Karen Traditional Dress

Learning more about my Culture

In my digital story, I focused on the theme of sharing an important object, my Karen traditional clothes. Before I started writing this story, I only knew the basic information about Karen traditional clothes. For instance, Karen traditional clothes have many different colors and there are several Karen shops in Minnesota that sell Karen traditional clothes. I didn't really know a lot about my Karen clothes and their significance. All I knew is that I've had the clothes since birth.

I have one special blue Karen dress made with beans, flowery texture and it would cover my ankle. The clothes are very comfortable to wear, and I will often wear them at church or at Karen New Year celebrations. This special blue dress was handmade in Thailand and was shipped to the U.S. Just like my journey to the U.S, this dress was carried and brought to the U.S.

I think it is important to know about my family or culture group immigration story because the process of moving to the U.S was a very big deal for my family, and it was a very long journey. My parents faced many challenges while trying to adapt to their new home in Minnesota and by knowing this story, I can understand how much my parents sacrifice for me and my siblings. Also, it helps me understand who I was and what was my identity before I came to Minnesota. In addition, knowing my family's immigration story will always remind me of who are the Karen people, and I was able to acknowledge that I was once a refugee in Thailand and an immigrant in the U.S. The Karen Traditional clothes are a reminder that I should never lose my identity even though I am now in a new county.

Signifigance of My Clothes

After I completed my digital story, I learned the significance behind the color of Karen traditional clothes and how the clothes were originally made and what it was made of. By completing my digital story, I learned how to record my voice, add pictures, edit my video, and make adjustments using new technology. This is my first time making videos using the internet and social media. I also learned how to cite the end crediting and make sure that all the work I found on the websites is public domain. In addition, I personally learned more about my cultural clothes and it helps me understand why they have a big impact on my life while writing my script.

I will be sharing my video with several of my friends. I've already shown my video to several of my family members. I feel content and proud when I see a big smile on my family's face and my dad gave me a big thumbs up after he viewed my video. I will share my video because I want them to know how much effort I put into my work and to see my parents' proud faces and some feedback from my viewers.