Once in America
Interviewer: So when he got to America, how did he process being over here? Was it surprising that people didn’t know about Laos? What was that like for him?
Interviewee: It was such a big contrast coming from rural farming, agricultural based – almost 90% of Laos is agriculture. So, coming to California was such the biggest change-culture shock, language barriers, everything. And so, basically my dad was like “how can I survive?” He honestly had really low self-esteem when he came in here, because [he went] from water oxen to cars to big buildings it was all a change for him. But I think one thing that really helped him was his educational background because he actually went to one of the four high schools in Laos. At the time they only had four high schools. Out of the whole country. And, yeah, he was able to do that. Then he went to the military academy to get more education. So, he learned about history and stuff. So he’s very very passionate about education. And so, he realized his English was not good at all, and he tried applying to a job, and no one would hire him because he didn’t speak English. And so he was like to my mom ‘No, we have to speak English. We have to learn how to.’ And so, that’s whenever he enrolled in ESL classes and went to finally get his, he actually got his associates degree in business administration and management. So, I think it helped him in that bit, but most of the time, most Lao during the second wave which was in the 80’s, that was when most of them were from agriculture and really didn’t have an education. But my dad was a little bit more privileged than the people that would have middle school education, and they would just go to work. He had, I would say, high school and first year of college, and so coming here it was hard but because he had those tools he made for himself in Laos, it helped him and my mom.
And so, yeah it is a major major culture shock, but I think he realized that education is the only tool he had for upward mobility, to go from here. And, that’s why he got his degree. He graduated from community college and he told my mom, ‘You need to do something, too.’ So, she got her, I think, her CN, and she does nursing and home health. But yeah, he knew he had a goal when he came here. He had goals of education, ESL, and learning English and then, whenever he had children he was like, ‘I’m going to focus on my children, and make sure they have, you know, all the resources they have, all the resources here to learn. I’m going to make sure that I stay close to them and that they succeed.’ And he’s trying to live vicariously through his children. So, that’s why he was very strict obviously whenever we were children, and he wouldn’t let us go out and play or anything, and make sure that our grades were up in par. And so, he knew that if my children can make good grades, and become citizens in society, and do something with their lives, then I know I did my job coming to the United States.
But, he’s still very passionate about going back. Well, not going back, but very passionate about still having his country back…. You know there’s some way to do it, but one day he still wants to have Laos as a free country. And that’s one of his main goals for David, my older brother. David, he went to the air force academy, and so, my dad says that if David is able to graduate from the air force academy, ‘that’s whenever I graduate.’ And so, then eventually he graduated in 2011, and I think that was when my dad was able to find more peace within himself, that he did his job and that he finally graduated too. And that’s the moment that he actually felt whole for once and that he didn’t have to worry about anything. He feels very very lucky and very, I guess, proud to be in the United States and to be Lao American. He’s like, ‘I’m Lao-American, and I’m not a refugee anymore. I’m past that point.’