I. Introduction
A. The ongoing Iraq and Afghanistan War
II. What is happening in the war
A. Myths and false beliefs about the war
B. Soldiers making the difference
C. Welfare missions taking place
III. Why it is important not run from war
A. Improved living conditions
B. Stabilizing governments
C. Building Allies
IV. Conclusion
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Final Paper
My thought is to cover the government (communist) control over the media in the country of Laos. Laos was one of my interviewee's countries.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Third Interview: Cambodia
Preparations for my third interview began shortly after I concluded my second interview. My objectives were to obtain information about the life of my friend that immigrated to the United States from Cambodia. I wanted to learn the reasons why he came to the United States and what he went through to immigrate here. I wanted the interview setting to be as comfortable and as inviting as possible to ensure that conversation would not be interrupted by any outside noise. My interview questions have evolved over the course of the three interviews. I focused a lot on family and culture within the families in the past two interviews. I touched on each question briefly with this interview, but I did not go to in depth about family in this interview. I set up the interview for Saturday November 7, 2009 at eight o’clock at my friend Tommy’s home. The interview did not happen on Saturday night, because his mother passed away on Saturday. Because of the circumstances, I tried to talk him out of doing the interview at all, but he would not hear of it. He told me we would do it in a few days instead. That is the primary reason my questions did not go too far into the family life. He was doing me a huge favor in letting me interview him at all, let alone right after his mother had passed. I did not want to cause him any more pain by asking about his mother and family. I prepared my tape recorder to make sure it was still working; it is after all practically and antique. I did not printed out two copies of the questions I would be asking, I did not want him to read the questions I had previously prepare because I did not want to make him feel that he had to answer every question that was listed. I gave him and idea about the information I was going to be asking instead.
I have known Tommy for about eight years. Since I was interviewing immigrants and not international students, the interviewee was just a phone call away. I called him immediately following class after I found out that I could do interviews with immigrants. He was willing to be interviewed, I told him that I would schedule a time in the next couple of weeks with him. He was just completing a training course for school and I wanted to give him time to complete it before he had to spend time in an interview with me. Once he completed the course we scheduled the interview. I probably had an easier time securing the interviews then the other students in the class. I knew the interviewees before so I did not have to approach strangers. I would not have originally chosen friends to interview, however it was the easiest thing for me to do with my other obligations like work. I am lucky to have such good friends that were so open about their experiences and their lives. With all of the interviews, we mostly stayed on task and kept chit chat to a minimum, which surprised my somewhat. Since they were my friends I thought we would get off subject quite a bit, but we did not.
We conducted the interview at Tommy’s house. I did not want to inconvenience him by making him meet me somewhere; we live over an hour apart. I wanted to make him as comfortable as possible, especially since he had just lost his mother. After rearranging the interview time we conducted the interview on November 9, 2009 at about eight o’clock. The first few minutes we exchanges small talk and caught up on each other’s lives. I then explained what we would be talking about and we started the recorder. With the circumstances being what they were, I did not want to be pushy in any way. I asked basic questions and he talked about anything that came to his mind. I was not overly concerned if I missed a question that I had previously written, because he was telling me about his life as an immigrant. I believe whatever he wanted to tell me was worth listening to and being interested in. He did me a huge favor in talking with me so closely to the time his mother had passed away; he did not seem to want to talk too much about his mother or family. Out of respect for him I did not push the family subject.
Tommy Eam is an immigrant from Cambodia. He spent many years in the process of coming to the United States. He became an American citizen shortly before he was deployed to Iraq with the Minnesota Army National Guard a few years back. At that time he decided to legally change his name from Saraut Eam to Tommy Eam. No one could pronounce his Cambodian name correctly and he had been called Tommy for years anyways. I however have a difficult time calling him Tommy. His father passed away before his family fled Cambodia so, his mother took her family consisting of five children to freedom. His life in Minnesota is like any other person living here. He just completed a degree in Criminal Justice and is currently applying for jobs in the Law Enforcement field. He has twin teenage daughters, who are now fifteen years old. He has been in The Minnesota Army National Guard for eight years as a tank mechanic. Tommy does not ever want to return to Cambodia, he is a citizen of the United States and he is very proud of that fact. He told me he despises the government of Cambodia and everything it stands for. He still keeps up with the current affairs of Cambodia because he still has family that he has never met there. Tommy is one of the most patriotic people I have ever met and he continues to protect and help his country.
Many things during the interview with Tommy surprised and shocked me. During the last two interviews I had heard many things about the past conditions of some of the refugee camps in Thailand. However, the experiences that Tommy had and went through are so far beyond what I was told by the other interviewees, I was almost speechless. He witnessed Soldiers raping young women and even throwing one from a guard tower to her death. He told me men would walk around with guns and provoke refugees to run so that they Soldiers could shoot them. The people running the camps would keep most of the United Nations food rations for themselves and their families. This would lead the refugees to search for locus and crickets to eat. I cannot even fathom what that must have been like. Having to endure something like that is unimaginable. Tommy knows and is friends with the other individuals I interviewed, I asked him during the interview about the differences between his time and their time in the camps. The other interviewee’s time spent in the refugee camp while not pleasant was much less severe as Tommy’s. He explained to me that he went through the camps almost ten years earlier than the other two individuals; it must have improved during that time. The cruelty and inhumane treatment of people around the world is unbelievable. This did happen in the past; however, I cannot help but wonder if the same thing is now taking place around the world. The beginning of the interview was almost entirely about the conditions of the refugee camp, I did not push him to tell me about it he seemed as if he wanted to talk about it. During all three of my interviews, my friends were more than willing to tell me about the camps. I am amazed that they were all so open about their lives. I would have previously though that they would not want to talk about the horrors they have seen and experienced. I was very amused to find out that Tommy learned English by watching television, during the interview I forgot to ask him what shows he watched and which were his favorites. I will have to ask him when I see him next. During this process I have learned many things about the individuals that have immigrated to the United States from different countries. I am not sure if a lot of other immigrants have had similar experiences or not. But, I am sure that it has happened too many times. I have learned an incredible amount of information about my friends and hope that I did so professionally and sensitively. I am a lucky person to have such open and honest friend that were willing to share more about their lives with me, and my English class, then they ever have told me before.
The Kingdom of Cambodia is within the area of Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by Thailand to the North and the west, Laos to the Northeast and Vietnam to the East. The country “lies entirely in the tropics” (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia). The Mekong River is a dominant aspect of the geography of Cambodia. The primary agriculture of the Kingdom is rice, with 59% of the population relying on the rice production (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia). The garment industry has had a large boom within the past few years, eighty percent of the exported good from Cambodia are garments (CIA: The World Factbook). Cambodia is a Constitutional Monarchy, ruled by the King Norodom Sihamoni. The prime minister of the country is Hun Sen, who has had ties to the Communist party and the Khmer Rouge. In 1993 the first election in over twenty-five years took place in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge had been force out of the country by 1991, but still was able to put fear into the voting public by killing United Nations personnel with in Cambodia, to prevent the elections. Even through the fear, ninety percent of registered voters voted between May 23 and May 28, 1993. They were voting for a new National Assembly that would be responsible for the writing a new constitution (Cornell). The people of Cambodia are extremely poor; thirty-five percent of the population is below the poverty line (CIA: The World Factbook). “Being poor in Cambodia means eating less than a pound of meat a month and a family earning less than six hundred dollars from a rice crop that has occupied most of its labor intensively for the equivalent of three months.” (Cornell) The people of Cambodia celebrate many holidays within the year. The Cambodian New Year is an important celebration in the month of April. Within the three day event there are many celebrations and people give gifts to monks and their parents. Children show respect to their parents by giving them money and washing their feet. On the last day of the holiday the Buddha statues in the Cambodian families’ homes are washed to ask for good rain falls within the next year (Fathertime’s). This holiday is celebrated all around the world by Cambodians, my last interviewee Tommy celebrates every year with his family here in Minnesota. Most of the Cambodians follow the religions of Buddhism or Hinduism. Ninety-six percent of the people in Cambodia are Buddhists (CIA World Factbook). Cambodians are very family oriented and often offer food and drink to their family members that have passed on. Family is an important aspect of everyday living, respect for parents and elders are even visible in the dating world. Children often do not date without the permission of their parents. Cambodia is a country with a rich history and a past that has had many civil wars within its borders. In the past they have not only fought among themselves, but with countries that surrounds
Third Interview Transcript
Tommy (Saruat) Eam
6Nov09
M: How many languages do you speak and what are they?
T: I speak Khmer and English
M: Where does Khmer originate?
T: What I know is our blood line comes from India, but we as Khmer are mix with Chinese and Vietnamese
M: Is Khmer and ethnicity also?
T: Yes, and it is what we speak.
M: Did you know English when you immigrated here?
T: No, I had to learn as I went and I didn't learn English in school. I learned English by watching TV.
M: Did they not have English as a second language classes available to you?
T: No they did not have English as a second language.
M: Where did you immigrate from?
T: Cambodia, through Thailand then the Philippines and Georgia. Cambodian bloodlines come from India. Most Cambodians are mixed with Chinese and Vietnamese, I am a quarter Chinese. My grandfather was full Chinese.
M: Why did you leave Cambodia to come the United States?
T: In 1969 a civil war broke out and by the time I was born the war was really bad. The Khmer Rouge was based on communism, but we believed in democracy. My father was part of the Royal Cambodia Force, he was a colonel. Because of that the government was searching for our family to execute, us so we had to flee.
M: Was the civil war involved with the Vietnam War.
T: When the Vietnamese did invaded our country the Khmer Rouge and the Royal Force joined together to fight against the Vietnamese, but once the Vietnamese were gone they started to fight again between themselves. Both forces hated each other, but they hated the Vietnamese more.
M: Did you go through a refugee camp in Thailand?
T: Yes, first one was on the border of Thailand and Cambodia. We lived in a hut; we didn’t have much we slept on a bamboo bed with no mattress.
M: What were the living conditions like?
T: Very bad.
M: Did they feed you well?
T: No, the United Nations was in charge of the refugee camp, but the employees that ran the camp were all Thai people and Soldiers. When we got there we had five people in my family. We were supposed to get food rations from the UN. When they gave us our food rations we only received a small portion of what we were supposed to receive. They kept at least half of the food rations we were supposed to receive for themselves and their families. We were treated badly by that Thai people and the Thai government.
M: How many camps did you go through?
T: We went through 2 camps in Thailand before we were exported to the Philippines.
T: The second refugee camp was Kowdan, I have no idea how it is spelt. In the refugee camp they treated the Cambodian like dogs. They would rape the women and kill people Thai soldiers did not care about rights. They would beat you up and run you down.
M: Even the children?
T: Yep, I remember one time they raped a young girl and then just dropped her off of a guard tower, killing her. They would also round up all the kids and make them, including me, shine their boots and give them massages. If you didn’t do it you would be beat. They would force the refugees to cross the borders in to Cambodia, just so they could shoot at them. They had the guns so you had to do what they told you to do.
T: If there was fighting with the Khmer Rouge on the borders and they didn’t win, they would take it out on the refugees. They would try to make them run to shoot at them.
T: We would get up really early to catch crickets and locus to eat. We were starving, because they were stealing our food for their own families, we ate whatever we could just to get some protein.
T: I do not respect of like the Thai government or the Thai people.
T: They would give you appointments to begin the process for you to be exported to the Philippines. They would make you walk to Bangkok. This was to make sure you could leave the refugee camp. They gave you an identification badge that you had to have pinned to your shirt to show who you were. If you got caught without the badge it they would pin it to your skin to give you a message not to forget to wear the badge.
M: So it was like the star the Jewish people wore during WWII?
T: Yep, exactly like that it identified us as refugees.
M: I know the Tous went through camps in Thailand also. I know it was bad when they went through, but it seems like it was a lot worse for you?
T: Yeah, I went through the camps in the seventies they went through in the eighties, it must have gotten better. I am a bit older then they are.
M: Did you go school in Cambodia or in the refugee camps?
T: It was available in the refugee camps. They taught in Cambodian, but I did not go.
T: After the process for leaving the refugee camp we went through to the Philippines. I was there for three years. When I first got there they tried to assimilate us to the United States culture because they knew we were going to the US. They gave us item that were “American”, we got butter and a few other things. I had never seen butter before.
M: Did you like the butter?
T: Nope, I still don’t like butter.
M: Where the conditions better in the Philippines?
T: Yes, the government was very nice to immigrants; we had electricity and running water. We had freedom, I can’t remember if there where food rations, but if we were hungry were could go hunting in the jungle for food. We weren’t allowed to do that before. The school in Philippines started to teach us English, but I thought it was more fun to skip school. So, the only thing I learned was yes and no in English.
M: So you didn’t get in trouble for skipping school?
T: No
M: What is the government like in Cambodia?
T: It is like a Communist country. The prime minister is like a puppet to the Vietnamese government Hun Sen was captured by the Vietnamese when they invaded Cambodia, he was a Colonel in Cambodian
Khmer Rouge. The Vietnamese basically put him into power. The king’s son is still in power also, but the prime minister is more powerful because he is backed by Vietnam.
M: So, is Cambodia still at war?
T: Yes, because the two government faction is still at war, but Hun Sen has more power.
M: Philippines to Georgia how long were you in Georgia?
T: Six months.
M: Did you go to school there?
T: No were left there after 6 month and when to California.
M: How long were you in California?
T: From 1985 to 1991 and then we came to Minnesota.
M: Why did you come to Minnesota?
T: For better schooling and Long Beach was a gang infested town.
M: What is the Cambodia culture like?
T: The Cambodian cultures are very traditional, respect the elders, boys and girls can not start dating without their parent’s approval.
M: So the family is important?
T: Yeah, the family unit is very important in the Cambodian culture.
M: What kind of religion is believed by Cambodians?
T: Most Cambodians believe in Hinduism and Buddhism, a lot of people follow both. Hinduism ruled for a very long time, but people kind of thought it was too strict so they converted to Buddhism.
M: When you first got here was it hard to adapt?
T: Yes, it was very hard to adapt a new culture and a new language. Like, I never saw people kissing in public before that was something that was forbidden in our culture. You were supposed to be in private for that. The food was also different.
M: What you say that hardest difference was?
T: Adapting an over coming, just trying to fit in.
M: Did people treat you ok?
T: Ah, yes and no, the American culture is afraid of the unknown, there were racial slurs. That’s why they say alien, its unknown, even our green card said alien, and I mean why do you call us aliens? I mean you were and “alien” at one point to this new land.
M: What kind of traditional and cultural things do you celebrate here that you did there?
T: The New Year, we go to the temple. On the Day of the Dead we go to the temple and we offer food to our passed on elders. My sisters will still set aside food, for the people that have passed on, during meals. I don’t really do that anymore. The food is for our family, I guess my mom now.
M: Do you celebrate the American holidays?
T: Yeah, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
M: Do you ever want to go back to Cambodia?
T: No, I despise the government of Cambodia and everything they stand for I divorced the country to become an American. They have done nothing but hurt the people and my family, American is the country I choose to love.
M: Do you have family there?
T: Yes, I do my uncle and aunt and cousins, I never met any of them.
M: Would you be interested to meet them?
T: Yeah, I have heard a lot about my dad’s side of the family but never heard it from him or them.
M: So did your dad stay there in Cambodia?
T: No, my dad died during the war of malaria.
M: So what do you do now?
T: I enlisted in the military because I believe so much in the constitution and because of everything it has done for my family. That’s why I love the United States, because they treat everyone the same. I would not have what I have if I didn’t come here. People here can complain about the government but, they have never lived in a third world country. I mean we have freedom of speech, welfare, food, and shelter you don’t have that in a third world country. You could die on the streets there; here you have all that help you can get.
M: So that is why you became a citizen?
T: I became a citizen because this is the only country I know. I am no less or no more than anyone else here.
Work Cited
“Cambodian History and Personal Stories”. Cambodia: A Classroom Study. 6Nov2009. http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/southeastasia/outreach/resources/cambodiawebunit/History.html#Cambodia%20Today
“Cambodia.” CIA-The World Factbook. 6Nov2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html
“Cambodian New Year.” Fathertime’s.net. 7Nov2009. http://www.fathertimes.net/cambodiannewyear.htm
I have known Tommy for about eight years. Since I was interviewing immigrants and not international students, the interviewee was just a phone call away. I called him immediately following class after I found out that I could do interviews with immigrants. He was willing to be interviewed, I told him that I would schedule a time in the next couple of weeks with him. He was just completing a training course for school and I wanted to give him time to complete it before he had to spend time in an interview with me. Once he completed the course we scheduled the interview. I probably had an easier time securing the interviews then the other students in the class. I knew the interviewees before so I did not have to approach strangers. I would not have originally chosen friends to interview, however it was the easiest thing for me to do with my other obligations like work. I am lucky to have such good friends that were so open about their experiences and their lives. With all of the interviews, we mostly stayed on task and kept chit chat to a minimum, which surprised my somewhat. Since they were my friends I thought we would get off subject quite a bit, but we did not.
We conducted the interview at Tommy’s house. I did not want to inconvenience him by making him meet me somewhere; we live over an hour apart. I wanted to make him as comfortable as possible, especially since he had just lost his mother. After rearranging the interview time we conducted the interview on November 9, 2009 at about eight o’clock. The first few minutes we exchanges small talk and caught up on each other’s lives. I then explained what we would be talking about and we started the recorder. With the circumstances being what they were, I did not want to be pushy in any way. I asked basic questions and he talked about anything that came to his mind. I was not overly concerned if I missed a question that I had previously written, because he was telling me about his life as an immigrant. I believe whatever he wanted to tell me was worth listening to and being interested in. He did me a huge favor in talking with me so closely to the time his mother had passed away; he did not seem to want to talk too much about his mother or family. Out of respect for him I did not push the family subject.
Tommy Eam is an immigrant from Cambodia. He spent many years in the process of coming to the United States. He became an American citizen shortly before he was deployed to Iraq with the Minnesota Army National Guard a few years back. At that time he decided to legally change his name from Saraut Eam to Tommy Eam. No one could pronounce his Cambodian name correctly and he had been called Tommy for years anyways. I however have a difficult time calling him Tommy. His father passed away before his family fled Cambodia so, his mother took her family consisting of five children to freedom. His life in Minnesota is like any other person living here. He just completed a degree in Criminal Justice and is currently applying for jobs in the Law Enforcement field. He has twin teenage daughters, who are now fifteen years old. He has been in The Minnesota Army National Guard for eight years as a tank mechanic. Tommy does not ever want to return to Cambodia, he is a citizen of the United States and he is very proud of that fact. He told me he despises the government of Cambodia and everything it stands for. He still keeps up with the current affairs of Cambodia because he still has family that he has never met there. Tommy is one of the most patriotic people I have ever met and he continues to protect and help his country.
Many things during the interview with Tommy surprised and shocked me. During the last two interviews I had heard many things about the past conditions of some of the refugee camps in Thailand. However, the experiences that Tommy had and went through are so far beyond what I was told by the other interviewees, I was almost speechless. He witnessed Soldiers raping young women and even throwing one from a guard tower to her death. He told me men would walk around with guns and provoke refugees to run so that they Soldiers could shoot them. The people running the camps would keep most of the United Nations food rations for themselves and their families. This would lead the refugees to search for locus and crickets to eat. I cannot even fathom what that must have been like. Having to endure something like that is unimaginable. Tommy knows and is friends with the other individuals I interviewed, I asked him during the interview about the differences between his time and their time in the camps. The other interviewee’s time spent in the refugee camp while not pleasant was much less severe as Tommy’s. He explained to me that he went through the camps almost ten years earlier than the other two individuals; it must have improved during that time. The cruelty and inhumane treatment of people around the world is unbelievable. This did happen in the past; however, I cannot help but wonder if the same thing is now taking place around the world. The beginning of the interview was almost entirely about the conditions of the refugee camp, I did not push him to tell me about it he seemed as if he wanted to talk about it. During all three of my interviews, my friends were more than willing to tell me about the camps. I am amazed that they were all so open about their lives. I would have previously though that they would not want to talk about the horrors they have seen and experienced. I was very amused to find out that Tommy learned English by watching television, during the interview I forgot to ask him what shows he watched and which were his favorites. I will have to ask him when I see him next. During this process I have learned many things about the individuals that have immigrated to the United States from different countries. I am not sure if a lot of other immigrants have had similar experiences or not. But, I am sure that it has happened too many times. I have learned an incredible amount of information about my friends and hope that I did so professionally and sensitively. I am a lucky person to have such open and honest friend that were willing to share more about their lives with me, and my English class, then they ever have told me before.
The Kingdom of Cambodia is within the area of Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by Thailand to the North and the west, Laos to the Northeast and Vietnam to the East. The country “lies entirely in the tropics” (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia). The Mekong River is a dominant aspect of the geography of Cambodia. The primary agriculture of the Kingdom is rice, with 59% of the population relying on the rice production (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia). The garment industry has had a large boom within the past few years, eighty percent of the exported good from Cambodia are garments (CIA: The World Factbook). Cambodia is a Constitutional Monarchy, ruled by the King Norodom Sihamoni. The prime minister of the country is Hun Sen, who has had ties to the Communist party and the Khmer Rouge. In 1993 the first election in over twenty-five years took place in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge had been force out of the country by 1991, but still was able to put fear into the voting public by killing United Nations personnel with in Cambodia, to prevent the elections. Even through the fear, ninety percent of registered voters voted between May 23 and May 28, 1993. They were voting for a new National Assembly that would be responsible for the writing a new constitution (Cornell). The people of Cambodia are extremely poor; thirty-five percent of the population is below the poverty line (CIA: The World Factbook). “Being poor in Cambodia means eating less than a pound of meat a month and a family earning less than six hundred dollars from a rice crop that has occupied most of its labor intensively for the equivalent of three months.” (Cornell) The people of Cambodia celebrate many holidays within the year. The Cambodian New Year is an important celebration in the month of April. Within the three day event there are many celebrations and people give gifts to monks and their parents. Children show respect to their parents by giving them money and washing their feet. On the last day of the holiday the Buddha statues in the Cambodian families’ homes are washed to ask for good rain falls within the next year (Fathertime’s). This holiday is celebrated all around the world by Cambodians, my last interviewee Tommy celebrates every year with his family here in Minnesota. Most of the Cambodians follow the religions of Buddhism or Hinduism. Ninety-six percent of the people in Cambodia are Buddhists (CIA World Factbook). Cambodians are very family oriented and often offer food and drink to their family members that have passed on. Family is an important aspect of everyday living, respect for parents and elders are even visible in the dating world. Children often do not date without the permission of their parents. Cambodia is a country with a rich history and a past that has had many civil wars within its borders. In the past they have not only fought among themselves, but with countries that surrounds
Third Interview Transcript
Tommy (Saruat) Eam
6Nov09
M: How many languages do you speak and what are they?
T: I speak Khmer and English
M: Where does Khmer originate?
T: What I know is our blood line comes from India, but we as Khmer are mix with Chinese and Vietnamese
M: Is Khmer and ethnicity also?
T: Yes, and it is what we speak.
M: Did you know English when you immigrated here?
T: No, I had to learn as I went and I didn't learn English in school. I learned English by watching TV.
M: Did they not have English as a second language classes available to you?
T: No they did not have English as a second language.
M: Where did you immigrate from?
T: Cambodia, through Thailand then the Philippines and Georgia. Cambodian bloodlines come from India. Most Cambodians are mixed with Chinese and Vietnamese, I am a quarter Chinese. My grandfather was full Chinese.
M: Why did you leave Cambodia to come the United States?
T: In 1969 a civil war broke out and by the time I was born the war was really bad. The Khmer Rouge was based on communism, but we believed in democracy. My father was part of the Royal Cambodia Force, he was a colonel. Because of that the government was searching for our family to execute, us so we had to flee.
M: Was the civil war involved with the Vietnam War.
T: When the Vietnamese did invaded our country the Khmer Rouge and the Royal Force joined together to fight against the Vietnamese, but once the Vietnamese were gone they started to fight again between themselves. Both forces hated each other, but they hated the Vietnamese more.
M: Did you go through a refugee camp in Thailand?
T: Yes, first one was on the border of Thailand and Cambodia. We lived in a hut; we didn’t have much we slept on a bamboo bed with no mattress.
M: What were the living conditions like?
T: Very bad.
M: Did they feed you well?
T: No, the United Nations was in charge of the refugee camp, but the employees that ran the camp were all Thai people and Soldiers. When we got there we had five people in my family. We were supposed to get food rations from the UN. When they gave us our food rations we only received a small portion of what we were supposed to receive. They kept at least half of the food rations we were supposed to receive for themselves and their families. We were treated badly by that Thai people and the Thai government.
M: How many camps did you go through?
T: We went through 2 camps in Thailand before we were exported to the Philippines.
T: The second refugee camp was Kowdan, I have no idea how it is spelt. In the refugee camp they treated the Cambodian like dogs. They would rape the women and kill people Thai soldiers did not care about rights. They would beat you up and run you down.
M: Even the children?
T: Yep, I remember one time they raped a young girl and then just dropped her off of a guard tower, killing her. They would also round up all the kids and make them, including me, shine their boots and give them massages. If you didn’t do it you would be beat. They would force the refugees to cross the borders in to Cambodia, just so they could shoot at them. They had the guns so you had to do what they told you to do.
T: If there was fighting with the Khmer Rouge on the borders and they didn’t win, they would take it out on the refugees. They would try to make them run to shoot at them.
T: We would get up really early to catch crickets and locus to eat. We were starving, because they were stealing our food for their own families, we ate whatever we could just to get some protein.
T: I do not respect of like the Thai government or the Thai people.
T: They would give you appointments to begin the process for you to be exported to the Philippines. They would make you walk to Bangkok. This was to make sure you could leave the refugee camp. They gave you an identification badge that you had to have pinned to your shirt to show who you were. If you got caught without the badge it they would pin it to your skin to give you a message not to forget to wear the badge.
M: So it was like the star the Jewish people wore during WWII?
T: Yep, exactly like that it identified us as refugees.
M: I know the Tous went through camps in Thailand also. I know it was bad when they went through, but it seems like it was a lot worse for you?
T: Yeah, I went through the camps in the seventies they went through in the eighties, it must have gotten better. I am a bit older then they are.
M: Did you go school in Cambodia or in the refugee camps?
T: It was available in the refugee camps. They taught in Cambodian, but I did not go.
T: After the process for leaving the refugee camp we went through to the Philippines. I was there for three years. When I first got there they tried to assimilate us to the United States culture because they knew we were going to the US. They gave us item that were “American”, we got butter and a few other things. I had never seen butter before.
M: Did you like the butter?
T: Nope, I still don’t like butter.
M: Where the conditions better in the Philippines?
T: Yes, the government was very nice to immigrants; we had electricity and running water. We had freedom, I can’t remember if there where food rations, but if we were hungry were could go hunting in the jungle for food. We weren’t allowed to do that before. The school in Philippines started to teach us English, but I thought it was more fun to skip school. So, the only thing I learned was yes and no in English.
M: So you didn’t get in trouble for skipping school?
T: No
M: What is the government like in Cambodia?
T: It is like a Communist country. The prime minister is like a puppet to the Vietnamese government Hun Sen was captured by the Vietnamese when they invaded Cambodia, he was a Colonel in Cambodian
Khmer Rouge. The Vietnamese basically put him into power. The king’s son is still in power also, but the prime minister is more powerful because he is backed by Vietnam.
M: So, is Cambodia still at war?
T: Yes, because the two government faction is still at war, but Hun Sen has more power.
M: Philippines to Georgia how long were you in Georgia?
T: Six months.
M: Did you go to school there?
T: No were left there after 6 month and when to California.
M: How long were you in California?
T: From 1985 to 1991 and then we came to Minnesota.
M: Why did you come to Minnesota?
T: For better schooling and Long Beach was a gang infested town.
M: What is the Cambodia culture like?
T: The Cambodian cultures are very traditional, respect the elders, boys and girls can not start dating without their parent’s approval.
M: So the family is important?
T: Yeah, the family unit is very important in the Cambodian culture.
M: What kind of religion is believed by Cambodians?
T: Most Cambodians believe in Hinduism and Buddhism, a lot of people follow both. Hinduism ruled for a very long time, but people kind of thought it was too strict so they converted to Buddhism.
M: When you first got here was it hard to adapt?
T: Yes, it was very hard to adapt a new culture and a new language. Like, I never saw people kissing in public before that was something that was forbidden in our culture. You were supposed to be in private for that. The food was also different.
M: What you say that hardest difference was?
T: Adapting an over coming, just trying to fit in.
M: Did people treat you ok?
T: Ah, yes and no, the American culture is afraid of the unknown, there were racial slurs. That’s why they say alien, its unknown, even our green card said alien, and I mean why do you call us aliens? I mean you were and “alien” at one point to this new land.
M: What kind of traditional and cultural things do you celebrate here that you did there?
T: The New Year, we go to the temple. On the Day of the Dead we go to the temple and we offer food to our passed on elders. My sisters will still set aside food, for the people that have passed on, during meals. I don’t really do that anymore. The food is for our family, I guess my mom now.
M: Do you celebrate the American holidays?
T: Yeah, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
M: Do you ever want to go back to Cambodia?
T: No, I despise the government of Cambodia and everything they stand for I divorced the country to become an American. They have done nothing but hurt the people and my family, American is the country I choose to love.
M: Do you have family there?
T: Yes, I do my uncle and aunt and cousins, I never met any of them.
M: Would you be interested to meet them?
T: Yeah, I have heard a lot about my dad’s side of the family but never heard it from him or them.
M: So did your dad stay there in Cambodia?
T: No, my dad died during the war of malaria.
M: So what do you do now?
T: I enlisted in the military because I believe so much in the constitution and because of everything it has done for my family. That’s why I love the United States, because they treat everyone the same. I would not have what I have if I didn’t come here. People here can complain about the government but, they have never lived in a third world country. I mean we have freedom of speech, welfare, food, and shelter you don’t have that in a third world country. You could die on the streets there; here you have all that help you can get.
M: So that is why you became a citizen?
T: I became a citizen because this is the only country I know. I am no less or no more than anyone else here.
Work Cited
“Cambodian History and Personal Stories”. Cambodia: A Classroom Study. 6Nov2009. http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/southeastasia/outreach/resources/cambodiawebunit/History.html#Cambodia%20Today
“Cambodia.” CIA-The World Factbook. 6Nov2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html
“Cambodian New Year.” Fathertime’s.net. 7Nov2009. http://www.fathertimes.net/cambodiannewyear.htm
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Second Interview Laos
Preparations for my second interview began shortly after I concluded my first interview. My objectives were to obtain a different perspective and learn more about the country Laos and the individuals that immigrate to the United States from there. I wanted to make the interview setting as comfortable and relaxed as possible to ensure as much open communication as possible. I used the same questions I previously used however; I did change the order in which I would ask the question. I did that for my own benefit; previously the questions did not follow a coherent path. I group the questions into similar ideas and topics. I then practiced the questions again to ensure I could remember them during the interview. I set up the interview for eight o’clock on Friday October 30th at a small coffee shop in Minneapolis. I did not want to intrude on my interviewee’s home and I reasoned that the coffee shop would not be too busy on the Friday night before Halloween, which it was not. I had been to the coffee shop before and knew there were a few quieter corners we could conduct our interview in. I prepared my tape recorder; flash back to the 80’s, to ensure it was in working order. I printed out two copies of the questions I would be asking, it worked well last time providing my interviewee with a copy. I think it makes them more comfortable knowing what is coming.
Tou and I have been friends for a few years. I was allowed to interview immigrants instead of students because of my schedule. To interview students would have been near impossible for me with work and school. I called Tou and asked him if he would mind if I interviewed him for my English class. He wondered, out loud, what he could possibly say that would be of interest to an English class. I explained what the paper was about, learning about new cultures, and he said that he was willing to participate. I did not have to ask a strange if I could interview him but, I wonder if that would have been an easier task. I believe that it is probably harder to stay on task and on time with friends. Other things seem to creep into the conversation. In the last interview, we stayed on task; I hoped that this interview would follow the same path.
I conducted the interview in a small coffee shop on the 30th of October. At eight o’clock we met and ordered a cup of coffee. We settled into a quiet corner in the shop and caught up on all of the simple things in life. After a while and a refill on our coffee I started the tape recorder and we began the interview. I started the interview with the easier questions, ones that did not go to in depth. How many languages do you speak? Is a question that does not require much thought to answer; it is an easy one that is a good beginning to an interview. It eases us into the question answer routine. It is an interesting thing to watch a bilingual person speak with another bilingual person. They almost weave their words in and out of one language to another, understanding what the other is saying in both tongues.
I interviewed my second friend Tou. He immigrated to the United States from the northern region of Laos. He came here during a time when it was not a good thing to be a Hmong individual living in Laos. Before coming to the United States, Tou lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for a few years. Once here he lived in California for a few more years and ended up in Minnesota, where he lives now. Tou has a large family consisting of brothers, sisters and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Most of his family is in Minnesota. That is why he left the warmth and sunshine of California and moved to the state of endless winters. He attended school in both California and Minnesota, learning English along the way. He loves this country and some day wishes to become a citizen.
There are two reasons why I did not transcribe this interview. I felt that during the interview Tou did not feel comfortable. Therefore I feel that he did not open up as much as he could have. The information that I did receive from him was very similar to the interview that I did last week. But, in no way could the two interviews be compared. The first Tou opened up considerably more than the second Tou did. I was however surprised to find out that both of the Hmong individuals that I interviewed came to the United States through a refugee camp. I cannot help but wonder what the circumstances would have to be like for a family to flee to a refugee camp. Tou did not go into too much description about life in a refugee camp but, from last week’s interview I know that it could not have been pleasant. I did not know how similar the two Tou’s experiences had been until I interviewed both of them. To think of all the Hmong that came to Minnesota alone, I wonder how many of their stories would be the same. The interview on Friday did not have quality information that I felt needed to be transcribed. During the actual interview there were quite a few awkward pauses and short to the point answers with no explanations. I appreciated the time he took out to talk with me. After the last question and answer I shut the recorder off before it could once again record a painfully, awkward silence. I thanked him again and we parted ways.
Laos is a country that is rich in history, culture and geography. Laos is a “landlocked” (Wikipedia) country in Southeast Asia; it has countries that border every side of the land. The geography varies in Laos between mountainous regions in the north to dense forests in the south. Among its landscape there are also some plateaus and plains. The Mekong River forms a large border between Laos and Thailand (Wikipedia). The capital of Laos is Vientiane, but there are other cities with substantial populations. The population of Laos is estimated at 6.8 million people within the 236,800 square kilometers of the country. There are many different ethnic groups within the boundaries of the country. The largest being the members of the Tai-Kadai language group at 66.2% and one of the smaller ethnic groups the Hmong-Yao at 7.4% (US Department of State). The main religion in Laos is Buddhism, with few other religions among the citizens. A communist government rules over the country, and controls many aspects of life. “Government-run broadcasting sector has played a crucial information and propaganda role, seeking to promote patriotism and socialist ideology amongst the Lao people” (Culture Profile). The major cities have access to the Internet by the government tightly enforces regulations on what may be accessed. The Communist government took control many years ago and has lead to many of the Hmong people to leave the country. During the Vietnam era Hmong Soldiers helped the United States in the fight against Communist. When the United States pulled their forces out many of the Hmong people were persecuted and killed for helping the government of the United States. The two individuals that I interviewed were just a few of the Hmong individuals who fled the communist government years after the Vietnam War. Laos is a poor country that consists of mostly agricultural farmers. The rice industry dominates the economy, employing 80% of the country’s population (US department of State). Unskilled worker hinder the country’s ability to produce a higher Gross Domestic Product. “Laos is one of the least urbanized countries in Southeast Asia.” (Countries and Their Culture) The family unit is very important in Laos. Once married, individuals rarely move far away from the family’s compound. Eldest children are often expected to take care of elderly parents until they pass on (Countries and Their Cultures). The life expectancy of individuals living in Laos is 56 years and the country has a infant mortality rate of “79.6/1,000” (US Department of State). Most people living in Laos are under thirty years old. This country has a rich history and I am sure a rich future.
Work Cited
“Laos. ” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30 Oct. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos
“Background Notes: Laos.” US Department of State. 31 Oct. 2009. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2770.htm
“Laos.” Countries and Their Cultures. 30 Oct. 2009. http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Laos.html
“Laos.” Cultural Profile. 31 Oct. 2009. http://www.culturalprofiles.net/laos/Directories/Laos_Cultural_Profile/-250.html
Tou and I have been friends for a few years. I was allowed to interview immigrants instead of students because of my schedule. To interview students would have been near impossible for me with work and school. I called Tou and asked him if he would mind if I interviewed him for my English class. He wondered, out loud, what he could possibly say that would be of interest to an English class. I explained what the paper was about, learning about new cultures, and he said that he was willing to participate. I did not have to ask a strange if I could interview him but, I wonder if that would have been an easier task. I believe that it is probably harder to stay on task and on time with friends. Other things seem to creep into the conversation. In the last interview, we stayed on task; I hoped that this interview would follow the same path.
I conducted the interview in a small coffee shop on the 30th of October. At eight o’clock we met and ordered a cup of coffee. We settled into a quiet corner in the shop and caught up on all of the simple things in life. After a while and a refill on our coffee I started the tape recorder and we began the interview. I started the interview with the easier questions, ones that did not go to in depth. How many languages do you speak? Is a question that does not require much thought to answer; it is an easy one that is a good beginning to an interview. It eases us into the question answer routine. It is an interesting thing to watch a bilingual person speak with another bilingual person. They almost weave their words in and out of one language to another, understanding what the other is saying in both tongues.
I interviewed my second friend Tou. He immigrated to the United States from the northern region of Laos. He came here during a time when it was not a good thing to be a Hmong individual living in Laos. Before coming to the United States, Tou lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for a few years. Once here he lived in California for a few more years and ended up in Minnesota, where he lives now. Tou has a large family consisting of brothers, sisters and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Most of his family is in Minnesota. That is why he left the warmth and sunshine of California and moved to the state of endless winters. He attended school in both California and Minnesota, learning English along the way. He loves this country and some day wishes to become a citizen.
There are two reasons why I did not transcribe this interview. I felt that during the interview Tou did not feel comfortable. Therefore I feel that he did not open up as much as he could have. The information that I did receive from him was very similar to the interview that I did last week. But, in no way could the two interviews be compared. The first Tou opened up considerably more than the second Tou did. I was however surprised to find out that both of the Hmong individuals that I interviewed came to the United States through a refugee camp. I cannot help but wonder what the circumstances would have to be like for a family to flee to a refugee camp. Tou did not go into too much description about life in a refugee camp but, from last week’s interview I know that it could not have been pleasant. I did not know how similar the two Tou’s experiences had been until I interviewed both of them. To think of all the Hmong that came to Minnesota alone, I wonder how many of their stories would be the same. The interview on Friday did not have quality information that I felt needed to be transcribed. During the actual interview there were quite a few awkward pauses and short to the point answers with no explanations. I appreciated the time he took out to talk with me. After the last question and answer I shut the recorder off before it could once again record a painfully, awkward silence. I thanked him again and we parted ways.
Laos is a country that is rich in history, culture and geography. Laos is a “landlocked” (Wikipedia) country in Southeast Asia; it has countries that border every side of the land. The geography varies in Laos between mountainous regions in the north to dense forests in the south. Among its landscape there are also some plateaus and plains. The Mekong River forms a large border between Laos and Thailand (Wikipedia). The capital of Laos is Vientiane, but there are other cities with substantial populations. The population of Laos is estimated at 6.8 million people within the 236,800 square kilometers of the country. There are many different ethnic groups within the boundaries of the country. The largest being the members of the Tai-Kadai language group at 66.2% and one of the smaller ethnic groups the Hmong-Yao at 7.4% (US Department of State). The main religion in Laos is Buddhism, with few other religions among the citizens. A communist government rules over the country, and controls many aspects of life. “Government-run broadcasting sector has played a crucial information and propaganda role, seeking to promote patriotism and socialist ideology amongst the Lao people” (Culture Profile). The major cities have access to the Internet by the government tightly enforces regulations on what may be accessed. The Communist government took control many years ago and has lead to many of the Hmong people to leave the country. During the Vietnam era Hmong Soldiers helped the United States in the fight against Communist. When the United States pulled their forces out many of the Hmong people were persecuted and killed for helping the government of the United States. The two individuals that I interviewed were just a few of the Hmong individuals who fled the communist government years after the Vietnam War. Laos is a poor country that consists of mostly agricultural farmers. The rice industry dominates the economy, employing 80% of the country’s population (US department of State). Unskilled worker hinder the country’s ability to produce a higher Gross Domestic Product. “Laos is one of the least urbanized countries in Southeast Asia.” (Countries and Their Culture) The family unit is very important in Laos. Once married, individuals rarely move far away from the family’s compound. Eldest children are often expected to take care of elderly parents until they pass on (Countries and Their Cultures). The life expectancy of individuals living in Laos is 56 years and the country has a infant mortality rate of “79.6/1,000” (US Department of State). Most people living in Laos are under thirty years old. This country has a rich history and I am sure a rich future.
Work Cited
“Laos. ” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30 Oct. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos
“Background Notes: Laos.” US Department of State. 31 Oct. 2009. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2770.htm
“Laos.” Countries and Their Cultures. 30 Oct. 2009. http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Laos.html
“Laos.” Cultural Profile. 31 Oct. 2009. http://www.culturalprofiles.net/laos/Directories/Laos_Cultural_Profile/-250.html
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