SERGE, RYAN AND CHODREN

Serge: ‘For a little boy, jumping down from the top of a 20-metre tower is really frightening. I was only seven years old when I did my first land diving. On Pentecost Island boys do this when they are ready to become men. It was a very special moment. I closed my eyes and jumped with the robe around my ankles. When I opened my eyes, everybody was cheering. My dad said to me, “You have become a man!”’

Ryan: ‘When I turned 18, I had to enrol in the army, so I did. Two months later, the army wanted to send me to Korea for two years because of the war there. It was a difficult period, but I survived the war. After I came back, my family and friends threw a big party for me, and I got my first kiss from my girlfriend. I married her a year later. My mum said to me, “My little boy has grown up!”’

Chodren: ‘I was one of the few girls in our small town who finished high school. My parents were so happy for me. They sent me to university in Naypyidaw, the capital city. I worked and studied at the same time, and after 5 years I became a lawyer, the first in our town. I can’t forget my mum’s words: “You’ve become a strong women!”’