Hoping for a Community of Human Beings
May used to work as a teacher and used to do eco-printing and natural dying. She is now living in Mae Sot as she had to flee Myanmar for her safety. The story of May was collected on July 6th, 2022.
“I keep losing focus and my mind is preoccupied with spinning thoughts.”
"I am doing fine with regards to my physical health, but my life is complicated. I am not well mentally. When the coup happened in Myanmar on February 1st, 2021, I was in Mandalay. Like many other young people, I protested against the military coup and got very involved. However, I had to move back to my hometown after six months due to security concerns. I participated actively in the revolution and helped many of my friends. Sadly, I have seen many of them arrested month after month, which also brought security concerns for our group and myself.
At first, I went to Lay Kay Kaw in Karen State and I stayed there and continued my part in the revolution. However, when war broke out in Lay Kay Kaw and the military bombarded the city with air strikes, we had no choice but to flee to another place. The situation is so intense that I had no option but to leave with lots of other people. I first stayed at an improvised IDP camp in the forest, and after some time I decided to move to Mae Sot by crossing the river. I had to travel through corn fields, and at some point I was picked up by a car that smuggled us into the city. I arrived in Mae Sot in January and have had to move once every two months—I can’t stay in the same place for a long time. It’s pretty depressing to live here as I can't do much and I have to spend every day in constant worry. I’m worried about living here illegally and worried about my family and friends still inside the country. I also worry about my future; I feel lost and confused, despite being busy during the day.
Currently, I am doing eco-printing and Myanmar traditional Kanote drawings to quieten my mind and ease my anxieties. Although I try to do several things to change my thoughts, nightmares still chase and haunt me. I keep losing focus and my mind is preoccupied with spinning thoughts. As I am staying in Mae Sot illegally, I’m afraid the Thai authorities will arrest and deport us.
I plan to return to Myanmar and serve my community with all my might. I will work and volunteer at some of the IDP camps in Karen State with my knowledge of eco-printing and textile arts; maybe I can also help CDMers start businesses. I hope that in the future, we will have no more war, and everyone will be treated equally and with respect. I want a community in which human beings are treated as beings, not as beasts. I long for a peaceful environment for everyone and hope that the difficulties and challenges we are facing now will end soon."
These stories are collected by the Real Stories Not Tales team. Real Stories Not Tales is a dedicated team in and out of Myanmar that aims to bring awareness to the reality of 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. RSNT is an anonymous name that is used by the group to guarantee security to all parties involved in the collection of the stories.