Daisy Lopez

Dance 1010
Laos Culture
The culture I chose for this assignment was Laos. Laos is a landlocked Southeast Asian
country surrounded by Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China. Laos is a culture that
is distinguished by their traditional way of dressing. It is a Buddhist country thats why it is very
important to dress and behave in a way that is respectful for their culture.
I chose this culture, because its very different from mines. Its interesting to see all the
differences there are in one anothers culture. Laos has always captured my attention because; I
have several friends that are from that country.
The person I decided to interview for this assignment is a very close friend that is Laos,
his name is Chaky Xayavong. I picked him for my interview, because we have been close friends
for about almost ten years. I interviewed him because; I feel that for the time Ive known him I
realized how different both of our cultures are in many ways. I am very close to him, and consult
with him probably like three to four times a week.
I felt the interview went well with Chaky. He was very comfortable when I would ask
him any questions regarding his culture. I really liked the way he gave me a lot of information
based on his Laos culture. Although I have known him for quite a while there were some things
he told me during the interview that captured my attention.
During this interview I asked Chaky many different questions that I felt were important to
know. Chaky started off by explaining to me what his Laos culture meant to him. Culture is
very important for someone that is Laos said Chaky. Not only because we are Buddhist, the

way we dress and behave have a lot to do with us as a person. Chaky told me his culture was
something special for him. The reason why is, because they have certain believes that make him
feel proud of his culture. Chaky said that once he arrived to America his life was different in
many ways. However, he has not left his Buddhist religion or changed his traditional way of
dressing they had in his country. Although he doesnt dress often the way he should he still tries
to keep up with his tradition when he goes to family reunions or special occasions. I feel that
Chaky is very opened minded when talking about his culture. He explains well and is very proud
of his culture, just like I am. Chaky talked to me more about his life cycle afterwards.
Chaky explained how great life was for him when living in Laos. He said that something
he remembers is that he owned a pet elephant. I personally found this interesting. Chaky said this
pet elephant meant so much to him, because his parents gave it to him as a good luck gift. He
named his elephant Kimimaro, which comes from one of his favorite anime. He really cherished
his pet, however when he moved to America he had to let go of his pet elephant. Chaky says the
most difficult stage in life for him was moving to a whole new different country. I can definitely
relate to him, because you have fear of coming to a whole new world. You have new openings,
beginnings, chapters, barriers, etc. Chaky knows both Laos and English. However, Laotian is his
first language. Chaky mentioned that Lao is closely related to Thai and speakers like him are able
to understand spoken Thai. Chaky said that when he lived in Laos he spoke Laotian every day;
this was his way of communicating. This was part of his life cycle living in Laos. Chaky told me
that the Lao language consists primarily of native Lao words, because of Buddhism. Lao, like
many languages in Laos, is written in the Lao script something like an abugida script explained
Chaky. When you are communicating in Laotian it is way different than English. When it comes
to family reunions he greets with a nop-bringing their hands together at the chin in a prayer-like

gesture. He feels that he speaks at a faster pace, and makes direct eye contact. This shows you
have good manners and you are showing respect when speaking to someone. However,
communicating with a girl is different Chaky says I feel I get nervous and embarrassed when I
shouldnt. Although I believe everyone should be treated the same doesnt matter what sex or
sex orientation they are says Chaky.
The next thing we talked about was food in Laos. In this culture something that is very
popular that is eaten is sticky rice. Ive been out to eat with Chaky quite some times and have
noticed this is by far his favorite dish, which by the way is very good. In my country Mexico rice
is a very common dish as well. We pretty much eat rice with the majority of our foods. Another
typical favorite dish Chaky loves eating is Lao Noodle Soup (Pho). This dish is very common in
Laos as it is in America Chaky mentioned. When it comes to eating he is used to eat with
chopsticks. Chaky says in Laos i would eat as a family style, sitting on the floor sharing several
delicious dishes. Chaky then started explaining how dress and appearance is very important in
Lao society. He says that when he lived in Laoss men appearing shirtless in public and women
bearing their shoulders and thighs were a disrespectful way of manner. Women in Laos shouldnt
wear clothes that reveals too much skin. Here in America its different says Chaky most Laotians
dont follow these dressing habits when moving here. Something that I did keep tradition was
the habit of leaving footwear outside the threshold its not just to maintain a clean house, but it is
a long-standing tradition that will cause offence if flouted says Chaky. Us Mexicans as well keep
some sort of traditions when coming to the United States. Something we cannot stop the traditon
of is our Catholic religion. Even though I moved to the US I still go to church when I can and
feel proud of being Catholic. My way of dressing didnt really change much because in Mexico

people dress however they want there is not certain way of dressing. Although in Mexico they do
wear sombreros and colorful dresses I stopped that once I came to America.
Values are very important to Chaky. He values his culture a lot no matter if he lives in
another country. He tries to keep his habits he had in Laos, because this was how he was raised.
Chaky and most Laotians value being Buddhist. Laos has some typical values such as, politics,
economy and society explained Chaky. The Laos culture is profoundly influenced by Buddhism
which make Laotians thinking, attitude and behavior.
Chaky loves the music his culture listens to known as Lam. He described this as
extemporaneous singing accompanied by the khene. Although Chaky listens to this music he
loves listening to popular American music as well. When it comes to costume of Laotian people
its very diverse, colorful and sparkling. Laoss women often wear Sinh for special occasions or
events says Chaky. When I lived in Laos I wore salong to attend important ceremonies with
my parents. I still wear them at times here in America its a tradition that I cant stop says
Chaky. When I moved to America I did start listening to more American music than Mexican
music. In Mexico there are a variety of music types such as, rock in Spanish, bachata, salsa,
merengue and much more. I did get used to the American music just like Chaky did when
coming to America.
When it comes to holidays and celebrations in Laos its quite different. For example we
dont celebrate New Years on the first of January like everyone else in America says Chaky. I
usually celebrate it that way because, I now live here. However, I also get together with my
family when its Laos New Years we gather and make a celebration like we would in Laos.
Laos does a big annual celebration that as a kid I remember I would attend Chaky explained. I

got to admit I miss all the dancing, music, gatherings, and big celebrations we would have.
Dancing, special dressings, music, varieties of food are parts of these type of celebrations we
have. Something that Chaky mentioned during his interview was that when someone passes
away they must shave their head and eyebrows to show respect for the loss one. I can really
relate to Chaky with this part because in Mexico they have different celebrations as well such as
El Dia De Los Muertos, El Dia Del Nino and all these other holidays that are not celebrated her
in America. I personally do miss all these celebrations, because we would have family
gatherings.
Last of all Chaky talked to me about his experience living here in Utah. He says he came
to America when he was about six years old. The reason why he came to America was because
his family wanted a better future for him. He says at first it was hard to get used to living in a
whole new country. Everyone around me spoke English and I had trouble speaking it and
understanding it says Chaky. He tells me he had a lot of language barriers. There were times he
wanted to go back to Laos, because he felt so left out. However, as the years went by he learned
more English, made friends and felt more comfortable living here in Utah. He says there are
times he misses Laos and he goes and visits, but he got use to living here in Salt Lake City.
Chaky at the moment is 21 years old, has two jobs, a car and his own house. He told me he feels
that he has accomplished so much here in Utah and is proud his parents brought him to America.
I can personally relate to Chaky so much, because Im from Mexico and have had the same
experiences when I arrived to America. You feel so empty and different when arriving to a new
country. Nothing is the same there are different cultures, people, places, states, etc. it really takes
time for one to get accustomed to a new life. Without a doubt you will at some point miss your

country and everything about it. I certainly miss Mexico, my family and everything about it. I
hope soon I can visit Mexico and go to all the places I once went to when I was a child.
Chaky came to America with a visa he then became a US resident. He said that when
coming to the US they did so many test and checkups before letting him enter the United States.
He in no way felt discriminated, because he knows that was part of the whole process when
coming to another country. He has had some language barriers being here in the United States.
They often made fun of his name, the way he spoke, the way he dressed and for being Buddhist.
Although this happened often he didnt give up and put so much effort to be where he is at right
now. To be honest I struggled a lot and there were many obstacles here and there, but I am glad
where I am at right now. I feel proud of myself for all the things Ive done says Chaky. Being
from a different country does make you have so many struggles. I say it by experience. Its even
came to a point where I have been discriminated, but I still kept going. I now currently am
attending college finishing my degree, have a job and have things of my own. I am also very
proud of myself for where I stand at the moment. I have had ups and downs just like Chaky
living here in America but thats all part of getting where you want to be.
During this interview I learned several things. I learned the struggles and experiences
Chaky had when he moved to America. I learned so much about the Laos culture thanks to
Chakys information that was provided. I did challenge some of my assumptions I had about his
culture. I use to think Laos, Vietnamese and Chinese were all the same when it came to culture.
However, they are all different from one another. They may be located in the same part of the
map but they are many differences in them. Once you hear about the life cycle, food, clothing
and values Laotians have you will love this country. I use to ask Chaky so much about his culture
since I knew him but with this interview I discovered things I never knew about him until now. I

really cherish the friendship Chaky and I have for the same reason because we are from a
different culture yet so much alike. We both speak different languages; eat same dishes such as
rice and noodles. Chaky and I are very prideful when it comes to religion. Something different I
noticed from Chaky and my culture were holiday celebrations. In Laos and Mexico there are
different days that are celebrated that we dont celebrate here in America. We have kept some
traditions even though we both moved from our countries to come to America. Something that
surprised me that I did not know about Chaky was that he owned a pet elephant as a kid. Even
though I know him for quite some years I never knew this until now. I overall enjoyed this Laos
culture interview with Chaky. I loved seeing all the similarities and differences we both have in
our cultures.