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| Christina Khim |
She joined the Burma Center of Battle
Creek’s board in 2020. Before that Christina was a staff member for almost two
years where she “was a jack of all trades,” including teaching the English as a
Second Language (ESL) courses.
“I actually taught ESL courses before the
Burma Center became the Burma Center.”
Since 2016 Christina has worked for
DENSO, one of the biggest employers in Battle Creek, most recently as human
resources specialist. But she is also involved in helping Burmese residents of
the Cereal City study for their Citizenship Exam, so they can become U.S.
citizens.
“You have to learn the history of the
United States,” she explains. “There are 100 questions [on the exam] and you
have to learn and know the answers, by heart.”
Christina has been teaching the
Citizenship Class for eight years on and off, sometimes teaching groups on
Sundays at church on a volunteer basis.
The focus of the class “is on explaining
the 100 questions. Word for word.”
The test includes questions covering the
U.S. Constitution and U.S. History, including slavery.
“I tell [the students] the stories behind
each question. It helps them with better understanding and retention.”
But the exam is only one part of the
citizenship process, which includes a 20-page application form. The form asks
for personal information on family, employment history and a lot of ‘yes’ and
‘no’ questions – like if you have committed a crime.
“The vocabulary of the questions is very
complicated,” Christina says. “The terminology can be difficult [for a
non-native English-speaking person] to understand. And the individuals taking
the exam most often can’t do research on the questions on their own.”
The citizenship process involves a
face-to-face interview where individuals are questioned about U.S history,
tested for their writing and reading skill, and asked many of the terms
mentioned within their 20-page application form – like what does ‘totalitarian’
mean?
Because of the complexity of the language
issue, “some people take the test two or three times due to the difficulty of
answering the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.”
Another layer of difficulty is that,
oftentimes, the person filling out the application for citizenship isn’t the
person who is applying – because the person applying is not yet proficient
enough in English.
“Burmese are very good at memorization,”
says Christina, “but understanding [what they are memorizing] is the harder
part.”
The class that Christina teaches focuses
on the interview questions and the form itself. Another volunteer at the Burma
Center trains others who do mock interviews in an effort to help with that part
of the citizenship process. Afterwards Christina reviews the results of their
interview. A review of citizenship applications with an attorney is also done
to make sure each application is complete before actual submission.
All of this process may seem a little
intimidating, but when you consider that the application fee to become a U.S.
citizen is $725, per person, it’s well worth the time spent prepping!
Not surprisingly, Christina says that the
majority of the people she works with are adults, between 40-55 years of age,
who tend to have lower-levels of English comprehension.
While Battle Creek has a long history of
welcoming Burmese to the community, Christina says that “the reasons why people
[from Burma] come to Battle Creek have changed over the years.”
Initially, “In terms of employment, the
main focus has moved from slaughterhouses, to manufacturing, to starting their
own businesses. There are now three Burmese grocery stores and two restaurants
in Battle Creek owned by Burmese families. And having stable income, they start
buying houses.”
Most recently, Christina says, Burmese
who initially settled in Battle Creek are now looking beyond Michigan, with a
significant population living in Indianapolis. According to the Burmese
American Community Institute 35,000 Burmese live in Indiana, with 24,000 of
them in Indianapolis.
“If the Biden administration welcomes
refugees, I can see an increase in the Burmese population happening,” says
Christina.
Just as it’s the older Burmese who have
difficulty navigating the application process for the U.S. Citizenship,
Christina points out that it’s also the older adults who initially struggle
with the language barrier at the workplace.
It isn’t difficult for Christina to have
empathy for older Burmese adults who have struggled with the English language.
“I was already an adult when I came here,”
she explains. “I was praying to God that I wouldn’t embarrass myself [with the
difficulties of learning a new language].”
For Christina, attending college, “was a
huge learning curve.” She has earned a bachelor’s degree from Albion College
and a master’s degree from Western Michigan University.
What about the issue of culture shock?
“In Burma, the America we know is only
[what we see] through the movies,” she says. “It’s not exactly the same.”
Another difference is the way learning
happens in the U.S. “Here it’s based on student participation. Not in Burma.
There you don’t talk during class. I had to challenge myself to ask questions.
Raising my hand was a huge thing.”
Overall, Christina says that “Burmese
people are strong, resilient, good people.”
Politically, since the 1960s, she says
that Burma has been shut off from the rest of the world because of government
crackdowns. “The eyes and ears of the Burmese were closed.”
Since 1988 people have been steadily
leaving Burma. But the current rebellion against the military government, since
February of this year, has been the biggest Christina has known in her
lifetime.
Christina sums up: “The Burmese people
have gone through a lot. But they are good, kind, generous people. They are
leaving Burma because they have no choice, for the safety of their kids and
families. Give them a chance. You won’t regret it!”
For more information on the Burma Center of Battle Creek, or to make a donation, click here.
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