Catching Fire: Igniting Change from Myitkyina to Beyond
Sophia is now studying abroad and has initiated a business mentorship program for women in Myanmar. Her story was collected on July 20, 2023.
“Before coming here, I was not aware of the fact that I needed a coping mechanism. I had been experiencing chaos daily, so I just prayed and slept, but I was out of my mind all the time. Now I pray, sing, meditate and talk often with my family. I still haven’t recovered and I’m trying to stop thinking distressing thoughts.”
“Since I am an early bird and more productive in the morning, I woke up early that day, probably around 3 or 4 a.m., and discovered that there was no internet connection. Before that, I'd heard news about a potential coup, but I didn’t think they would do it. I was in my home in Myitkyina when it happened. At first, people were protesting peacefully, but the military responded violently to the non-violent movement. At first, I only saw people detained and arrested on the news but it later happened in my neighbourhood too. My house is near a military base, and I could hear them doing rounds at night. I could not sleep well at that time because of my worries. Before the coup, I had done human rights-related research, so I had to erase all my documents and be ready with an emergency bag if I had to escape suddenly. I was emotionally drained until I got out of the country. I couldn't sleep at night, was worried about security and had an unstable mental state back then. I participated in protesting at first, but not frequently. I also organized donations for the CDM people but was not involved in very sensitive issues.
I am now studying abroad with a scholarship, majoring in governance and public policy. However, I still don't feel safe despite being in a foreign country, as I still have my family and friends in Myanmar. Besides, I keep seeing news about the country daily, and my mental state remains stressed. When the airstrike hit Hpakant, I couldn’t attend my classes. At first, I didn't feel like attending school. Then whenever I heard fireworks, I was startled, thinking it was the sound of a bomb. I got traumatized while in Myitkyina as I always heard bombs and guns. People around me encouraged me not to read the news, but then I wouldn't know anything. I couldn't concentrate well at all back when the Hpakant massacre happened, and I became emotionally vulnerable.
My daily routine depends on the weather. I’m more active nowadays because it’s summer. Although I like the cold, I'm not fond of the winter here. Now, I have regular classes to attend, but when I first arrived, I struggled a lot and had too many courses, thankfully this term has fewer subjects and classes. Now I’m working on my thesis, which needs to be done by the end of August. Since the weather is improving, I am super active and have more things I want to do.
Mentally, my mood depends on what’s happening, and I still wish I could be happier. I have to manage my emotions whenever I read the news and become stressed. I try to actively change my mindset, which has improved my stress management a lot. I contact my family once a month and share updated news in the family group chat. I made new friends here; some are real friends, and some are just mates. I still contact my old friends online and talk to them about my emotions sometimes.
Before coming here, I was not aware of the fact that I needed a coping mechanism. I had been experiencing chaos daily, so I just prayed and slept, but I was out of my mind all the time. Now I pray, sing, meditate and talk often with my family. I still haven’t recovered and I’m trying to stop thinking distressing thoughts.
I don’t participate in sensitive political issues because I’m worried about safety. Some of my close friends are now working with some organizations that stand against the military coup. But I am working with three friends to support CDM people after the coup. I initiated a mentorship program to help women stuck with their businesses, which has been going for three years. I'm still involved with my community project team to support women doing micro business and promote mentorship.
After the military coup, I couldn’t do anything. But then, I tried to use my resources and create a mentorship program. I am very interested in and happy helping women. Although I cannot contribute much to the country and the people, I want to do as much as I can. I have connections with experienced women mentors, but they need to learn what women in the field are facing. So we need to work collaboratively to move forward.
I decided to study abroad two years ago as I think getting a master's degree will significantly benefit my career. I can work in my desired field after I finish school. But I want to extend my education journey. The most important thing is to be motivated for the restoration process of Myanmar. We can do what we can for now, but to be able to participate in the restoration process, I need to be more knowledgeable, so I plan to keep studying.
Since I have experience working for social change and gender equality, I would like to mainly work with changes in social and structural violence and human rights violations. I want to see structural and cultural violence changes. I am also interested in promoting unheard voices and ensuring equal representation in institutions."
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.