Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Little About The Hmong Tribe

Emotions, such as laughing, crying, being afraid, are experiences that many of the Hmong Tribe has faced. During the time when I was a child, I use to watch movies based on Hmong's past. While I was watching it as a child, I would always felt afraid and sad for those who have experienced the after effects of "The Secret." I personally know many people who were trying to escape for their lives after the Americans left Vietnam, such as my mom, dad, uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. 

What could be worse than the feeling of running and trying to escape from this horrible nightmare of being hunted down. There were bombs everywhere. Gun shots were heard from all over the place, but shot out of surprise. The communist soldiers were hidden in the forest. As for the Hmong tribes who seek the light to wake themselves up from this horrible nightmare, it seemed impossible to.

After seeking the way out of the jungle, there is a river called the Bangkok River. This was a place where if people were lucky, they would pass across easily; however, if they weren't lucky they would be washed away in the Bangkok River. When crossing the Bangkok River, it was not an easy task because there were still many communist soldiers who were guarding the way. There were many lucky people who were able to escape towards Thailand. Many of the Hmong tribe had soon learned that it was not a good idea to cross the Bangkok River during morning time.

Riding the bus and splitting up with many family members was one of the most heart breaking experiences. There were many lovers who were split apart because either the girl or the guy had the chance to come to the United States first because they passed the requirement of being able to come to the States. Based on my mom's experience, during the time when many of the Hmong tribe were coming to the states, she said it was one of the most painful moments because many of her friends have left her behind to come to the United States. Even though most of us came to the United States, many of us are left behind in Thailand and Laos. Some of us fled to France, Vietnam, China, and many other places.

Today, there are many films based on the war history of the Hmong. Being born in the United States, I have had many times that people asked me if I was Chinese. I would always say that I'm Hmong, but according to my mom, she use use to tell me that we are part Chinese. Before living in Laos, many Hmong Tribes lived in China; however, the Chinese took over it after a war. After my friend came back from Taiwan, she told me that in Mandarin Chinese, we, the Hmong Tribe is called 苗族人 Miao Zhu Ren.

Because it is believed that the Hmong is Chinese, I have concluded myself that the Hmong is still Hmong no matter what.

If I were to choose one of the most important thing on the Hmong Outfit, I would say it is the Xauv.



This outfit is the one of the more common Hmong outfit.




The xuav is similar to a necklace, but there are more designs on it. The two xuav below are two examples. The one on the left is the new style xuav, while the one of the left is the old style xuav. Based on my experience, the old style xuav is very heavy. It is what my mom use to always wear







     


Hmong Clothes can vary depending on the region where the tribe lives. Below is a picture of what we call the Hmong Chinese Outfit.


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Life Is Filled With Surprises

Have you ever met someone who meant so much to you? A Lover? A Best Friend? In the end, these are all relationships. These things are very precious. Cherish is what my two best friends would always tell me. These two people are called Sarah Ly and Susan Vang. It is very surprising that the people who I did not think matter in my world, do matter.

I have known Sarah for about 10 years and met her during the summer. Normally when I meet someone I don't pay attention to who they are or give first impressions, but Sarah was a different. She was the most talkative person I have ever met. I would almost never open up and talk to a stranger as much as I talked to her. Surprisingly, we got became close friends after dancing for the new year of 2008. After dance practice, we would talk to each other about our favorite movies and actors. It seemed to me that there were a lot to talk about. Anyways, during the night of the Hmong New Year, Sarah introduced me to Susan. It was very funny because Susan and I already knew things about each other because Sarah and Susan went to the same school and were best friends. During 2011, we played volleyball for the Missouri Tournament. Similar to my experience with Sarah during dancing, Volleyball drew me and Susan close. She helped train me. Volleyball that year was very dramatic, but fun. There were many other things that we did together, such as going to prom together and celebrating holidays together. If I were to choose my most favorite time together with them, it would be sharing our dream story of our fantasy world. Our fantasy dream world was our escape. It's too bad that it is not real, but I can recall every moment Sarah would share the story with Susan and I. Even though we all have grown up and walked our own paths, I would never forget the good times and the bad times I have had with these girls. I feel as though I can recall these moments as though they happened yesterday. 

It is very surprising to me on how the world is so big but yet so small. This is because the three of us originally were born in the North and the three of us moved down to Missouri. What a surprising fate. I am glad that I have met Sarah and Susan because we basically balance each other out. Out of the three of us, I always over think, Susan is the most honest, and Sarah is the most social one. Sometimes whenever Sarah does not talk, it scares me and I realized that the times she never talk are when she is eating. As for Susan, She scares me when she gets loud. This makes me wonder if I ever scared them in some way.

I never thought that I would ever meet people who has the same interests as me and accepts me for who I am. I am very thankful. No matter how far apart we are from each other, we will always be there for each other no matter what happens. I love these girls and wish them nothing, but the best.


(Sarah, Susan, and Me)

Monday, November 17, 2014

Greetings

Hi everyone, I‘m Lisa Hang.  I love singing and sing covers all the time to CPop. I'm Hmong and was born in the United States. I can speak Hmong, English, and a little bit of Chinese. I only know a how to speak a little bit of Chinese because I taught myself how to. If someone is determined enough to do something, they will always be successful. Below is a video I wanted to share of me singing a cover to a song from a Taiwanese drama "Fabulous 30". Enjoy~