Say Rober & Kyo Htoo

March 24, 2017

Say Rober as a young child in Thailand. Rober came to the United States when she was eight years old. “It took us between two to three years [to come to the U.S.] since my dad was still in the hospital,” Rober said. Photo Submitted.

Change is difficult. Especially if the change is fleeing from a toxic environment. Say Rober, freshman, was brought to the United States by her parents for a better education, safety and an overall better life.
At about eight years old Rober went from a refugee camp in Thailand to a whole different world in the U.S.
Rober says life in the camp was hard and the conditions in her country were terrible.
Rober’s country was at war, there were even shootings in her refugee camp. Not to mention crowded cities, buildings burnt down from war and at times there wasn’t access to potable water. Education only belonged to those who had the money to pay for it; a place where money is power.
“Over there money is everything, you can do anything if you have money,” Rober said.
Kyo Htoo, junior, lived under similar circumstances as Rober in the same country. Htoo was 10 years old when he and his family moved to the U.S. Prior to coming to the U.S., Htoo lived in a refugee camp near a jungle.
Changing schools is challenging for many but even more challenging is it to make a switch in countries, language and school. When Rober and Htoo arrived, everything was new to them. Here they could attend school for free. In Thailand, girls had to have their hair short, wear uniforms and pay for it all.
“It was very, very difficult because I didn’t know the language and stuff, I would go home and cry,” Rober said. “It’s difficult to make friends and be social with other people.”
After filling out multiple pieces of paperwork, waiting for years and taking a citizenship test, Htoo, Rober and their families are now United States citizens.
Rober did not have to take the test herself. She says the process for her family took between two to three years.
Both Htoo and Rober are not entirely sure how the refugee or citizenship processes work, but they are both grateful to have been taken out of those circumstances.
Regardless of the barriers that overcame them, they are now enjoying the opportunities their parents and the US have offered them.