I haven't updated about the Kaw family in a while. They are doing really really wonderful. I don't know if I ever even talked about it on here now that I'm thinking about it.
Well our community group decided to "sponsor" a refugee family from Myanmar this summer and it has been a really amazing experience. They have been living in a refugee camp called Mae La on the border of Thailand since 1995. They arrived in Austin on July 20. We picked them up from the airport and brought them to their new apartment that our group had furnished and prepared for them. That first night we had to do our best to explain all of the things we think need no explanation: toilet, refridgerator, ac, lights. They had none of these in Thailand. They speak Karen, which is a more rare dialect of the Burmese language. And in the beginning, not a word of English!
The family is Lay Kaw (father), Ma Kay Htoo (mother), Christer Kaw (13, girl), Eh Klo Kwae (3, boy) and Game Kaw (1, girl).
Here is the night we picked them up from the airport:
It seems like that night has to have been forever ago, because they have learned so much in such a short period of time. It has been really neat to be a part of. After we showed Ma Kay how to get to the grocery store on the bus and bought them more groceries, they gave us these gifts when we got home, so sweet:
Micah a sachel thing, and me this woven top.
It has been really neat to watch them because they have really formed a community for themselves in their apartment complex. A lot of refugees are placed there, and it has been really helpful for them I think. Christer has stared middle school! She is in 7th grade and doing really well. Her english is fantastic and coming along so quickly. She wants to be a doctor!
Eh Kloh Kwae is WILD! He was our first "in" with the family haha. He LOVES to play.
And Game is juuuuust starting to warm up to us. The playdoh helped a lot last week I think. :)
And the week before last, we could tell the parents were a lot more comfortable with us because they asked for help for the first time. They got a packet out from their ESL classes and asked Micah to pronounce every word in english for them so they could write down the pronunciations in their letters so it would be easier to remember. It was really neat for us to know that they are feeling comfortable with us. We just LOVE them.
And here is a video of the kids saying their ABC's!
We had a wonderful most recent visit. Christer opened up and was telling us that they had another brother (which we had no idea about) who was still in the MaeLa camp in Thailand. He is married and has one baby. But for some reason we couldn't quite understand he and his family will not be able to leave. She said she misses him very much. It is really sad.
But on another note they also told us that they found a church that speaks karen!! And that is really amazing.
Well our community group decided to "sponsor" a refugee family from Myanmar this summer and it has been a really amazing experience. They have been living in a refugee camp called Mae La on the border of Thailand since 1995. They arrived in Austin on July 20. We picked them up from the airport and brought them to their new apartment that our group had furnished and prepared for them. That first night we had to do our best to explain all of the things we think need no explanation: toilet, refridgerator, ac, lights. They had none of these in Thailand. They speak Karen, which is a more rare dialect of the Burmese language. And in the beginning, not a word of English!
The family is Lay Kaw (father), Ma Kay Htoo (mother), Christer Kaw (13, girl), Eh Klo Kwae (3, boy) and Game Kaw (1, girl).
Here is the night we picked them up from the airport:
It seems like that night has to have been forever ago, because they have learned so much in such a short period of time. It has been really neat to be a part of. After we showed Ma Kay how to get to the grocery store on the bus and bought them more groceries, they gave us these gifts when we got home, so sweet:
Micah a sachel thing, and me this woven top.
It has been really neat to watch them because they have really formed a community for themselves in their apartment complex. A lot of refugees are placed there, and it has been really helpful for them I think. Christer has stared middle school! She is in 7th grade and doing really well. Her english is fantastic and coming along so quickly. She wants to be a doctor!
Eh Kloh Kwae is WILD! He was our first "in" with the family haha. He LOVES to play.
And Game is juuuuust starting to warm up to us. The playdoh helped a lot last week I think. :)
And the week before last, we could tell the parents were a lot more comfortable with us because they asked for help for the first time. They got a packet out from their ESL classes and asked Micah to pronounce every word in english for them so they could write down the pronunciations in their letters so it would be easier to remember. It was really neat for us to know that they are feeling comfortable with us. We just LOVE them.
And here is a video of the kids saying their ABC's!
We had a wonderful most recent visit. Christer opened up and was telling us that they had another brother (which we had no idea about) who was still in the MaeLa camp in Thailand. He is married and has one baby. But for some reason we couldn't quite understand he and his family will not be able to leave. She said she misses him very much. It is really sad.
But on another note they also told us that they found a church that speaks karen!! And that is really amazing.
So fulfilling!
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