I can’t imagine what it must have  been like for my parents when 270 MILLION bombs fell from the sky like rain. I can’t imagine the fear, pain and hatred they felt as they were forced to leave the country they loved and live in the country they hated to “become one of them”. It may have happened 56 years ago yet the only U.S. President that actually DID anything was Obama and that was in 2016! So every time I see people on the news talking about how “their people are suffering” I think “You never had to leave your country, you never witnessed countless people getting injured or killed for 9 years, some are STILL getting injured or killed because of the bombs still hidden, waiting for another victim, you never had to assimilate, you will never know how much my people suffered!” So every time someone looks at me and tells me “Go back to your country!” which actually only happened ONCE out of all my 32 years of life, I can’t help but laugh thinking “THIS IS MY COUNTRY!” or “Why would I go live in my parents’ country that got blown up!” Make no mistake I don’t hate Americans at all since I AM one, this is all I know. I just wanted to know about my Laotian culture, WHY the elders never talk about how, when and WHY they came to America, why they refuse to assimilate, why they hate and don’t trust Americans, I just wanted to understand and now that I do I just feel a deep sadness. The truth really does hurt but I needed to know.