This interview was done when Malaysia only had less than 100 cases every day, intended to help a struggling restaurant due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
40-year-old Saw Eh Mu has been working in Malaysia for three years and has never gone home to Myanmar in this period. Being in charge of hot drinks at the restaurant, Eh Mu hardly gets a rest day. He only receives a few off days per month.
“It’s not an easy journey.”
Eh Mu came to Malaysia because of a friend’s invitation. He arrived with zero knowledge of the Malay language and didn’t know what to expect from this land besides an attractive salary.
“I only started learning the Malay language from my agent when I reached here.”
Despite the love and yearn for his wife, Eh Mu came this far and worked very hard to earn a living for his family.
“We got to work as hard as we can when we still can.”
His wife works as a nurse in Myanmar. As a front-liner, she also has to work almost every day due to COVID-19. The couple video calls every day using Viber to make sure each other is well.
They are from different states far apart, and was brought together by God when Eh Mu was 18.
“We met each other at the Bible course that takes place during April every year.” he recounts.
Eh Mu still goes to a nearby church every Sunday.
His ultimate goal is to save enough money for his wife to own a pharmacy in their homeland.
“I am very near to my goal now.”
Once he reaches his target and manages to go home when we are on the other side of the pandemic, he wishes to start a family. He also said that he wishes his baby could grow up to be a footballer as Eh Mu loves football, and is a die-hard fan of the men’s premier league football team, Arsenal.
Sources: Saw Eh Mu
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Anna Wong
