Em’s Story

Born July 2, 1945, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam
Arrived January 10, 2004, Alexandria, VA
SCSEP Participant, Senior Services Assistant, Boat People SOS, Inc., Houston, TX

My wife was in the U.S., so I came to join her. It was difficult adjusting to life here because I did not know anyone. I miss my life in Vietnam. We have nice beaches there. But everything in America is good, especially the freedom and the liberty. I want to be a U.S. citizen someday. A friend told me about SCSEP. I have learned to use a computer from taking ESL classes and I enjoy typing news articles at my assignment. I help type articles for Boat People SOS’s monthly bilingual newspaper called Mach Song/Life Stream. Our Mach Song media programs reach thousands of Vietnamese households in the Greater Houston area and bring attention to a wide variety of relevant issues and community-based initiatives. I like learning new things and have learned a lot at our quarterly meetings. I also appreciate interacting with other people. Enjoy work wherever you can. Help people and work hard together like a family.

This story originally appeared in NAPCA’s Southeast Asian Voices publication.