Last Saturday I went to the Hmong Market in St. Paul.  It was part of a project for my Intercultural Communications class, but as you can tell from my world traveling, I didn’t mind.  I think people forget that you don’t have to take a twelve hour flight to throw yourself into a completely different culture.  Even walking into an ethnic market can be an experience.

They don’t have a website, the shop owners don’t all speak English, and I’m not entirely sure what was in my spring rolls.  It was awesome.  How is this different from farmer’s markets?  Everything is different.  Except they both sell food.  I strolled around with a classmate and looked through things like beauty products, jewelry, traditional Hmong dresses, and overwhelmingly large displays of Hmong movies, or movies dubbed in Hmong.

What is Hmong, you ask?  It’s the culture shared by people in the Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and certain parts of China.  There is a large Hmong community in the Twin Cities because this is where a lot of refugees from southern Asia came during the Vietnam War.  The Hmong community doesn’t have it’s own nation state, so adolescents often struggle with defining their identity.  I saw a lot of children’s books dealing with this struggle.  This one for example:

The struggle of personal identity was a common theme in many of the Hmong children's books

My favorite parts of the Hmong Market?

• The monkey fertility amulet
• The old man standing in the isle singing
• The food in a college student’s budget range
• The $2 earrings I bought
• Bartering
• The little kids running around
• The homeopathic remedies next to the Tylenol

To learn more about Hmong people and the Hmong culture, please visit the Hmong Cultural Center website.

1. They played the Tokyo Drift theme song in the weights room
   

   Never enough me.

2. Reached muscle failure on every weights machine!  Such a champ!
   

   Buy one get one free!

3. MY INTERNSHIP GAVE ME A SECOND MONITOR IN MY CUBICLE
   

   BEST PICTURE EVER.

4. Flying home!
   

   I was the original character in the game. They couldn't afford me.

5. Helping my friend move into her grownup apartment
   

   Velour tracksuits do not need photoshopping.

6. MY FAVORITE BAND IS PLAYING IN MY HOMETOWN TOMORROW NIGHT
   

   LUDO!

7. Flying back to st paul
   

   Pretend it's in the opposite direction. KTHX!

8. Redhead date night!
   

   BACK OFF BRAH

I was supposed to see some friends I haven’t seen in a year and a half, too, but I just found out they’re not going to make it

But my weekend will be spectacular regardless!

Because I hate it a lot.

The view from my window.

I’m currently sitting in MSP at gate E12 waiting to get on my flight to Chicago. I’m hungry and sleepy and someone in close proximity reeks of mothballs.

I’m excited to go home for Saturday though because I’m grabbing my car and driving to Milwaukee for the day to attend Irish Fest and see all my Northern Ireland Young Ambassador buddies! I also get to see my favorite 19-year-old brother who was MIA during my previous 18-hour flyby at home between Europe and school.

I’m all moved in at school into my swanky 70′s on campus apartment. My closet doors are all bright orange. I’m sure you’re jealous.

Starting Sunday I have two straight weeks of Resident Advisor training, so don’t expect to hear much from me. I’ll probably be curled up in the fetal position somewhere wishing I was careless in Europe again.

Welp, I’m boarding. Talk to you all again soon :]