Lou's Thailand Study Abroad Trip

Promotional Video!

Hello everyone, my name is Lou Xiong and I am currently a student at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. I currently study Musical Theatre with minors in Dance and Music here at Viterbo. This spring, I decided to travel abroad to Thailand to expand my knowledge of the world and, most importantly, myself.

Growing up, my mom always told me about the beautiful nature of her home country (Laos) as well as Thailand. Hearing those stories as a kid always enticed me to get myself there one day. When I saw a class that was going, I knew I had to tag along. This type of class is one of our required mission seminar classes we take here at Viterbo called "VUSM." This class in particular is called "Living in a Diverse World," where we dive into the culture of a foreign country. This year, the class was focused on the Hmong diaspora and the Vietnam War, which is special to me, and here's why.

As a Hmong individual, growing up in a primarily white, rural town in Wisconsin was not always the easiest. Being raised by a single mother in a low-income household has its trials as well. Through my years in primary education, I slowly became distant from the Hmong culture as I assimilated into American culture. People would view the food I ate and the way I portrayed my culture as a child as "weird." Because of this, I always felt different from everyone else and just wanted to fit in as best as I could. This is why I lost touch with not only my culture but my language.

Now, being an adult, I have been able to ask my family about their history and their upbringing in America. During the Vietnam War, my grandmother worked as an educator in her teens in underserved areas. My mother, growing up after the war, still suffered the repercussions, despite not being born during wartime, due to the lasting damage the war had on the Hmong people. She grew up in poverty and often had to find food in the wild to help her family survive. It was she who sacrificed everything she knew to come to America and provide her future son (me) with a better life.

This is why this trip is so important to me. So that I can see my people fully immersed in their culture and not assimilated into the American way. So that I can find myself retouched with my Hmong roots. It is not common for people in my culture to find themselves in the performing arts in university education. I want to change the world by creating stories for those who cannot tell theirs and lead a path for Hmong Americans in the American entertainment industry. Going to Thailand will teach me so much about myself and the people I love the most in this world.

Thank you for reading my story and I hope you consider donating! Every penny counts!

All proceeds will go towards trip expenses and supporting local hill tribes. (Plane ticket, food, housing, traditional goods, etc.)

Lou Xiong