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Olashawn’s family story is similar to other immigrants’ stories in many ways.  There were fewer opportunities for women in Thailand than there was here in the United States. Olashawn’s mother was searching for the best life she could find for her children. Because the family moved here in the 70’ds they beat many anti immigrants feelings that developed in the post cold war era but they moved in the post Vietnam era  when international conglomerates were perfecting their techniques that caused people to migrate.  There are two types of reasons that people move to this country some are “pushed” and some are “pulled“. The people who a re pushed are forced out of their country when they may not have really wanted to leave. These people are the refugees of religious persecution and those escaping war ravaged nations.   The other groups of people are those who are “pulled” from their place of birth. These  are the people who are not forced out of their homelands but leave their homeland for many reason but mostly because they are looking for better economic opportunity.    Olashawn’s family was pulled from Thailand by the lure of the United States and the better life they believed it could help provide. 

Like the Hmong in New Pioneers of the New Heartland: Hmong life in Wisconsin by Jo An Koltyk who preferred to save money, to buy a home, instead of buying the things that a typical American family desired,  Olashawn’s mother also put off buying the things she wanted  and lived at times in a basement  so that she could save to bring her other children over to the United States. It took Olashawn’s mother a year of saving to bring each one of her children to the United States. 

                Olashawn’s mother found that she could earn a living by practicing her traditional Thai cooking. The Tongan women who immigrated to the United States, in the book Voyages: From Tongan Villages to American Suburbs by Cathy Small, also found that they could use the skills that they had learned in their homeland to start a small business and earn some money. 

                Similar to the immigrants’ stories in Crossing the BLVD: Strangers, Neighbors, Aliens in a New America by Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan, Olashawn’s mother faced a point in her settlement when she had to decide if she really wanted to stay here because at the time her life had been better in Thailand than it was in the United States. Olashawn’s mother was happier once she was out of the immigrant limbo and was receiving help from a social worker on getting her citizenship.  Contrary to the views of the Moroccans in In and Out of Morocco: Smuggling and Migration in a Frontier Boomtown by David Mc Murray the Thais do not view emigrants with disdain or as a competition, Thai families apparently like to show of their successful American cousins. The family takes pleasure in the success of their American family. The contributions of remittances are not as important for Olashawn’s family, but for many Thai families it is a needed source of income.

In the article Refugee Women by Susan Forbes Martin the author states that many migrants are in physical danger due to possible exploitation by smugglers. Women and children suffer the greatest risk. While Olashawn’s mother did suffer the worst of these types of exploitation people still tried to take advantage of her because of her tenuous situation in her new country. Olashawn’s family had their passports taken away from them and this is one of the tactics commonly used by smugglers to keep people from running away from them.  Many times when women are trafficked into a country and exploited the smugglers will take their passport because without a passport it is difficult for someone to return to their home.

                Olashawn  had the advantage of growing up with two cultures; she had the Thai culture of her birth and the American culture that she grew up in.  After Olashawn married and had children she is trying to bring her children up with a mixture of the two cultures.  Olashawn has taught her children how to speak Thai so they will be able to communicate with their Thai family.    Olashawn is now able to make a living by supplying American diners with a little of her culture.

Crossing the Valley

 

 
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