I've always had a passion for Asia. Several examples of what I mean; when I was about 6 or 7 years old I met my best friend, Mariko Mizumura. Her family had moved from Tokyo to Milwaukee so her father could continue his medical research. After becoming friends I was invited over to her house many times where her mother gave me my first pair of chopsticks. In case you were wondering, they were pink and had Snoopy on them. I was then given two bowls. One filled with some type of hard beans, and the other one empty; I was charged with the task of moving all the beans from one bowl to the other. So bean by bean I learned how to use chopsticks.
The friends I have surrounded myself with have also made an impact on my cultural understandings. In Jr. High School my best friend happened to be Laotian. I spent every weekend at her house for probably a year. Learning the proper way to make noodles, eating sticky rice, and understanding that a good bowl of noodles required a box of kleenex while being eaten.
Then I went to college and became best friends with a Cambodian. He and I celebrated Cambodian New Years together with his family. In addition to that wonderful celebration we also often ate many home made Cambodian meals, his mom even taught me how to make egg rolls from scratch! Then my sophomore year of college, I decided to study abroad. No surprise to anyone, I chose Asia...more specifically China. I fell in love with Asian culture up close and personal. So when I announced I'd be moving to Japan after my college graduation, there were few people who were surprised. However not many people knew what sparked my interest in Asian cultures. It began long before China or College or even Jr. High, and has nothing to do with boys.
As most of you know, I grew up in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has a large population of Hmong refugees. The Hmong people are an ethnic group in several countries,mainly China, Laos, Thailand and Southeast Asia, believed have come from the Yangtze River basin area around Hunan, China. During the Vietnam war, the CIA secretly used Hmong soilders to fight the North Vietnamese that were invading Laos. The Hmong soilders were very dedicated to helping the US, but suffered large casualties. After the US pulled out, Hmong people were being forced out of their home countries. The US, probably feeling guilty, helped to relocate them and many were placed in Milwaukee. Why, you ask? I have no idea, good question.
The point to that long explanation is that Milwaukee has a high concentration of Asian individuals from all over Southeast Asia. My elementary school happened to be an Asian Immersion school. In a sense, I grew up with Asian culture. Our talent shows consisted of traditional ethnic dances in full costume, and listening to traditional music. I remember eating rice treats steamed in a banana leaf, and playing a cool jump rope game with long cords made from rubber bands. I never knew that my experience was an exceptional one, and thought all schools were that diverse. I was only 5 and didn't know any differently. All of these experiences and opportunities have led to my love of Asia and all things Asian, and it is with this passion I want to share my experiences with you!
(So that's not me, but that is a real outfit of what the girls wore at my school on special occassions)
Join me back here to read all about my adventures traveling throughout Asia these past 6 years and to learn more about a culture you might not know so much about. Feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to answer them, or get opinions from my educated friends throughout the world I have come to know and love.
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