About Mr. Moua
Pos Moua was born in a small village atop peaks of clustering mountain ranges called Padan in Laos. While growing up, Pos acquired no official schooling but received an intermittent education in Thailand. It was not until his family made the journey to the United States that he entered the educational system. Pos entered the fifth grade in Spokane, Washington, and remembered fondly of his first childhood amusement being running track and field. Pos enjoyed running races for the sure fun of it and could remember filling the air excitedly with “Get on your mark, get set go!” However, the most favored upon activity was riding his bike to the park with his buddies. There, they would drink cheap lemonade soda and savor potato chips and each other’s comradeship. The park is where they would ride bikes, and do stunt jumps, and boast about their crazy feats. On some occasions, they would bike out to a small lake and fish for bluegills and sunfish on days too summery to be confined indoors.
As a child, Pos lived in the rural country and had to tend to the needs of animals such as chickens and pigs and water buffaloes. He had a pet pig once and it was his best friend. They did chores together, the pig helped him pull heavy water pails, and walked with him as a fine companion, until one day when the Communist soldiers began to overtake their village, and they had to flee, so his parents killed his companion without letting him know, and as they ran away from their hometown, Pos became hungry and had to eat the meat of his best friend. To this day, Pos prefers to look at the positive side of the situation. At least, his friend remains in him forever.
Moua’s first job was as a newspaper boy. Every morning around 4 a.m., he got up and wrapped bundles of newspaper. By the time he finished delivering them, around 7 am, he had to rush to catch the school bus. Consequently, every day of school was a struggle to stay awake and focus on his lessons. Even though the newspaper job was hard on his schooling, Pos remained dedicated to the job for about one year. The job provided Pos with discipline and responsibility. Before Pos got paid for his delivery route, he had to go and collect all the money on his own. Some customers paid and gave him tips but the majority of them did not pay, so he felt as though he was exploited. After that, he was lucky to get his first job during the summer in a program called “Summer Youth Employment Program.” For the entire summer, he worked as a clerk assistant, learning communication skills and developing his verbal English skills that would enable him to function in college and future work.
As a young child, Pos Moua faced many exciting adventures. First, when he was young and in the jungle with his parents, he had to fight for his life and he constantly worried about his own life and the lives of his family members. In war, he felt constrained, unable to breathe. In freedom, in America, life’s dignified in so many ways. Only through war, though, was Moua able to appreciate freedom’s gift. Thus, the most exciting thing in his life would be coming to America, to be free from the agony of war and starvation. It was America in which freedom gave its best gift. The second most exciting thing that has happened in Moua’s life occurred when he reached the summit of Half-Dome in Yosemite National Park. However, it is the third adventure that warms Moua’s heart the most. It was the birth of his first child Lewg and then the birth of first daughter, second daughter, second son, and the best third son. And above all, Pos’s wife who he describes as “always there to do things I take for granted”.
Growing up Moua wanted to become a journalist, and so he acquired M.A. degree in English from UC Davis. UC Davis is where Pos studied with Gary Snyder, Alan Williamson, and Sandra McPherson. During his time at Davis, Moua published his first collection of poetry, Where The Torches Are Burning. Currently, Pos Moua teaches at Merced Junior College and Merced High School. He has invariably been interested in poetry and literature, and he wants to pass on that passion; what better way to do that than to teach English?
As a child, Pos lived in the rural country and had to tend to the needs of animals such as chickens and pigs and water buffaloes. He had a pet pig once and it was his best friend. They did chores together, the pig helped him pull heavy water pails, and walked with him as a fine companion, until one day when the Communist soldiers began to overtake their village, and they had to flee, so his parents killed his companion without letting him know, and as they ran away from their hometown, Pos became hungry and had to eat the meat of his best friend. To this day, Pos prefers to look at the positive side of the situation. At least, his friend remains in him forever.
Moua’s first job was as a newspaper boy. Every morning around 4 a.m., he got up and wrapped bundles of newspaper. By the time he finished delivering them, around 7 am, he had to rush to catch the school bus. Consequently, every day of school was a struggle to stay awake and focus on his lessons. Even though the newspaper job was hard on his schooling, Pos remained dedicated to the job for about one year. The job provided Pos with discipline and responsibility. Before Pos got paid for his delivery route, he had to go and collect all the money on his own. Some customers paid and gave him tips but the majority of them did not pay, so he felt as though he was exploited. After that, he was lucky to get his first job during the summer in a program called “Summer Youth Employment Program.” For the entire summer, he worked as a clerk assistant, learning communication skills and developing his verbal English skills that would enable him to function in college and future work.
As a young child, Pos Moua faced many exciting adventures. First, when he was young and in the jungle with his parents, he had to fight for his life and he constantly worried about his own life and the lives of his family members. In war, he felt constrained, unable to breathe. In freedom, in America, life’s dignified in so many ways. Only through war, though, was Moua able to appreciate freedom’s gift. Thus, the most exciting thing in his life would be coming to America, to be free from the agony of war and starvation. It was America in which freedom gave its best gift. The second most exciting thing that has happened in Moua’s life occurred when he reached the summit of Half-Dome in Yosemite National Park. However, it is the third adventure that warms Moua’s heart the most. It was the birth of his first child Lewg and then the birth of first daughter, second daughter, second son, and the best third son. And above all, Pos’s wife who he describes as “always there to do things I take for granted”.
Growing up Moua wanted to become a journalist, and so he acquired M.A. degree in English from UC Davis. UC Davis is where Pos studied with Gary Snyder, Alan Williamson, and Sandra McPherson. During his time at Davis, Moua published his first collection of poetry, Where The Torches Are Burning. Currently, Pos Moua teaches at Merced Junior College and Merced High School. He has invariably been interested in poetry and literature, and he wants to pass on that passion; what better way to do that than to teach English?
Read more about Mr. Moua and the Hmong American Writers' Circle. Click on the link below.