I just randomly thought to search for prison inmates since someone I know just got sentenced to 24 years. I just happen to search for Asian inmates in Oshkosh since that's where I live and came upon your blog. Very inspiring and thought provoking words. Keep writing!

-Jae from Oshkosh

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Thank you for the reply. I was surprised to hear from you so soon. I am sorry I took so long to reply but I've been busy with work. I searched for penpals after watching an episode of some crime show. I know, Americans have an obsession with crime and the psychology behind why people commit crimes. I am very interested in shows, documentaries, and stories about the behaviors of others. I am also very interested in the criminal justice system. I know it's a broken system but I still find it fascinating. I am Hmong/Lao so that's why I searched for Asians. My relative was in Oshkosh for murder not too long ago but he committed his crime when he was a young teen. He is in his forties and has left prison for good. He now has a wife and doing very well for himself.

I would like to know more about your story if you don't mind.

I will try to write to you by hand but I figured this will be faster. I live a minute away from the correctional institute so it's literally in my backyard.

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Hello! How are you? Thank you for replying! I plan on writing you the old fashion way but I thought I should just leave a reply since it might get to you faster. I will tell you anything you really want to know, I am not a person who is interesting enough to hold secrets and my life can be pretty vanilla most of the time. I'm 31, unmarried, no kids. I actually stay with my parents now after moving back from Milwaukee, where I lived for 10 years while I attended college. I do hair for a living and am quite passionate about my work. I have always wanted an artistic outlet but was never good at drawing or painting so the art of hairdressing and makeup artistry has become my niche. I actually don't dread going to work at all. I love connecting with people all day but I am somewhat of an introvert so I need to come home and be alone as well. People take a lot of energy from me... even if it's good, it's still draining. Anyways, that's just what I do and my current situation.

Internally i may be someone very simple or quite complex. I think I am someone who takes the worlds problems and make them my own. I am often left hopeless about mankind and that people are so hate-filled, it makes me sick. I am a very open-minded person and my first instinct is to empathize with others. This may be both a strength and a weakness. I tend to see the good in everyone and like to know people's stories because I can understand why someone might act out in certain ways. I'm also pragmatic and logical, but at the end of the day, sensitive and emotional might take over. I recently went to California for my maternal grandmother's funeral and i was so afraid to just let loose and cry and fought back so hard. I have never been to a funeral for someone close before and i didn't know what to expect. I just knew it was going to be hard. Little did I know that there is so much politics behind any Hmong tradition or event. My grandma was a shaman but she was also unmarried and she had all daughters and one step son. Even though her daughters are her flesh and blood, the step son had the say in everything, even if he did not love her. I was always taught to respect elders but I never knew that behind all the formalities, adults don't really like one another. Well, anyway, i also had a hard time trying to comfort my mother. My family is your typical Asian family. Very little emotion and a lot of discipline. My parents don't ever say things like, "I love you" and we never hug or show affection... so it's hard for me to comfort others since I'm so "emotionless" is what they call me at work. So when my grandma passed, I was at work and I pondered the ways in which I would go home to see my mom. I wasn't sure what to do that would help but when I got home, my mom was in bed crying and I just went in there and laid with her and cried with her. This is when she told me a story about how much she loved her mom. She was 8-10 years old in Laos.

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