My Cultural Group and Family History
Hmong soldiers help fought in the secret war against the Pathet Lao after being recruited by the United States CIA. Thus, after the United States withdrew from the war, thousands of Hmong were killed by the Pathet Lao or were forced to abandon their homes, lands, and livestock in Laos and fled to the refugee camps in Thailand. Ultimately, this resulted in the immigration of Hmong settling down in the United States in the late 1970s through 2007 in waves. (Collier, Munger, & Moua, 2012).
My family originally lived in Laos before they fled to Thailand by crossing over the Mekong River, which is, estimated to be 4,350 km long and is known to be the seventh longest river in Asia. (Nguyen, 1999). After 2 years of living in the refugee camps in Thailand, my grandma was the first member of my family to immigrate to the United States in 1976. Followed by my parents and their relatives, 2 years later. When I interviewed my parents regarding how they were treated upon their arrival, they both said they were treated well. My parents talked highly of the kind and caring white Americans who helping them fill out paperwork to get them into the welfare system and by driving them to the hospital for their checkups. My parents also shared that beside the language barrier between themselves and other cultural groups, they said that they still feel respected and treat well by society. …show more content…
I am an independent, strong, and hardworking Hmong woman. However, depending on why and how that person approaches me with his or her questionnaire, I may choose to identify myself differently. If I am feeling uncomfortable with their nonverbal or their response, I will identify myself as a Hmong-American woman. Especially if I feel as though the person is prejudging me and trying to place me into a certain Asian cultural group, I would then emphasize that I am an American woman because I was born and raised in Fresno,
Hmong soldiers help fought in the secret war against the Pathet Lao after being recruited by the United States CIA. Thus, after the United States withdrew from the war, thousands of Hmong were killed by the Pathet Lao or were forced to abandon their homes, lands, and livestock in Laos and fled to the refugee camps in Thailand. Ultimately, this resulted in the immigration of Hmong settling down in the United States in the late 1970s through 2007 in waves. (Collier, Munger, & Moua, 2012).
My family originally lived in Laos before they fled to Thailand by crossing over the Mekong River, which is, estimated to be 4,350 km long and is known to be the seventh longest river in Asia. (Nguyen, 1999). After 2 years of living in the refugee camps in Thailand, my grandma was the first member of my family to immigrate to the United States in 1976. Followed by my parents and their relatives, 2 years later. When I interviewed my parents regarding how they were treated upon their arrival, they both said they were treated well. My parents talked highly of the kind and caring white Americans who helping them fill out paperwork to get them into the welfare system and by driving them to the hospital for their checkups. My parents also shared that beside the language barrier between themselves and other cultural groups, they said that they still feel respected and treat well by society. …show more content…
I am an independent, strong, and hardworking Hmong woman. However, depending on why and how that person approaches me with his or her questionnaire, I may choose to identify myself differently. If I am feeling uncomfortable with their nonverbal or their response, I will identify myself as a Hmong-American woman. Especially if I feel as though the person is prejudging me and trying to place me into a certain Asian cultural group, I would then emphasize that I am an American woman because I was born and raised in Fresno,