Transcript: Episode #184: Rising Above Borders (Bonus Shorts)
Below is the complete transcript for this podcast episode. The transcript has been generated using an AI transcription service and has not undergone human review. Consequently, certain words in the text may not accurately reflect the speaker's actual words. This is especially relevant for speakers with pronounced accents, as AI transcription may lead to more errors in interpretation. Therefore, it is advised not to reference this transcript in any article or document without cross-referencing with timestamps to ensure the precise words spoken by the guest.
Host 00:17
Hi there and thanks for listening if you're enjoying our podcast and have a recommendation about someone you think that we should have on to share their voice and journey with the world by all means let us know it could be an aid worker monastic author journalist Doctor resistance leader really anyone with some Thai or another to the ongoing situation in Myanmar to offer up a name go to our website insight myanmar.org And let us know but for now just sit back and take a listen to today's podcast right feeling in my way that I really had a good day Yeah, absolutely yeah
Tu Lor 02:13
yeah, so I, I was born in a small village in Myanmar, or, like you will say in current income to lay in brigade five. And I grew up there for about nine years until my, my dad decided to move all of us to Thailand in the refugee camp, and then came up to the United States in 2011. And so, and I'm the youngest of six children. And so I was one of the four kids that was lucky enough to be able to immigrate to the country where we live in now, which I call my second home, I grew up in a very, very small village. It's basically just like 10 families in our village. And we live in bamboo houses and our houses like it's not like the one builds in the United States where it's everything is enclosed. It's more of just, we use bamboo for everything, like from the base all the way to the top. And I remember playing a lot outside, and also having to work a lot as well as a kid. Probably not like the kids here in the United States. We had to, there's no like running water that comes straight to our house. And so a lot of the water that we get, we have to go fetch it ourselves. And so we use the bigger bamboo, they build it into like little little pots where you carry on your back, and then you go get the water and you bring it back. And it was it's, it was really fun as a kid to do that. And I still remember, my family is pretty much like we're very divided it in a way where like a lot of our families are living in kind of all over the place. And so my dad was in a different village. And then I was with my two older siblings in our village. And then my other three siblings were in Thailand at the time starting in 2005. And so my whole life I've been growing up with, with other people with like my siblings, my aunts and uncles, and like, it's just the village if you if you can imagine it, it's a we're right in the center of the mountains surrounding us. And so imagine 10 families 10 houses with bamboos, and then also banana trees in our backyard lime trees, coconut trees, all surrounding us, and we raise and grow everything that we eat. And so that's what I remember being as a kid living in the village. Um, so when I was growing up, we didn't have a school in my village. There's no schools, there's no churches, there's no Have monasteries or whatnot. We just everyone was helping everyone. And so and there's no electricity until today because I still have siblings that are living in the same village that I grew up in. We heard from them that they they do have a running water that comes straight to the house now, but they still don't have electricity. Like in the refugee camp, you have electricity for a limited amount of time. But in the village, there's still none. And that's still prevalent today. And I didn't grow up going to school like a normal school like all their kids until I came to the refugee camp. My, my auntie was the one that will teaching me and my siblings how to read and write and speak around. And I just, I went to school with my other cousins, because it's all family members that are living in the same village.
Host 05:59
Right. And I understand that you come from a Christian background Korean, the Korean people are divided between Christian and Buddhists. And I understand your your family is Christian. So can you describe a bit about the way that the Christian faith and practice belief, customs, culture, etc, that the way that manifested the way that Christianity became a part of your faith and your family custom and in your community and anything else?
Tu Lor 06:28
Yeah, my village, we had the probably the majority of the families were Christians, but there were also my great aunt was also like, she was still practicing animist at when I was growing up, and I think she still practice it to the day that she died. But my family, my mom was actually a missionary. So she went to a Bible school. And after she graduated, she was mission missioning to my dad's village, and that's how they met. And that's how they had me. And then my whole life, all I've known is Christianity. But there's still a lot of Korean people that are practicing enemas, the ones that are living in the mountains, and then the there are also a lot of them practicing Buddhism as well as Christianity.
Host 07:22
Right? And so for your family that was Christian, how did how, how did you practice Christianity? There's many different cultural ways, different sects, different customs and such. So in what ways did Christianity manifest in your upbringing in your family and community?
Tu Lor 07:37
Yeah, my, my mom taught like we had a church that was, they no longer have it today, because I was talking more of like, the modern day, they don't have that church anymore. But I was when I was growing up. They had a small church that was like, right up the hill from our house. And so we go to that church, but we don't have a pastor's. So we just like I was pretty young. So I probably don't remember everything that happened there. But we celebrated Christmas and everything with our with our village, like even the ones that don't practice Christianity, they still come and celebrate with us, because it's a fun time. And it's a time to be with families and be with other friends. And so yeah, we like Christianity has always played a role in how my family raised me and how my dad raised me, like I, my grandparents taught me as a little kid like how to pray how to, you know how to just how to act in front of people, when when we are surrounded by elders and stuff, like, a part of it is our faith. But also a part of it is cultural pieces where like the crown people, or the Korean kids are taught how to behave like when you walk in front of a crowd, what do you do, you got to bend your, your head, and you got to bend your back and, and you just have to talk really politely in front of in front of all the elders or people that are older than you. So Christianity was a part of it, but also it was culturally just the right thing to do. And we were taught as a kid to, to do it. Right.
Host 09:10
Yeah, that makes sense. And there's a lot of parallels there with with Burmese Buddhists as well as just other cultures, more traditional cultures that that place emphasis on those kinds of values and behavior. So yeah, great. So this is a kind of a picture of your life growing up very different from here. Let's talk about the transition of how you moved from there to here. Obviously, being in a Korean village, it's the over the years the Burmese military has assaulted and terrorized and waged any number of attacks against the Korean community. And so, gradually, violence has become somewhat normalized for generations and in many current communities, and and I assume that your story was no exception. So can you walk us through a bit about what happened that led you there? refugee camp and then eventually getting over here.
Tu Lor 10:02
I think I've already mentioned it before that the lack of resources that we have in the village is very, there are resources, but it's very limited. Like there are some parts of life that I really, really enjoyed. But they're also like, the lack of education, the lack of work, the lack of just having the freedom to move around. And like, you're always afraid of what's going to happen next, because the enemies are always at your front door, like they could be coming at anytime, any days. And my grandparents, they ran their whole life, they ran like starting in World War Two, my grandparents were part of the move. And then my parents age, they ran themselves. And then to my age, my siblings ran too, but I was too young to remember anything. And so it was just a, it was just the right move for my family, like we, my dad was probably not happy to take just half of his children to the US. And so we still have, like I said before, we still have siblings that are living in the villages that are being watched, and like the airplanes are coming around every day looking for like, maybe this is a village that they were on, bombed, like, they just pick and choose like which one they like. So that terrorizing part of living in the village is no fun. But as a kid, like, I didn't know that, that was a big issue until I grew up to be at an age where like, that's very not normal to be afraid all the time for our parents to choose to leave the country and to come into a new country, in order for their kids to have a better opportunity to have to just have the freedom to live, how that how they should be.
Host 11:51
Right, and you talk about being afraid for so much of the time, I think that's, that's probably something that those of us who have grown up in more privileged backgrounds have, don't have that experience of knowing exactly what one is afraid for and of. And so I wonder if you can go back to that time and talk about some of the things that happened, or the things that you were afraid could happen or happening elsewhere. And describe what shaped that fear took and what that fear was coming from.
Tu Lor 12:23
That fear really started with all our families having to experience the same type of fear since our grandparents age. And so my dad was the breadwinner for our family, obviously. And like after my mom passed away, he just couldn't do it with all of us. Being in the village, it was it's just too hard to raise six children to have the to be the best. And so he decided that it was the right move to move to the refugee camp. And so we did move like he he did move some of my siblings and I and but like he was also fearful of like one of my brother was the can you or the are Korean military group. They're always looking for at least one family member, if you have more than one boy in your family, one of them have to become part of the the military. And so like, my dad did not want that for us. And so he he moved, he moved most of his kids, but the ones that are left, they're the leaders always come knocking on our door and was like, like he would have to go into Basecamp. And but my dad didn't want that. So he had to, you know, pay his way out of that. And that went on till we came to the US. Like it didn't stop until my brother moved to my uncle's village. My uncle was he was part of the can la until he passed this past summer. But I think just part of that fear of living in the village and not knowing what's going to happen next was probably why we moved to the refugee have why my dad moved me to the refugee camp. But you know, I was only nine when I moved and lived with my auntie in the refugee camp. So I don't know what his goals and his what he wanted out of that move. But I am pretty sure it was for the best because he's not able to take care of take care of all of us being away all the time and, and having my other siblings take care of me because I was I was only nine and my other siblings are only like in their teens as well. So we learned how to take care of each other but it was it wasn't the best. And so that's probably why he moved us to the refugee camp where there's a school where I can go to a normal school where I can, you know, go to a church where I can be surrounded by other people that They're they're just growing up as kids and just having fun, you know?
Host 15:09
Right. So talk about that, move that and talk about when you went with your family to go and settle in a refugee camp and that experience and then the experience of ultimately coming to United States.
Tu Lor 15:20
Yeah, I was I didn't, I didn't want to move like obviously. So I was, I still remember vividly that the day that my dad was going to take me, I went into the woods, and I hid for a few hours. And then so we didn't, we didn't end up going that day, because he had to take time to come find me. And so after he found me, the next day, we decided to walk, it takes about a day to walk to the river side, and then takes another day to be on the boat to get to the refugee camp. And so along the way, like I was always trying to get my way out of like, not moving because I was so used to living with my, with my grandma and my other siblings and my friends in the village that I didn't, I didn't want to go with him, you know. And so, but eventually, I ended up leaving with him. And we came to Milan EU, which is the camp that I was in for two years before I moved to the US. There we lived with my aunt, she, we lived in a small house with like, probably more than 10 people because there were other cousins like distant cousins that my aunt was taken care of. Like I said before, my dad doesn't live with us. And so he just took us to the to the refugee camp to live with my aunt. And then he went back to live by the riverside, where it's a, it's the same distance to come to us and then to go back to the village. And so he had to find a way to make money somehow to pay for our schooling and stuff. So we just learned to be with my aunt and my other cousins and grew up together in the refugee camp. And it wasn't the most ideal places, but it was better than being a wave like being away from my other siblings when I was living in the village.
Host 17:26
So that was two years in the refugee camp, and then ultimately coming to Minnesota in America. So talk about what that transition was like.
Tu Lor 17:34
That transition is definitely like anyone that that's gone through that transition. It's a it's a different culture, a different environment. When I first came, I didn't speak any English. And so that was back in 2011. I came I don't know how my family got through the airport. But we did. And the first day that I was in Minnesota, I was like, What is this white stuff? And why is it so cold outside, like my family just came with a bag with full of like, like, not even close, we had like I had a skirt and a shirt. And that was about it that my that my dad broad. And so like, obviously you can't wear that in the wintertime, it's way too cold. And our shoes were just like, we didn't have the proper shoes for the snow. And when they took us up to the apartment, it was just everything was so new and kind of like shocking, in a way. Because I couldn't get used to it. I couldn't fall asleep. Like the time difference was really played a role in that as well. But it was it was kind of relieving in a way that we found some current families that are living in the same apartment as us. And we were able to get through because of them.
Host 18:54
Right, I can only imagine what a huge shock that would be on so many levels with culture and timezone and certainly climate and language and everything else. And so how old were you when you made that move? And then how did you gradually start to adjust into your new environment?
Tu Lor 19:11
I was 11. So the day we got here on March 11 2011, there happens to be my birthday as well. And so we got here on my birthday on 2011. And I mean eventually I found my way, but in the beginning it was definitely very, very hard to get used to the schooling, making friends was definitely impossible. And so I started the caseworker set us up at a school. I was all of my siblings and I went to different schools and my brother went to leave high school my sister went to humbled and then they took me to Como Park Elementary School, that's when I where I started fifth grade and we I also had some current families like the grandkids that were in the same class as me that just recently moved. And so it was, it was good that I had other friends that spoke Korean. But I took a lot of after school classes took the opportunity to learn more English as much as possible so that I, because I didn't want to be left out in my friend group, you know, I didn't want to, I wanted to adjust as soon as possible. So I did a lot of things that now that I look back, it was it was quite a lot as a young kid to stay after school and then taking the bus home by myself. Having tutors came into my house to teach me even more English, and going to summer school every summer that's like, not every kids get to do that, you know, and so, but I was glad just to be going to school and you know, having fun eating the providers lunch, and we get schooling like the buses come to our place and take us everyday. So like that was a new experience, and I just I enjoyed every part of it.
Host 21:07
I can imagine that's, that's quite a difference from where you were coming from and what you were adjusting to. And you talked about the amount of time you spent trying to trying to integrate it trying to adjust trying to become part of this new environment and all the work you took which sounds like it was perhaps a bit above and beyond what other kids in your situation was doing. And also it's great that you had the support from family and community and school to be able to provide you that and you also have the enthusiasm yourself as you're growing and learning not just language but also the culture the education the context everything else you're it's really quite a transformation taking place where you're you're really starting to become adjusted in an American environment Dare I say as an American and so I wonder what that led to feeling yourself in terms of moving back and forth from these environments you know moving from this traditional rural Qur'an Kenya identity to in the US being it's just a completely different way that one goes about the world talks, expresses oneself interacts friendships, everything else. And so I wonder how you've come to manage and and negotiate these two different parts of yourselves like do you do you? Do you feel there's an authentic self? Or do you feel that, that you kind of code switch and and just go from one environment to the other? And you become different people in those environments? Or are there perhaps similarities that I don't I don't want to put words in your mouth that is looking at these things as being more of a contrast than they actually are? And maybe you find that they go together? How do you How have you come to manage what what I see is very, very different environments and different roles within those environments.
Tu Lor 22:51
Yeah. I, you know, I went through the different stages of a simulation. Sometimes in the beginning, I was like, I really wanted wanted to speak English and wanted to fit in with my peers. And I wanted to just belong. And so that's why I did all those extra things. But now, like, if I look back at it, like it was, it was for the best because I did learn English, like two years, and I was really good. Like, I spoke English fluently when I started going to middle school at Washington. And, um, but I was still taking ESL classes trying to learn more English and like, some of those teachers were like, the were the transformation, like they were the ones that inspired me to do better because they believed in me, and I, but the cultural pieces, it was still different, because like, as much as I wanted to fit into the American culture, I still had that part of me whenever I go home, I am still Korean, I'm still going y'all I'm still speaking a whole different language. I my parent doesn't speak any English. And like the people that probably gets me the most at home are like my, my siblings, and my parents and my dad. And then whenever I go to school, I kind of have to fit into that culture pieces so that I don't fall behind, you know, and so, but like our family, we went to a Korean church as well. And so that helped me reconnect with my roots. And then when I go to school, I could switch into the American, like being the American girls speaking English, and like, but I was never ashamed to speak my own language. I was never ashamed to practice what I believe was right and so like, I was, in a way like I did call switch when I was going to university because it was it was a lot different because in the St. Paul public schools, the schools are very diverse, so I don't have to pretend Unlike I'm somebody else, but then when I went to university is a whole different environment and so at times, I'd probably did code switch, just so that it makes it easier for myself to not have to go through so much of the altercation with my other peers. And so sometimes I do feel like I wasn't being authentic. But then at times, I felt like it was the best thing to do, so that I can save some of my energy on doing other things. And so, but I was still, I'm still in that kind of two different, I'm assimilated. But at the same time, I'm still trying to connect with my current route MyChron ja route so that I don't lose that part of myself.
Host 25:46
Yeah, that's that can be quite a negotiation to make. And especially as you're, you're here, you're you're you're here in America benefiting from everything this country has to offer in terms of the safety, the the education, the job opportunities, you learned English, which can fluently which can get you ahead in the world and all kinds of ways and coming from a rural camp overall, refugee camp, but then before that, a rural village where there was limited access to education, and no electricity and poverty and everything else. And so that's quite a massive transformation that you've had to make personally. And as you've made it, and as so much in life has opened up to you, what thoughts do you have about what you left behind there and the people that you left behind and the life that still remains there, as you're here able, fortunately, to be able to benefit from these opportunities and benefiting from them also, through obviously, your own hard work and your commitment and your dedication, but what's it like being having gone out from that existence that you know very well, and knowing that knowing how it still what's still happening there, and the people in lives that are there, as you're able to make the most of these opportunities here.
Tu Lor 27:05
That's like, ice, am enjoying the freedom that I have in the US, but I'm always thinking about the people back home, like how I would they benefit from my freedom. So like, my siblings are still living in the village. So I still can picture what they're going through, even when I enjoy all the freedoms that I have here, and I still have nieces and nephews that are that are probably going to be stuck in that environment for a long, long time. And, but I haven't lost that part of myself, like I still can resonate with, with what they're going through, because I went through the same thing. And but like, I still also feel sometimes have that that guilt of like, why why can they experience what I'm experiencing, and but like, just part of life, it's like, we have to kind of learn to move out of that mindset, so that we can do better for the people that are living back home. And so like, how can I use my wealth? How can I use my freedom? How can I use my privileges, to bring them into the world that I'm living in. And so a lot of my wealth is shared with them, just so that they can experience just a little bit like just a part of the freedom that I get to experience? And so I I don't know if I'm answer your question, but in a way, like I am just like, I'm thinking about it, and like, I'm so thankful to be here, but at the same time, I'm guilty to be here. So what am i How am I going to use that guilt to, to kind of, to bring them out to for the best you know, for to give them a better opportunity like I am, I'm going to give them some electricity, I'm going to send some money so that they can build some electricity from themselves and I'm gonna give them some money so that they can build a school but right now it's so unstable because of the war that like it's not even even if my family is planning to to give them the funds like it's not going to be worth it because what if we build a school and then military like the the AirPlay comes by and the drop ban, that was just all go to waste. And so it's kind of like, I want to use my wealth, but at the same time we were trying to be strategic about it, in order to to give them the best that we can.
Host 29:39
Sure sure. In your life as a as a refugee and an immigrant and the what you've gone through, you're very open in talking about those experiences and not just open about them. You've stated elsewhere that you're really proud of the fact that you are an immigrant and you are a refugee. Can you say more about that, where that pride comes from and how you look at your identity and That way,
Tu Lor 30:01
like, even if I try to get away from that identity, it's always going to be with me, because that was my experience, I think of it in a way where it's a teaching moment for other people, you know, for me, I want to share my story so that other people can learn from it so that other people can be enlightened by my experience, and be able to see the world outside of their own comfort zone. Like I like to compare it to my school, because like, a lot of my schools, the kids are coming from privileged background, like they have all the money in the world that they can spend, just on, you know, going on vacations, or whatnot. But for me, it's different. Because I, when I think of my wealth, I think of other people too. And when I think of my freedom, I think of the others that are going through just the hardships that they're going through, like I'm not, I'm not able to fully enjoy my life, because I have that sense that I gotta, I gotta do more, you know, for for the rest of the world that are not experiencing the same freedom, what, like, how am I going to, how am I just going to stay here and enjoy my wealth when the others are suffering. And so I like to think of it as I'm free, but I'm not going to be free when everyone else is not like until everyone is free. We're not free from this world. And so that's how I think of it. And that's why I like to share my stories just so that others can also do the same. And Ken can have a little bit more of an open mind so that they can look at the world for the big picture. And not just their own little world where it's comfortable, where it's you don't have to try so hard to you know, and so like, i That's why I like to share my stories. And that's why I'm open to sharing. Most of the time when people ask me,
Host 31:53
right? Have you found other kinds of solidarity or similarities with immigrants and refugees in America from completely different backgrounds and countries and situations?
Tu Lor 32:02
Yes, definitely. Like I didn't know about, you know, I didn't know about the other ethnic groups already know about the other groups of people like the Hmong Americans, the Laos, American, basically, the whole world, like, until you step outside of your own comfort zone, you're not going to know what the other groups of people have experienced? Like, why? Why do the Ethiopians move to the United States why they moved to Minnesota? Why did the Africans move? Why did the you know the Hmong moved to the US to you know, like, I've become I've learned their stories, I've read their stories and like, I've, I became to resonate with them. As I'm assimilating to this home, this world, this culture, I'm also learning that, you know, everyone has their own unique stories. And so like, I want to learn more, and I want to, I want to be able to give them my best because like, we never know, someone else's story until we ask them and so like, I've read a lot about I don't know if you know, the, the author Kouklia Yang, but I've read some of her memoirs, and, and that, like I resonate with them right away, because she is like an immigrant like me, she's sharing her story. So I want to share my so how am I going to be that altered that inspire other people to learn about my current people to learn about the experience that we're going through and still going through, you know,
Host 33:27
right. And it has to be noted that you're in a pretty unique place for this experience. And as far as Minneapolis and Minnesota goes, unique, not just for the the overall immigrants who end up in Minnesota but specifically for the Kenyatta community, that there's places in Minneapolis where you can be so integrated within Kenya culture and language that throughout your day from start to finish from the business, you need to do the work the shopping the errands, you can do it all in in that language. So that's a pretty, pretty special and unique environment to be in as far as the West Coast. So can you describe a bit about what that feeling is of the Minneapolis specifically the Minneapolis Kenyatta community, and what it's like to be a part of that?
Tu Lor 34:12
There are many it's a very, very unique, you know, there's a lot of Korean stores that are surrounding us. And so like, even when we're far away from home, it still feels like home because we're able to eat the food that we eat. We're able to practice the language that we speak we're able to practice the still celebrate the holidays that we celebrate back at home, you know, and so it's like being a part of this community is probably more comfortable because I'm in Minnesota, if I were to be in Iowa or something, it will be a lot different experience. You know, it will be different if I was in here on South Dakota, like they have a big current community but they don't have like the current organization of Minnesota. They don't have the urban village where The kids can go and relearn their roots like they don't have, like in Minnesota, we are so unique in a way where like we have all these places that we can attend to, if we need to look back at our history, if we need to relearn if we, if we want to feel comfortable being a Korean person, and if we want anyone else to resonate with us, we can go to those places and be able to, to meet others that are like us. But like, if I were to be in another state, it would probably be a total different experience.
Host 35:33
Right, so being a member of the Korean community and the wider diaspora, largely due to the violence that's been inflicted by the military for so long. I mean, really, this has been over seven decades, I think I think we're entering the 73rd year of the Korean revolution, which started after Burma gained its independence. And the Korean delegation hadn't attended or agreed to the panglong documentation, the conference that was there and wanting to have the new nation and the tensions flared. And there were some conflicts in that post war period, I think 1948. And basically, there's been an insurgency and a civil war since then. And the fallout as it still continues today as your your your own story fits within that rubric, a rubric in that historical framework of what's been happening for seven plus decades that you've been forced to leave your home. And not only do not know when you could ever go back, but as you mentioned, tragically, in this interview, you can't even support electricity or education projects there because there's no guarantee that that's not going to be bombed the next day. And so you're still can you and your family and community are still continuing to live out through a seven decade plus non stop aside for a few ceasefires that have been negotiated here and there. But for the most part, there hasn't been peace, there hasn't been any lasting peace. So and this is not something that's really talked about so much, you know, you hear so much about some of the other conflicts in the world, Israel, Palestine and some of the other ongoing conflicts. And then every once in a while and international news, you're like, here in Burma, there's been this thing going on for however many decades, and you only really hear when it flares up or when there's a coup or something. But for the most part, it's just something that continues to operate in silence. Set. I mean, seven, seven decades, many people don't live as long as seven decades, and this conflict has been going on that long. So how do you relate to that? How much? Are you aware of that? Is that present in your life? How much does it impact you? To what degree is this a burden on on just knowing this, this, this never ending conflict and just talk a bit about what it feels like to be to be a member of this community that's been impacted for seven plus decades of an ongoing civil war?
Tu Lor 37:49
You know, sometimes I feel stuck in a way where like, and also hopeless that it's ever is that the Korean or the Korean, y'all is, are we ever going to get the freedom that we want, you know, I always dream of it. But like, I don't know if it's ever going to happen. But I think with the recent coop and the military, kind of our military, the Koran can LA and like cayenne do and the other brigades that our fighting back against this regime, I am hopeful that this is finally going to be a time where we're going to get our freedom. And although it's hard to, it's very unpredictable of what's going to happen next, we are hopeful that the people that we're supporting is going to gain the freedom that that we've been wanting for decades. And honestly, I'm, I'm tired of it at this point, like I'm tired of having to go through the same thing, talking about the same thing. And like, the world is never going to see like and in my opinion is like some people around the world is going to see it but like, when is the rest of the world going to look at it and be like, yeah, these people are going through so much like we got to give them some type of resources that maybe they could finally overthrow this regime, this military group. And I don't know if that's going to happen, but I think it's just up to us, the ones that are living in a free world to support our military group, and to support our people into gaining the freedom that we've been wanting for years. And like I said before, like my my siblings are living there too. My sister and my brother are living there and they have kids and like it's really prevalent in my life because my aunts and uncles also there as well and they are experiencing the same thing as the rest of the Brynjar like where they have to look out for the for the airplanes, they have to look out for the Always be aware and like dug out a cave in case something happens like where are they going to run to I think just this past week, my brother was part of the group that had to run. And so like, it happens in my life in my parents live and in my, in my grandparents live. And today, like, it's always been on our family where we, we want the freedom but like, at what cost. And so I'm like most of the time when the Korean military is trying to get a base is like the attack gets worse in the villages. And so, but I am hopeful that it's finally going to be where we're gonna get our freedom that we want.
Host 40:41
Right, that's certainly where there's certainly a lot of solidarity today for many different groups of having their eyes on the shared vision really, one of the first times and, and that we've seen in Burmese history of so many people that are working together in some ways to be able to move towards this common goal. So so before we close, I just want to shift to perhaps a lighter topic after after some of these more heavier things to discuss and just go into athletics because I, I understand from your story that athletics have played a big role. And I understand from in Minneapolis in general, that there are that have this big Kenya diaspora community that's there, that certain types of sports have played a role in the community, especially among the youths. And so talk a bit about the the sports that you've become involved in and what role they've played. And then just the wider impact among Korean youth to adapting to these American sports or perhaps worldwide sports that are found in Minneapolis.
Tu Lor 41:45
Yeah, um, I started playing soccer in in 20, around maybe 2012, where I saw the apartment that the my family first lived in, we had quite a few Korean families. And so we just gather ourselves with a bunch of other girls and I joined their team, I was probably the smallest one on their team back in the days and I just, I just fell in love with with soccer or football and I started playing it since then. And I've gained so many friendships through it and mentors and was able to share my stories with the soccer world and being able to meet so many amazing people through the sports. And I also played badminton in seventh grade up until I was in 12th grade of high school, and pretty like mid pretty big impacts in the sports that I was in and was able to share that with a lot of my friends, my current peers, and it is it is football is definitely a big sports in arc and your community. The tournaments, if you go to the tournaments in the summertime, there's this big one in South Dakota, that happens where the teams are coming from all over the United States to, to play in a three day tournament. And that's where I'm able to meet a lot of my friends that are from out of state. And that's where I'm able to make a lot of the connections with with the rest of the country that are living in the United States that are we have the share, same shared goal of sharing our stories and being able to let the rest of the world know who the current people are. And so yeah, Minnesota is a huge base when it comes to the team sport. And we also the first craft Football Association was established here in St. Paul, and a lot of the kiddos are benefiting from today because they have a youth camp where they teach the younger kids like that are 10 or younger teaching them the basics of soccer, the basics of football and the older youth gets to be in charge of that I used to work with the with the current Football Association but not so much anymore. But I'm still in partnership and still friend with the founder of the organization
Host 44:22
that's great. It's great to hear how sports are playing a role not just in health and activity and connection but also identity telling one story and coming together and and the role that that is playing so yeah, so that's that's great to hear the Korean football association in terms of American football, I suppose condolences are in order for the Vikings lost this playoff season? How many To what degree have have the Korean community come to rally behind the Vikings or is is NFL not quite their thing when it comes to sports?
Tu Lor 44:56
My family enjoy watching it we don't understand the sport so much, but we enjoy my brother, especially my brother and I we both into sports. So we like to watch them for fun. And like I know so many friends that would go to their games and stuff, but I don't think the Korean community is quite there yet. Some of the, they like the youth that are in their 20s to 30s. They're, they're probably very active, but I think they're more active and watching the ones that the loons rather than the Vikings.
Host 45:30
Reminds me when I when I used to live in Yangon, sometimes I'd find a way to get the NFL games after like a day or two after they were done, I'd find some site to download them from and just ignore the scores. And it was quite a trip sitting in a really hot and human Yangon home and watching a game from a couple days ago. And you know how things are in Myanmar there's not so much the same sense of like privacy or you know, when you're your home being really separate from the public space. And so neighbors and people would often just walk in it's just the way things were there. And and there were definitely some moments when some neighbors and friends Burmese friends would would walk in, sit on the couch and watch a whole game with me and just be fascinated by it and have absolutely no idea what they were seeing. So it brings back memories.
Tu Lor 46:13
Yeah, it's definitely new. Like it took me a while to understand like, I was like, what are they have so many quarters and like, then like every quarter is like about an hour. That's it's a long sport. Like I could have said, I mean, I watched the Super Bowl this year just for the fun of it. But like, you know, it's definitely I'm still learning. But I think I enjoyed watching basketball a lot more than watching football. American football. Yeah.
Host 46:46
That's great. That's great. So yeah, so thanks for taking so much the time for chatting with us and sharing your story today. Before we close, is there anything else you'd like to talk about that we haven't covered in the interview?
Tu Lor 46:56
I think we've covered it pretty well. But I just think I want to say to the rest of the canal community is that, you know, don't be ashamed to be an immigrant who claim to be a Kenya because this is our experience and no one's gonna take that away from us, you know, and so I'm never going to be ashamed to be being a Kenya I'm never going to be ashamed of being an immigrant because that's that's what made me who I am. And so I want them to feel the same way.
47:27
gold watch.
Host 47:42
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