3 Gents on the songtail...
Songtail public transportation (truck bed=seating area=3000Kip=37 cents)…so my fellow Fulbright friends: Leslie, Toby, and I were on our way to the morning one day. A few minutes after we got on the truck bed…three young gentlemen got on…I was thinking…could they be Hmong? Then I overheard them talking…yes, they were Hmong…I immediately told Toby and Leslie…hey these guys are Hmong…how do you know they asked and I said…they are speaking Hmong…as I was speaking English to Toby and Leslie as I sat across from them…the gentlemen were trying to guess where we were from and they guess that I was Chinese…Neej Suav…I smiled and told Leslie and Toby…they think I’m Chinese and we all smiled…Leslie told me…John, you should interrupt and talk with them…I was like well…maybe…I don’t know…Leslie kept pressuring me…do it…now or never…do it live! Toby also told me to speak with them too…so I was like what the heck…why not? So I spoke and asked them….brothers, are you all Hmong? I honestly have to say…I got blank stares from them…deer looking at headlights…a good 20-30 second stare and silence…you all should have seen their faces…PRICELESS and ADORABLE…they soon replied…Yes, yes, we are Hmong…and from there we conserved about where everyone is from, what we are doing, and etc.
Songtail public transportation (truck bed=seating area=3000Kip=37 cents)…so my fellow Fulbright friends: Leslie, Toby, and I were on our way to the morning one day. A few minutes after we got on the truck bed…three young gentlemen got on…I was thinking…could they be Hmong? Then I overheard them talking…yes, they were Hmong…I immediately told Toby and Leslie…hey these guys are Hmong…how do you know they asked and I said…they are speaking Hmong…as I was speaking English to Toby and Leslie as I sat across from them…the gentlemen were trying to guess where we were from and they guess that I was Chinese…Neej Suav…I smiled and told Leslie and Toby…they think I’m Chinese and we all smiled…Leslie told me…John, you should interrupt and talk with them…I was like well…maybe…I don’t know…Leslie kept pressuring me…do it…now or never…do it live! Toby also told me to speak with them too…so I was like what the heck…why not? So I spoke and asked them….brothers, are you all Hmong? I honestly have to say…I got blank stares from them…deer looking at headlights…a good 20-30 second stare and silence…you all should have seen their faces…PRICELESS and ADORABLE…they soon replied…Yes, yes, we are Hmong…and from there we conserved about where everyone is from, what we are doing, and etc.
Meat Ladies...
So there is a small market near my accommodation where I’m living and there are many vendors selling fruits, sweets, toiletries, clothes, vegetables, school supplies, meat, and much more…but on this day I was shopping for my weekly groceries and I’ve decided to buy certain things from certain vendors trying to be a frequent customer…anyways there is a lady who sells meat (pork) and on this particular day there were 2 other ladies with her…a young gal who looks to be younger than me and an older lady probably around her 50-60s….the meat lady was probably around my mother's age so I was wanting to buy meat…a kilo or two worth of pork…as I approached them…I could not help but overhear them speaking in Hmong…I thought to myself…huh what and excited…Hmong vendors! I asked, “Are you Hmong?” They all replied back yes, and I asked for their names…I forgot all but the younger lady’s name because I had a hard time understanding it because I was expecting a Hmong/Lao name when in fact she was pronouncing Amy…Amy…Amy…the whole time and my friend Leslie said it's Amy…I did not believe her name was an English name…I smiled and laughed.
So there is a small market near my accommodation where I’m living and there are many vendors selling fruits, sweets, toiletries, clothes, vegetables, school supplies, meat, and much more…but on this day I was shopping for my weekly groceries and I’ve decided to buy certain things from certain vendors trying to be a frequent customer…anyways there is a lady who sells meat (pork) and on this particular day there were 2 other ladies with her…a young gal who looks to be younger than me and an older lady probably around her 50-60s….the meat lady was probably around my mother's age so I was wanting to buy meat…a kilo or two worth of pork…as I approached them…I could not help but overhear them speaking in Hmong…I thought to myself…huh what and excited…Hmong vendors! I asked, “Are you Hmong?” They all replied back yes, and I asked for their names…I forgot all but the younger lady’s name because I had a hard time understanding it because I was expecting a Hmong/Lao name when in fact she was pronouncing Amy…Amy…Amy…the whole time and my friend Leslie said it's Amy…I did not believe her name was an English name…I smiled and laughed.
Bookshop gent...
So on the university campus there is a bookshop selling a variety of things from school supplies, mini-grocery/household items, and books. Anyways as I began teaching classes…I need teaching materials so I went to check out the university’s bookshop…well in front of the bookshop there is a counter area to drop off you book bags/purses…the first couple of times I went I would drop off my backpack and this gentleman would give me a number and every time I saw him I wondered…is he Hmong? There is some distinct features I can identify about a Hmong person…and my gut feeling was telling me that he was Hmong…so one day after I bought some supplies I asked him…are you Hmong? He said yes…and we spoke for bit…his name is Cha Hawj and his mother is from the Thao clan although I don’t know if there is a relationship between her and I, but my guess is that there is…he is a student majoring in computer science and he really would like me to visit and meet his family…I have yet to go, but I hope soon. =)
So on the university campus there is a bookshop selling a variety of things from school supplies, mini-grocery/household items, and books. Anyways as I began teaching classes…I need teaching materials so I went to check out the university’s bookshop…well in front of the bookshop there is a counter area to drop off you book bags/purses…the first couple of times I went I would drop off my backpack and this gentleman would give me a number and every time I saw him I wondered…is he Hmong? There is some distinct features I can identify about a Hmong person…and my gut feeling was telling me that he was Hmong…so one day after I bought some supplies I asked him…are you Hmong? He said yes…and we spoke for bit…his name is Cha Hawj and his mother is from the Thao clan although I don’t know if there is a relationship between her and I, but my guess is that there is…he is a student majoring in computer science and he really would like me to visit and meet his family…I have yet to go, but I hope soon. =)
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