A report that a toddler had been bitten by a mouse or rat would cause most Americans fear and outrage.When Dr. Charles Coats – who treated 19-month-old Sage Dar for the bite – learned what had caused it, he was incensed.
“You just don’t hear about rats or mice in the United States attacking babies,” Coats said. “You should never have to worry about your baby being bitten in your own home.”
But the rodent – residents were unsure whether it was a rat or a really big mouse – seemed to be only another irritant in a life that, while much better than the government oppression of their home in Myanmar or the squalid refugee camps afterward, is fraught with difficulties.
It’s a story oft repeated throughout the history of America, a country that has welcomed the huddled masses: A melting pot’s makeup is always changed by new ingredients, and it can take some effort on both sides to achieve harmony.
Be Ki, Sage Dar’s mother, lives in Autumn Woods Apartments on the city’s far southeast side with her three children, while her husband works in Illinois. She speaks no English.
Through a translator, she said she believed that if she complained about the rodents to the apartments’ management, the problem would be addressed. But she has not complained.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is ruled by a military junta that violently stamps out dissent. There has not been a free and fair election there in decades. Recent refugees, thrust into U.S. society – there are an estimated 6,000 Burmese in Fort Wayne – often keep to themselves, even when help is available.
“She doesn’t want to make a fuss about it,” the translator said.
Carla Washington, who has managed the complex near South Anthony Boulevard and Paulding Road for 14 years, said the complex has an ongoing contract with a pest control firm that immediately takes care of problems about which management is aware – in addition to preventive treatments.
“Most residents are pretty good about telling us if there’s problems,” Washington said. “But sometimes Orkin will come back from an apartment and say, ‘Well, there’s 50 pounds of rice sitting out.’ So then we have to explain to them how to keep their food sealed, so you don’t have issues.”
As to residents making complaints, Washington said she would rather hear them.
“It’s better to make a fuss,” she said, so issues such as rodents can be addressed.
Translator Zin Oo, who also lives in the complex, agreed that complex managers are quick to respond.
“They fix things immediately,” Zin Oo said. “But most people don’t bother asking.”
Washington said residents may not realize they can ask for help at any time. Often, she said, they will wait until the beginning of the month, when they pay their rent, to say something is broken.
She was disturbed to hear that a child had been bitten.
“I feel so bad,” she said. “I wish I had known.”
Be Ki’s building was already scheduled for a pest control inspection this Wednesday, Washington said, but that will now be done as soon as possible.
She said that as the complex’s clientele became largely Burmese three years ago, it has been an educational experience for everyone. Recent immigrants have had to learn how to make their way in a bewildering new society, and management has had to learn about which issues it needs to watch because of tenants’ lack of familiarity. For example, plumbing that you cannot pour cooking grease into.
Some previous tenants moved out, she said, but those who have stayed say they appreciate the Burmese who have moved in and feel they’ve made it a better community.
“You don’t want to take their culture away from (immigrants), but we do try to help acclimate them,” she said. “There’s a lot behind the scenes we try to do. We’re like social workers and landlords here.”
On Thursday, most of the trash bins in the complex did not have lids on them, which provides a ready food source for rodents. When informed of the issue Friday, National Serv-All spokesman Bob Young said crews would be on site within an hour making sure every trash bin had lids. He expected the work to be done by Friday evening, and a check showed that it was.
“That’s part of the service we provide,” Young said. “We provide (the trash bins) and we maintain them. … If they don’t have lids, we’ll fix it.”
Holding Sage Dar – who eyed a reporter and photographer suspiciously while eating Shrimp Snacks – Be Ki said she is glad to be here and feels that she is beginning to fit in. As for the rodents, she said she keeps her food sealed in containers and hasn’t seen any lately, though she sometimes hears them in the walls.
Will she let management know about the problem?
Yes, she said.
Washington said it’s important to remember that issues that arise are not a “Burmese problem,” but simply an acclimation problem. Anyone would have difficulty fitting in to a new culture, and everyone involved needs to learn as they go.
“It’s going to take a whole community effort to make this work,” she said. But it is working. Crime has almost disappeared, she said, and the complex now has a new cultural richness. “Each year it gets better,” she said.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101212/LOCAL10/312129909
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