Blessed

My current name is Naw Micky, but my real name is Naw Barbra Htun. The name Naw Barbra Htun was given to me by my grandfather and it means wise and respectful. In my case, it means a clever girl who knows God, respects her parents and older people. Barbra was named by a girl who lived in the same town where I was born, and she was smart, hardworking and later she became very successful. Htun was my father’s last name and mostly in Karen culture, people have the same last name as their fathers. Karen which is also known as Kayin is one of the eight ethnic groups in Burma (Myanmar) and although we have our own language, we mostly talk in Burmese because it is the main language. In my culture, people start their name with Naw if it is a girl and Saw if it is a boy. The other one Naw Micky was given to me by my mother. When I was young, I was chubby and very cute among my siblings, so my mother called me Micky and everybody around me started calling me that name. I like both of my names and appreciate them. I think both names show my personality because I am a quick learner, friendly, respectful, kind and hardworking. I am blessed to have these names because I like the meanings and they are easy to pronounce and to remember.