LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM

TIME TO GO OR TIME TO STAY

• Hmong parents arrange the marriages for children
• Some Hmong refugees decided to stay in Thailand
• Refugees had to take a bus and plane to get to the airport

REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS

• Immigrants choose to leave their homes for a better life
• Refugees must leave their home countries, so they don't get killed or in prisoned

MAKING DECISIONS

• Some Hmong went back to Laos to trying farming the land again
• Others went to fight the Communists
• The rest stayed in Thailand waiting for it to be safe to go back to Laos

LEAVING THE CAMPS

• Refugees went to Australia, France, the United States, and other countries
• Most refugees wanted to leave Thailand, but not return to Laos
• You needed prove you were on the United States's side, and permission to enter our country

AN UNKOWN LAND

• Thousands of Hmong refugees entered the US in the 1979's
• Most of them spent several weeks at Phanat Nikhom
• By 1990, more than 100,000 Hmong had entered the US

CULTURE SHOCK

• Most Hmong could read/write little to no English
• They never turned on a faucet or used a modern bathroom
• They had no money to but land, so their farming skills were little use and many ended up in welfare
• Few Hmong had ridden/could drive cars, and most boy soldiers were now high school students

THE YOUNG HMONG ADAPT

• By 1980, many Americans had learned about the Hmong
• The Americans helped them adapt to their new home
• Many young refugees had soon learned English, and did well in school
• Some Hmong went on to college, started their own businesses, and no longer needed welfare

THE OLDER HMONG STRUGGLE

• Most young Hmong had been born in the jungle or camps without seeing the horror of the war

LOST IN AMERICA

• Today in the US, many Hmong have adapted well while others continue to struggle
• Many elderly Hmong feel lost and useless