1
50
6
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/825b54ec35bcfee5bc52cc4545e4d68a.mp3
bd6480f51687bcdb9879e208680225f9
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
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</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
Kyaw Eh Trials and Difficulties Bite; Kyaw Eh interview, May 16, 2015
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen State, Burma, Refugee camp, Immigration, Family, Languages, School
Description
An account of the resource
Kyaw Eh describes his life in Karen State, Burma. Along with his time in a refugee camp in Thailand,
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kyaw Eh
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015/05/16
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/9d7328db7767ac9ffc03f486b6e60d23.mp3
f8677256cf961fd74a9535fb69677001
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
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</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
Kyaw Eh Life in the US Bite; Kyaw Eh interview, May 16, 2015
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen State, Burma, Refugee camp, Immigration, Family, Languages, School
Description
An account of the resource
how he came to the U.S., the languages that he speaks, his family, and life here in Cache Valley, Utah.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kyaw Eh
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015/05
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/cef1cd289eb93f0e0e3ba0cfc880d363.mp3
b29268a7a4764f810afc056cae760da0
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
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</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
Kyaw Eh Life in the Camps Bite; Kyaw Eh interview, May 16, 2015
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen State, Burma, Refugee camp, Immigration, Family, Languages, School
Description
An account of the resource
Kyaw Eh describes his life in Karen State, Burma. Along with his time in a refugee camp in Thailand,
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kyaw Eh
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015/05
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/ff1cee70db88d29315cde55f8c0c30ec.mp3
7d5a9ceb602c151768054ea959be4814
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
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</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
Kyaw Eh Hopes and Dreams for the Future Bite; Kyaw Eh interview, May 16, 2015
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen State, Burma, Refugee camp, Immigration, Family, Languages, School
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Van de Water, 1988
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015/05
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/5773ab7c436a9c83b341c5bcd3f7f26c.mp3
0d55c63bcd812817ca13f638f749fbd3
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
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</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/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Gill, Meagan
Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen, Burma, Thailand
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kyaw Eh
Van de Water, 1988
N/A
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Kyaw Eh describes his life in Karen State, Burma. Along with his time in a refugee camp in Thailand, how he came to the U.S., the languages that he speaks, his family, and life here in Cache Valley, Utah.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genre);
audio/mp3
44620060 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/93
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67612
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
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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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 62
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen State, Burma, Refugee camp, Immigration, Family, Languages, School
Title
A name given to the resource
Kyaw Eh interview, May 16, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/b9dd1ee87a1b76af3da53efa44b178b7.pdf
ca28604949b0ad1674e2f8d185fabc70
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
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</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/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Gill, Meagan
Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen, Burma, Thailand
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kyaw Eh
Van de Water, 1988
N/A
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Kyaw Eh describes his life in Karen State, Burma. Along with his time in a refugee camp in Thailand, how he came to the U.S., the languages that he speaks, his family, and life here in Cache Valley, Utah.
Cache
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CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Kyaw Eh
Present: Meagan Gill, Wes Van de Water, Bethany Hanks, Kyaw Eh
Place of Interview: Kyaw Eh’s home, Hyrum, Utah
Date of Interview: May 16, 2015
Language(s): English
Translation:
Interviewer: Meagan Gill
Interpreter: None
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: Express Scribe with PowerPlayer foot pedal.
Transcribed by: Susan Gross, May 25, 2015
Transcript Proofed by:
Brief Description of Contents: Mr. Kyaw Eh describes his home village and family in Burma,
and what his childhood was like growing up and working on a rice paddy farm. He talks about
the civil war in Burma, and the inequalities and suffering the Karen people were put through by
the Burmese military. He discusses life in the United States, and his religious (Buddhist) views
on life, as well as his dreams of being able to help orphaned Burmese children attain health care
and education one day in the future.
Reference: MG = Meagan Gill
KE = Kyaw Eh
BH = Bethany Hanks
WV = Wes Van de Water
NOTE: [You will have to modify this as appropriate—whether using CommGap or in-person
interpreter.] The interview was conducted with CommGap Interpretive Services; the interpreter
joined the interview via a cell phone. False starts, pauses, or transitions in dialogue such as “uh”
and starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcript. All additions and added
information to transcript are noted with brackets.
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TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
[00:01]
MG: Today is May 16th, 2015. This is Meagan Gill, I am with Wes Van de Water and Bethany
Hanks; we’re students at Utah State University, and we are working on a project called
“Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” I am interviewing Kyaw Eh?
KE: Yes.
MG: At his home in Hyrum, Utah. Thanks for letting us interview you. My first question is can
you state your full name and your birth year for me?
KE: My name is Kyaw; my birthday is August 15th, 1979.
MG: Thanks. And what languages do you speak.
KE: My home language is Karen (K-A-R-E-N) – Karen; but I can speak four languages.
MG: What other languages?
KE: Burmese, Thai and English (not really well).
MG: Tell me about your family.
KE: My family: I have two sister, and one brother – including me we have four in my – I have
my mom and she live in [??], but my dad (since 1995) because he disappear (because we
have our Karen Revolution to fight the Burmese government). They’re fighting since that
year – he die or – we don’t anything about it; so he lost. There are a lot of people (Karen
soldier) die in the war – we have a civil war. My dad – he die, or we don’t know
anything; we don’t have any information – nobody can tell us if he is still alive or no. But
we don’t know [??].
MG: There is no program or way to find out if someone has died or not?
KE: No, no, no because it is really difficult because in the Karen state we live in the jungle in
a mountain; we don’t have any electricity, we don’t have any internet, we don’t have any
phone to contact each other. It’s really hard to find each other if somebody go away (for
example). We have no way to meet each other again, I think.
MG: Can you describe the ethnic or religious community you belong to (if any)?
KE: I was born in Karen state in Burma – I am Karen ethnic group. My religion is Buddhist,
Buddha, Buddhism.
[03:41]
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MG: Tell me about the place where you were born.
KE: I was born – about what? The place, what – describe?
MG: Yeah.
KE: The place where I was born is a – how is it called – it’s regional, like kind of the
countryside (it’s not in a city). We had like a paddy farm: we grow the paddy: rice (paddy
farm). We had a farm and we had animal like a cow, buffalo (something like that). We
live just natural in the jungle or something like that; it’s not in a city. We don’t have any
electric in our village.
MG: How long did you live there?
KE: Since I was born until – I grew up there, but I think because I moved to the refugee camp
I lived there eight year. I moved from my place to the refugee camp since 1999 (around
that), since I was born.
MG: Okay. And why did you leave?
KE: Because there are a lot of problem: we had a problem with Burmese soldier troop – when
they come to our village they just give us whatever they want: torture us, and they just
give us the (how’s it called?) – the bullet, the big – like they fire the gun. We have to
carry, we have to follow them in the jungle wherever they go. We have to carry the heavy
thing, the heavy bullets (something like that). For example, if we cannot carry it, they do
whatever they want: even they can kill us, something like that. That’s why – especially
for the men and the boy, for the men and the boy; but the woman is better than the man to
live there. Mostly they just capture the men or the boy – have to follow them.
MG: What all did they make the boys and men do?
[06:23]
KE: Excuse me?
MG: What kinds of things did they make the boys and men do?
KE: That’s what I told you – we have to carry the bullet or the gun with them, their food –
because over there we don’t have any (how does it call it), the road, the car or the
motorcycles go the road – we don’t have of the car road. We have to walk by our foot,
our feet. We have to walk and go to the jungle because the Burmese troop – they go fight
the ethnic group; they go to fight the ethnic group, that’s why they call us go with them.
If they die, we die there; kind of like they are scary enemy – they just keep us the cover
for them. That’s why we are scary or afraid to save our life – to save my life, that’s why I
escape from my village and come to the refugee camp: to save.
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MG: Okay. Where did you relocate to first?
KE: Pardon me?
MG: Where did you go – where was the first camp that you went to?
KE: Oh, yes – Mae La camp is where I live. Mae La camp we called – Mae La camp is on the
Thai/Burma border. That’s went into in Thailand – is the border we have the refugee
camps there. It is like the United Nation – they have the food, they give the clothes for
the education, for the house; everything they provide the refugees there. There I study the
camp a year – I go to school there.
MG: What was it like there, from day to day? What kinds of things did you do?
KE: We just go to school when I live there; we don’t have nothing to do because we cannot go
outside the camp.
MG: Um-hmm?
KE: The Thai military – they control – the Thai authority, they don’t want the refugees go
outside, spread anywhere (something like that). We have to stay at only in the camp:
morning, go to school; after school, go home. We play: we have the playgrounds and play
soccer, visit each other in the camps – just like kind of in a jail. I can say in a jail, like in
a jail: we cannot go anywhere; just I would visit a friend in the camp.
[09:20]
MG: Can you tell me more about the food and any medical care you received in the camp?
KE: The medical care?
MG: Um-hmm.
KE: I would say really good; pretty good. We have like a hospital: a medical care center; we
have everything like that – it’s like other countries, and better than in Burma (a lot better
than in Burma), but we don’t have to pay nothing. We go whenever we sick we go to the
hospital, we have medicine or something, they check everything – it’s for free. We don’t
have to pay nothing.
MG: Did you celebrate any holy days or holidays in camp?
KE: Oh, yes. Our Karen holidays, kind of like our Karen New Year, and then our Karen [??]
Thai ceremony (we call it) we celebrate like a traditional celebrate every year in August.
MG: Okay. Did you get any special materials to use for the holidays?
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KE: Oh no, we don’t have – no, we don’t have any specials give to [??]; no, nothing.
MG: Were you able to make any like special food?
KE: In celebrate?
MG: For celebration?
KE: For celebration?
MG: Um-hmm.
KE: We used to have like our Karen food and Karen New Year; yeah, we have just – we call
(how do we call it) – it’s almost the same Thanksgiving in America (but we don’t have
any turkey over there) [laughs] – it’s not turkey, but other food we ate.
MG: Okay. What was it like working a paddy farm?
KE: Paddy farm?
MG: Um-hmm.
KE: You have not seen – never seen paddy farm? No?
MG: A few pictures, that’s it.
KE: [Laughs] Alright, so how do you want to know the paddy farm?
MG: Just day to day activities?
KE: Oh, because you’ve seen the rainy season we grow the paddy since the seed, the rice (the
paddy) seed we grow, and (how is it called) – we put the nursery (nursery, right?). We
put the nursery and they grow for about one (how is it called?) – feet?
MG: Um-hmm?
KE: One feet, two feet, right?
MG: Yeah.
KE: Oh yeah, for about one and a half feet we have to take it off and transplant to the ground,
to the paddy ground. We have to plow – you know the plows?
MG: Um-hmm.
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KE: With a cow – but right now they did lots with a machine. We plow the field – before,
when I was young, we don’t have any machine: we have the cow or buffalo with a (how
is it called – I don’t know how it’s called it) – we plowed the field to make the ground
soft, we can plant the paddy plants in the field. And then for about two or three months (I
think) it’s going to make a kind of flower and for about five months we can harvest. And
then we can carry in our house or in paddy place.
[13:38]
MG: What was the political climate towards refugees in the camp?
KE: Political climate?
MG: Um-hmm.
KE: I’m not sure regarding the political – I don’t have any idea of things regarding the
political climate; I don’t know anything about it.
MG: Did you feel safe in the camp?
KE: It is more safer than in Burma.
MG: Um-hmm.
KE: It’s not like America; America more safer, better than the camp; a lot better than in the
camp. But in the camps, better than in Burma (in Karen state) – it’s really bad, and the
camps a little better. In America is a lot better.
MG: How did you learn about the U.S. refugee program?
KE: When I live in the camp, because we have (how does it call?) – we have a Karen leader
(refugees leader) over there: they told us in 2006 or [200]7, around that. They have a ten
country who were receive the refugee [??] to their country: kind of like Norway,
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Poland, something like that, and the U.S. They have ten
country – you can choose which country you want to go. Some of my friend (when I live
there, we go to school the same: the same school, the same class) I have a lot of friend
there – right now we are spread around the world. Some friend are interest in Norway,
some other friend they go to Australia; but I choose the my choice: U.S. That’s why I
come to here; that’s why I came here.
MG: What made you choose the U.S.?
[16:01]
KE: I like because U.S. speak English. If I go to Norway, I have to learn another language
again, and English again – that’s why I have to learn many language; that’s what I
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thought. And if I come to U.S., I have to learn just only one language: English; and then
the U.S., that was my idea was better than the other country: the education, for
everything. But I never been the other country, but I just learn it in a newspaper or in a
magazine; I just read about it.
MG: Okay. How did you apply for the program?
KE: Because we have to go to – because they have a (how does it call it?) the place to enroll,
to enroll who want to go which country, you can come here or our refugee leader – they
open like the United Nation or the UNHCR – the leader, they go to the refugee camps,
they announce every refugee people who want to go to this country, this country. They
have a opportunity lie there, they have a chance lie there, they have a different, like (how
does it call it?) different chance, different opportunity, different rights. Each country is
not the same; they let us know about this.
And then I want to come to U.S., that’s why I enrolled – I put my name I will go to U.S.,
that’s why they take my names and my U.N. number or evidence. For about three or five
months they put on a boat – we have to go and check our name are there; if my name is
there I have to go, if I don’t have my name there, “What happened?” Or, “What have
problem? I didn’t see my name there?” You can go to the refugee camp leader office, you
can ask your name or what the problem – they reject, or what the reason they reject
(something like that)? You can ask.
MG: Who helped you apply?
[18:45]
KE: Because our leader over there – our leader in the camp, they help us.
MG: Okay. When did you and where did you first arrive when you came to the U.S.?
KE: Salt Lake City, Utah (2007), I think it was August 8th (around that). To this day I never
moved to other state; since I arrive here I just stay here.
MG: What were the first months like?
KE: It was really shock for me; it was different, very different from my country. But I’m
happy, the other ways I’m happy also because I have seen the different thing: different
culture, different food – everything is different from my country.
MG: What was the biggest shock?
KE: The biggest shock was when snow time – when the snow was coming [laughs]; it was
really, really shock for me.
MG: Um-hmm?
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KE: Because when I live there since whole my life over there, I never seen snow. I just see in
a video or movie like that, but I didn’t know how does it look like – that’s why it was
very shock for the snow.
MG: Have you tried skiing?
KE: No [laughs], never.
MG: Okay. Did you receive any help from U.S. or religious organizations?
KE: Here?
MG: Yes.
KE: Yes, what about can I say for the food stamp, Medicaid (something like that) from the
U.S. government; it was really good for me. Yes.
MG: Okay. Do you have any suggestions for improvements for those programs?
[21:09]
KE: Which program?
MG: The food stamp, or Medicaid – do you see anything that could be changed with that? Or
do you think it worked okay?
KE: It work okay; yeah, it’s okay for me but I’m not sure of other people. I think for me it is
okay.
MG: Let’s see – and how long have you lived here, in Cache Valley?
KE: Since 2008 until now.
MG: What do you do here?
KE: I just work at JBS Swift Company beef plant here.
MG: What’s it like for you and your family to live here, in Hyrum (or Cache Valley)?
KE: I like here because it is better than Salt Lake (for me), for my personality I think – it is
more safety here. And then there is no crowded car, there is not a lot of the car – it is
really easy to go to the downtown Logan, we can visit easily. I like – it is the same is
similar like my country here, like with a cow and a lot of horse and the buffalo (or
something like that) in the field – like my country with the paddy field. That’s why I like
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it, and the mountains and the stream with the lake; that’s what I’m growing in my
country, it’s similar here so I like it here.
MG: Okay. Do you feel included in the Logan community?
KE: Included?
MG: Um-hmm?
KE: I’m not clear how to say “included?”
MG: Do you feel like you’re a part of the community, or do you feel a little disconnected from
everyone else?
KE: Oh no, is yeah, included in that community, yeah; I feel it’s good, really good. It’s a
family with the people here in Cache County, many people. And a lot of people (when I
first arrived here) they help me a lot to go to store, to go to the shopping mall (something
like that). And from here they have a – at first when I met her, Katie (do you know
Katie?) – English language singer – they teach the English language for the refugees is
really good here. Yeah, they help me a lot.
[24:15]
MG: Do you think that there is anything else that the community can do to help refugees?
KE: Oh I think they still help the refugees until now, but do you know Nelda – I’m not sure
what’s the organization she had up there – but Nelda, she help refugees a lot to apply
food stamp, to apply to Medicaid, to read the letter from the school, read the letter from
the DWS for the refugees. Because most refugee, they don’t know how to read and write
in the letter, they have a problem: Nelda help them a lot. Yeah, it’s good.
MG: Tell me a little bit about how your home looked like in your home country, and the
difference with your home now.
KE: Oh yes, it’s a lot different because in my country – my house in my country, we just built
with the wood, the roof with the leaf (you know the leaf, the tree leaf, the big leaf) – we
just made the roof of our house. We don’t have any like the wall close every side like
this; we have to like – we can open the wind come through, come and go through our
house. And it was a lot of different because we live style different, completely different
from here because here is we have snow, we have to turn on the heat; in the summer time
we have to turn on the air condition – but over there no, we don’t have nothing: no
electricity, nothing, no internet, no phone, no TV.
MG: Did it get really hot there?
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KE: Because we used to grow up there, it’s not really hot for us – it’s not really hot for me
because we used to grow up there. If the people from the other country go there it is very,
very difficult, very hard for them I think to live there; everything is different.
MG: What would you like people in Logan to know about you and your family?
[27:21]
KE: I don’t know how to call it – to make the people in Logan to know my family?
MG: Yeah, is there anything you would like to let them know about your family and you, or
your ethnic group?
KE: [Laughs] I don’t know because I don’t know how to answer it.
MG: Would you like to go back to your country?
KE: Yes, maybe one day; I have my dream. I still waiting the politic to change over there, the
government change. If they change from communist to democracy, maybe one day I
would go back there.
MG: To live or just to visit?
KE: To live [laughs].
MG: What are you most proud of?
KE: Here or there?
MG: Here, or there – yeah?
KE: Proud of – I don’t know what I’m proud? I’m proud that I am Karen ethnic group (Karen
people), that I came here, I have learned English and the other language (even I can speak
some Spanish right now because in our company they speak only Spanish); that is why I
am very happy I learn their other language and I can speak four language right now –
that’s why I’m proud of myself.
MG: Okay. What are your dreams for the future – for yourself or your children?
KE: Okay, so in the future my dreams are maybe one day (that I told you) I would like to go
back to my country (if the country change everything). I would like to help the people
who need help (like orphan children) – do you know what I am saying “orphan” – that is
the people they don’t have parents.
MG: Right.
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KE: I would like to help them if I have money, if I have my business or my own jobs; if I have
incomes, a lot of income, maybe one day I would go back and help them for the
education for the health to get the hospital or the clinic for them, or the school for them.
Because it is really hard – there are many people over there in our Karen state (our Karen
people) they don’t have receive any education, any health; it’s really hard over there.
Because in our place there are many malarias disease – do you know that malaria? Yeah.
There are many people die every years over there because we don’t have not enough the
medicine, we don’t have equipment to check the disease, to check up everything for the
health – that’s why they have to give their lives a lot every years over there.
[31:15]
MG: Would you like to own your own business some day?
KE: I think, yeah; I think so [laughs], yes.
MG: What kind of business.
KE: Just for my dream, yeah; because I don’t have any – I don’t have my graduate like a high
education – I cannot do the business, like the big business. I just that I can do just only
the agriculture and poultry – do you know poultry?
MG: Chickens.
KE: Chicken – oh, yeah poultry like the chicken, or what about the pig farm to grow the
chicken, pig, goat, cow or something like that, right? With the agriculture – plant the
food, the vegetable, the fruit in our place; that’s why I like to work with like that.
MG: Have you ever thought about going back to school?
KE: Yes, because I don’t have a opportunity, I don’t have a chance right now because I
borrow my house here, I have to go to work. If I go to school, who is going to pay for my
payments here, right? It’s really hard to live here. I would like to go to school to get a
degree or something like that, but it’s really hard for me here. It’s a balance make it
which way I can do, that’s why I choose the – I have to work to live here.
MG: Okay. You said you’re Buddhist – has your religious practices changed at all since you
came to the U.S.?
KE: Changed, like what?
MG: Is there any like changes you’ve had to make practice wise? Is it hard to be that here, in
Cache Valley?
KE: No, that’s not hard for me, but it depends on the people. Some of the people, if they like
religious, if they don’t have their temple or monastery (we call it monastery in the
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Buddhist), in the Christian they call it the church – it is really hard for them to live
because they love their religion, right? It is for me: I love my religion also, because it is
always in my mind. And Buddhists, they just teach the people if you are the human, you
are the human: if you do the good thing, you will get the good thing; if you do the bad
thing, you will get the bad thing. In America I like, I really like – that’s why I’m [??]: if
you broke the law, you have to go to jail, right? Your mother, your father, your brother
cannot help you; nobody can help you – even the God cannot help you. That’s why my
religion said if you do the bad thing, you will receive the bad; if you do the good thing,
you will receive the good. That’s why I live here, it is easy for me – it’s not really hard.
I can communicate with every people, every religion. That is why we are the human
being. We have to love each other. We need to help each other. If we see the people who
[??], we have to help that people: even the black, yellow, white, or whatever. We don’t
have any discrimination – it’s not good; we need to help each other. That’s why I’m here,
I like America.
[35:28]
MG: Is there a monastery here, in Cache Valley?
KE: No, in Salt Lake City: Thai monastery is over there.
MG: Do you get to go down there?
KE: I’ve never been there. I live here almost eight year, I never been there. Just only in my
mind – if I think the good thing, if I do the good thing, if I speak the good thing, I am the
good people. If I do the bad thing (like to do whatever the people don’t like) – even I go
to the monastery or the church, right – every week you go to the church, you go to the
monastery – if your mind is no good, you are not good people. You go to the church, you
pray, you go the other where you do the bad thing – that is not fair. I live in my house, I
just pray in my house for my family, for the people around all the world. That’s why I
believe. I never been to the monastery; never.
MG: Would you like to go there some time?
KE: Some time, yes – because we are different language; we don’t know how do they speak,
how do they pray, right? [Laughs] If they pray, we don’t want to stand like something is
not fair for me, it is not good for me. But for the religion, they pray every religion they
pray for the good people for around the world: they ask them to do the good thing, right?
But if I go to Thai monastery, the monks (the Thai monks) – they pray in a Thai
language; if I don’t understand, how can I feel the good thing, right? It’s really good here,
but that’s what I’m saying; I don’t understand they pray, because it in Thai language. I
know they are Buddhist, I am Buddhist – I respect them, I like them, but I never been
there. I don’t understand how they pray in their language; it’s different with my language.
Yeah, so something like that.
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MG: Okay. I think I’m done with my questions. Is it okay if they ask you questions if they
have any?
KE: Sure, sure.
MG: You look like you have a question.
[38:17]
WV: I’m just trying to think. I guess what I would ask is, you know, based on just your
experience and what you’ve been through (both in Burma and Thailand and here), is
there anything that you wish you could help other people outside of your community
understand? Does that make sense? Is there something that you would like if you could,
you know, tell other strangers like us (who maybe don’t know), is there anything that you
would like us to understand?
KE: To help the Karen people?
WV: Either way: here or over there?
KE: Oh okay, yes; I have a lot of things to let you know. I am very happy today to visit with
you, because you are from the university (US University), maybe you have a lot of
experience, you have a lot of education (high education) – I think you can help my people
a lot (more than me). Because maybe one day that I am talking about for awhile when I
go back there I would like to connect with you. And maybe one day if you go to
Thailand, go to visit or go do whatever, or go to work over there I just want to connect
with you and to help our people over there to build a school, to build a clinic: just only
two things that I’m really need.
And when I live here, in Cache County (Cache Valley), I just want to let you know
because our refugee from Burma (our Karen refugees here), we are almost 200 people
(before there were over 200, but right now they moved the other state some). And we
have a lot of children here that go to school; sometime they have a difficulty life here:
their mom and dad cannot speak any English because their mom or their dad go to work.
And that what I am saying sometime they have from the school, they have school
conference, parent conference (or whatever, something like that), or the other things is
really hard for them sometime.
That’s why from the university can help them some way (like to read the letter, if they
have time to apply for Medicaid, to apply for food stamp), because they have a better
chance. In U.S. I know we have equality rights – every people, we have equality right –
because our refugee don’t know anything (mostly) they don’t know anything about it,
how to apply that: where we have to go to apply for this; that’s why they need to know. I
say, “If you have some day you want to go to do this, you can go this building or that
department,” or if you can like a direction for them it will be better. For example, if you
print the paper like this – if you lose your social security card you can go apply this place;
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if you need driver license you can go apply this department, this place – something like
that. You can contact if you want to do whatever (how can I say?).
But we have a lot of opportunity here, for the people. If you want to go to school:
agriculture school or nursing school – mostly they don’t know anything about it, which
program better (which one is better). If you mostly here we have high school student,
they already graduate and they will continue their higher education (go to college) –
mostly they don’t how to apply for the scholarship, the grant or something to go for their
school. If you can have the children like that will be better for them.
[43:39]
BH: I have a question –
KE: Yes?
BH: So I know right now we’re downstairs, but upstairs I saw there’s a lot of stuff on a wall –
KE: Uh-huh?
BH: Of like a flag –
KE: Uh-huh?
BH: And I saw a picture that I think –
KE: Me.
BH: Is of you – is it of you in a uniform?
KE: The soldier uniform?
BH: The soldier?
KE: Oh no, that’s my uncle.
BH: That’s your uncle?
KE: Yes, that’s not me [laughs].
BH: So I guess I’m just curious about that photo?
KE: For what?
BH: Is your uncle here? Is he in –
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KE: No, he’s in Burma.
BH: In Burma?
KE: Yes. He is not here. I just respect him, because right now he is a soldier.
BH: Um-hmm?
KE: Karen soldier – fight for democracy, fight for our Karen to have a equality rights. He
fight for everybody to have equality chance, equality rights, to have like a democracy, to
get democracy in Burma. He doesn’t want to come here; he told me that he will die there
– he will fight for freedom, for the equality rights. That’s why I brang his picture here
and just put it and remember him. I miss him. He’s a really good because he suggests me
always whenever I call him, he suggests me, “When you go there you have to do the
good thing, you have to love your friend, you have to help your friend. If you have some
that are like education, or if you have experience better than your friend, you need to help
your friend who need help.” That’s about him.
BH: Thank you.
KE: You are welcome. Anything else?
[45:56]
MG: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us that we haven’t asked you.
KE: No, [laughs] I have no idea. If you have a question, I can answer you; if you have a
question.
MG: I think we’re good; thank you.
KE: You are welcome.
MG: For meeting with us.
KE: Yes.
WV: Thank you.
BH: Thank you.
KE: I’m also a pleasure, I’m very happy to be able to converse with you.
MG: Okay.
[End recording – 46:28]
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eng
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Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
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Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 63
Subject
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Karen State, Burma, Refugee camp, Immigration, Family, Languages, School
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Kyaw Eh interview transcript, May 16, 2015
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project