Growing up poor is hard. Growing up poor in a third world country as a girl? Honestly that’s a whole different level of character development lol.

People talk about “humble beginnings.” No no… we had ADVANCED humble beginnings.

We never got what we wanted. Half the time we didn’t even ask because we already knew the answer was no. The main goal every day was honestly just:
“Did everybody eat today?”

And sometimes… not even that.

To this day my sisters and I still joke around about the struggle meals we used to eat growing up. Like remember sucking on chicken bones trying to get every last molecule of flavor because meat was basically decoration in the soup lol.

And don’t even get me started on noodle soup.

We could not afford noodle soup by itself okay? Absolutely not. Everything had to become a “filler meal.” So if we had noodle soup, we dumped a giant mountain of rice into it to make it stretch for the whole family.

Honestly to this day I STILL eat noodle soup with rice. My husband sees me doing this and looks at me like I committed a federal crime.

He’s like:
“How can you eat rice WITH noodle soup?!”

Sir… this is not a choice.
This is generational programming.

My body was literally built on carbs and survival.

Back then protein was expensive. Meat was luxury. Rice was life. Rice was emotional support. Rice was financial planning.

So now even though I can afford all the meat in the world, my brain still thinks:
“Too much meat. Need more rice.”

Honestly immigrant brains never fully update lol.

And that’s what’s so crazy about life sometimes.

To go from THAT kind of childhood…
to becoming a stay-at-home mom in America with four kids doing extracurricular activities, carrying tablets, laptops, new shoes every year, vacations every year…

Sometimes I sit there like:
“This cannot possibly be the same bloodline.”

My kids casually eating shrimp while I grew up treating shrimp like rare Pokémon sightings.

And now in my 40s living in America I say things like:
“If you haven’t used it in 2 years just donate it.”

EXCUSE ME?!
Who even am I?!

Because growing up poor teaches you to save EVERYTHING.

Plastic bags?
Saved.

Glass jars?
Saved.

Broken containers with no lid?
Still emotionally saved.

My parents still save everything till their dying day. Throwing things away physically pains them. And honestly my in-laws are the same way. If they see furniture on the side of the road they don’t think:
“That’s trash.”

They think:
“Opportunity.”

Next thing you know there’s a suspicious chair in the garage that nobody asked for.

And honestly… I get it. but would I do it? Hell no lol. because I already have too much stuff with 4 kids so no thank you. especially for a mom who has to constantly clean, tidy up, organize, manage trash (thanks Athens!) and everything else in between for last 10 years, I just want to trash them ALL!

when you grow up where survival matters more than convenience, your brain changes forever.

In America convenience matters a lot more.
Back home survival mattered more.

Back home:
you save things because one day you might NEED them.

That mindset never fully leaves immigrant families.

That’s why immigrant family life is honestly so funny, emotional, chaotic, and beautiful at the same time.

One minute you’re arguing about expired coupons.
The next minute you realize your parents sacrificed everything just so you could live a softer life than they did.

And honestly?
That realization hits hard.

So yes…
welcome to the beautiful chaos of immigrant family life.

Family Life

  • School morning chaos
  • parenting in America
  • Costco Stories

Travel

  • Traveling with 4 kids
  • Burma Travel History
  • Travel Essential

Culture & Humor

  • Immigrant Parent Stories
  • Rice Cooker Memories
  • Growing up Poor

Featured Story –

The Chaos of Immigrant Family and things that help them

The beautiful chaos of immigrant family life is a mix of survival mode, humor, sacrifice, culture, parenting stress, and trying to build a better future for the next generation while still carrying the mindset of where you came from. From Costco trips and school chaos to travel hacks, parenting struggles, practical products, and funny family moments, BurmaHeaven shares relatable stories and helpful things that make busy immigrant family life a little easier — and a lot more entertaining. read more here.

About Us

A look into the life of a poor girl who somehow ended up living a very middle-class American life… while still mentally operating like the electricity might get shut off tomorrow lol. After spending almost 10 years as a stay-at-home mom raising four kids and managing absolute household chaos, I’m now trying to re-enter the workforce in my 40s and honestly? Humbling. One minute I’m organizing swim practice, coding classes, basketball league, jiujitsu competitions, School of Rock, Chinese lessons, Costco runs, dentist appointments, and school emails… the next minute I’m staring at job applications like “damn… should I apply to McDonald’s?” Life is wild. Sometimes I get angry thinking about how differently life could’ve gone if I had better guidance growing up because when you grow up in survival mode nobody teaches you about networking, career planning, investing, or long-term thinking. People are just trying to survive the week. So now as a parent I’m trying VERY hard to give my kids what I never had. That’s why yes — my kids do a million activities and no, I will not apologize for it. Sometimes I hear people say “let kids enjoy their childhood” and I’m like okay but enjoying childhood doesn’t mean doing absolutely nothing for 18 years and then waking up shocked that adulthood requires skills and work lol. Reality is most kids will eventually need jobs. Mine are not billionaire children unfortunately. So when I see parents online complaining that their teenagers can’t even land fast food jobs, I sit there thinking should I let my kids scroll TikTok 24 hours a day or maybe spend SOME of that time building confidence, discipline, social skills, and opportunities? And please don’t hit me with “oh I feel sorry for your kids.” Honestly? I’d feel worse for an 18-year-old completely unprepared for real life. I’m not trying to take away my kids’ childhoods, I’m trying to prepare them for success WITHOUT sacrificing their childhoods. There’s a difference. Trust me, my kids still laugh, play, destroy my house, fight over snacks, act feral, and create chaos daily lol. But yes, I intentionally keep them busy because I’ve seen what can happen when kids have no structure, no direction, and too much empty time. I’ve seen how addiction stories begin and honestly sometimes it’s not “bad kids,” just bored kids or lost kids. So yes, I’d rather my preteens be busy with basketball practice, coding camp, swim meets, music lessons, and travel memories than endlessly spiraling online. and yes I’m aware that too much pressure isn’t good for anyone! honestly? Middle-class parenting in America is exhausting. One minute you feel successful, the next minute you’re googling “why does club basketball cost the same as a small mortgage?” But despite all the chaos, one thing I know for sure is we work hard and we play hard. I don’t want my kids to grow up “easy.” I want them to grow up CAPABLE. I want them to struggle less than I did, just like I struggled less than the generations before me. That’s the whole point of sacrifice, isn’t it? If I can give my children a softer landing place in life than I had… honestly I’ll die happy. So yeah… welcome to the beautiful chaos!