The paragraph that doug shared today from takaki, pg 449:
"Unlike other Asian groups alreayd in America, the 1975 wave of veitnamese migrants did not choose to come here. In fact, they had no desicion to make, for they were driven out by the powerful events surrounding them."
expressed to me a feeling of great sorrow; to be ripped away from all you know for reasons out of your control is unimaginable. These Veitnamese refrugees had to make a choice that had no intentions of making sense: stay home and die, or forget everything and start over. i look up to these people because to be forced to assimilate in a foreign country in exchange for their life is definitely an accompishment no matter how long it took them.
another reason why i bring this up is these refugees remind me of a very important time in my life: i was adopted at the age of 6, and i can definitely relate to the idea of being ripped away from all you know. i had to "assimilate" to my new lifestyle, and also had to almost forget all that i had known in my life proir to my adoption. when i read of these immigrants and their journies it only reminds me of my journey, from multiple foster homes to a "second chance" at life. "Starting over" is definitely a very hard concept to accept, however for me and the majority of these refugees, it meant living another day.
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