
decided…we went to Thailand and we stay in a city. In the city uh…it’s more like
a town. It’s called The-wa-fa. We stay in that city. We stay there for a few months
picking corn, chilies.
[translator interrupts]
AWI: You guys want to write that [laughing]? T. h.e…the wa dablu o wa. How do you
spell? Wa. [laughing] Thaw.
AWI continued: Yeah, we stay there for a…just a few months doing daily things.
Picking chilies, planting corn. And it was nice. But then after…after um…I can’t
remember the date, but the Burmese military and the Karen military were in they
were in conflict…conflicts. And they were fighting each other and then that…that
war went straight for three days and three nights. So, me and my friend were
really scared you know because of what was going on around us. So…and a lot of
people died that…in those three days and so...and everybody was running you
know just running for their lives. So…so…what can I do I just kind of follow
everybody where they’re going and…and me I ended up in a refugee camp and
so…I guess that’s how I learned about refugee camp.
MG: Okay. And how did you apply and who helped you get to the U.S?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
8
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[cut in audio]
[16:55]
AWI: Well, yeah there isn’t anybody to help, but it’s not hard. It’s not a difficult process
to…to come to the United States. You know, you just have to fill out an
application and they’ll call your names you know. Hey, so you’re um…set to go
to United States. That’s what they’ll tell you, but the thing is um…I…I did not
know that you know I have to pay rent, utility bills, insurance bills. Everything
you know. But in…in compared to refugees’ camp or Burma you don’t pay
anything. You have a house you stay, you do what you want. Nothing is…you
don’t have to pay anything basically, but here its different you know. In order you
know in order to let you…you had to pay rent and things and stuff. So, yeah.
MG: K. Tell me about coming to the United States? When did you first arrive here?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Um… I…I got here on June 9, 2008.
MG: And where did you first come…come to?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AW: Salt Lake City
AWI: In Salt Lake.
MG: Okay. What were the first months like?
[18:24]
AWI: Well, we didn’t like it you know. We don’t speak the language. We don’t know
what to do or where to go. Or we don’t like…like clueless. So, no we didn’t like
the first month.
MG: Okay. Did you receive any help from the U.S. or religious organizations when
you got here?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
9
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[19:18]
AWI: Yes. Um…so when I first arrive in the United States I…I did went…went to…to
the church for a few months I guess. And like during Christmas they will come
buy my child like a shoes, like boots and stuff. So yes we…I did received help
from the religious church.
[19:34]
MG: Okay. Did you get help from any other organizations?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes. There is another organization called IRC and that’s where we came like, we
had to go through their office…not office, but we had to go through like,
applications and stuff. And they were the ones that bring us here you know. And
they had to take care of us for three months. There yeah, there was like their
promise or something. So we receive plates and blankets, and kind of a lot of stuff
from them. Yeah.
MG: Okay. [clear throat] How long have you lived in Cache Valley?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: About six and a half years.
MG: K. And what do you do here?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[20:54]
AWI: Um…[clear throat] Well, before um…I used to work at elementary school. I
kinda, but I already quit that job, but now because I have a little child to take care
of. I can just stay home. Yeah.
MG: Okay. What’s it like for you and your family here?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
10
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: I guess we um…Well, we are surviving here day to day and that is good. We get
pay you know my dad. My husband. [laughing] He works at JBS and um…then
we get pay every two weeks. We use those money to pay rent to pay utility bills.
It’s all gone. We get it again. It just kinda go in circles. Yeah.
[22:02]
MG: Okay. Do you feel included in the Logan community?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[22:22]
AWI: Um…not really. Because you know I don’t speak English. So, yeah. [laughing]
MG: Alright. What would make you feel more included in the community?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: [laughing] Uh, I don’t know.
[22:51]
MG: Okay. Tell me about your home her. How’s it different from your home in your
birth country?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[23:32]
AWI: Um, so it’s really different. Um, here um…I mean back in Burma you know
where my birth country is. You kinda live. The only thing you…you have to fear
is that the Burmese military. Other than that you don’t actually have any worries.
You don’t have to worry about rent, bills, or food. You can kinda go out work.
You get pay. You can either by like I know small stuff…just kinda go day to day
without a lot of worries. But here you kinda have to kinda think of everything.
Think of: Oh, I need to have this much to pay for my rent. So…here you just kind
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
11
of think…think of financial situation here you know. You can’t you…just have to
keep in mind that it’s different from your home here. So, I guess that’s the
difference.
[24:40]
MG: Okay. Can you tell me your experiences with your landlord?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[25:06]
AWI: Well, this well…the current manager well…call him manager because she’s the
manager of the land. She’s really nice you know. Let’s say something wrong with
our house we…I can…I can go there and be like: Hey something is wrong. But
although I don’t speak English she will come and look at it herself and that’s
really nice, but the previous manager kinda not that nice. So good experience.
MG: Okay. What would you like people in Logan to know about you, your family, or
your ethnic group:
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: [laughing] I don’t know. [laughing]
MG: Mmm…let’s see. Would you like to go back to your country?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes, um… my dad is…my dad is still in Burma. And I want to go back. I just
don’t have the money to go back yet. So, yeah. One day.
MG: Would you ever go back to live?
[26:52]
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
12
AWI: Well, it’s something that I have thought of…going back and staying there
permanently. But I’m not sure yet because my children are still going to school
and you know I still have to be here and support them. So, but yeah. Not sure.
MG: What are you most proud of?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[27:57]
AWI: Well, uh my children they have a...you know better life here than I did back then.
So, I’m really happy for that and now Chit Moe, that’s me [laughing], uh…going
to college is really good thing I guess you know. I’m happy to see my child get to
go to college and that’s just had never happened in my family.
MG: Nice. What are your dreams for the future?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[28:57]
AWI: For my future dream I would say for every for my four childrens I really want
them to have education. I really want them to have knowledge you know. Even if
me and my husband die I’m sure they would still be able to live and support
themselves with what they learned you know. So, yeah. [laughing]
MG: Okay. Would you ever like to go to school again?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes. I am planning on taking English classes at ELC soon because I failed citizen
test two times already. So, I feel the need of taking it…taking the English class
again.
MG: Okay.
AWI: Okay.
[29:54]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
13
MG: Do you have any favorite activities to do here in Logan?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[30:44]
AWI: I’m not sure. [laughing] I don’t know. I guess, I mean there are a lot of things to
do in Logan, but...Yeah, so.
MG: Okay. Well, is there anything that I haven’t asked you that you’d like to tell us?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Well, no. Not really, but I’m just thankful for you guys being here and doing
interview. So. [laughing]
MG: That’s all of my questions. Do you mind if my colleagues…if they have any
questions they can ask you?
MGI: [repeating question in Karen]
[signaled in the positive]
BH: Um…I have some questions. So, I was wondering about these um…the lights up
here. Are they just decoration…you just like having them up?
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yeah, just for decorations and we keep that for Christmas. [laughing]
BH: I bet they look nice. Um…
AWI: No go ahead.
BH: That actually reminds me of a question I had. So you…you mentioned that you’re
Buddhist and in the camps though, you celebrate Christmas. Is that a holiday that
um…Buddhist’s normally celebrate? I just wonder.
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
14
[32:54]
AWI: Yes, uh…like I say I was a Buddhist back in refugee camp, but I have friends who
are not Buddhist you know. They celebrate Christmas and I don’t want to be
stranger or anything. So, just kind of you know were friends. So, yeah Christmas.
So, that’s how that happened.
BH: Okay. And you still celebrate Christmas?
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes, and it’s still for the same reasons. Have friends heres and sometimes they
come and celebrate. Um… likes with Karen um…I don’t know. Well, she hasn’t
talked this, but it’s from my…no…never mind…no.
[signaled to go ahead]
Um…so Karen I think every Christmas like, especially with their Christianity
they…they will go house to house and play music with their guitar. Like a group
of Karen…like big group and they will come to your door and sing. So, it’s just
kind of…does…did you guys do that? Or?
[MG, BH, and WV answer at once]
MG: Caroling.
MG, BH, and WV: Yeah.
BH: Christmas caroling.
WV: Caroling.
AWI: Oh really, okay. So that’s not strange yeah.
BH: Mmm…hmm. Usually, just without a guitar.
AWI: But it’s with a guitar. Yeah.
BHI: It’s with a guitar.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
15
AWI: Yeah.
BH: So, why a guitar?
AWI: Well, so you can sing better. You can follow the tone or something. [laughing] I
don’t know. I’ve just never been to one. Um, like back…back in refugee camp
you know we had uh…we had people like Christianity there they come to our
house they and help us. So, it’s only polite for me to you know help them back.
So, yup.
MG: K.
BH: Um…sorry I’m just really curious about this guitar. Um… do people have guitars
in the refugee camps?
AWI: I can answer that. Yes.
BH: Was there a lot of music there?
AWI: Yes.
BH: Like what kinds of music? Was it like um…popular songs? I don’t know like
maybe American songs? Or was it like its traditional?
AWI: It’s mostly either Burmese songs or Karen songs. Like the...you know, like the top
ten songs. [conversation in Karen] I’m doing it. Well, yeah they…we have lot of
songs and going back to the Christmas thing you like know, like in a refugee
camp when there’s like people going to house to house to sings there’s just gonna
be lots of people kinda follow up. You know kinda join the group to do the same
thing. So.
[laughing]
BH: It sounds like a good time.
AWI: Right.
[36:10]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
16
WV: Um…I’m just kind of curious who is the man in that photo up on the wall in that
chair?
AWI: On the left?
WV: Uh…uh, the bigger one. The guy in the…what looks like brown robes.
WVI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Its what his name is Thaminya. He is a…a… a highly…everybody knows person
in Buddhist religions.
WV: Okay.
AWI: And he’s… he’s the monk in Burma and he’s rally um…you know. But there’s
just I guess, so many things that happen to him that are miracle or something.
Like, I don’t know if this trues…truth or not it maybe a myth, but like when he
die. Well, he’s dead already and, but his…his fingernails are still growing. So, it’s
just weird. I guess you know he just kind of have supernatural power or
something and may people Buddhist…. Yeah. And it is true right. This particular
person you know he…he’s still in Burma although he died many, many years ago.
His corpse is still there and it’s not being… how do I say it?
BH: It’s not decomposed?
AWI: It’s not decomposing. Yeah. It’s not.
WV: Did they preserve it? Like, did they do anything to…?
AWI: Like they probably. Nobody knows whether they preserve it or not. It’s under
military control and nobody knows. Like government control. I think they
probably did. Come on. [laughing] K. Yeah.
[38:04]
BH: I have one more question. This is something I’ve been curious about cuz it sounds
like in the refugee camps um…you can meet with a lot of people. There are a lot
of people around. So, um…did you have a lot of friends in the refugee camp?
People that you would meet with a lot?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Aye Win
Page
17
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes. I had lots of friends in refugee camp. Yeah.
BH: Are there any that came here to the United States as well?
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes, but they’re not in Utah. They’re in different states within the Unites States.
So.
BH: Are you able to keep in contact with any of them?
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes, um…we kinda...we kinda call each other you know. Friends to friends just
like everybody would do. But, mostly what we all concern about: How…how is
life doing over there? But, everybody wants to go back home. So, basically.
BH: Back home to Burma?
BHI: [repeating question in Karen]
AWI: Yes, to Burma. But, in Karen State particularly. To that state, yeah.
BH: Cool. Thank you.
AWI: Good?
MG: Thank you.
AW: Thank you.
[End recording-39:52]

Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 59

2015-05-19

Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Special Collections and Archives, phone (435) 797-2663;

Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project

An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67609

Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection

http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/82