Before I left to college, my dad told me, “Wherever you go, you will always look for Hmong,” and he is correct about that. With my first semester at Colorado College, wherever I was or, whatever I did, I was always looking for Hmong people. Since there are only two Hmong students on campus, I knew that looking for Hmong people in Colorado meant looking for them elsewhere: Denver. (I was able to finally connect to some Hmong students).
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In the two weeks that I was home for winter break, I went to the Minnesota History Center three times, where they had an exhibit about the Hmong people. Each time I went, it was always an exciting experience! I learned something new as I reread through the descriptions on the side of the artifacts. When I was with my family, I took every opportunity to speak in my language! Anything related to Hmong made me excited!
When I came back to Colorado, I went on a retreat with Hmong Student Association of Colorado (HSAC), a Hmong student group. Being with them reminded me again about the beauty of my ethnicity, and how the love between each Hmong person is so special. It is a love that does not need words to be felt, but just the presence of one another. It’s funny how being away from my people and culture have actually brought me closer to them, and have given me a deeper craving to learn more; “Wherever you go, you will always look for Hmong.”