Monthly Archives: May 2015

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Peace and Gratitude

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My mind was filled with cluttered thoughts a few days ago. I was worried about my grades, feeling anxious about whether or not I will be graduating this summer, and stressing over scholarships. My body was in the beautiful land of Thailand, but my mind was far away. I wasn’t fully present. I observed my surroundings and took some time to reflect on my experiences, but I noticed that there were always voices in my head interfering with the present moment. I was constantly worrying about something, or planning for the days ahead. It wasn’t until we visited the Hmong village where I began to realize that often times, Americans are encouraged to be fearful, efficient, and needing to always be on the move with constant planning. With this system set in place, it is difficult for us to be in peace with our minds and bodies.


Experience in the village:



We drove into the village and were welcomed by the beautiful mountains and fog. The houses were very different from the buildings in America. The homes had brick walls and metal rooftops. The dirt roads were wide and bumpy, and there were various stray dogs walking on the road. The village was also surrounded by mother nature. But most importantly, there didn’t seem to be wi-fi in the area.




I looked around and noticed that there were Hmong women on the side of the road selling hand-made clothing and accessories. I approached them and were greeted with warm smiles. It took some time for me to switch from the American mode to the Hmong mode. I was so embedded into the American bubble (speaking English, conversing about American issues and media, and thinking with an American mindset) that it sometimes require some time to switch over to the “Hmongness” in me. But after a few moments, I managed to gather the confidence and interact with these wonderful ladies. It was fascinating. I learned that one of the woman spent one whole year making the Hmong skirts, shirts, and other pieces of clothing. In her free time, she would sit outside and stitch Hmong clothing for her family and for profit. It’s amazing to see how resourceful these women were with their surroundings. They maximized what they had, and were grateful towards what was available to them. The conversations I had with the Hmong men were also very interesting. I learned that though they had to worry about providing for their families, living in the present moment and making the most out of each day was most important.


The experiences and conversations I had in the village were inspiring and life-changing. It helped me reflect on my life in America and gave me a better understanding of the system I live in. This also made me realize what I need to do in order to be in peace with my heart, mind, and soul. I realized that the American system places great emphasis on success, efficiency, and independence. Though this may bring in wealth, riches, and achievements; it doesn’t necessarily bring in happiness and peace. In the village, my mind felt at peace. I interacted with the people around me, embraced mother nature, and my mind was free of cluttered thoughts. I wasn’t worried about what I needed to do the next day, did not think about checking my Facebook notifications, nor was I distracted by external stressors. I was in the present moment, and I was grateful. I was grateful to be alive… To see, smell, taste, hear, and feel the wonderful creations around me. I was smiling and laughing with the villagers and our group… I also dedicated a few moments of silence to this land. This was unlike any experience I’ve encountered before. For the first time ever, I learned how to be in peace with my heart, mind, and soul… And I realized how crucial it is to stop, breathe, and be grateful for what I have.

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Reflection about Hmong people and culture in Thailand and in America

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          I came into Thailand with the mind set that the Hmong people in Thailand will be more ‘traditional’ Hmong, meaning they will speak Hmong and know the culture better than the Hmong in America.  However, the truth took an unexpected turn and hit me hard. 
 
          Some of the Hmong people in America struggle with how to speak Hmong and those that know it speak very little Hmong and know very little about the culture ad practices.  Hmong Americans speak more English than Hmong because we live in the U.S and English is the primary language.  There were also great number of Hmong Americans that have converted to Christianity.
 
          When visiting the Hmong village in Chiang Dao district, the Hmong people there still wear Hmong clothes and still do some of the things that they did in the past such as the wooden cart rides, wooden archery and farming.  There are two facts that hit me the hardest.  The first fact was that about 90 percent of the Hmong in the village converted to Christianity and only about 2-3 families still practice shamanism.  The second fact is that many of the Hmong youth in Thailand don’t know how to speak Hmong as much as I thought they would and those that do know how to speak Hmong know very little of it.  One example is when I visited the Hmong museum.  I talked to the grand-daughter of the Hmong woman and I noticed that she would speak very little Hmong to me once she knew that I could speak Thai.  When I asked her something in Hmong, she would say a few words in Hmong then switched back to Thai automatically.  I don’t think that it is because she knew that I could speak Thai that she choose to speak Thai to me.  I said so because I could tell that she doesn’t feel comfortable and confident to speak in Hmong and struggled each time she tried.
 
          It’s not wrong to convert to Christianity and to not know how to speak Hmong, it is their decision.  These two facts were so surprising to me because I went into it with such a close-mind and my expectations were the total opposite of what the truth is.  The Hmong in Thailand speak and learn Thai because it’s the primary language just like Hmong Americans, we speak and learn English because it’s the primary language. 
 
          Even though I do accept these facts, I will admit that I am somewhat disappointed although I have no right to be disappointed about it whatsoever.  These facts led to many thoughts and these thoughts led to many unanswered questions.  I got very emotional thinking about what would happen to our Hmong people, our language and our culture.  I could see that it is slowly disappearing in both America and in Thailand.  What will eventually happen to the Hmong culture, language and writings?  What will we answer others when we identify ourselves as Hmong but don’t know the language and culture?  The thought of our Hmong people slowly disappearing from the face of the earth scares me, I am fearful of what to come to our Hmong people and what we will become. 
 
 
 

 

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Human Trafficking: A Universal Issue

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Being in Chiang Mai for the past week I’ve made many interesting connections from all the activities that we’ve done. The one most interesting thing to me was the discussion about human trafficking. Learning about human trafficking from ajahn Catherine and  ajahn Linda helped me gain a better understanding that it’s a major universal issue. However, I’ve never really experience or come across any person who’s been traffic or know someone who had.
After doing some research about human trafficking I found out that Thailand is one of the top countries known for trafficking girls into sex trade. Some of the reason why Thailand is a main target for human traffickers is because of high poverty rate and little opportunities for people to be successful. Thus, in some cases families will sell their daughters or force their daughters into prostitutions and possibly leading them into sex trafficking.
            My first real experience witnessing prostitutions and human trafficking was in a restaurant in Chiang Mai. The first thing I notice coming into the restaurant was two girls standing by the stairwell in the restaurant, but I didn’t think anything was odd until I saw a man approach them and stood next to them. I saw one of the women and the man chatting and then a second man approached them. Afterward the women went upstairs with the second man. As I kept observing the whole restaurant I notice an older white male in his 40’s sitting alone drinking and keeping his eyes on the ladies who were standing by the stairwell. Then I realize that the older white male must be the pimp and the guy who was talking to the girls was probably a watcher. This made me felt uncomfortable and confuse because I didn’t want to assume anything about this situation, but I had a strong feeling that it was sex trafficking.
            In the U.S human trafficking is a huge issue too, but it’s not very visible or apparent. I think in Thailand a majority of people here know or had experience human trafficking because it happens so often and in local clubs, bars and restaurants. As for the U.S the human traffickers seem to be more on the down low where they operate secretly and quietly. I had many questions that rise during the human trafficking discussion and being at the restaurant. My main question is how can all the countries come together to find a solution to this issue, especially since this is a universal problem.

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Thoughts in Thailand: Human Trafficking

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I remember about a few years ago when I was still in high school, I sold Girls Scout cookies at the U of M campus in Coffman Union during International Women’s Day. I had never been present at such an event and did not really know what it was about. All I knew was that I wanted to raise as much money as I could selling Girls Scout cookies for my Hmong Women’s group at my high school. Although I had went to the event having only one goal, I think that I came back being exposed to more things than I expected. That was the very first time I learned about human trafficking, specifically the trafficking of young girls in the United States into the sex industry. 

Since it was so long ago, I cannot remember much, but I remember something about the human receipt the size of a human being. I think it might have been a symbol used during the event to illustrate the stories of the women survivors of sex trafficking. I remember seeing one story of a young girl who was 16 or 17 years old that was sold by her boyfriend into the industry but later escaped or rescued. Her story was displayed powerfully on one tall human receipt among many human receipts containing similar stories from other girls. While I did not know much or participated in the actual event, I remember feeling fearful, taken aback and aware. I wish that then I would have known better and paid more attention to the issue of sex trafficking because right now, I am having the same feelings I once had all over again.
While human trafficking occurs in all parts of the world and in the community that I live in back home, it seems as if it does not even exist. We, society, don’t talk about it much and it’s not a topic that people like to bring up it seems. In fact, the news do not even talk about it because we barely hear any headline story focusing on the issue of human trafficking. I also think that sometimes we do not even bother to listen or to educate ourselves with this issue because we are too busy focusing on our own lives. However,  in Thailand it seems like it is almost a norm or something. The topic of human trafficking seems so apparent and so close to the local communities that it is not unnormal for people to be trafficked. Just the thought of parents selling their children into the industry due to financial or other issues is mind boggling and brings me back to how I first felt reading the human receipt of the girl whose boyfriend sold her. 
On Thursday after we visited the school in Chiang Dao I was on the van that Eve, one of our tour guides, was on. She shared a story about where she was from and how her village has a lot of trafficking. In her class, there were 6 students who were all girls. Three of them went into the trade because their parents sold them. Eve’s friend in her class died from HIV because she went into the trade too. I do not remember about the fifth person, but Eve’s mother did not sell her into the trade. Hearing Eve’s story and thinking about all the young girls in the school that we visited caused me to struggle with understanding a parent’s desperation and willingness to sell their daughter(s). Knowing that most of the students in the school were from poor families, a part of me fears so much for them.  I know I should be optimistic and think the best for them, but I feel so worried that they can potentially be stripped away of their dignity and innocence one day due to factors in their life that are out of their control. There was so much innocence that I saw in the girls and to imagine that young girls are constantly being sold and robbed of their innocence and self-worth is devastating. I try to put myself in the shoes of the many young girls who are sold and I cannot. It is an experience that is beyond anything I could imagine and I can only ponder on questions that I struggle to understand. 
I can only ask myself, why is it that we as humans have to resort to trafficking other human beings? There are so many factors that go into this issue and there is the whole supply and demand concept, but what can we do to stop this? How can I as a privileged young Hmong American women even try to understand this idea of human trafficking without feeling so fearful and sadden for those who are trafficked? Are these even right feelings to feel?
2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Time is of the Essence

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The concept of time is constantly changing. When we (Americans) think of time we think of deadlines, punctuality, following a schedule, creating appointments and so much more. As someone who is familiar with other cultures, I think acknowledging the idea of time is important. Past, present, and future, physical and symbolic ideas of time are different for everyone. 

As someone who is traveling to Thailand for the first time, it is intersting to be in an environment where time is precious but not strict or stressful. Though, we are following a schedule as part of a school curriculum, our sense of time has changed. Physically we are in a different time zone and are slowly adjusting to abnormal sleep patterns; symbolically we are living in the present and enjoying the days as the come (hopefully).

About a week ago, I was preparing myself mentally, physically, and emotionally for the trip. As I have been privileged to travel around the world before, something about this trip was different. I felt like I needed to get away and the trip couldn’t come soon enough (rushing). I hadn’t packed or really thought about what I was going to bring; yet,
I knew when it was time to get everything together, I would be fine. (procrastination). Now, when I arrived in Thailand, it was one of the most surreal feelings. I couldn’t actually believe I was across the world. I was officially 8,300 miles away from home. There was no turning back now (reality).

Over the past week, my peers and I have enjoyed a number of amazing experiences but the one experience that resonates with me the most was visiting the Monk Chat. Listening to Monk Jo-Lee was absolutely life changing. Not only did he share his experiences of becoming a monk but he also shared his knowledge about Buddhism, as monks practice Buddhism. “A way of living,” “action vs reaction,” “forgive and forget,” lastly, “we are the same family of human being.” 


Relating everything back to time, time is of the essence. Here in Thailand, time is easy, time is special, time is experiences, and time is learning. Valuing every moment as it comes is a treasure. We live in a society where success, independence, wealth, good health, and so much more is measured by time and how much we “have.” Being able to take a step back and really enjoy the experiences had is so different. My reality for the next three weeks will be experienced by being present here and now. I will take what I learn and leave what I want. 
2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Kids, kids, kids

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Day 7th of this trip and it’s still amazing that I’m even here in Thailand. Since I got off the plane in Bangkok, many of my expectations for this country have definitely been changed in a good way. I love the old buildings juxtaposed with newer ones, I love the flowers and the preservation of the wildlife and nature, I love the adventures I’ve been having. I feel like there are a lot of things that I can and want to connect with, such as our interactions with the people here in Thailand, meeting the Buddhist monk and visiting the Hmong village up in the mountains and learning how different the Hmong people here in Thailand are compared to us Hmong people in the United States. I think that the one thing that I always notice though is the young people.

Grade schoolers, babies, students, workers – they seem to be everywhere whenever we’re out and about. The first time I saw a teenager (at least I assume they were a teenager) they were on a motorcycle/scooter in their school uniform with another student on the back. They weren’t wearing helmets and they didn’t seem phased by all the (crazy) driving that was giving me mini heart attacks. At first I thought, “Wow, these are little kids. How can they be riding motorcycles and not even be wearing helmets?” A couple hours later, I reflected a lot on this thought of mine: why is this so surprising to me? Why CAN’T they ride if they know how or if they navigated perfectly fine? Why do I refer to them as “little kids”? I also reflected on other thoughts I’ve had around the area, on the road, at the schools and in the village: “Wow, these kids take care of their schools. Wow, these kids are so smart! Wow, these kids clean up after themselves! Wow, these kids take care of their siblings.” When we visited the school, I found myself treating them and thinking of them as if they were little kids even though they were only one or two years younger than me.

As a Youth Studies major, I’ve learned a lot about the way society sees young people and how the social construction of youth really affects me and how I see the world. Seeing the young people that I’ve seen so far I realize how differently people are shaped by their surroundings/locations, social mores/norms, their social context, etc. Even though this is a concept that I’ve thought about and agreed with beforehand, this trip has shown me first hand what that really means. The United States and Thailand are both very different, and neither country’s way of life and doing things are right or wrong. The way these young people “do youth” are not wrong here just because it is different from those in the U.S. From what I’ve seen, heard and learned so far, young people here in Thailand work hard in the markets, on the streets and in schools in order to better the lives of their family.

This also serves as a reminder to me that teenagers and kids are not human beings that should only be seen as perpetually developing and as “not really there yet” just because they are under the age of twenty. Though it will probably always worry me that there are young people who carry themselves with a lot of independence, like riding motorcycles without hanging onto each other, because of safety issues, I’ll remember that the idea of young people needing all the things that I probably needed growing up is not a reality to everyone. I know that I see a lot of things from my own perspectives because of my major and my field, but I find it really interesting how all of us take on different situations and reflect on different situations that we’ve seen so far.

Some questions that I’ve been wondering about are: do I think/see them as “little” because I see my surroundings as being associated with being third-world, whereas in the United States there is a lot of excessive luxury that I associate with being first-world? Is it a mixture of this and because I also have judgments about young people and how I see and stereotype them in my mind?

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

It’s THe Other Way Around

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It’s crazy to think that I’ve been in Thailand for a couple of days now. Though I am across the world, it seems like the home I know is only a drive away. Perhaps it is because I have a wonderful group of instructors and friends that fill my days with laughter and learning. Perhaps it is because I am always greeted with a smile, followed by a funny joke from the local Thai people. Somehow, my heart feels as ease. Hmong people call it kaj siab. It means that regardless of your troubles or worries, you feel happy with your present state. While I have had so many great experiences thus far in Thailand, something about seeing the Hmong village made a profound impact on me.
What I heard in stories and saw in movies came to life when we reached the Hmong village. For so long, my parents told me about their lives in Laos and Thailand. I never imagined that I would be able to see a Hmong village. I felt like I was home. Speaking the Hmong language made my spirit brighter. It made me feel more like me. Back in the US, my mother loves to garden. We own a small garden patch past Eagan, MN where we grow anything and everything. When we drove up to the garden patches in the Hmong village, it was like driving up to Eagan to my mother’s garden. A small part of me wanted to search for my mom amongst the fields. Whether in Thailand or in Eagan, MN, the smell of nature made me understand the importance of agriculture in the Hmong community. It’s a way of life for us. Growing and tending to crops is rooted in the Hmong culture. To rid of it would be to rid of the Hmong culture. I didn’t see that until now.
A lot of Hmong people who live in Thailand dream of coming to America. More opportunities.. a better education.. a life to live for. But what they don’t know is that it’s really the other way around. Many Hmong Americans wish to find a piece of their past, their roots, in Thailand. While Hmong Thai wish to move to America to find a piece of their future. We are not so different after all. No matter where we live, we strive to learn about the other. After our short meeting this morning, my understanding of the Hmong culture is being redefined. I’m questioning my identity and culture in so many ways now. All Hmong really are one, but what does it really mean to be Hmong anymore?

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Hmong cloth

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Hmong cloth

I noticed that every time I saw a group of Hmong people at least more than two or three would wear Hmong cloth. I thought that for Hmong Thai Hmong traditional clothes were a part of their daily life. They wore the cloth without worry that other will point at them that they are from the mountain. I was very happy to see that they are very value the cloth. Especially many young generation, they are not ashamed to wear without a ceremony. They did not care that the cloth they wore old or new. They were young but they still wear their traditional cloth. I knew that Hmong Thai were not the only group that still wore Hmong cloth. However Hmong Thai had a very unique style of their own. It was just like a country that a had unique style of cloth to tell who they were. 
Compare to the US, I do not see any Hmong people wear Hmong cloth as their daily life anymore. I totally understand that because of the  modern cloth. Hmong cloth become a symbol of old and traditions. This is just my opinion. It becomes a custom for some people not a cloth to wear anymore. 
I think that Hmong Thai tries to maintain the tradition way. I have notice that many of the clothe that they wear are still the same as 10 years ago. I might be wrong. I will not wear Hmong cloth Hmong cloth unless there is a Hmong new year. I don’t wear Hmong cloth, doesn’t mean I don’t value Hmong culture. I do value and still want Hmong cloth to maintain the old style. Each clans have their own unigue cloth. Now many Hmong designers tried to change the style of Hmong to be more modern. It’s not a big deal to me because I do understand that the fashion has to change to target younger generations. However, I feel that the more they change the cloth the harder to maintain the original style. 
Down below is Hmong Thai style. 

 More modern

2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Gender roles… A continuum

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While in Thailand, I have heard the term “lady boys” more times than I can count. And as a surprise to me, it is very accepted here. Before arriving here, I assumed and expected most people in Thailand to follow very traditional gender roles but I quickly found out women are the only gender to truly be held to those gender roles. At our group orientation the topic of the gender continuum in Thailand came up and Acharn Cathy explained that men are allowed to fall on the feminine side of the continuum and be transgender, but women are not generally accepted when they move into the masculine side of the continuum. This was a moment of intense curiosity for me. Why is that so? Why are women held to a double standard? I understand different cultures have different values and accept different things, but I really want to be able to dig deeper into this specific occurrence because it is incredibly interesting to me.

As soon as my interest was sparked during the conversation about gender, I began to think about gender roles and the gender continuum in America. I am a woman and cannot speak for men, but from my understanding a lot of men get incredible amounts of pressure to “be a man” and the amount of scrutiny and harassment a transgender person often receives is heartbreaking and must feel unbearable at times. Of course many people are accepting, but these types of expectations are still very much present in America. I find the connection between the differences of the continuums here in Thailand and at home to be fascinating. And of course, women in America still receive so much pressure to fit into the desired gender role, but it’s the different gender roles expectations in Thailand that really stick out to me. 
2015 Thailand Learning Abroad Blog

Gender roles… A continuum

Leave a comment

While in Thailand, I have heard the term “lady boys” more times than I can count. And as a surprise to me, it is very accepted here. Before arriving here, I assumed and expected most people in Thailand to follow very traditional gender roles but I quickly found out women are the only gender to truly be held to those gender roles. At our group orientation the topic of the gender continuum in Thailand came up and Acharn Cathy explained that men are allowed to fall on the feminine side of the continuum and be transgender, but women are not generally accepted when they move into the masculine side of the continuum. This was a moment of intense curiosity for me. Why is that so? Why are women held to a double standard? I understand different cultures have different values and accept different things, but I really want to be able to dig deeper into this specific occurrence because it is incredibly interesting to me.

As soon as my interest was sparked during the conversation about gender, I began to think about gender roles and the gender continuum in America. I am a woman and cannot speak for men, but from my understanding a lot of men get incredible amounts of pressure to “be a man” and the amount of scrutiny and harassment a transgender person often receives is heartbreaking and must feel unbearable at times. Of course many people are accepting, but these types of expectations are still very much present in America. I find the connection between the differences of the continuums here in Thailand and at home to be fascinating. And of course, women in America still receive so much pressure to fit into the desired gender role, but it’s the different gender roles expectations in Thailand that really stick out to me.