A Burmese woman, Ms. S.

My name is S. I am originally from Myanmar. I have a family. We came to Japan in 1990 for various reasons in Myanmar, and also for the sake of our son's future, to live our lives here. When I first arrived at Narita Airport, it was very difficult because I couldn't read, write, or speak Japanese. The culture was different, so I couldn't eat the food, let alone drink the water.

Japan is a country with many tall buildings, buses, and trains, but what surprised me the most was the "freedom" that people have, being able to get up in the morning, go to work, and live normal lives. I think Japan is a very free, convenient, and wonderful country.

Compared to the affluent country of Japan and the hardships of my home country, the situation in Myanmar was so hard that my family did something we should not do, staying illegally. For 15 years, my family of three lived as illegal immigrants, and although we were anxious, we tried our best to live honestly, not stealing from others, not killing anyone, and not doing anything bad. However, in February 2006, we were caught by the Immigration Bureau as illegal immigrants. We were put in the Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa, and lived a routine that was set for us every day. It was very difficult.

Since coming to Japan, I have met many people and received support and encouragement from many people, and in 2007, I received a long-term resident visa from the Minister of Justice, and all three of us have finally been able to live in Japan with peace of mind. I am truly grateful to Japan and the people who have helped me along the way.

I learned things in Japan that I would not have learned if I had stayed in Myanmar, and I feel that my world has expanded since coming to Japan, and my way of thinking has changed. Since I plan to live in Japan from now on, I wanted to learn more about Japanese history and culture, meet many different people, and broaden my horizons, so in April 2008, I enrolled in the part-time course at A High School. I became a second-year student in May 2009, and am currently working hard.

I think there are many foreigners in Japan who feel the same anxiety as me.

If you don't give up and work hard until the end, I think your dreams will come true someday. In general, illegal residents are not viewed very well in Japan. However, there are many illegal residents who work hard and have children who go to school regularly. I hope that everyone in Japan will be more understanding of foreigners. Thank you very much.