Beh Meh and Mar Mo

A few days ago, we had the privilege of getting to sit down and talk to two amazing students, Beh Meh and Mar Mo. To you they may seem like they have had quite the normal life, but it is actually the opposite. These teenage girls are both refugees from Thailand who have had to  adjust to the American way of life.

They are both in the 10th grade here at Greenwood and they enjoy coming to school every day.  Even though they are both in the same grade, they have been here for different amounts of time.  Beh Meh has been in the states for five years and was 12 when she moved from Thailand. Mar Mo has been in the states for eight years and was 8 when she moved from Thailand.

“My parents had to do a lot of paperwork for us to move, I don’t remember a whole lot but just a bunch of papers,” said Beh Meh. This was the same way for Mar Mo. But once the paperwork was all sorted out, their families could jump into the countless “good opportunities.” This was one of the things that they thought was very different from Thailand. Here their parents do most of the working while they are mostly at school.

Mar Mo told us that she speaks Karenni and English, while Beh Meh told us that she speaks Karenni, Burmese, and English. “Adjusting was difficult at first, I had to get on the right sleeping schedule and learn English.  At first, when people asked me what my name was, I had no clue what they were saying to me,” says Beh Meh.

Both girls say that one of the most difficult things about moving from Thailand was moving away from their friends, family, and former life. Beh Meh tells us that she cried her first day at her new school.

But once they got used to this new country, they realized the benefits of living here. Beh Meh’s old school in Thailand was made out of bamboo and sticks. They didn’t have very good structures for their houses or schools, which is why Greenwood is an improvement in that department. Both of the girls now also have a newfound access to computers.

One of the first things that Beh Meh remembers that she did when she came to America was go shopping with her aunt. On the other hand, Mar Mo says she was too young to remember this specific moment in time.

Another major difference between their countries are the holidays.  In the U.S., celebrating your birthday is a common, a second-nature thing that everyone does.  But in Thailand, they would never celebrate their birthday. They mostly celebrated Karenni national holidays.  When both girls started living in Bowling Green, they began celebrating their birthday. The girls also quickly realized that the foods were much different. Beh Meh’s favorite American food is now pizza, while Mar Mo’s is hamburgers. Both of these we consider to be normal everyday foods, but to these girls this was something that they have never experienced before.

By living in Bowling Green for such a long time, it doesn’t seem like a big city. But to them it was an equivalent to a New York City.  “It was such a big city, I thought I was going to get lost,” said Beh Meh.  But both girls have had the opportunity to travel to other cities such as Nashville and Louisville where they were even more in awe of how big these cities are.

Even though living in America had provided the girls with greater opportunities, different experiences, and good friends and teachers, there are still some things that they miss back in Thailand. Beh Meh tells us, “I still keep in touch with some of my friends, I miss them and I hope to travel back, when I am done with school, to visit.” Right now the trip to Thailand is too expensive, but once she can get enough money she will be able to reunite with her family and friends. But, as for right now, Beh Meh and Mar Mo will get to enjoy their new and adventurous life in the country of the United States of America.