Hsu Hsu Age 84 Because Hsu Hsu does not speak English, our conversation was translated by her granddaughter, Paw Thay. Hsu Hsu was born in Burma (now Myanmar) on April 12, 1928 in Hinthada, a small city. She was the youngest of three children. She had an older brother and sister, but both are now dead. Her parents were farmers and very poor. Her father died when she was one year old. The family is all Christian. (The predominant religion in Burma is Buddhism and only about 4% are Christian). Hsu Hsu received no schooling other than Sunday school, where she learned to read the Bible. She got married to a man from her city when she was 22 and stayed in the same location. She had six children:
Son - now a pastor in Thailand
Daughter - has 6 children. She came to Houston along with her mother, her husband and her daughter, Paw
Son - now lives in Austria
5. and 6.Sons - All live in Thailand
Hsu Hsu's husband died in 1993. Life was difficult and not safe in Burma. Fearing for their lives, the family had to move repeatedly, and eventually ended up in Thailand in 2001. For 7 years they lived in a refugee camp near Mae Sot on the border with Burma. In September 2007, Hsu Hsu, her daughter and son-in-law, and her granddaughter (Paw) were able to emigrate to Houston with assistance from a U.S. Government program. They live together in an apartment and Hsu Hsu's son-in-law works in Port Lavaca. Her granddaughter attends Houston Community College. The family has made friends with other Burmese living in the area. Hsu Hsu spends her time sewing clothes and reading the Bible.
