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Term in Asia reunites student with grandparents

By Anna Stevens '10
July 23, 2008

Many students return from a semester spent studying abroad with stories to tell of memorable and meaningful discoveries. The emotional story that Mai Der Lee '09 took home from her time in Asia is one she could only have dreamt of being able to share.

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Mai Der Lee '09, happily reunited with her grandmother, Song Thao, and grandfather, Va Doua Lee.
Lee and her family moved to the United States from Thailand in 1989. Growing up, Lee heard stories of the grandfather back in Thailand who had named her and the grandmother she had known as a small child. But she herself had no memories of the couple. Then last fall, while studying abroad on the St. Olaf Term in Asia, Lee met them.

At St. Olaf, Lee knew right away that she would find a study abroad program that some day would take her close enough to see her Thai grandparents. After being accepted for the Term in Asia program Lee spoke with the program's field supervisors -- faculty member Kris MacPherson and emeritus faculty member Bob Bruce and his wife, Lin -- about her desire to meet her grandparents while in Thailand. The three understood what the reunion would mean to Lee and were enthusiastic about the possibilities.

In the end, says Lee, "It was all luck" that made the reunion possible.

Together again
The plan was to first settle in with her host family in Thailand, and then Lee would start on the path of finding her grandparents with only the name of their village to go from. Everything changed when Lee realized that the village they were to spend their first free hours in Thailand wandering around was in fact the village her grandmother had mentioned.

Overwhelmed with nervous excitement, Lee told the program leaders of her discovery. From there the adventure began. Lee was not alone -- a whole van of classmates joined her as she continued on her quest. After asking many people along the way, the group and Lee finally were directed to her grandparents' home.

"It was like a movie," Lee says of the reunion. "My heart was beating so hard. I was so nervous. I walked up to the house and my grandmother came out. I just knew that was my grandma. I screamed 'Grandma!' in Hmong and ran to her, crying. Even though everyone was around, it felt like it was just the two of us."

After the initial reunion of Lee and both of her grandparents, Lee's classmates also had a chance to meet her grandparents. Everyone was invited back later in the semester to attend a special blessing and farewell ceremony held to celebrate the reunion. A somewhat private ritual, Lee felt joy in sharing this unique element of Hmong culture with her classmates.

The excitement of the reunion was felt not only in Thailand, but also at home in the U.S. Lee phoned her parents right away to tell them of the exciting reunion. And she has kept in touch with her grandparents, happy to be connected as a family once again.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.