TRANSCRIPTION
What do you remember from your childhood?
I don't remember much about my childhood. But, I do remember when I was at age of 7 or 8, I could clearly remember that I was trying to climbed on a stranger's motorcycle just to see if I was able to hang on. Unfortunately, I fell off and that motorcycle ran over my leg. Thankfully, I didn't break my leg. I was just a kid and didn't know anything better. I was being stupid, so I just did it, now I still have the scar to prove it.
How was life back then when you were small?
I just stayed home with my parents. I remembered my parents were hard workers, and they raised all of us to be well-rounded individuals.
Describe your educational experience. Did you like school? What was school like?
No, school was hard for me, I remember till this day about school. Whenever, if any subjects that I founded hard, I would skip and go to see a movie. And I would hang out around there until it was time was for to go home. When I get home, my mom thought I was at school the whole time.
What do you remember about living in Vietnam?
Yes, I miss Viet Nam a lot. I also miss my friends.
The war between the United States and Vietnam occurred during your childhood. What are your memories of the war?
Yes. But, I really don't remember much about it because it was too long ago. And I was only a little kid still; I only remember the story was told to me by my parents.
How did the war effect your life?
Even though, I can't remember much about the war, but I know it affected our lives tremendously. Mom had to work twice harder to survived, and raised all seven of us as a single parent.
What role did your family play during the war?
Nothing. We were just an ordinary family
What did you do during the war?
I was only a kid, so I had stayed home with my parents. I didn't get to do anything because during that time it was too dangerous to be outside.
What did you do when the war ended?
I don't really remember though, I think all I did was being in school.
What are some of the major influential changes you've experienced?
Nothing really... Maybe when I met your mom and then we had you (Tee) my first and only child. It totally changes my life around for the better. And it made me to be a better man, husband, and a dad.
Do you remember anything about your parents? How did you dad die? Your mom?
Ummm...I don't remember anything about my dad, because he died of stomach cancer when I was only 6 months old. But, I remember a whole lot about my mom though. She was such an amazing mother and a woman. She was a hard worker, a single parent who worked really hard to raised seven kids herself. She passed away when I was 18, she died because cancer...She did such an amazing job, there's no other mothers out there like her.
What grade level did you get up to? Why did you stop going to school?
Ummm...I started from kinder and all the way up to 8 grades. I had to stop from there because I had to start to work and help out with the family, and school was too expensive to afford to send all of us to school.
What was your first job in Vietnam? And what were you first job in the U.S?
My first job in Viet Nam was selling bicycles, and then I moved up onto selling expensive brand name motorcycles. And my first job and only in the U.S was being a cook for Chinese Restaurants.
Who are the influential people in your life that made you who you are today?
God is the only one is in my life and I look up to him always.
What were the different fashions while you were growing up?
I really didn't care about the fashion. When I was small and when I got older, I still dress the same as always. Casual, and not too fancy. I'm just a normal guy who doesn't like or have to show off to anyone, because I'm not trying to impress nobody.
Whom did you admire in Vietnam?
I don't look up to anyone, but for myself only. I did everything on my own, without any help from anyone. I just watched other people and how they did things, then I just learn and did it better than them.
Who came to the U.S. before you do?
Well, your oldest uncle My Nguyen was the first one from the family moved to the U.S. And, ma Nga, I really don't remember exactly when she came, but I know she was here after your uncle My. Then, it was uncle Hai family, uncle Ha family, uncle Tam family, and then it was us.
Why did they come?
Hmmm… To be exact…I think your uncle My came to the U.S by boat with other of his Navy friends…I think during that the time the Vietnam War was still going on. I guess he didn't want to stay in Vietnam any longer, so he decided to jump onto the boat and came over here to have a better life. Then, he got married at the of 20 something…Just to say, the main reason he brought all of us to the U.S was because he wants all of us to have a better, and the freedom to live our lives without anyone telling us what to do.
How did you get the documents to immigrate?
Well… in an effort, due to harsh economically, your uncle knew we had to get out of the country as soon as possible. So he made some phone calls, and luckily they still accept the family documentation and we were allowed to process the papers to come to the U.S. At first, your mom and I didn't want to move at all. Then after, he tried one whole year of convincing us to move, that's when we finally decided to move. I had to turn in a bunch of paper works, made a lot of phone calls back and forth with your uncle and immigration. We went through a lot of hardships to get everything processed. Man, what a year it was for us.
How long did it take? And how much did it cost?
It took us about a whole year to get everything processed, due to complications with the
police, they weren't being good polices. We had to bribe them to do our paperwork, but nothing happened though. Finally, your uncle got fed up and went straight to the U.S. immigration and demanded them to process our paper before it's too late. It cost us about a thousand or two thousand dollars. We had to sell everything we had, got all of our money. But still it wasn't enough, we didn't have the money to buy airplane tickets, and we had to borrow his money, that's how we got the tickets…Everything we owed him, and we had to pay it off quick, because I don't want your uncle to go after us for the money.
Why did you come to the USA? Describe your journey here. Did you know anyone in the USA before coming?
The reason we came to the U.S was to have a better life for us and a better future for you (Tee). Coming over here was very difficult; it wasn't all flying colors for us though. Yes, your uncle helped us to come over here.
Do you have an American Dream?
Yes, to have a better life and more freedom to live our own lives without anyone telling us how to live.
How was America different than you expected?
No. I know it doesn't matter where I am in the world; I still have to work hard. Because if I want to survive in life, I have to work with no questions or doubts about it.
Are you satisfied with how your life turned out? Any regrets?
I am very satisfied with how my life turned out to be. I got a second chance to make our lives better and living a freedom life. And I don't have any regrets about it. I wouldn't asked for other things else more.
Do you still have any future goals that you would like to achieve?
Well, I have everything I want already. My goal is to become a millionaire, so I can help out others who are in need.
If you could live your life over, is there anything you would like to change?
Hmmmm.... I guess is to be rich. Because I know there are a lot of people out there I would like to help. If I was rich, I would give some of my money to charity, the homeless, churches, and orphanages. I just wish I had the capability and money to help others in need.
Is there anything you would like to add?
That's it. Are you kidding me?? No more.
