The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American

When The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down

When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down – A Personal Story

The story “When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is one that will always stay with me. I was born in the Hmong culture, and this book paints a vivid and heartbreaking picture of what life can be like when you are of two different worlds – and the clash that ensues between them.

My Youthful Struggles

Growing up in a traditional Hmong family, I found myself facing trials and tribulations that many kids in the United States didn't have to deal with. Not only were my parents extremely strict and had highly traditional values, but I was also caught between two cultures and two sets of values. My parents wanted the best for me, but at times this created issues between us. I was expected to follow traditional Hmong customs, while at the same time being expected to learn western values and customs.

The tension between my two worlds was palpable and I often felt like I was struggling to balance everything. I found solace in books and stories like “When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”, which gave me a clear picture of how other people like me were facing similar struggles and were finding ways to deal with the tensions.

The book also illuminated the cultural misunderstandings that can exist between East and West and brought home the fact that although there can be differences between cultures and countries, there are also many commonalities.

My Experiences with Western Medicine

Something that was particularly poignant and heartbreaking in the book was the clash between Western Medicine and traditional Hmong beliefs. My own experiences with doctors and Western Medicine were the same as those highlighted in the book – clashes, misunderstandings and failures.

From a young age, I had difficulty accepting and trusting doctors. I was suspicious of their motives and didn't understand what was being talked about. I had little confidence in their ability to heal me and found myself second-guessing treatments and losing faith. The narrative in this book offered me insight and understanding into my experiences and I found myself nodding along in recognition and sympathy.

My Migration to a New Country

When I found myself, later in life, migrating to a new country, the struggle only intensified. I had to navigate two languages, two legal systems and two vastly different cultures. When I read the story “When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”, I was reminded again of how tough it can be to straddle two countries and two cultures.

It was like I was reading my story – at least a part of it. The book made me realize that no matter where I was living, I was still a Hmong person, and I was still trying to figure out how to fit into the Western world, without abandoning my cultural traditions and values in the process.

My New Understanding of Tradition and Culture

What this book taught me was not only insight on how to face life in a new country but also a newfound appreciation of my own heritage and culture. As I read the story, I was able to understand the complexity of my own experiences and to appreciate how my background had shaped who I was and how I thought about the world and my place within it.

Through this understanding, I was able to find strength in the struggles and also find ways to embrace who I was and what I brought with me from my heritage. It taught me to be open-minded about other cultures and to never shy away from appreciating different perspectives and values.

My Hope for the Future

The book “When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” gave me an understanding of myself and of others like me that I was unable to find elsewhere. It reminded me of the importance of accepting and embracing difference and of finding ways to bridge the gap between two very different perspectives. I hope that with this understanding I can continue to work and strive for a better and more harmonious future.