"I feel as if I have lost my way."
Real Stories Not Tales (RSNT) is a dedicated team in and out of Myanmar that aims to bring awareness to the reality of young people’s lives since the Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1st, 2021. Stories are collected through interviews with each protagonist by the team, either in Burmese or in English. Each character is drawn by a professional illustrator bringing a visual context to the story. RSNT is a anonymous name that is used by the group to guarantee security to all parties involved in the collection of the Stories. These posts are part of collaboration between Tea Circle and Insight Myanmar to publish Real Stories Not Tale's Report #2. To read Report #1, visit Tea Circle or Insight Myanmar. Two additional stories from RSNT’s Report #2 will be published on Tea Circle at a later date.
Naw Ju Ju works for a youth organization. She was interviewed on July 11th.
“So I left home, took a trip that would change my life forever, and joined the KNU.”
"I used to work in IT in Yangon. After the coup, my boss informed me we had to stop running our programs. In a way, it gave me the freedom I needed to participate in the demonstrations against the military takeover. As a Karen from the Ayeyarwady Region, I found a group of fellow Karens and joined them. A couple of weeks later, we decided to join protests in our home region.
Not too long after that, the military arrested two of our friends, and we were starting to worry about our security. So, when a close friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join the KNU, it didn't take me long to accept. Actually, it wasn't much of a hard decision, I just thought to myself: If I can’t continue my education or join the street demonstrations, I might as well get involved in a different way.
I did have a plan for my future: I wanted to perfect my English, go abroad, and study ecology and tourism in order to create new opportunities for development in Myanmar. But after the coup, I couldn't imagine that future anymore. So I left home, took a trip that would change my life forever, and joined the KNU.
I’ve been where I am now for four months. In the beginning, I was doing a lot of investigations and assessments. I talked to soldiers, visited communities, and conducted some minor research on the ground. After some time, the leaders of the KNLA asked me to attend a training on security and military techniques. I am not learning how to fight, but about defense strategies and tactics. To be completely honest, I am not that interested in the training itself. But I want to help my people and help this revolution succeed, so I've decided to do my best.
My family is worried about me, always asking me when I'm coming back—but they understand my decision at the same time. I do often feel homesick, but I can’t go home right now, definitely not before the end of the year. Yesterday a friend of mine went back to Yangon and was arrested on the way.
I am staying with some Karen and Rakhine comrades in a camp in the middle of the jungle. We live in small wooden huts. We study from Monday to Saturday; Sunday is our day off. We take turns cooking and cleaning the campsite. We collect rainwater to drink, but if there isn’t enough we use river water. We also bathe and wash up in the river. We use solar panels for electricity. The air is sweltering, and mosquitoes bite us all the time.
I feel as if I have lost my way. I can’t imagine what the future will look like; I don’t know when the situation will become stable again, when we will be able to get our lives back. At the same time, I believe that after all the challenges, we have a bright future ahead of us. What helps me in these difficult times is to talk with my friends and exchange ideas on how we could win. I let my mind wonder about what I will do when things get better. I have a small monkey that I got when I was visiting a village. Her name is Sofia, and she distracts me in a good way!
I believe that if all EAOs came together, they could defeat the Myanmar military. It would not be an easy fight, and on top of that, EAOs have their own, internal struggles, mainly in terms of leadership. The question of federalism and independence is very present too: what are we fighting for exactly? Some don't believe in federalism anymore. But one thing is certain: everybody is determined to defeat the military.
Before the coup, Burmanization was already a real problem in Myanmar, with all other ethnic groups being neglected. I hope once the situation improves, the majority Bamar will understand our suffering better, and will be willing to make real changes and give us more opportunities. We need human rights for all; we need mutual understanding."