My Blog Goals for 2017

In my previous post I wrote about my 5 year vision plan for my life. Now I want to write about my blogging dreams and ambitions for 2017. I started this blog with the intention about blogging my life a former Burmese refugee, bringing awareness about Burmese people, etc. I also talked about issues that Asian Americans face. I think I started off well, but now my goals are far more ambitious. I love to write and I believe blogging is a great outlet for self-expression. I think blogging allowed me to find my voice.

However here are some of the things I want to accomplish in this blog. I want to interview prominent Burmese Americans and ordinary Burmese Americans. I want to share their stories. I want to share their insights, quirks, uniqueness, inspiration, etc. I want to show the diversity of Burmese Americans as they may talk about their upbringing, dreams, careers, friends, etc. I think it would be amazing to interview these people. Burmese Americans have been part of the US since the 1960s with the first wave of Burmese-Chinese people. Then newer groups such as Chin/Zomi started to come in the 1990s. There are also Anglo-Burmese, who are products of their respective and diverse cultures. Their stories would be quite interesting to explore and bring into light. So compared to the Chinese and Japanese Americans, Burmese Americans are relatively new to the country.

In the beginning I blogged about some Asian Americans such as Emily Tay and Jeannie Mai and their impact and contribution in America. I wrote about Emily Tay, a Burmese American, who was a former Harvard basketball player. Her story is unique in the sense that how often do you hear about Asian basketball players, especially female ones? Her dream as a professional basketball player and identity as a gay person contrasts with her traditional and conservative parents’ dreams who want her to marry a rich fellow and become a stay at home wife. Jeannie Mai is a Vietnamese-Chinese host on the Real. The Real is a great daily show about women of color who talk, gossip, share about their lives, families, success, careers, etc in America. Jeannie Mai is able to share her stories of being Vietnamese in America and how that has shaped her identity of who she is today. She has impacted millions of people who watch her show. She is able to be a face on American TV shows and an icon for fashion, make up, style, etc.

I think it’s extremely vital to write about the lives of Asian Americans, as they have contributed to America immensely. Asian Americans have contributed all areas of life such as politics, education, military, business, startups, food, fashion, arts, etc. They always have and will continue to do so. Also Asians are the fastest growing immigrant and therefore racial group in the country. They are Americans and their stories should be heard and recorded. I would love to blog about well known Asian Americans such as Bruce Lee, Brenda Song, and Vera Wang and also Asian Americans that are only relatively known in Asian communities such as Daniel Inouye and Andrea Jung. I plan to make this a monthly occurrence.

Also I would love to compile a list of studies, findings, articles, etc regarding Asian Americans. It is a nerdy thing to do and honestly quite academic. But I love numbers and figures, and well, the more you know, the more power you have. 😉

I definitely plan on adding a page about refugees and their rights as to how we can help them. These people are one of the most disadvantaged and persecuted people on earth. I add them to the list of people such as human trafficked victims, orphans, and stateless people who are often some of the world’s most vulnerable people where compassion is not commonly found.

I will continue to write about my life as a Burmese American. I hope to be able share some thoughts I have and some of them are not always popular or common. Not to sound cocky or arrogant, but I believe that I am an insightful person, and I would love for us to discuss and argue as too often I feel like I’m alone with my convictions and observations of the world at times.

Comment below if there is anything you want to see regarding Asian Americans or Burmese Americans.