Section A·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, May 1, 2000
Tough times don't deter student from dream
Continued from page 1A
Her brother Kevin sits on the couch. Looking tired after putting in a full day at the Hallmark factory, he bounces his 5-month-old son, Justin, on his knee.
The television is tuned to a documentary. The volume is low, and closed captioning scrolls across the screen in English. On the walls are wedding photos of My's brother Alan and her sister-in-law Sandy, along with wedding presents—framed Chinese characters of their names and blessings.
My's brother Andy slips off his shoes in the foyer, an Asian custom of paying respect. He walks gingerly into the room, careful not to wake My. He claps his hands and stretches out his arms. He wants to hold his nephew and godson.
Justin, the newest member of the family, is quiet and well-behaved. He rarely fusses and spends the night smiling and taking in everything with his big brown eyes. His head already is covered with thick, black hair. The family helps Kevin and his wife, Linh, care for Justin. My baby-sits Friday afternoons after she goes grocery shopping and has lunch with her mom.
"We take care of each other in the good times and the bad times," Andy said. "That's our family."
As the night progresses, the family comes to life. After a short nap, My retreats to her room to study. About 10, Kevin and Andy begin bustling around the kitchen, gathering food from the refrigerator and cupboards. Water boils in a huge pot, and they toss in noodles,
lettuce, tomatoes, eggs and shrimp.
It's as though the rest of the Truong brothers smell the food. As the dish simmers, they start filing in.
They enter through the door from the garage. First comes Alan, and moments later, the door opens again, and the oldest brother, Quan, enters.
Quan lives down the street with his wife, Lieng, and their two sons, Quan and Hung. The brothers greet one another enthusiastically in Chinese. The first thing each does is clap his hands and hold them out for Justin. They take turns carrying him around on their shoulders and kissing him.
For other family members, the road to the land of opportunities began far away in Saigon, Vietnam.
Searching for stability
The Truongs' journey to the United States was a long one. It took 10 years to complete the immigration paper work. Waiting for them at the other end of their journey was My's older brother Mac, who immigrated to the United States in 1978 following the Vietnam War.
Norman Yetman, professor of sociology and American studies, said the Truongs and the Chieus were classic examples of chain migration — people moving to a different country family member by family member.
Family reunification, immi
"Without my family and friends and my own motivation, I wouldn't have made it."
Lawrence senior
My Troung
grants with special jobs skills and political refugees top the 1965 Immigration Law's list of factors that increase foreigners' chances of immigrating to the United States. The highest priority is family reunification, Yetman said.
The Truong family gathers for dinner around 11 p.m. Late-night dinners are common because of the family members' busy schedules throughout the day. Photo by Tara Kraus/KANSAN
The Truongs' immigration was part of the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Before the war, My's father, Dan Dieu, was able to support the entire family working as a cab driver. After the war, jobs were scarcity, and the U.S. embargo placed on Vietnam hurt the Vietnamese economy.
The family repair shop didn't fare well. The Truongs turned to the underground market, exchanging Vietnamese currency with foreigners for dollars, gold and diamonds.
Sometimes the Truongs had no food to eat and relied on the money Mac sent them from Lawrence. But in July 1991, most of the family was reunited at Kansas City International Airport. Quan and Kiem, My's older brothers, remained in Saigon. Because they had families of their own, their immigration paperwork took longer. They arrived in the United States in 1995.
Life in the United States brought with it cultural shock. It involved learning new customs such as using separate spoons for each dish at dinner rather than everyone using their own utensils to serve themselves. It also meant respecting one another regardless of age and everyone in the family pitching in.
One doesn't show up in a new country and put seven people through college by working 9 to 5. Some Truong family members found a market for their repair skills by working at Marks Jewelers, 817 Massachusetts St.
A few found work at Hallmark Cards Inc., 101 McDonald Drive. Others work at Packerware Inc., 2330 Packer Road.
Supporting a dream
These aren't the highest paying jobs, but they are jobs that can be learned from watching others — without being fluent in English.
Packerware is a place where more than one immigrant family in Lawrence has gotten its start. Five languages are spoken at the factory
The Truong family gather at Alon's home to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This was the last time My's father celebrated the holiday with the family. Contributed photo
— English, Vietnamese, Chinese, Laoican and Spanish.
My worked at the factory when she was in high school. When she began attending classes at the University, she waited tables at Imperial Garden, 2907 W. Sixth St.
After graduating from Lawrence High School in 1995, My started at the University that fall. She took classes at the Applied English Center, which has provided intensive English instruction to nonnative speakers for more than 30 years.
My's family was not only behind her but out in front of her, too. She said she couldn't have made it through college without the encouragement of her family and her older brother Andy, who showed her around campus. When she was discouraged about school, it was Andy who urged her not to give up, she said.
Last May, she watched Andy walk down the Hill. He graduated with an electrical engineering degree and now works for Sprint in Olathe.
"He supported me a lot." My said. "He was my model; he studied a lot. When he went to Watson Library to study, he took me along."
Empowering the next generation In the end, it's the family who profits from investing in the next generation's future.
The key to this family's American dream is higher education, and the Truongs and the Chieus support one another - emotionally and physically.
This is a family where the older members are willing to work and pay the living expenses so that their younger brothers and sisters can focus on school.
"We have no choice," said Kevin, the fifth oldest of the 11 brothers and sisters. "We have to pay rent. We have to pay food."
To avoid distractions and save money, My lives with her brother Alan and his wife, Sandy; and her brother Kevin, his wife, Linh, and their 5-month-old son, Justin. Two years ago, Alan bought a white
house with green shutters nestled in east Lawrence.
"I'm glad to have a big family."
My said. "I'm luckier than other people. I don't have to pay for rent or food."
After graduating, My will work at the processing center at Commerce Bank in Kansas City, Mo., where she intered last summer and now works part time. Her boss offered her a full-time job a few months ago.
In a few years, My said she hoped to get her master's degree in information systems from either the University or Washburn University in Topeka.
Although she will be working in Kansas City, Mo., My will live in Lawrence with her family and commute. She is ready to start a life of her own, and her plans include buying her own home and taking care of her mother.
"The most important thing will be to pay off my loans." My said, laughing.
My has her priorities straight, though.
And when she walks down the Hill. My will remember how she got there.
"Without my family and friends and my own motivation, I wouldn't have made it," she said.
About 50 members of her family will be on hand to watch her graduate. But one family member won't see My graduate. Her father died in November 1988 after battling cancer for two months — seven months before Andy graduated.
"I'm sad he didn't get to see me
and Andy graduate." My said. "But he's always with me."
—Edited by Amanda Hay and Kim Erb
—Edited by Amanda Hay and Kim Erb
—Designed by Keith Burner
For an explanation from the reporter on why she wrote this story. Visit www.kansan.com
ADJUSTMENTS
Language acquisition: They relied on My's older brother Mac, who had been in the United States since 1978, to act as their translator. Family members went to the Adult Learning Center to improve their English while the children took English-as-a-Second-Language classes at school. Keeping up with slang also was another challenge. However, they found that watching television was a helpful learning tool.
Learning how to drive: Mac taught several of his brothers and sisters how to drive.
**Dining Etiquette** The family would use their own utensils to put food on their plates. They had to learn to use a separate spoon for each dish.
Teaching Methods: In Vietnam, teachers would write notes on the board as they lectured. In some classes at the University of Kansas, the teacher would not have notes or an outline for students to follow.
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