Don Long came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam when he was a child. In reflecting on his journey prior to coming to this country, he talks about images from a refugee camp that was very crowded with over 30,000 individuals in a limited space that restricted their freedom. Although ... Read More »
Farah Barnia was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States by herself in May of 1978 at the age of sixteen. In her homeland, she lived with her parents and five siblings until the age of five, when her mom passed away. Her father considered himself a nationalist whose main goal was to make his country better. For ... Read More »
I began by asking what was life in Mexico before coming to the states. She said “life was okay, I married your grandpa young and when I got married my mother told me I had to go live with him and to not come back” I asked her why she married young and ... Read More »
What was life like in Vietnam? My mother and uncle ran a home-owned restaurant while I was in school as a 12 year old. Life was a struggle due to the poor economy. It was also extremely strict and we were not able to voice our opinions. We were forced to obey the government. Weather was hot and a lot ... Read More »
Introduction When our sociology professor, Dr. Patricia Gibbs, assigned the Made into America assignment to the class, I immediately knew who I wanted to interview for the assignment: my mother. My mother is named Vivian Hang Nguyen. My mom immigrated to America from Vietnam in 1986. When I was young and caused trouble, my mother would always tell me how ... Read More »
What circumstances led you to leave Vietnam? Duc (name changed) was 19 when his aunt was able to sponsor him to America. However, Tim grew up very privileged. Both of his parents were professors and his father even left his teaching job to become the president of a bank. Oncethe Vietnam War occurred, Duc’s ... Read More »
In October of 1961, Fred and Thea Limburg began their journey from Rotterdam, Netherlands to California. This wasn’t just a spontaneous decision though- it came after years of hopeful planning. After talking with her sister-in-law, who had recently moved from the Netherlands, to Indonesia, and then to California, they both ... Read More »
My mom immigrated to the United States with two of her older brothers when she was 25 years old. She had to leave behind her whole life, all her friends and most of her family. It was quite the sacrifice but she wanted to do it because she knew that it would be worth it. Her family was struggling and ... Read More »
Originally living in Sinaloa, her hobby of riding horses was a big part of her life as she would do it when the opportunity was given. She lived with her parents and with her many siblings in a big home surrounded by acres of land surrounded by lots of trees. She enjoyed bathing in ... Read More »
“I’m from a ranch, in San Pedro La Junta – State of Puebla. The farthest back that I can remember is when I was just a kid, when I was 10 years old. I spent my time taking care of animals, taking care of crops, and planting tomatoes, chili, and pumpkin. At 15 I spent my time in the city ... Read More »