I thought it was really wonderful of Mr. Long Yang and Ms. Choua Thao to come and talk to us about their immigration experiences. They were both very articulate, and they seemed happy to share as much information with us as possible. Mr. Yang gave us a good history lesson about the CIA war. I was fascinated by his stories about the French paratroopers and his insight regarding the end of the war. When he said that he was told that he could only bring his wife and children to America, I couldn't (and still can't) even imagine how terrible he must have felt. Ms. Thao gave us a very vivid perspective of what life in America was like for her when she first came here. I loved that she explained the meaning behind her name; I think that it is awesome that the Hmong people take so much pride in what their names mean. I also liked that she stressed the ideas about having dreams and fighting for what you want.
I thought that this was a good time to have these guest speakers. Like Dr. Schuler said at the beginning of class, this was the generation that we had yet to hear from. We had heard from the younger immigrants who had struggles growing up and making their parents proud in a new country, but it was nice to hear from the generation that already had families that they were responsible for. It was probably even more difficult to watch their children grow up in a strange place and shed some aspects of the Hmong culture.
Over the course of this Hmong-centered interdisciplinary study, I've come to be very thankful for the fact that I have never had to immerse myself in a completely different culture. Sure, I've switched states or cities a few times, but I've never had to live outside the United States because my home was no longer safe for me. I know that I am strong (like Choua!) and I would adapt, but I'm glad that right now I don't have to deal with that. This unit has also really opened my eyes to some of the cultural difficulties that I might face if I ever end up doing mission work overseas, and that is a really good new perspective to have.
Leave a comment