Life as a refugee student in Malaysia: Lily's story
MEET lily, A STUDENT AT THE ALLIANCE OF CHIN REFUGEE (ACR) SCHOOL IN KUALA LUMPUR. lily IS A 16 YEAR OLD WHO IS DISPLACED FROM MYANMAR AND LIVES WITH HER FAMILY IN MALAYSIA. THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN BY WRS VOLUNTEER IAN COVERDALE.
“I want to be a software engineer”. When asked why Lily says, “because I was dissatisfied when I played a game on a mobile phone, and I want to make a game that is better.”
Lily is doing the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and has just finished the practice exams that ACR provide to their students. She is looking forward to a break. It will give her time to focus on her hobby, which currently is crochet. She has just crocheted a bag for her cousin which she is very proud of and is about to start on a sweater for her sister.
Lily says, “ I change my hobbies a lot because there is so much interesting stuff to do. I have also learnt to play the piano and the guitar, but quickly adds I am not a singer.”
Lily is 16 years old and explains “I live with my mother and father, an elder sister, elder brother, younger brother, auntie and cousin. We have a two-bedroom apartment, with the eight of us living in it.” Lily’s older sister and brother have both worked since they were younger teenagers. Lily’s brother is employed in a workshop while Lily’s sister is now a teacher. Lily says, “my parents are both in poor health and not really able to work, though my mum does do some work still.”
Asked about life in Kuala Lumpur, Lily replies “It is good. I have lived here for 9 years, and I don’t have any memory of living anywhere else. I know we lived in a small village in Chin State in Myanmar when I was young, but I can’t remember anything about it. I like being with my friends and the ACR School is good.”
Asked about her dreams Lily replies, “I really want to make my own game. Because I will need to get work to help my family that’s something I probably can’t do here in Malaysia, but if we can get resettled to another country, I can study software engineering and it might then happen.”
As a follow up questions Lily is asked, if she could live anywhere in the world where would that be? She quickly responds, “Canada, because I have heard the people there are really polite and friendly. I don’t like people who are harsh.”