User:Kaw Ku/sandbox

My story from Burma, action star, Dance, Actor

Mr. Kaw Ku life in Myanmar

My name is Kaw Ku. I am from Thailand. I lived in a Karen refugee camp when I was 8 years old. I think about my parents and my country every day. I still remember when I was 6 years old. My dad was killed by enemy soldiers. I feel so bad because my dad is gone and doesn’t live any more. My family had practiced cultivation. My dad planted some rice during weekends. One weekend, it was time to harvest the rice, but the enemy soldiers came into our village to burn the rice fields. In the past our village was very nice but the soldiers also came into the village to burn our homes. We would communicate with each other when the soldiers were on their way so that we could all escape them. Even so, some people were too slow to respond when the soldiers arrived and were killed. The ones that escaped still had no food because the rice storage houses were burned down. They had to escape with only their lives and had no time to take food with them. Even their animals were left behind because there was no time to rescue them or feed them without any food. After that when I was 9 years old, I was broke and needed money. I was forced to fight my friends for entertainment. I didn’t want to, but beating them was the only way to earn the money I needed. I had to be strong and provide for myself because my family was very poor. One time, I was fighting a friend. The judge told us both to follow the rules. We obeyed the rules and the judge had ruled that we both won the fight. Both of us were paid $300. I was so excited! When I came home to my mom she asked me what happened to my face. When I told her I was fighting, she became angry at me. She scolded me and told me not to fight again. She said that I might get severely injured or die next time. She reminded me about my dad and how he was killed by enemies. My mom said she didn’t want to see me dead too. She wanted me to be safe and told me that she was unhappy. I told her I was so sorry and it was my fault and I wouldn’t fight again. During this time we did not live in the village anymore because our home burned down. We had to run away and we had to live in the forest. We didn’t have anything to eat except for bananas and water. I became a farmer and I cultivated every day. I thought about leaving Thailand and fleeing to another country. About five years ago, I heard some of my friends had moved to the United States. At first, I didn’t want to go to the US, because I thought it would be boring. My parents had asked me if I wanted to go, but I replied, “Not me”. My parents made me come anyway. At first, I was scared. I had never been on a plane before, and I did not know any English. I thought white people were scary because they were pretty tall. I was enrolled in school, not knowing anybody or any English. One of the coaches tried to get me to go out for basketball. At the time, I declined because I couldn’t understand him or the students, and I didn’t know how to play the game. I was scolded for being lazy, but when the coach found out I was a foreigner and I didn’t know English, he never scolded me again. After about eight months, my English began to improve, and I started to make some new friends. I became happy and more comfortable in what I was learning, but it wasn’t like that at first. I started out a little depressed because I couldn’t understand anyone, or what they said. I prayed that God would help me to learn English quickly and to be able to study hard. In America, I have the freedom to go to school, get healthcare, and food. My life is changing now. I’ve learned a new language, and new opportunities have opened up to me. I do not have to live through war anymore like I did in Burma. My Life is changed

My life has changed drastically since I was born. My life started in one place and has taken me half way around the world to America. Seventeen years has been filled with the following periods: Living in Southeast Asia, war and school, and life in America. War, peace, poverty, and prosperity have all been a part of my existence. My name is Kaw Ku and I was born in the Land between Myanmar (otherwise known as Burma) and Thailand. I am one of the Karen people. Karen people do not have a land of their own yet. In 1995 I was born in a village of about 50 people. I have three brothers and two sisters. I grew up in a small village where our food consisted mainly of rice, tomatoes, fish, and chicken. When we played we ran a lot and played Sepak Takraw or Thailand’s version of Kick ball and a sport native to Southeast Asia.

In 2004 I was 9 years old when the war started between the countries of Myanmar and the people of Karen. My father was part of the Karen Army. As a soldier he fought against the army of Myanmar and was killed. He was in the forest and was shot. After this event my family was placed in a refugee camp in Thailand. For 6 long years we lived in a tent in the countryside and lived on little packages of food. During my time in the refugee camp I started to go to school.

Kaw Ku Personal Narrative

My first trip to Phoenix My first’s greatest adventure started when I came to Phoenix, Arizona. Although I was born in Thailand, the American part of my life changed everything I knew. Coming to phoenix changed my life in three important ways: first, in learning English, secondly, by providing new opportunities for education, and thirdly, by give me hope for the future. During my life in Thailand, I went to school and learned a little English, but I wasn’t enough to get along in American society, needed to learn more. So I worked on a computer program called Rosetta stone. This helped me to understand words and gave me ability to speak clearly. Using what I learned, I was able to have conversation with other who spoke English so I could practice the new language. While living in Thailand, there was very little opportunity to get an education. I managed to go to school a little bit by paying. School costs about $ 500 a month. Fortunately, I was able to go to school one year. Upon arriving in phoenix I was able to go to school free. School here is very interesting; I was able to make a lot of friends, some from Thailand. Here many classes are held each day and lunch is free. Furthermore, I hope to go to college and get a good job. My goal is to become a Nurse. Helping my family health care facility and by buying a house and car are also part of my future goals. Someday I hope get married and have kids of my own. As my parents enter old age I hope to take care of them as well. Lastly, although I was born in Thailand and love my country very much, I see new opportunities in America. I hope one day I will come to love America as much as I do Thailand. America is giving me many opportunities; it completes my life’s dreams by providing a free and quality public education, and a place to work and make a living.