HMoob (Hmong) around the World Part 3: Lost in Malaysia

Date October 22, 2021

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HMoob (Hmong) around the World Part 3: Lost in Malaysia

By: Kevin Phoojywg Xiong

**Kevin in Vientiane, Laos (Winter Break 2018)**

Hi! My name is Kevin Phoojywg Xiong and I went on the Laos, Thailand, Malaysia (LTM) Winter Break 2018 study abroad program. Every year, I would be encouraged to go by friends who had gone before. In 2018, it was my 4th year at SCSU and I felt it was my time. Some main reasons I wanted to participate on the LTM experience was because I had grown to love making curry and this was an opportunity to eat authentic curry in other countries. Also, my parents and grandparents were born in Laos and Thailand. Although times have changed, I was interested in speaking with other Hmong kids my age who grew up in a different culture, and who were born in another country.

HMoob (Hmong) around the World Part 2: Testing Boundaries

Date September 28, 2021

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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By: Larsa Yang (Class of 2016 & 2019) and James Yang (Class of 2020)

**Korea University, South Korea, Fall 2019 (James Yang – Left) and Akita International University, Japan, Fall 2017 (Larsa Yang – right)**

Larsa’s Story:

Hey, my name is Larsa and I studied abroad in Japan for a full year and participated on the short-term program to Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. I wanted to study abroad because I was really tired of the everyday life in Minnesota. Minnesota is cool, but I think there are so many other things you can learn by learning from others outside of Minnesota and even the US. Study abroad encouraged me to think culturally about a lot of things that would’ve never occurred to me if I never traveled abroad. I purposefully took a leave of absence from my graduate program to study in Japan as an undergrad. Do I regret it? Not at all, I loved my experience. If anything I wanted to push myself to become a better person, and that’s exactly what happened. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Check out some of Larsa’s education abroad photos:

Student Spotlight: Max Yong

Date May 27, 2021

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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Say hello to Max Yong!

Max’s home country is Malaysia. He is studying Psychology at St. Cloud State University. In addition to his studies, Max is an International Peer Advisor Coordinator at the Center for International Studies.

Max’s favorite on-campus event was the snow-tubing trip organized by CIS for international students. Max enjoys watching the movie, The Kingsman, as he finds the scenes interesting. One piece of advice that Max would offer to international students is to get a portable heater for the cold Minnesota winters. Fun fact: Max also survived winter without winter shoes! (Not recommended.)

HMoob (Hmong) around the World Part 1: A Whole New Perspective

Date April 22, 2021

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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HMoob (Hmong) around the World Part 1: A Whole New Perspective

By: Kameiko Vue (Class of 2020) and Tonny Yang (Class of 2017 & 2019)

Kameiko Vue in Vientiane, Laos (left) & Tonny Yang in Penang, Malaysia (right)

Kameiko’s Story

I took part in the South East Asia (SEA) study abroad program in the winter of 2017-2018. This study abroad trip included going to Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. I wanted to be a part of this trip because I wanted to explore the world and enrich myself in the culture, people and food. Because of this trip, I experienced riding on an airplane and traveling out of the country for the first time ever. Not to mention, I built ever lasting friendships with individuals that I will cherish forever.

A Tea Lover’s Top 3 Teas from around the World

Date January 12, 2021

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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A Tea Lover’s Top 3 Teas from around the World

By Rachael Gardner

The problem with coffee? It’s just not tea!

I know a lot of people are super into coffee. Coffee smells great, don’t get me wrong, but the taste and caffeine levels have never jived with me. My hot beverage consumption was pretty much limited to hot chocolate and apple cider until the fall of 2012. This thankfully changed through travel and exploration. As a part of my study abroad experience in Denmark, I traveled to the UK with two of my friends. It was on this trip that my love of tea was born. Not just the beverage itself, but the different cultural norms and values that come with tea.

A photo of me at my happiest – with a big cup of tea.

Presence

Date December 3, 2019

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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Presence

Tessa Takash

On my fourth day abroad in Southeast Asia I left my phone on the beach while swimming and, surprise, it was stolen. After my initial mourning I adjusted to my technology-less life and found a silver lining: I learned how to be present.

Without my phone I:

Was able to make profound connections with my peers by tagging along on all of their adventures and asking them questions about their culture
Enjoyed sunsets on the Mekong River without feeling like I needed to capture the perfect picture (none could do it justice)
Took in my new surroundings – the vast arrays of fresh tropical fruits, the colorful knickknacks on every street corner, and tuk tuks blazing by
Put my control freak tendencies in check by letting go of planning every detail of my day
Got lost in the pure chaos of New Year’s Eve in Bangkok

Half of my heart is in Malaysia

Date September 27, 2019

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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Half of my heart is in Malaysia

Written by: Anna Nelson, 2019

My semester abroad in Malaysia has been the most spectacular period of my life so far! Out of the nearly 60 exchange students at Taylor’s University, only two of us were from the United States. I think that set me up well to be able to branch out and get to know people from all over the world, since the exchange students tended to hang out with one another. There were a lot of international students who, while not exchange students, were welcoming and showed us around and they often took trips with us.

Before studying in Malaysia, I had never left the United States, but now I’ve been to a total of 8 countries! It’s been such an amazing experience. The world feels much smaller, now that I’ve been to the other side of it. I have friends on every inhabited continent, so I get to keep feeding the fire for more adventures throughout my life.