I had the privilege to talk to Lia Lee. Lee is a 67 years olds Hmong woman. She is a mother to 5 children, 31 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. Lee and husband Va Toua Xiong with her 4 children were sponsored by a church in St. Paul. They arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota in November 1980. Lia Lee and her husband did not have any close relatives in St. Paul during their arrival. Their sponsor found them an apartment in St. Paul. Lee and husband Xiong attended adult school to learn English and learn how to adjust to living in America. After one year of learning English, Lia Lee found a job in a company. She worked there for 5 years and quit the job to take care of her children. Lee and her husband Xiong got help from the church to sponsor …show more content…
Lee stated to be an elder in her Hmong community; she is able to use her past experience about life to teach to the younger generation. Also, she said to be a very well elder, the individual has to be an understandable, motivated, and respectful person.
3. What do you know now that you wished you knew when you were younger?
a. Lee stated she wished knew how important education is to life when she was younger. Also, she said if she knew education was the key to success then she would have fought for her education.
4. What advice would you give to the younger generation?
a. Lee stated her advice for the younger generation is to work hard and fight for their education because education is the key to success. Also, she said she want the younger generation to remember to give back to the people who support and love them. Lastly, she wants the younger generation to remember their Hmong culture and to keep it alive.
5. What do you think are the important issues the community is facing?
a. Lee stated the younger generation losing their Hmong culture and language is one of the important issues the community is facing. She said the younger generation has adopted to Western culture and has forgotten the Hmong culture.
6. How does it feel to be getting
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How do you feel about Western medicine?
a. Lee believes that the Western medicine does help her in many aspects. She thinks that if Western medicine does not exist, she would not be able to strengthen her health due to the fact that accessing traditional medications are very limited. Western medicine has impacted her health positively.
12. What do you do to seek medical help?
a. Lee stated due to her age, Lee depends on her family to assist her in seeking medical help. Language barrier and medical concerns is still a factor for seeking medical help. By Lee’s family assistant, she is able to seek medical help.
13. Did you experience what western culture called menopause and midlife crisis?
a. Lee stated that she did experience menopause, but due to lack of knowledge on menopause Lee did not understand what she was experiencing. She understood it was related to health, but did not understand it had to do with her age. In regards to the midlife crisis, Lee stated that she did not experience any midlife crisis. Lee believes that in cultural practice, the midlife crisis does not impact in daily life and for Lee did not experience a midlife crisis.
14. What was your role in daily life activities in