Hmong Culture Research Paper

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Ever since I was a little girl, Hmong culture has been ingrained into me from my parents’ and great grandparents. They would tell me tales about the secret war in Vietnam and being forced to swim across the Mekong River to Laos and Thailand for refuge. I remember admiring being Hmong, but because of my parents and their life choices made as teenagers, being involved in gangs and drugs, my siblings and I didn’t get to learn and immerse ourselves in the Hmong culture as strongly as we would like. I believe that this plays an enormous role in me not being as connected to the Hmong culture today. Now, with my own daughter, I am raising her with as much knowledge that I have about Hmong tradition, food, music, and language. According to the Hofstede …show more content…
Being raised in America as a Hmong daughter, my parents strongly followed the traditions taught by their parents. For example, a Hmong daughter is raised to cook, clean, and prepare to be a wife. Not only that, but there is no input about how a family operates. In my family, my dad makes the decisions for everybody, but family is non-negotiable so everyone in the household operates for the betterment of the family. Referring to the comparison tool, this makes complete sense because Thailand scores a 19 out of America’s 60 on Individualism. The one thing that did surprise me though was the difference between Thailand and the United States on long-term orientation. The chart shows that Thailand scored a 67 and America scored a 50. The reason why this stood out to me is because even though America is advanced compared to Thailand, America is still a rigid country by tradition and does not welcome change like Thailand does. Focusing on Thailand and the United States of America, I see the blend of both cultures within me. The one thing that I loved about my grandparents’ and what I took away from living with them for a period is that I learned how to cook Hmong food, speak Hmong, clean the house, and respect others no matter who they …show more content…
I do find myself thinking that money always comes back, and aligning myself with the “work hard, play hard” ideology, but I have tendencies of being frugal and picky on what I spend my money on, too. To me, this seems to be something that I need to work on individually. Thinking internationally, I understand how my upbringing and own culture can interact and go against other cultures and livelihoods. For example, I do not like going against people of authority and was raised to follow rules strictly. Before researching on an expatriate assignment in a foreign country, my initial thoughts are that it is essential to know and learn the influence of culture on workplace dynamics and adult education. For example, cultural variations impact communication norms, organizational expectations, and learning methods. This is extremely important because when beginning to adapt to cultural nuances, it requires openness, empathy, and a willingness to learn. For me, I am interested in travelling and working in Norway. To work productively with people in Norway, adjusting to communication and behavior is
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