My name is Eh Nay Thin and I was born in Thailand. My family is from Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). I'm doing this project because I want people to learn more about my culture. When we say we are Karen (pronounced KuhREN), people don't really know who we are, and they say, "Korean?"

A good place to learn more about Karen people: https://worldrelieffortworth.org/burma-myanmar-karen-cultural-profile

Summary

In this video, I interview five Karen teens who used to live in refugee camps and now live in the United States. I asked them to share about our Karen culture, what it was like to arrive here, and where they preferred living and why. I hope you will learn about Karen culture and hear directly from the teens sharing stories about their experiences.

They stress the importance of family in Karen culture. They welcome everyone into their families whether or not they are genetically related. They see their extended family every weekend. Like in many Asian cultures, Karen people focus on each other as a group rather than as separate individuals. For example, young people do not tend to move out of their family homes at age 18.

They are ethnic Karen from the border of Thailand and Burma (also known as Myanmar). They lived in refugee camps in Thailand where food and clothes are rationed. To cook there, families build fires using charcoal, because there are no stoves. When they were growing up, there was no electricity in the camps. Now there is electricity, but people in the camps still cook with charcoal. Since 1949, there has been a civil war taking place within Burma. It is very dangerous for Karen people who are experiencing intense persecution in the form of land theft, violence, and rape that has turned into genocide.

Despite being initially surprised and amazed by the large buildings and expansive infrastructure in the United States and frightened by the difficulty of starting school before knowing people or speaking English, everyone interviewed preferred (or at least felt more comfortable in) the environment here in the U.S. They cited the benefits of cultural diversity in the U.S. and the luxury of grocery stores, but really stressed the extended freedom and opportunities, especially in terms of education and a sense that hard work can lead to success in this country.

These young people want people to recognize Karen people, not only as a group that exists, but also as unique people. They encourage others to take pride in their culture, to remember where they come from while contributing where they are, and to always “grow, grow, grow!”

Thanks to my amazing interviewees: