Family History
Hmong soldiers fought in the secret war against the Pathet Lao after being recruited by the U.S. CIA. Thus, after the secret war, thousands of Hmong abandon their homes, land, and livestock in Lao to flee to Thailand in fear of persecution or were killed by the Pathet Lao. This resulted in Hmong immigrating to 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 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 my mom’s siblings and their families, 2 years later. When I interviewed my parents how they were treated when they arrived to the United States, they both said they were treated well. My mom said that if it weren’t for the kind and caring white Americans, my family wouldn’t have been able to survive. My parents talked…show more content… I would also than emphasis that I am American because I was born and raised in California. My family and I are also Christians, even though my grandma and other relatives have converted to Catholicism eleven years ago.
Although, I identify myself as Hmong now, it wasn’t until I was accepted into the Masters Program in School Counseling at Fresno State in the Spring of 2015 when I discover and began to appreciate what Hmong meant to me. Prior to graduate school, I knew little to nothing about my culture and the Hmong history. Thankfully, during my Counseling 174, 200, and 201 courses, I was able to find and acknowledge who I am, through self-awareness from my counseling sessions and class