Letter from Oakland High School Student

First of all, I want to thank Duc Nguyen for coming to our class and presenting his story to us. I liked his stories. I think they were very interesting and it is a part of my history since my dad is half Vietnamese. Before this lesson, I didn’t really have an interest to learn about my family’s history, but now, I’m so eager. His stories make me question: What happened to my parents while people were trying to escape? When and how did my parents escape? I can’t imagine traveling across the globe with no money, no food, no help and a bunch of people in a little boat. I agree with Duc, Vietnamese families don’t often talk about their painful past. When I ask my mom, she gives me short responses. She told me, my dad and she stayed in a camp, and that’s where they had my older sister. They escaped with a bunch of people and when they arrived to Portland, Oregon; my family was supported by an American family. I learned a lot from Duc. He told us a visionary description of how big the boat was. I really admire how strong the woman was when she drank her son’s urine. That was a very difficult situation. There was no food and she had no choice, but to eat human flesh. I can’t believe Duc actually contacted her and got her to tell her story. When she cried, I felt my heart sink because “When something bad happens to you, you wish it could happen to someone else. Well to other people, you’re that someone else.” I wonder if Duc thinks he’s lucky because he could have been in a much terrible situation. I’m very happy to know that the woman and her son is doing so well in America.