III. Living Together? Real Stories

Julia Tran

Life in America has not always been easy, but it has been much better than the life I left behind in search of an education, freedom, equality and justice. My brother and I came to the U.S. in 1984 to reside with my foster mom, Ann Van Dyke. At the time, going to school was a dread. Everyday we were subjected to the agonies of students calling us names, throwing trash at us, making funny noises to mimic our conversations, laughing at our dictionaries and refusing to share seats on the bus. The list of cruelties was endless. Children, and I am sad to say even some adults, tend to be cruel and ignorant toward people they don’t fully comprehend or are different from what they think is the norm.

I’m sure many of you have heard of the statement that Asian people are smarter than other minority groups. It is not that Asian people are smarter but the truth lies in persistence. We have to work extra hard to overcome many obstacles that people in this country take for granted. We have to work extra hard to get an education, to learn a brand new culture and lifestyle and especially a brand new language. It is even more difficult for the elderly and people like my parents, in their late 50's, to learn a new language and culture. Life for them will never be the same again. Though they are not physically or mentally handicapped, there are times they feel like they are due to their inability to fully convey their thoughts and feelings to the society in which they now live. Life will always be much harder for them than for me since I came to this country at an early age. At least I am able to convey my thoughts even though the society that we live in will judge me for my accent and my appearance. Today people in this society tend to pass too many judgments on people with different backgrounds before they really have a chance to know them. But that can be rectified if we just take some time out to talk to the person and to try to get to know him or her as an individual. Maybe that person will become a life-long friend. You never know what life will bring you if you open up your heart and your mind.

*Julia Tran was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City. When she was ten years old, she escaped Vietnam with her twelve year old brother and spent a year in a refugee camp in Indonesia before being sponsored and brought to the U.S. in 1983. Julia graduated with honors from Harrisburg High and received her B.S. in Environmental Resource Management from Dickinson College. In 1996, she was reunited with her parents and sister in the U.S.