Refugee Life Part 4

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 |

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DREW NASH PHOTOS, TIMES-NEWS

Esther Naing, 28, walks in her garden July 15 in her family’s backyard in Twin Falls.

Refugee life: Making it out of Myanmar

DREW NASH AND PAT SUTPHIN

dnash@magicvalley.com psutphin@magicvalley.com

TWIN FALLS — yanmar, formerly known as Burma, has a tumultuous history spanning the past century.

Originally conquered by the British in 1824, Myanmar did not gain its independence until 1948.

For 40 years, the country lived under military rule. Known as the State Peace and Development Council, the military restricted civil liberties, violated basic human rights and alienated ethnic minority groups.

By 1988, the people had had enough.

Known as the 8-8-88 Uprisings because of the date on which they began, citizen revolts and the subsequent military response led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people in a matter of weeks.

A year later, the country officially changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in an attempt to become more ethnically encompassing — those of Burmese descent make up less than 70% of the population.

In 1990, the National League of Democracy won multiparty elections in Myanmar. The goal was to transition the country into a democratic state and out of militarized control.

As the government would soon learn, titles are only an illusion of power.

The military refused to acknowledge the new leadership.

Instead, they imprisoned more than 1,100 people for their political beliefs, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the country.

When the government failed to protect the people, the citizens took matters into their own hands.

Myanmar is comprised of 14 different city-states, each one representing a unique cultural identity.

The Southeast Asian nation recognizes at least 135 indigenous ethnic groups and has over 40 sub-tribes and languages in the Chin State alone. Nearly 90% of the country practices Buddhism, while several states are persecuted for their differing religious beliefs.

Because of the constant conflict with differing faiths, each state has its own militia, although

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Myanmar at a glance Below are a few interesting facts about Myanmar:

REFUGEE SERIES

 Myanmar’s first flag was ad-

opted in 1757.

 The country has flown eight

different flags over the years.  The peacock has been used on several versions of the flag. They are symbolic of the predominate Buddhist faith and represent the sun.  From 1886-1948, Myanmar was under colonial British rule and the country was known as Burma.  In 1989, the country’s name in English changed from Burma to Myanmar.  The United States and the United Kingdom do not officially recognize the name change, but many United Nations members do.  The military government changed the former capital’s name from Rangoon to Yangon in 1989.  In 2005, the new city of Naypyidaw was proclaimed to be the capital by the government.  The current flag carries three horizontal strips of yellow, green and red representing solidarity, peace and tranquility with a large white star in the center signifying unity.  The flag was adopted on Oct. 21, 2010.

Source: The World Factbook — CIA, Encyclopedia Britannica, World Atlas none of them are as large or wellfunded as the State Peace and Development Council. Many of them attempted to fight the council on their own, utilizing guerrilla warfare tactics instead of direct confrontations. In response, the military swept through the states one by one, imprisoning able-bodied men and executing all who opposed.

The Chin state — the only state in Myanmar with a Christian majority — was one of many on the council’s warpath.

mar n a y M consisted of steamed rice and sometimes a bit of meat, often pork. With meager means, meat was a scarcity.

Esther Naing said they ate meat about six times a year whenever her father hunted or had extra money to buy it.

During the day she attended class in a small schoolhouse with dirt floors and one teacher. Living in the Chin State meant she learned the Chin language, but she also learned Burmese, the official language of Myanmar.

Naing began to learn English in kindergarten. With no one in the community to practice with, she quickly lost her ability to speak and understand the Chin language. It would be nearly 15 years before she picked it up again.

Her father, Ve, spent his days cutting down trees and planting fields between the dense, rolling hills. He did his best to shelter his children from the troubles at hand while the country fell into a tense Chaung Paw plays with a water squirter during the Myanmar Water state of civil war. As far as his chilFestival on July 21 at Stephen C. Guerber Park in Eagle. dren knew, life was peaceful.

But Esther Naing would soon When Esther Naing’s father small village in the Chin State on find out the world isn’t as pleasant was drafted by enemy soldiers, the western region of the country. as she believed. he made the decision to leave his The village sat among rolling homeland behind. hills peeking out from a forest of Leaving a life of fear It was a decision that would al- clouds. No electricity or running As with so many refugees’ jourter the family’s life forever. water existed where she lived. To neys, Ve’s began with fear. He keep the house clear of bugs, the feared he would be forced to work Village life floorboards were washed daily. as a porter for the State Peace and On a warm July evening, Es- Guests were expected to take off Development Council. According ther Naing, now 28, sat in the liv- their shoes to help keep the dirt to Human Rights Watch, porters ing room of her mother-in-law’s out. were required to carry food, heavy house. Her husband, Chris Naing, She spent her childhood days ammunition and supplies without relaxed next to her on the couch, playing with spiders and mice being given adequate water. because toys were a rare comtranslating as she spoke.

“They use them like mules,” Esther Naing’s story starts with modity in their remote village. At Chris Naing said. her father, Lan Ve. Naing was just night she would help cook dinner a girl — 15 at the time, living in a for the family. The meals usually Please see MYANMAR, Page E2

Iran

Read previous three installments in the refugee series online at Magicvalley.com — Iran, Bhutan and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Driver Chris Naing performs a safety and maintenance check before heading off to his next stop July 31 at Giltner Inc. near Jerome.

Esther Naing and her husband, Chris Naing, smile as they share a hymn book during worship July 20 at their home in Twin Falls.

Myanmar From E1

If Ve refused — or tried to resist in any way — he would have been shot or beaten to death. One of the tasks assigned to those kidnapped by the military is that of a human land mine detector. The council didn’t want to risk their own men searching for mines, so they used prisoners stolen from their homes.

“The army, they come into our village,” Esther Naing said.

When the soldiers arrived, they forcefully drafted Ve into their ranks. He was slated to become a porter — the fate he had long feared. Unable to notify his family, Ve sneaked away from the soldiers and fled south to Malaysia. For a year he lived in exile, anxiously awaiting his family’s arrival.

Naing wasn’t home when her father was taken. She never got to say goodbye.

She doesn’t remember where she was on that day, but she remembers finding out the news when she returned home that evening. When some of the other men who were “drafted” started to return home months later, Naing wasn’t sure what to do.

“We thought he was a runaway,” she said.

It took six months before Ve contacted his family from Malaysia. It was another year before Naing saw her father again.

At 15, Naing hiked 12 miles to Yangon, the capital city of

“She loved me and cared about me. The way she took care of her family... she would lay her last cent on the table to take care of her siblings and family.”

Chris Naing, on his wife Esther Naing Myanmar, and boarded a plane for Bangkok. From there she had to travel by car and bus.

“I was crying all the way,” she said. “It was so hard.”

Still, the journey was worth it because she was reunited with her father. For a year, she lived with Ve in a two-bedroom apartment in Klang, Malaysia, waiting for the rest of the family to join them.

Thus, began the family’s long journey to America.

Education takes a back burner‌ During her senior year — 10th grade in Myanmar — Naing received a call to follow her father to Malaysia. She never finished her schooling. Giving up everything she had ever known for a new country was hard, but Naing was eager to be reunited with her father.

“I wanted to see the big city, but at the same time I didn’t want to leave my home,” Naing said.

Naing traveled to Malaysia, followed a year later by her mother, two brothers and a sister. The family applied for refugee status at the United Nations office in Malaysia, which allowed them to stay in the country while they waited to hear if they would be

accepted into the U.S. For six years, the family lived in a small apartment within the city.

They would often rent out rooms to help make ends meet. Naing and her brother, Joshua, worked full-time jobs to help support the family. Her two youngest siblings went to school during the day and worked part-time jobs at night.

Naing worked in a Chinese restaurant in the port city of Klang.

With a population of over 500,000, the city lies on the Kelang River and the Kuala Lumpur–Port Kelang railway. Starting as a dishwasher, she scrubbed pots and pans in the heat of the kitchen. She worked her way up to become a waitress while learning a little bit of Mandarin along the way.

Naing helped support her family at the expense of her own education. She never finished her final year of high school. Instead, she developed an unwavering work ethic that would carry her through the rest of her life.

Finding refuge‌

The 21-year-old Naing and her family left their tight-knit community, language and culture behind for the United States. Destination: Twin Falls.

“America adopted them as their

A Bible written in Burmese is held during worship July 20 at the Naing home in Twin Falls. own children and rescued them,” Chris Naing said.

The refugee center assisted the family with securing food, housing and electricity, but assistance from the center only lasts for six months. Esther Naing knew she would once again need to find work to support her family.

With the help of the refugee center, she was able to obtain employment at the Hampton Inn. For eight months, she worked as a housekeeper, cleaning rooms and washing sheets, before moving on to her current job at Dart Container Corporation. For the past few years, she’s worked in the packaging department, and as a machine operator and forklift driver.

Working at Dart alongside her brother kept her family afloat in America. The company produces the well-known red Solo cups seen at barbecues around the world.

Moving to a new country and culture can be challenging. Naing said she didn’t know what to expect when she flew into Joslin Field, Magic Valley Regional Airport.

“Malaysia has a lot of big buildings,” she said. “I was thinking

this was going to be bigger than Malaysia.”

Instead, it appeared as if she had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. There were no tall buildings or crowds of people like she thought there would be.

Interacting with people proved to be difficult because of how Americans address one another.

In Myanmar, elders are referred to by a respectful name — typically Auntie or Uncle — even if there is no familial relation.

Adjusting to calling people by their first names was difficult for Naing because it felt disrespectful to her.

Still, she and her family were were happy to be stateside.

The family grows‌

In 2013, Esther Naing was new to Idaho. The refugee center helped her find housing and work, but close acquaintances were in short supply until one woman, Kyi Kyi Whiting, befriended her.

At the time, she didn’t know that Whiting would eventually become her mother-in-law.

“She is both beautiful and kind,” Whiting said.

After years of dating, Chris Naing was looking for something different.

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Children sit down to eat after worship July 20 at the Naing home in Twin Falls.

William Naing, 5, explores Rock Creek Park on Aug. 8 in Twin Falls.

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“I dated a lot of girls here and I wasn’t happy,” he said, explaining that American girls were too friendly with other guys for his liking. “I thought maybe I should think about the cultural differences.”

Chris Naing asked his mother to find him a good housewife; Whiting wanted a woman like Esther Naing in her son’s life.

After some convincing, Esther Naing agreed to meet her future husband.

Their first encounter wasn’t exactly a fairy tale experience. Esther Naing had her hair cut short.

Chris Naing teased her by saying she looked like a boy. His hair was quite long at the time, so Esther Naing teased him right back.

“He looked like a little girl,” Esther Naing said.

Despite awkward introductions, the two connected. They talked for a month through text messages and social media before actually going out on a date.

Their first few dates consisted of outings to Rock Creek Park, Balanced Rock and the Boise zoo.

Despite being from the same country, the two had very different upbringings.

“We grew up with different cultures,” Chris Naing said.

Chris Naing immigrated to the U.S. in 1990 and was raised in Buhl; Esther Naing practiced a predominantly village lifestyle and did not assimilate into American culture until much later in her life.

Still, the differences in their heritage could not keep them apart. They dated for several months, all the while growing closer. Chris Naing said he was impressed by her kindness, virtue and responsibility.

“She loved me and cared about me,” he said. “The way she took care of her family... she would lay

her last cent on the table to take care of her siblings and family.”

Esther Naing bought him presents on his 32nd birthday, despite money being tight from supporting her family. He knew then she was the one.

After seven months of dating, Chris Naing proposed. The couple was married and began talking about having children.

Chris Naing, however, was diagnosed with a blood-clotting disorder called antiphospholipid syndrome in 2006. After having an operation to install a prosthetic aorta, he was told he had only a 50% chance of having children.

But the Naings weren’t going to give up.

On April 15, 2014, they welcomed their son, William Naing, into the world.

“I think of William as a miracle child for me,” Chris Naing said.

The family shrinks‌

English was difficult for Esther Naing’s Chin parents. After years of struggling to understand everyone from Department of Motor Vehicles clerks to hospital staff, Naing’s parents decided it was time to move on.

They wanted to be able to communicate in their native language.

In 2018, they made a decision that would allow them to do just that.

They relocated to Indiana.

Chin is the predominant ethnic group seeking refuge in Indianapolis, according to the Indianapolis Star.

In Burmese culture, families stick together, typically living in the same house with their parents for their entire lives.

“It’s about supporting each other and sharing everything as one,” Chris Naing said.

Please see MYANMAR, Page E4

Kyi Kyi Whiting performs a traditional dance during the Myanmar Water Festival on July 21 at Stephen C. Guerber Park in Eagle.

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William Naing, 5, heads out with tools to help in the garden July 15 in his family’s backyard in Twin Falls.

Myanmar From E3

Because of this, it was very difficult for Esther Naing when her parents relocated to another part of the country.

“I cried like a baby the first time they moved,” she said.

With the love and support of her husband, she was able to come to terms with her parents leaving.

Last year, Naing and her son traveled to Indiana to visit her parents.

Her son also made a second trip out to visit them on his own.

“He’s growing up with my parents in his life,” she said.

Naing’s brother moved to Indiana this year to be close to his parents. She said it was a lot easier saying goodbye to him because she had already endured her parents’ departure.

To stay close, Naing talks with her parents every day. They often send her care packages so she knows they’re thinking of her. Because of the large Chin population, Indianapolis has a lot of stores that sell items from Myanmar.

“They have a lot of food from my country,” she said.

Although she liked staying with her parents because it made her feel safe, she now appreciates how American culture allows children to leave the home and become inSar Oo performs a traditional dance during the Myanmar Water Festival on July 21 at Stephen C. Guerber Park in Eagle. dependent earlier in life.

Living apart is hard, but Naing has learned to endure the physical “I’m happy I’m in separation by keeping her parents the USA. I feel safe. close to her heart.

Respecting the faith‌

Buddhists make up 88% of Myanmar’s population; Christians make up only 6%. Whiting, a Buddhist, doesn’t mind that Esther Naing’s faith is Baptist, a denomination of Protestant Christianity, and respects her daughter-in-law’s beliefs.

Chris Naing was raised as a Buddhist, but the religious differences don’t concern the family.

“Chris respects all religion,” Esther Naing said.

Naing attends Myanmar Christian Fellowship on her days off.

Her husband joins her when his schedule allows, which isn’t very often. As a truck driver for Giltner Inc., Chris Naing spends his 12hour workdays transporting milk around the region.

The Naings celebrate Christian holidays, but they try to keep the attention on the meaning behind the event, not culturally popularized traditions.

“We don’t focus on Santa Claus or rabbits really; it’s about worship,” Chris Naing said.

When worlds collide‌

In 2018, Esther Naing decided to become an American citizen.

She wanted to make sure she could live forever in the country that has become her home. Under new immigration policies, Naing feared she wouldn’t be allowed to stay with her family.

“The president is changing things and it was time,” she said.

Although she appreciates her life in America, there are a few aspects of Burmese culture that Naing misses. When she was a child, parents worked and the elders watched over the children. She misses that sense of community.

This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

Esther Naing

“Over there, everybody is like one family — the whole neighborhood,” Chris Naing said. “Here, we pretty much keep to ourselves.”

One of her fondest memories from her homeland is running out into the field at dusk and playing with more than 50 other children.

Without television or toys to distract them, kids played together in nature. She worries that the true sense of playtime is lost in the United States.

Naing hopes to instill some of her cultural beliefs in her son. The most important is her religion. A variety of food is served July 15 at the Naing home in Twin Falls.

Naing holds her faith in high esteem and expects her son to do the same.

She also plans to teach him the Burmese language. William currently speaks Chin and English, but she wants him to understand Burmese as well.

“We want to teach him our language and who he is,” she said.

Someday, they plan to take William to Myanmar so he can see the country for himself. For the Naings, it is important that their son experiences his heritage firsthand.

“This is where your parents are from,” Chris Naing said. “This is the first place that we opened our eyes, in this country.”

Still, Esther Naing is thankful for life in the U.S. She is able to live freely and provide for her family. While living in Myanmar, she never expected to have her own car, her own house and a job.

“I’m happy I’m in the USA,” she said. “I feel safe. This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

Esther Naing, 28, takes a photo of her friends Aug. 13 at Shoshone Falls east of Twin Falls.

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