Laos

Laos. . , Fleeing Laos in the late 1970s meant fleeing bombs, chaos and terrible uncertainty. Laos was a dangerous place. Communists controlled the region, dictating to Laotian citizens precisely what they could or could not do., The first Laotian refugees to reach Iowa came in November 1981. There were over 100 families. Today there are over 2,000 Lao families in Iowa., We were thankful to be welcomed by Iowans. It meant we were safe; we could get an education; we had a way of making a living; we were able to get good jobs. We had goals and dreams we could fulfill., When we think of Governor Ray it is with joyful and good memories. He is our Father, a leader with the biggest heart. We see him through everything we accomplish. He will always be in our memory., We always try to preserve the Lao culture and we want to share our culture with others. We are a soft graceful people., We always greet people with softness. We approach people with respect. We established the Lao American Association of Iowa to help address issues for Laotians in Iowa. We formed the Lao Natasinh Group to teach about our culture and perform dances for the community. We have performed every year for the Asian Festival. We have also performed at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens. In 2006 we performed at the U.S. Library of Congress., We also have our beautiful Buddhist Temple where we have prayers and celebrations. Every June we host a special celebration of our culture., Our advice is to carry on our culture; to be visible in the community; to keep on learning and passing it down to the younger generations; to appreciate the elders; to thank the elders who brought us to this country to make our lives better., –Pat Chan