About fifteen thousand Hmong refugees from Thailand are due to be resettled in the United States this year. Five thousand of them will go to the twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul in the midwestern state of Minnesota. VOA's Oksana Dragan talked with May Tong Chang, a Hmong woman who has lived in Saint Paul for more than twenty years and is gearing up to help the newcomers adjust to life in what for them will be a strange new land.
Originally from Laos, for the past ten years these Hmong people have found refuge in a Buddhist temple in Thailand, guarded by golden statues of Buddha and surrounded by lush greenery and craggy hills. They will be coming to a modern, busy American metropolis in a state known for its ten thousand lakes and freezing winters. May Tong Chang, an adult literacy specialist at the Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul -- Minnesota's capital city -- describes some of the challenges the new Hmong refugees face.
Listen to our report for details.