First Interview

In the search for knowledge of different cultures and customs preparations need to be made in advance. For the report that follows I did many things to prepare myself for the task that needed to be completed. Originally, I was having difficulty trying to find time to interview an international student. I was not able to come to campus to locate any individuals to interview, work and other obligations gave me little time to focus my attention on finding an interviewee. Instead of interviewing international students on campus I was giving permission to interview immigrants at off campus locations. My questions then evolved to include more on cultural and familial differences between the United States and my chosen interviewee’s country of birth. I reviewed, revised and practiced the questions, to ensure they were understandable and open ended. I also jotted down follow up questions that I could ask within the same topic of the main question. The objectives for my interview were to learn something new about different counties and the individuals that immigrated to the United States. I brought with me a copy of the interview questions for Tou to review before I began recording. I am not a very technologically advanced individual; I used a tape recorder to record the interview. These preparations helped me to become more comfortable with the interview and in turn they helped the interview run more smoothly.

Finding individuals to interview was an easy task once I was granted permission to interview immigrants. I have many friends that I have known for a number of years that were born elsewhere in the world. They were all just a phone call away however; setting up interview times and locations was a bit tricky. While I did not have to search for interviewees, I did have to search for the time to conduct the interviews, as did the individuals. I did not have the awkward task of walking up to a stranger and asking if they would allow me to ask them person questions on their culture and their decision to come to a foreign country to study. However, knowing about the individuals and small amount of their background gave me reasons to ensure the questions I asked were as tactful as possible. With the goal to gain information in mind, I chosen individuals I felt would be open to the idea of sharing information about their lives in the countries of their birth and about their lives in the United States.

I wanted to make the interview setting as comfortable as possible. Knowing the first interviewee very well made it easy for the two of us to converse casually and stay on task. For the convenience of Tou, we conducted the interview at my Grandmother’s home, which is close to where he lives. I live and hour away and did not want to intrude on his family by asking to conduct the interview there. My grandmother’s house in a quiet and comfortable place and has a generous supply of cookies. We conducted the interview on the evening of October 22, 2009. We visited and caught up on all the events of life before the interview began. I conducted the interview more as a conversation then like an interview. I found myself not asking the questions off of the paper unless I was stuck and need to get back on task. The questions that I had prepared were more of a guideline of things that I wanted to cover. The interview did not follow the laid out plan of questions however, each topic I wanted to cover were talked about. The questions and answers I received flowed into the next set of questions I had. I informed him of the questions that I would be asking and began recording before the questions began. After a few minutes of talking we gradually forgot the recorder was taping our conversation. Since I am good friends with my interviewee, we did throw a few jokes around, but as a whole we stayed on task very well.

Tou was born in the country of Laos. He is the youngest of four siblings; two boys and a girl were born to his parents before he came along. Tou was born at the time the “rice was turning yellow” (Tou Yang), which is in the September/October time frame. His birthday October 12th was given to him upon entering a Thailand refugee camp. Many of the beginning years of his life were spent in different camps, to include refugee camps and prison camps, between Laos and Thailand. Only after his family fled a prison camp in Laos and spent years in different refugee camps did he come to the United States. This country was chosen by his parents, who had limited options on where they would bring their young family. The United States beat out Australia, only because he had multiple family members already in the United States and an Uncle here who agreed to sponsor their entrance into the country. Tou now lives in Minnnesota with his wife, three children and his mother. His brothers and sisters are frequent visitors, along with his extended family that consists of many cousins.

Even though I have known Tou for many years and have often asked many questions about his culture and past many of the responses to the interview questions surprised me. I knew that he had spent time in a refugee camp; however I did not fully understand the conditions or the actions of others within the camps. In the United States children are not only encouraged, but expected to play during the day. At one of the refugee camps in Thailand, the officials there would beat children if they were caught swimming under the fence that ran through the river between Thailand and Laos. The children would only be looking for fish, beta, for entertainment. To me, it is shocking that children would be beaten for a reason as small as that. It is almost unimaginable that places where things like that happen exist or have existed in the past. In the past when were talked about the refugee camps, I assumed it was not a pleasant place to live, but conditions like that is something I did not expect to hear. Living in a prison camp is also something that I found very shocking. We did not go into much detail about his time there, but I can only imagine the conditions to be worse than the refugee camp. After years of being at the camp, his father snuck his family out under the night sky to flee from the persecution. I cannot help but think of all of the other people in the world that have lived through and survived an ordeal such as the one my friend has gone through. I was surprised to learn about the spiritual world that some Hmong people live in. The traditions and beliefs that have been celebrated within the United States as well as Laos were interesting to learn about. One in particular stands out in my mind, the “calling of the spirits”. (Tou Yang) Every year, he and his family call their wandering spirits back to their bodies to prevent the spirits from wandering too far away. If the spirit does wander too far away and does not get called back, the physical body may fail, while the spirit is reincarnated into another physical object. That information is very interesting, to hear firsthand about a belief system which varies so much from my own is a learning experience in itself. This interview process and specifically the interview with Tou has been an eye opener for me. I have felt that I was fairly knowledgeable about other cultures and individuals. However, this interview has taught me to never believe that I know enough, I can always learn more about others around me. I am very lucky to have a friend that would not only allow me to ask his questions about his past life, religion and family, but to also answer the questions honestly and openly. During the interview I not only learned more about a culture and a people, but I learned a great deal more about a friend. What I learned was well worth the amount of time and stress put in to the assignment.

Laos, also known as the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a country whose history is full of turmoil. From the early ages to the not so past, war and political unrest have been common. Laos only has one legal political party, making it a communist state. The government strictly censors the information that is available to its citizens. There are few publications allowed, all which the government controls. Internet cafes are becoming more available in the city areas however; strict government controls are in place.
During the Vietnam Era, many Hmong citizens of Laos helped the United States military against the Communist Party.

After the United States pulled out many Hmong began to be persecuted and killed for helping the enemy. “About April 1975, the United States withdrew its troops from Indochina. During that time the rest of the Secret Army (Special Guerilla Units and other special units) who were left behind began to walk to the Mekong River and attempted to cross into Thailand. The Communists killed thousands of these soldiers and their families. During the evacuation, and in subsequent years, thousand of Hmong and Lao Veterans and their families were killed by communists North Vietnamese. Thousands died of starvation as they fled toward the security and freedom on the other shore of the Mekong River. Thousand drowned in the river before reaching the Thai border. Even today, despite official denial at senior levels of the government, the communist regime in Laos continues to persecute and discriminate against Hmong because of their role in the U.S. Secret Army.” (http://www.laoveterans.com, 2009).
This country is the only "landlocked” (www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107702.html 2009), every part of the country is bordered by another country. In the northern region Laos is mountainous and hilly, while the southern and eastern regions are dense forests. The Hmong people historically have been in the mountainous regions of Laos. Laos has many different ethnicities and a few different religions within its borders. The majority of the citizens are ethnic Lao. The few percentages include individuals from Hmong, Yoa, Doa and Shan ethnicities. The main religion in Laos in Buddhist, few are Christian.
In general the Laos community is one that is very family oriented. The family is a main aspect in day to day living.

Interview Transcript

M: Are you comfortable?
T: Yes
M: Okay, How many languages do you speak?
T: Two
M: Which are?
T : English and Hmong.
M: Hmong is a language?
T: It’s a people and a language I guess, it defines both.
M: So did you speak English when you can here?
T: No, I had to learn it.
M: Where did you originally come from?
T: I came from Laos, the mountain regions of Laos. I lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for a couple of years, and then moved to the States.
M: Where is Thailand in regards to Laos?
T: They are bordering countries, right around the area of Vietnam and Cambodia.
M: What was the refugee camp like?
T: Very hard to live in, the Thai government, or I wouldn’t say the government, the Thai soldiers there had powers over everyone they watched over. They treated you pretty much how they wanted to treat you.
M: Which was badly?
T: Um it depends. I mean if you got caught doing something they would probably beat you instead of taking you in and putting you in jail or something. Probably just beat you in the street and say learn your lesson there.
M: Like stealing or something?
T: Yeah maybe stealing but, mostly like the kids, they would just, I don’t know go in the river or swim or something like that. Because, Thailand and Laos border so they would just fence off some of the river ways and little kids would want to catch fish and stuff like that so they would swim under the gates and catch fish. If they ever got caught doing that they would be beat.
M: Did you catch fish though?
T: Yeah, it was very good fish, betas, you would catch them for fighting.
M: I thought you meant, you didn’t eat them?
T: No, these were fish that you caught to fight, you would fight them in little jars and stuff like that. We were kids.
M: I didn’t know they actually fought.
T: Yeah, you never seen fish fight before?
M: They are always supposed to be in one by themselves so they don’t fight.
T: Yeah, but over there it is something to pass the time, you didn’t really go to school, there was no school to go to.
M: In Thailand or Laos?
T: In Thailand. In Laos there was but, either you had to walk like 10 miles to school or your family had to be rich and you could go to school.
M: So everyone doesn’t go to school?
T: No, you would just work in the fields or tend to the chicken and pigs.
M: So had you stayed in Laos, you wouldn’t have gone to school?
T: Probably not, if I did I guess it would have been a very long walk.
M: But, if you had done the walk you would have been able to go?
T: Probably, but most kids stayed home to help the families just to get food.
M: Do families have a lot of kids?
T: They usually do just to help with the daily living.
M: Is that why they have a lot of kids?
T: One of the big reasons is that when they get older they like to have someone to look after them, they don’t have nursing homes or anything like that.
M: So is family important?
T: Yes, it is very important. It is like the basis for everything over there.
M: So, how many siblings do you have?
T: I have 2 older brothers and an older sister.
M: And are they all here?
T: Yes they are.
M: Do you see them a lot?
T: Almost every weekend.
M: What about your parents?
T: My father is deceased and my mother lives with me.
M: Is that common in you culture?
T: Yes, when they get older they live with the oldest one first and then move on down the line. They stay with the youngest until they pass.
M: So your mom has lived with everyone already?
T: They don’t usually stay with the girls. They say the girls have moved on and are starting their own life with their new family. So they usually, only stay with the boys unless there are no boys.
M: So, when you first moved to the United States, did you have a hard time adapting?
T: At first, I did. Like, going to school wasn’t normal. When we were in a refugee camp we moved to different locations and one of the last locations finally had a school. That kind of helped, but here the system is totally different. I guess when you go here you are expected to know English.
M: Did you have English as a second language classes?
T: When I first got here they didn’t really have anything like that. But I had a cousin in my class so she would help me, she knew English so she could help me a little bit. When I grew up there were more programs.
M: So you got thrown in without knowing English?
T: Yeah.
M: Why did you originally come to the United States?
T: We moved here because a lot of the Hmong people helped the United States in the war against the Communists and once the United States pulled out the government started killing off our people. They started persecuting us so we had to move.
M: What war?
T: Vietnam War, but after the US left the war still continued with in the countries themselves. So, whoever helped the US were taken as traitors and enemies and put into camps and whatever in Laos.
M Was anyone in your family directly involved with that?
T: Yeah my dad was part of a special guerilla unit that helped the green berets.
M: So once the US pulled out you pretty much had to move out?
T: Yeah, well we tried to stay a little later, we kind of turned ourselves over to the Vietnamese Laos, we called them that, I don’t know what the right term is, but we turned ourselves over and was like we are here but just don’t kill us or whatever. We stayed there for a couple of years and my brother and dad found a way out of the camp, so we just took off in the middle of the night.
M: With everyone?
T: Yep.
M: So your parents chose the United States because it was the best place to go or because it was the only thing offered?
T: This is pretty much offered, I guess we could have gone to Australia, but there was a lot of cousins already here, so one of my Uncles sponsored us, we just came over.
M: So what do you think the differences are between the United States and Laos, or the biggest difference?
T: The biggest difference I think is family wise in the United States, like I see when the kids get older here they just kinda move on and don’t stick around the family too often. I mean once and a while they will have a family gathering, like once a year or something like that, but in the Hmong culture even if they are your second cousin, first cousin, third cousin or whatever, as long as they are your cousin you all stay together. I don’t know.
M: Do you still have cousins in Laos?
T: I do but I don’t know them very much. It is hard to keep I contact with them, it just such a far distance that I probably would know how to talk to them anyways.
M: So is it just the cultural family differences?
T: Well, living standards is way better here. Over there you live in bamboo huts and your fireplace is your cooking stove.
M: So how is the food different?
T: The food there has no preservatives, everything you have to grow yourself and butcher yourself and nothing comes in packages.
M: Do you eat American food?
T: Yeah, we eat American food. It more like a combination of both, its not just traditional food or American food it is a little combination of everything kinda thrown in together.
M: Spicy?
T: Very spicy.
M: Very spicy, I’m sorry but you make really spicy food! Okay, so what kind of customs and traditions do you celebrate here that you celebrated in Laos?
T: Every year we celebrate the Hmong New Year, every one that lives in Minneapolis or St. Paul would probably know that. But, it also goes further than that, like in the home itself there is something called
Calling of the Spirits were every year. They say your spirit wanders off from your body, so you have to call it back.
M: With your family?
T: Yeah.
M? Is it a day long thing?
T: It’s like 3 days. They forbid you to use money because they say if you use money within those 3 days, for the rest of the year you’ll be a spender and you won’t keep any money because you can’t keep it for 3 days.
M: So what do you do in those three days?
T: You a stay healthy, you do what’s right, so that the rest of the year you do what’s right.
M: Have you ever spent money in those three days?
T: I have.
M: Did you find yourself spending more money throughout the year?
T: I did, that’s just the cultural belief.
M: What kind of religion or belief system do you base your faith on?
T: They call it Shaminism. I think it pretty accurate; it’s kind of like the Native Americans. We believe everything has a spirit and once your elders pass on they are in the spirit world. They get reincarnated and stuff like that.
M: So that’s why you do the Calling of the Spirits?
T: Yep, if your spirit wanders too far it could be reincarnated into something else. Physical body would get sick and you might pass on or something like that so you call the sprits every year.
M: When is the Hmong New Year?
T: Usually around November December time. The Hmong New Year is just to celebrate because in Laos every year this is the time to collect the rice or go to the rice field and get all of your rice or corn or whatever it is. It is just a time to celebrate we are done for the year, this is our new crop, our new food for the rest of the coming year, so let’s take time off to go celebrate.
M: So it’s not necessarily a year, but it’s a growing season?
T: Yeah we don’t really have a calendar, so we just go by the US calendar. I guess, but in the old country they use seasons and stuff like that, not a calendar.
M: So when is your birthday?
T: Um, I really don’t have a date for my birthday. We came to the refugee camp and they assigned me a birthday, which is October 12th.
M: Did that coordinate with any season?
T: It did, I mean it’s pretty close because my mom was saying the rice was just starting to turn yellow it’s almost ready to chop down or ah..
M: Harvest?
T: Harvest, there you go, to harvest and it’s about that time when I was born. So that was September/October timeframe.
M: So they just gave you it based off what your mom said?
T: Yeah.
M: So if we could switch topics for a bit?
T: Yep.
M: Okay, so we talked a little bit about the government with the schools and stuff, it still a Communist country or how does the government differ from the United States?
T: Um, I don’t know if it is still a Communist area I think it is, but I guess if you are in law enforcement side of it or the government side of it, you have power and if you are a civilian you can’t say much when it comes down to it. It’s not like the United States where you can sue the police officer or the police department. If the cops over there say you are wrong, we are taking you in for whatever reason, they are just going to do it. There is no innocent until proven guilty.
M: You’re just guilty if they say you are?
T: Yeah, pretty much.
M: Do you like being in the United States or do you want to return to Laos and find your cousins? Do you want to visit or anything?
T: I would maybe like to visit, but I would not like go back there. It’s so nice here family and friends and everything I know is pretty much here. Cousins, yeah I would like to go back to visit them, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
M: What do you like about the United States? Is it the freedom or what do you like?
T: I like everything about the United States. You make who you are. You are not letting someone dictate who you are. You are not going out there to work 10 or 12 hours in the field just so you can eat you know. Here you have a job, a career, it a lot easier for living and raising children, because they can have an education and do whatever they want. Over there, they are so limited to what they can do.