“My Pog”

Malee & Alex Vang

Hmong | Ramsey, MN

Written piece by Alex Vang:

My pog (grandma) has lived with my family for the last ten years, but it was only in the last year that I’ve come to truly appreciate her history and skill in recounting memories and telling stories. There was always something that kept me from this connection – college, friendships, romantic partners, church, work, and if that wasn’t enough, a language barrier. 

The pandemic shifted a lot of that. My household of nine had nowhere else to go and no one else to hang out with other than each other. Night after night we sat at the dinner table playing board games or just talking. My pog would listen to us and sometimes she would even share her own stories.

This is just a small piece of her story of what it was like coming to America. In her words I feel strength and resilience.

Malee Vang (she/her) was married in 1966. She is a mother to eleven and has twenty-four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She is an avid gardener, firm believer in Christ and excellent cook.

Alex Vang (she/her) is an elementary school library media specialist, the chair of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) Saint Cloud Chapter and a church leader at First Hmong Baptist Church.