Harper Irwin

On our third day at Tokyu Department Store we had to present our individual store tour plans during the morning, additionally during this day we had the opportunity to work with the Asia University student interns on a team project, during the afternoon we had to work as a group to come up with a tour plan; which showcased the Tokyu department stores and highlighted the best of the Shibuya-area. It was such a memorable experience to be able to collaborate with university students with different backgrounds and different fields of study is such a rare privilege, they all were so kind and friendly but one specific thing that really meant a lot to me as someone who is half-Burmese was meeting another student around my age who was from Myanmar. Sometimes I struggle and feel like I don’t know enough about my own background and ethnicity, my mum was born in Australia. however her elder siblings and parents were born in Myanmar and moved to Australia, my mum and her siblings unfortunately didn’t learn much Burmese, just casual-slang and phrases. Reflecting on stories that both my nan and mum have told, I think the reason was how necessary and wide-spread the English language is, in-order to function beyond Myanmar they needed to understand English, so that was a priority for both of them, my nan learned English in school as a necessity so I guess in her perspective it was a priority for her kids to speak fluent English so they could thrive and have the fullest opportunities available to them, and I guess raising 7 kids she wouldn’t of had the time either. Additionally, since I don’t know much Burmese and due to the on-going civil wars happening within Myanmar, it hasn’t been safe to go back and visit. Which makes me feel disconnected from this part of my identity, so even just having the opportunity to meet someone who was from Myanmar (especially when most Australians look at me confused when I say I’m half-Burmese), this opportunity impacted me so deeply and it made me feel so seen; to be able to hear stories about Myanmar and her experiences back home was so special.