I don't even know how I'v stumble upon this board, however I am thankful that I did. Just reading about the history of Lao, makes me feel very for lack of better words ignorant to our people and or culture. My family been in America since the late late 1970's! I always ask my grandpa about the History of Lao and why when I hear Thai people speak that their words are similar to ours as well as their food. He's always been a somber kind of guy and still is till this day, get's up early, read his morning news paper or watch the news, make rice, etc... I remember child-hood stories about a lady who has had many children and couldn't afford to raise them all, took them to the jungle left them behind and to only discover that they have became monkey's. Or how he, my grandma and aunts and uncles had to flee the country Lao because of a war, he was one of the General of Vientiane Army and fleed to Thailand because he didn't want to get captured by the Vietnam army who invaded Lao during the Secret War. He doesn't like to talk about it at all and when he would always ask him, he would always say that he will once we get olderso so we can have a better understanding of it. Well my Lao now is not so great, I can understand it but can't really comprehend as much as I need to. My grandparents always told us that no matter what we our Lao even if we don't speak or are "culturally" Lao. They always told us to adapt to the American culture as to that is what we our and what they made as their new home. There use to be like 9 other Lao family that I knew of living in BKLYN and since then some have moved up White Plains or Buffallo, NY.