Dinh Hoa Thi Thu
Kontum, Vietnam, March 16, 2009.
Hoa checked everything they need to pack to go to American. The house was sold, but memories were still there. It is almost 4 pm, the wind made the trees moving, creating a soft murmur alternating the sound of motorbikes passing by and the voices of the neighbors plus the scent of the camellia flower mixed somewhere in the house. Hoa thought that "Those seemingly familiar noises can remind me so much." Standing up and going out the door, she saw her youngest daughter is playing in the front yard, she said "My"- her daughter's name at home, "Do you want me to drive you to go around with me?" Victoria - her daughter's real name - looked at her mom and said, "Yes, mom." with the innocent smiles of children.
The happiness and sadness that appeared in Hoa's eyes, happy because she can go to America to meet her son and her daughter again, she can take care of them after 4 years have a long-distance, sad because she will be far from her country, her mom and her sisters. At 7 p.m, Hoa and her husband - David - are preparing to go to Saigon, which is a 12-hour drive from Kontum, everything was checked and already on the bus. David rented the van with 16 seats and the driver to drive Hoa's family to go to the airport with her. Everyone helped Hoa pack up, so they were all tired, and they fell asleep on the bus. Hoa looked around and stopped at her daughter falling asleep, and Hoa thought, "I need to take a break too, prepare for my new life, and I want my children to have a better future in America.".
Saigon, Vietnam, March 17, 2009.
When Hoa waked up at 6 am, she can see the bustle of the Ba Chieu market in the early morning, sellers and buyers together with the cold in the morning created a refreshing feeling in her body. Everyone woke up not long after Hoa, they will go to eat breakfast, and when her young daughter just heard about eating, she woke up immediately and asked, "What will we eat, Mom? I want to eat Pho," with her eyes are closing. Hoa will fly at 11 am so she and her family have to be at the Tan Son Nhat airport at 8 am to check-in and check their passport.
After saying goodbye with Hoa's mom and her sister and taking some pictures to remember the memories. Hoa, David, and their daughter came inside the international Tan Son Nhat airport.
"My, holding my hand that does not get lost." - Hoa said to Victoria.
"This is so cool, mom, here is so big. Wow." - Victoria said.
"My, you need to hold your mom, I will go to check the door we will go into." - David said.
They are on the airplane now and preparing to fly like Hoa's family is preparing to have a new life in the new country.
After a long time, finally, Hoa's family can live together in America because her oldest son and daughter went to America first with their dad.
Everything was prepared, the plane is about to take off, Victoria is so excited because this is the first time she is in the sky, she can not stop asking her questions about America and looking outside the plane's window until sleeping. Hoa looked at her daughter's happiness appeared in her face, and she remembered about 4 years ago.
Kontum, Vietnam, April 20, 2005
Hoa got a call from America and that form David, he told her that he would prepare paperwork for Hoa, Bao, An, and Victoria to go to America after he passed his citizen exam. But Hoa flatly rejected David:
"No, I do not want to go, I am happy in Vietnam now, and I do not want to restart again in the U.S."
"How about our children? You do not want our children will have a better life in America?" - David asked Hoa.
After a few minutes thinking she accepted for Bao and An go to America with their dad, but at that time, Victoria was too young, so Victoria had to stay with Hoa in Vietnam.
Hoa decided to go to the interview for America travel visa, and she could stay and go between Vietnam and America. Still, she failed the conversation at the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Saigon, Vietnam. Everything did not stop right there, the doctor told Hoa got the first stage of Uterine Cancer after Bao, and An went to America with their dad. The news like a bolt strikes inside Hoa's ears inside Hoa ears, Hoa did not believe what she just heard, her tears could not come out, she asked the doctor the same questions "Is that real?", he just only said sorry.
On the airplane, March 17, 2009.
Hoa was startled by the flight attendant's question "Hi, we have noodles, rice with chicken, egg, and beef, what do you want to eat and drink?" because it was time to eat on the plane, but she did not know English so only David answers "Can we please have three beef with rice and three cups of water, thank you."
"Wow, dad can speak English, it is so cool." - Victoria opened her eyes bigger and said in Vietnamese.
Hoa looked at her daughter smiling and her husband and thought that was over anyway even though she had a hard time at that time. She had to send her young child to her relative to take care of, and she had to go to the hospital to chemotherapy. After the time to evaluate the health and the disease, finally, the surgery to remove the ovaries, as well as the cancer cells of Hoa, took place successfully.
After 18 hours flying in the sky from Vietnam, the plane just landed at San Francisco international airport, California. She felt very nervous because it was the first time she came to America, but the most important thing was seeing her children. Check-in and entry into the U.S. are fast because her husband - David - and their young children - Victoria- already have American citizenship.
San Francisco, California, March 17, 2009
Just walked out the door of the airport, Hoa and Victoria feel kinda cold in their bodies.
"Mom" - Bao (Hoa's oldest son)
"Mom" - An (Hoa's middle daughter)
Bao and An are running to Hoa, "Are you tired, mom? After 18 hours of flying."
"No, I don't. Do you guys remember my cooking skills?" Hoa said.
"Of course, mom. Finally, I can eat your food again." Bao is smiling and answering.
They hug together with a happy face. The sky is so beautiful, and Hoa has not ever forgotten about that day.
Oakland, February 27, 2020
That is almost 11 years, but she can not forget what happened when she just came here. She told me when David's friend picked them up from the airport and went home. She was shocked because it did not make the same as what she imagined. Although they bought the bigger house in Oakland, they had not moved yet.
"That was a small studio has one bedroom for my husband, the living is the kitchen, and that is Bao and Bao bedroom too. I can not think more at that time and can not say anything." - Hoa told me.
After 2 weeks, they moved out to the new house, but with Hoa, it was still small, her home in Vietnam was 200m2 with a front yard was 70m2. She said to me the house in America is the size of the living room of her old house in Vietnam. I continued asking her, "What were you thinking at that time? Were you disappointed?"
"Yeah, now you can understand why in 2009 I refused David to go to America now." - Hoa answered and laughed.
"You know, non-language, non-job is every difficult. Only my husband worked at that time to support the whole family." - Hoa said.
"What do you think about your life after living here for 10 years?" - I asked her.
"Better, pretty sure." Hoa silenced for a moment and said, "I am so happy right now, my oldest son and daughter got their job now, and my youngest daughter is a high school student. Nothing better than my family together, happy and healthy."
"Do you want to go back to Vietnam now?" I laughed and asked her.
"No, I do not want to come back and live in Vietnam anymore, but I visit it one time a year." - She answered.
"Wow, that is great, I'm happy for your family. Thank you for answering my interview." I said.
Although a lot has happened in the past 10 years, Hoa can feel Oakland, California, The United State is her home right now. She still does not have a job, and she is at home and does the housework, but her life is delighted. She can feel comfortable at her home, where she was not born but gave her a new life.
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