Hello! Greetings from Mae Fah Luang University. I am Moon. I was born in Pinlon, a very small town of Southern Shan State of Myanmar. I am twenty-one years old and majoring in business administration as a third year student.
My parents knew how important education would be for us, and they knew how different the education in our small town was compared to Yangon, so they sent me to study in Yangon when I was twelve. I lived with my relatives in Yangon and maybe I would not be able to write this life story in English if my parents did not send me there to study. My father earned quite a lot at that time, but by the time I passed the university entrance examination, his business was not running very well.
I studied in Technological University Thanlyin (TUT) in Myanmar for two years. In my second year I had to sit an entrance examination to qualify to finish the bachelor’s degree.
I passed the test but I did not qualify to study for the third year or complete the degree, so I only received a diploma for completing two years. I don’t know why the government has this system; we can’t even get a job with a two-year diploma.
I was only eighteen at that time and I did not know how to continue my life. I felt lost because I could not get a job with just a two-year diploma and I wanted to study more. There are many universities outside the country but at that time my father was having a hard time and had a lot of debt, so I stayed home and helped my parents work for about one year. I was not happy with this because I could neither study nor could I effectively help them with their business. I thought I could help more after I got a degree and job and could earn money on my own.
After that year, my cousin, who is three years younger than me, finished high school and was going to study at Mae Fah Luang University in Thailand. My aunty wanted me to go with my cousin so that she would not be alone. My aunt promised to pay my tuition fees if my parents could repay her later.
About Moon
- Age: 31
- Ethnicity: Shan
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Mae Fah Luang University
- Bachelor’s, Business Administration
- Graduated
Goals & Dreams
- Earn enough so she can support her parents after graduating from college
- Help future students like her
- Own a farmhouse coffee shop
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $8,000
- Amount Left To Fund: $5,225
- Contract Duration: 13 years
- Status: In Repayment (Late 90)
My parents also wanted me to get a degree so they agreed and I had a chance to study here at Mae Fah Luang University. Although architecture, my old major, is not available here, the tuition fees and living expenses are cheaper than other schools.
I am applying for a loan because there is a lot of weight on my parents’ shoulders right now. I have a younger brother and they have to pay for his tuition fees. He is in his second year of medical school in Myanmar and his textbooks and tuition are expensive. At the same time, my parents are repaying my tuition fees to my aunty. If my parents pay both my brother’s tuition fees and mine without returning the debt to my aunty there will be a lot of interest and my father will not be able to live in peace.
I would like to take a loan so that my parents can pay back that debt instead of my tuition fees. By the time I graduate and get a job, I can be capable of looking after my parents and bringing happiness for them. Moreover, I would like to help people like me through Zomia in the future. I want to be a person who can help other people and create a good study environment for the children for my country Myanmar, even if it will help only few or small amount of them. I would like to see children of my country study happily like children of other countries.
Written by Moon with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Moon
“I want to be a person who can help other people and create a good study environment for the children for my country Myanmar, even if it will help only a few of them.”
