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Journal Entry 1
By Alan Hood | July 31, 2007
15 January 1980
Today we finally landed in San Francisco,
18 January 1980
My brother Dang’s Apartment is very small, just one bedroom that he has moved his two kids into, to accommodate the four of us sleeping in the main room. I am so thankful to be in America where one day I hope to own a house of my own. At work the bosses are nice, but I find it a little strange to be working for a Chinese family. Dang has learned to cook and is very well thought of at the restaurant, but he is very hard on me so that he does not look bad for recommending me to the boss. It’s not like I could screw up washing dishes, they’re either clean or they’re not. This entry has to be short I am very tired; we work from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm every day. It is so much nicer to be working and earning my way in the world than it was to be sitting in a camp with nothing to do.
January 20, 1980
Today Phuong met with the government about getting permanent visas and enrolling the children in school. Phuong told me it could be an entire year before we get permanent visas and are made citizens. That is not what they told us at the camp, but there is nothing we can do about it now. Phuong and the kids took English lessons at the camp and speak English very well but the government did an assessment of the children’s English and told Phuong that they would have to learn more before they could enroll in school. Phuong asked where they were teaching English and was told that the government did not have such a program; it would be up to us to teach the children English. On her way back from the government office a small group of long haired kids started yelling at Phuong to go home that she wasn’t wanted here. They were yelling “go home chink you will make America stink.” How can Americans be against us? We both fought on the same side, in the war against communism. I don’t understand why they thought Phuong was Chinese she doesn’t even look Chinese. At least Phuong doesn’t have to hear about the “boat People” like I do at work every day. I am sure tomorrow will be a better day.
March 23, 1980
I know it has been a long time since I have written in my journal. In the future I will try to do it on a more consistent basis, but I am so tired in the evenings after working 17 hours per day. I am still thankful for my job, but the hours are very long and tiresome. I am not so thankful for they way my family is treated in America though. Yesterday my son Trang was beaten up by a group of kids while playing in the park. His face looks bad but it sure could have been a lot worse if some of his friends didn’t stop the beating. I keep asking the children to make friends with white people and try to assimilate into American culture, but I guess it isn’t easy to make friends with people who make fun of the way you speak and call you names. It will be hard for me to assimilate into American culture but I hope the children are young enough to be accepted. I have the children reading a text book about race and ethnicity to learn how to be accepted. The children learned that (Schaefer, 2006, 23) “Assimilation is the process by which a subordinate individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant group and is eventually accepted as part of that group.” I just hope that they don’t get to discouraged and stop trying before they are fully accepted into American culture.
August 24, 1980
It didn’t take as long to get permanent visas as they told us it would. Yesterday the entire family was issued visas, and can now apply for citizenship in the United States. I am not sure when I will have time to take the citizenship classes; maybe my boss will let me take the time off of work to do it. I am not sure we can afford for me to take any time off of work, we have only saved 375 dollars in the 8 months we have been here. It is very expensive to dress the children in the appropriate clothes so they are more readily accepted. Both children start school tomorrow, as they have passed the English assessment. Trang wants to be a doctor like his grandfather, and Trinh wants to be a physicist like her mother. Unless things change a lot in the next 20 years it won’t do Trinh much good to work hard in school and get a good education. Phuong never complains but I can see the disappointment in her eyes after she has a job interview and has to go back to working in the laundry for the hotel. Phuong came from a wealthy family in Viet Nam and has a world class education. When her father was killed early in the war with North Viet Nam the government took all of her families land and money. I guess a good education and a good family name don’t do you much good when you’re an immigrant.
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