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aebbb34cee1def3dfeab2ebfdc6e9484
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Phousita Serey Huy
Master of Cambodian Royal Court Ballet
Phousita S. Huy was born in Phnom Penh City, Cambodia.
Ev ery Thursday, at her early age, her mother took her to the
royal palace for the public performances of royal court ballet .
She loved the beautiful dances and costumes and dreamed of
someday being a dancer herself.
In the past, Royal Court Ballet
was for entertaining the Cambodian king and queen, for some
priv ilege personnel, and for official reception of the foreign
delegates or diplomates.
Royal Court Ballet requires onl y female
performers due to its soft, gentle, flexible and delicate
gesture.
It is always regard as a special privilege to b e
s e lected for the Royal Court Ballet.
In April 17, 1975 the communist radical group, known as
Khmer Rouge, took control of Cambodia.
In order to reform
Cambodia to a pure peasant society, the Khmer Rouge start e d the
unspeakabl e destruction of Cambodian society. They destroye d
lives of the inhabitants, national properties, tradition and high
culture of Cambodian society--including the royal court ballet.
Most of the learned and intellect were perished under the Khmer
Rouge's brutal regime along with the most prominent p e rf o r me r s of
roya l court ballet .
Despite being separated from her family, Phousita manage d t o
s urv i v ed the most ordeal of her life. After being reunited wit h
h e r famil y , she h e aded back to her birthplace, Phnom Pe n h Ci t y .
Her dream of royal court ballet in her childhood remaine d ali ve
in her heart.
After several scrutinies, she finally wa s admitt e d
to University of Fine Arts at the early of 1980.
She gradu a t e d
in 1 989 . During her school years and after her graduation, she
had toured several countries, including Vietnam, North and South
Korea, Japan, America, Lao, Thailand, and India.
Prior to her departure from Cambodia for permane nt residency
in United States in the middle of 1996, Phousita taught . royal
cou r t ball e t at the University of Fine Arts and general publi c
e lementary schools . Presently, she is an artistic director at
Angkor Dance Troupe, Lowell, Massachusetts.
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
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The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Biography of Phousita Serey Huy, Master of Cambodian Royal Court Ballet, 2002?
Subject
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Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
A short biography of Phousita Serey Huy, master of Cambodian Royal Court Ballet. She was born in Phnom Penh City in Cambodia. Her love for dance started when she was very young and she was admitted to the University of Fine Arts in1980. Prior to her departure from Cambodia for permanent residency in the United States in the middle of 1996, she taught royal court ballet at the University of Fine Arts and general public elementary schools. She is currently the artistic director at the Angkor Dance Troupe.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2002?
Rights
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UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
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1 p.; 28 x 21.5
Language
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English
Type
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text
Identifier
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uml5_b12_f07_i001
Coverage
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Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Documents
Royal ballet of Cambodia
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1fda8d1eba5fa93e48cd0882a683dce3
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A NEW BEGINNING IN LOWELL
BY JAMES HIGGINS & JOAN ROSS
Foreword by Dith Pran Introduction by Hai B. Pho
����Southeast Asians
��Southeast Asians
A NEW BEGINNING IN LOWELL
BY JAMES HIGGINS & JOAN ROSS
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES HIGGINS
Foreword by Dith Pran Introduction by Hai B. Pho
M ILL TOWN GRA PHICS
�Published by:
Mill Town Graphics
P.O. Box 2168
Highlands Station
Lowell, MA 01851
Copyright © 1986 Higgins & Ross
The histories that begin the Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese sections
are excerpted from Peoples and Cultures of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam . Reprinted
with the permission of the Center for Applied Linguistics.
The poem "Yaws" © 1986 George Chigas. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
The Introduction is drawn from a 1983 audio-visual presentation of the Southeast Asian Program, Fitchburg Ethnic Heritage Program Series, sponsored
by the Fitchburg Public Library with Dr. Gunther Hoos, Chairman of the
Communication/Media Department at Fitchburg State College as Director
and Dr. Hai B. Pho as Humanities Scholar.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and
retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher except in
the case of brief excerpts for use in critical articles or reviews.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 86-62068
ISBN 0-914613-04-9
Produced in conjunction with the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association
of Greater Lowell, Inc.
Project Coordination by Carol Keirstead
Book design by Joan Ross
Printed by Mercantile Printing Company
Typeset by Typographix, Inc.
Translation/Calligraphy:
Cambodian by S. Say
Laotian by Sompheth Phothisen
Vietnamese by Tran Kirn Lan
Manufactured in the United States of America
�ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AUTHORS' NOTE
First and foremost we thank all of those whose words and pictures
appear in this book.
The quotations in this book have been written as accurately as
possible in order to preserve the authenticity of the speakers'
voices. In many cases the English is ungrammatical, however this
in itself is telling - learning a new language is a great challenge.
The captions and quotations are, for the most part, said by or
about the subject photographed. We have not attributed the statements out of respect for the privacy of those who helped us create
this book.
We thank Theresa Theobald and the Cambodian Mutual Assistance
Association of Greater Lowell for the organizational support needed
to produce this book.
Carol Keirstead, project coordinator, has been a valuable link to the
Southeast Asian community, where she is so well respected.
We thank the following people and organizations: Narin Sao, George
and Chanthy Chigas, Heng Bun Chea, Sopheap Kuth, Michael Ben
Ho, Joan Gendron, Leslie Yauckoes and all our friends at the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association; Silvia Sangiolo, Steve Lewis,
Khamsone Silavong, and the Laotian MAA; and Mr. Ong and Mr.
Gia from the Vietnamese MAA . We also wish to thank the following :
Reverend Steven Stager, Kim Jaynes, and members of the Eliot
Presbyterian Church; Vera Godley and the Lowell Ethnic Covenant;
Lydia Mattei, Kathi and Larry Flynn, and the staff at the International Institute; Frank Dalphond and the Merrimack Valley Vietnam
Veterans Organization; Jim Myers - Site Manager, Nate Kinnon
and Sandy Jolin at Digital, Wilmington, MA; Arthur Robbins and
the Lowell Hilton; Marilyn DeAngelis of Channel 56, Boston; Daniel
Lam from the Office of Refugee Resettlement; Joe Antonuccio,
Thoeun Thou, Evelyn Desmarais, Jim Doyle, Carol Merrian, Brian
Dunigan, Kang Song, and Lan Pho.
We gratefully acknowledge the special editorial support we received
from Paul Marion, Cultural Affairs Director, Lowell Historic Preservation Commission, who even walked our dog when things got crazy.
We appreciate the special advice and assistance we received from
Maude Salinger.
We thank Christine Reynolds for her design help.
A special thanks to our three translators: S.Say, Sompheth Phothisen,
and Tran Kim Lan .
Funding for this project was provided by :
rrrth
in
&P1:-'
M ass:1
chusc1ts Founda tion
for t-lu 1 mi 1ics and
m
Publi c Po lic)'
Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities and Public Policy, New England
Telephone Company, Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities
Heritage Program, the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission - United
States Department of the Interior, and the Massachusetts Arts Lottery Council
as administered by the Lowell Arts Council.
Additional support was provided by the Massachusetts Arts Lottery Council as administered by the Chelmsford Arts Council, Community Teamwork, Inc., St. Jean Baptiste Parish, the Church of St. Michael, the First
Bank, the Commonwealth Federal Savings Bank, the Union National
Bank, the Lowell Institute for Savings, and the Bank of Boston .
The Foreword, Introduction Summary, captions, and quotations
are translated into the languages of the Cambodians, Laotians,
and Vietnamese in order to make the book accessible to the
Southeast Asian community.
This book represents almost two years of work with the Southeast
Asian peoples of Lowell. Our respect for them is great - the
friendships made forever rewarding.
J.H. and J.R.
1965, it seems so long ago ... sitting in high school class,
Beatles music playing in my head, and a knot in my
stomach, wondering if I would be called on for an answer.
While on the other side of the world dark clouds were
gathering, clouds that would soon be heading this way.
Decisions being made at the Gulf of Tonkin by people far
removed from Mr. Hogan , my sleepy history teacher.
J.H.
��FOREWORD
by Dith Pran
The plight of refugees is a universal and historic story.
While trapped inside communist Cambodia for four and
one half years, I vowed that when I reached freedom I
would bring my message to the world. My story, as
shown in the film "The Killing Fields," is not just my
story. It is the story of refugees throughout the world.
The Southeast Asian refugees, most of whom were
forced through hardships of war to come to the U.S.A. ,
are now adjusting to life in a new world . These Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese people have suffered
for years. When the war was over in 1975, an internal
holocaust within the Southeast Asian countries con-.
tinued. The survivors fled their country because they
could not live under the communist regime where
they had little food and no freedom.
With the help of volunteer agencies and religious
organizations, these refugees are being taken care of
and are learning to adapt to the language, customs,
and life in their new world. I applaud the American
people because they have a tradition of helping the
suffering people.
I am now a citizen of the United States and I am
proud to be one. I have a home and a country; I am
no longer stateless. As Goodwill Ambassador to the
United Nations, I will continue to promote peace all
over the world. Please share with me my concern for all
the suffering refugees. I hope that someday the people
around the world would join together in creating a
peaceful global society. I am glad you care.
����INTRODUCTION
by Hai B. Pho
To many Americans whose grandparents first made the long journey to the United
States at the turn of the century, the memories of their hardship, struggle, and often
prejudicial treatment are likely wrapped in a mist of sentiment and nostalgia. Through
hard work, education, and sacrifice, they and their children were often rewarded by
a better life. Today, as part of the remaining legacy of the Vietnam War, another first
generation of immigrants is beginning its upward struggle. Lowell is fortunate to count
these courageous people as part of its cultural mosaic, and this book is an effort, at
least in part, to document the upward struggle of the newest group of immigrants,
the Southeast Asian refugees.
Southeast Asia encompasses the vast mainland area east of India and south of
China including Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam as well
as the two island nations of Indonesia and the Philippines. Historically, it has been
a crossroad of cultural activity. For more than 4000 years China, India, and Polynesia
have influenced the languages, customs, and institutions of the peoples of the area.
To these have been added the European Christian influences during the past 500
years resulting in a great diversity of life-style, culture, and language. The region
abounds in great beauty and cultural riches.
Geographically, Indochina reflects the mainland portion of Southeast Asia comprised
of Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Politically, however,
the name Indochina applies only to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, the countries
which were once known as French Indochina. The history of French Indochina
began in 1893 when the French first proclaimed the Indochinese Union after it had
colonized these three independent states. The Union ended in 1950 when separate
treaties were ratified, recognizing Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos as independent,
self-governing states within the French Union. After the Geneva Conference in 1954
and the dissolution of the French Union, the name Indochina no longer had any
political or constitutional meaning.
Indochina's more than 2000 years of independent existence has been frequently
disrupted by series of border disputes, wars of succession, invasions, and colonizations. Since World War II, after all the great ideologies such as capitalism, communism,
and nationalism had swept across the Asian continent, the Indochinese peoples experienced widespread grassroots struggles for independence from the French and
the ensuing internecine warfare.
Following the decisive loss by the French to Ho Chi Minh's guerrillas at the battle
of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the Geneva Accords was signed which gave international
recognition of independence and unity to Cambodia and Laos, but divided Vietnam
into two portions with an arbitrary line along the 17th parallel. It also left Ngo Dinh
11
�Diem's South Vietnam in a highly vulnerable position to North Vietnam's battle hardened guerrilla armed forces, the People's Liberation Army. It was after this Geneva
Conference that the United States became directly and more deeply involved in
the region.
Speaking in 1955, at a meeting of the American Friends of Vietnam Association
in New York, Senator John F. Kennedy, then a presidential hopeful for the 1956
election, declared:
Vietnam represents the cornerstone of the free world in Southeast Asia,
the keystone of the arch, the finger in the dike. . . .
Vietnam represents a proving ground of democracy in Asia. . . . Vietnam
represents the alternative to Communist dictatorship. . . . The U.S. is
directly responsible for this experiment. . . . We cannot afford to permit
that experiment to fail . . . .
If we are not the parents of little Vietnam, then surely we are the godparents. We presided at its birth, we gave assistance to its life, we have
helped to shape its future . . .. And if it falls victim to any of the perils
that threaten its existence - Communism, political anarchy, poverty, and
the rest - then the U.S., with some justification, will be held responsible.
So, not willing to allow the North Vietnamese Communists to unify the country
either by political maneuver or by force, President Eisenhower authorized an expansion of U.S. economic and military aid to South Vietnam. The battlefields in South
Vietnam were then defined in Cold War theories and principles. South Vietnamese
people thus became freedom fighters and the 17th parallel became the frontier of
the Free World.
Initially, small teams of U.S. military advisors were sent to Vietnam. At first, they
were limited to a training role which was later changed to field advisors restricted
to a "fire when fired upon" rule. This unrealistic dictum was largely ignored by the
Americans and they took active part in skirmishes against the Communist-led front
in the South known as the National Liberation Movement Front or the Vietcong.
America went to Vietnam scarcely guessing the intricacy and pattern of ensuing
events. The War rapidly escalated shortly after the assassination first of Diem then
of Kennedy in November, 1963, and less than a year later President Johnson committed vast sums of AID money and tens of thousands of draftees into the war. In
the South, a succession of generals failed to unify and mobilize the public will to
defeat the Vietcong and the war dragged on. Like the French, the Americans were
suddenly bogged down in a war that seemed unending. Finally, after tremendous
resistance in America to the continuation and expansion of the war, the new strategy
became Vietnamization. Without defeating the Vietcong, America began to withdraw,
transferring all fighting responsibility to the South Vietnamese.
The failure of the U.S. to live by its commitments to support South Vietnam against
the North during the post-1973 Paris Peace Agreement period subsequently led to
12
�the defeat of the South by the North Vietnamese forces on April 30, 1975. Thus, the
last American presence that many South Vietnamese saw was the U.S. helicopters
leaving the American Embassy in Saigon.
Less than two weeks before the capture of Saigon, Communist forces had seized
control of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. But after four years of genocidal
ruthlessness by Cambodian Premier Pol Pot, supported by the People's Republic of
China, the Vietnamese Communist Army rolled into Cambodia and engaged the
savage Khmer Rouge. Vietnam ultimately installed Heng Samrin as a new Cambodian Premier. Laos too came under complete control of Vietnam's Communist ally,
the Pathet Lao in December, 1975.
Since the middle of 1975, the great question in Indochina has not been freedom,
but survival for those who hadn't given their loyalty to the Communist forces. Thus,
after the Communist takeover more than 1.5 million people had escaped the new
Regimes and started a search for a new beginning. Some fled for fear of reprisal. Some
were pushed out because they were dissidents. Some, like the ethnic Chinese, were
forcefully evacuated. And some left in search of freedom.
The Vietnamese exodus took place in three phases. The first came after the fall
of the Saigon government in April, 1975. In only three months over 130,000 Vietnamese
refugees entered the United States. Vietnamese who had worked for the U.S. government as well as members of their families were evacuated along with the officials of
the South Vietnamese government. Phase two refugees left Vietnam for a number of
reasons including the steady nationalization of the private sector, the erosion of personal freedom, and the establishment of reeducation camps, actually, concentration
camps. When registration for these camps began, many took small crafts that were
readily available and headed for ports in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Of all who left by boat during this time, more than half never made it to their
destination. The Vietnamese dead may total 400,000. The phase three exodus began
in 1978. This phase was characterized by the forcible eviction of Vietnam's ethnic
Chinese population. No transportation was provided and they too were forced to
leave on any available vessel. A conservative estimate was that between 30,000 and
50,000 persons drowned each month from May to July, 1979.
In 1975 the Communist Pathet Lao took total control over the Laotian government.
This also caused a massive exodus of many anticommunist Laotians as well as the
Hmong people of Laos. The Hmong had worked closely for 15 years with the U.S.
military and were involved in the effort to rescue U.S. pilots who were shot down
over North Vietnam. During their 20 to 25 days walk from the hills of Laos to
Thailand, many Hmong were assaulted, abused, or killed. They slipped over the
Mekong at night aboard logs, make-shift rafts, or even lengths of bamboo underneath their arms to make a break for freedom. Once the survivors made it across
the river to Thailand, many were placed into jails and ultimately into Thai camps.
When Pol Pot ruled Cambodia, only a trickle of refugees escaped across the
Thai border with unbelievable tales of horror. It was after the defeat of the Khmer
13
�Rouge by the invading Vietnamese forces that a flood of Cambodians spilled into
Thailand. While a complete story of this modern day genocide may never be told,
it was estimated that over three million, or nearly half of the Cambodian population, died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Anyone found to have some association with the West was summarily executed. The urban population, including the
old and the sick in hospitals, was forced to march to communal labor camps in
remote jungle bases. Infractions of the harsh, inhuman rules were punishable by
death. Food shortage was rampant and, in the fall of 1978, famine threatened the
survival of the entire country. The plight of the Cambodians attracted worldwide
attention.
The Indochinese refugee situation became a major international issue in 1979.
Countries of first asylum sometimes refused to accept anymore refugees. International resettlement efforts were slow and bound up in red tape as well as politics.
The July, 1979 Geneva Refugee Conference acknowledged an important principle.
Refugee assistance should be considered an international responsibility. As a result
of this conference, resettlements were doubled. Another development at Geneva
was the Philippine Government's offer to provide a site for a facility which would
serve as a refugee processing center. The U.S. strongly supported the establishment
of such a site as a means of relieving the pressure on the countries of first- asylum
and thereby encouraged them to continue to accept all new arrivals. From these camps
of first asylum in Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, the refugees were eventually
processed and resettled in many parts of the world including the U.S.
Many regulations had been written to facilitate the resettlement of Indochinese
refugees into the U.S., however, it was the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980
which helped to speed up the resettlement of Indochinese refugees throughout the
United States. This law which defined a refugee as any person who is unable or
unwilling to return to his/her country ''because of persecution or a well-founded
fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion," established the Federal Office of Refugee
Resettlement and enabled the government to raise more funds for refugee reception and placement, cash and medical assistance, and language skills training as
well as employment services. Refugee resettlement also increased in Massachusetts
as a result of the Dukakis Administration's leadership with prominent citizens
advocating for speedier family reunifications and less restrictive regulations for
persecuted Cambodian applicants. The Refugee State Plan was extensively revised
to facilitate access to state programs and services by refugees with linguistic and
cultural barriers. Supplemental funds were appropriated by the State Legislature
to assist cities and towns which received a high number of new immigrants and
refugees.
Nationwide, the refugee resettlement program was carried out by eleven U.S. volunteer agencies including among others the American Council for Nationalities Service,
the American Fund For Czechoslovak Refugees, the Buddhist Council for Refugee
14
�Rescue and Resettlement, and the U.S. Catholic Conference. These agencies, under contract to the government, work to find individual or group sponsors who can assume
responsibility for the refugee family. It was through such sponsorship that refugees
from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos found their way to Lowell. The sponsors, sometimes organized through churches and sometimes by the agencies themselves, played
an important role for the new residents. Initially, they provided food, shelter, and
clothing for the arriving family. Later, they assisted in finding employment, enrolling the children in schools, and helping the immigrants to understand and cope
with the American customs. Through informal sponsorship duties, the sponsors
often became close friends of the families and provided much needed personal
support and encouragement during difficult times.
In Lowell, the Indochinese refugees were mostly received and placed by the American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees and the American Council for Nationalities
Service. They were also helped to resettle by local churches as well as the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (MAA), the Laotian MAA, the Vietnamese MAA,
and the International Institute of Lowell. These organizations are active in finding
sponsors for new refugees as well as in providing job development and language
training. Agency people continue to assist the new immigrants in their adjustment
to life in the new country.
In some ways, particularly with sponsorship and the state and federal governments
taking a pro-active role, it is now easier for the new immigrants to assimilate into
the American way of life especially when compared to the settlers at the turn of the
century. Some problems, however, have not changed, such as the need to acquire the
English language so that economic opportunities may be realized, the difficulty of
finding employment during hard economic times, and of course, the problems of prejudice and suspicion. But as other immigrant groups before them, the Indochinese
are ambitious, hard working, and greatly value education. These characteristics have
been and continue to be the classic ingredients of American upward mobility. The
earliest Indochinese refugees settled in Lowell only ten years ago. But many have
already succeeded in improving their own economic situations. Families have become
home-owners and have acquired other material goods. The high schools are regularly
graduating sons and daughters of Indochinese immigrants. Some are now enrolled
in colleges. Others are already working as technicians and engineers in high tech industries. And of course, most members of the Indochinese community are looking
forward to receiving American citizenship papers. Although assimilation into American ways is important, the Indochinese immigrants greatly value their cultural traditions
and keep them alive during celebrations and festivals throughout the year.
The first generation of Indochinese refugees can never forget the horror of war
and persecution that expelled them from their own countries or the Americans
who welcomed them and brought them here. But like other ethnic groups before
them, they are busy preparing a secure and stable future for themselves and for
their children in a new land.
15
�16
�17
�Gulf of
Thailand
KEY
INDOCHINA
~ Refugee
Escape Routes
I Refugee Camps
�The recorded history of Cambodia dates back to the first
century A.O., when it was known as Funan (100-500 A.O.).
This was followed by the Angkor period which lasted until
1432. It was a period of great accomplishments in culture,
arts and architecture. At its peak, the empire extended from
the Annamite Chain in present-day southern Vietnam to the
Gulf of Thailand . The temples at Angkor were erected during this period, which has been described as the height of
Cambodian domination in Southeast Asia.
At the end of the 13th century, the empire disintegrated
into small kingdoms often ruled by Thai vassals. The struggle
for territory between the Thais, Cambodians and Vietnamese
has continued to the present . Cambodia became a French
protectorate in 1864, and achieved complete independence
under the leadership of Prince Norodom Sihanouk after the
1954 Geneva Conference.
In 1970, Sihanouk was overthrown by his Prime Minister,
General Lon-Nol. That same year, Cambodia was the target
of attacks from the spreading war in Vietnam. This spurred
the growth of the Khmer communist faction (Khmer Rouge),
which gained control of the country in 1975, under the
leadership of Pol Pot. In 1979, the Vietnamese communists
overran and occupied Cambodia, installing a government
headed by Heng Samrin. The Vietnamese communist occupation, along with the Pol Pot generated holocaust, caused
an increasing number of Khmer people to flee their homeland
and become refugees in Thailand. Some 8,000 Cambodians
who are here today in Lowell, are victims of this continuing
war and turmoil .
19
Cambodians
�Most Cambodian refugees wait
in the camps (holding centers)
in Thailand for one to five years
while arrangements are made
for their resettlement . Language
instruction and cultural orientation are then received at a processing center before leaving for
the United States. The Mom
family waited in the camps for
six years before they could leave.
After a twenty-five hour flight
from Bangkok, they arrived in
Boston where Ing Mom ' s sister
and niece (on left) were there
to meet them .
20
�21
�A newly arrived refugee family is
given a demonstration of a hair
dryer found in a donated box of
clothes and small appliances .
22
�23
�Keo Saray' s parents are still in a
camp on the Thai-Khmer border.
They are not recognized as refugees by the Thai government
or the U.S. government. They
are considered '' displaced persons." Their only choices are to
go back to communist Cambodia
or wait in the camp with the
hope that someday their status
will change .
24
�25
�Poeun is forty-two years old.
She's had ten babies but now
there are six - four of them
died during the Khmer Rouge
regime.
"In Cambodia there are lots
of trees - hammocks are very
common. It's so easy to 'string
it and swing it. ' "
26
�27
�"Last night I heard a tape with
the songs of my country. In my
mind I went back to my grandparents' farm where I walked
through fields of coconut and
orange trees and ate fresh pineapple. I felt like there's no place
like home ."
28
�29
�Bun Vong and a friend were driving on the Revere Beach Parkway
when they became involved in
a traffic dispute with another
vehicle . A fight started and Bun
Vong was knocked unconscious .
He died of brain damage eleven
days later. In the second of two
trials, one of his assailants was
convicted of manslaughter.
The press converged on Bun
Yong's widow as she left the
funeral home . There was a barrage of questions and then an
awkward silence as she began
to cry . . . the only other sounds
coming from the click and whirl
of cameras .
30
�31
��33
�Rom was a village leader in
Cambodia . When he started ESL
(English as a Second Language)
classes, he had a strong motivation to learn . He entered the
clerical program but became frustrated with the level of language
skills required . He would say,
" I can 't keep it in my head - my
brain is too old." After transferring to the electrical program
that offered more hands-on skills,
Rom made good progress.
" When I go to look for a job,
maybe I will bring this to show
and say to them 'this is my
certificate. ' "
34
�35
�Division of Employment Security
" When I tell them a job is
available they ask if any other
Cambodians work there. If I
say no, then they don't want
to go. If their own people are
working there they feel comfortable . They are away from
their own country and things
seem strange here ."
36
�37
�The Moore Street School opened
in January, 1986, to house the
rapidly increasing population of
Cambodian students. The school,
segregated until June, 1986, is an
example of the emergency conditions facing public institutions
that deal with the Southeast
Asian refugees .
38
�39
�"12 Sisters" is a Cambodian folk
story that has been handed down
from generation to generation
and carried to Lowell by the
refugees . The film was shown
at St. Patrick's Church with a
translator for the English speaking viewers .
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40
c1,c,1; ck
~,4
.
�41
�" Under communist regime we
lost more than three million
people. We lost everything all of our culture which took
more than 1000 years to build,
and all of our trust for each
other. We only trusted the
Buddhist monk. Only the Buddhist religion can rebuild our
culture."
42
�43
�The day came for celebrating
the opening of the new Trairatanaram Temple, which had once
been a Knights of Columbus
Hall. Everyone dressed up everyone 's spirits soared. The
next day they found out that it
was illegal for Venerable Khon
Sao to stay there without an
occupancy permit. After contributing much time and hard
earned money, the permit was
finally granted .
"In Cambodia if you want to
build a house or a temple and
live there, you go out and cut
away some bamboo, drag it to
where you want to build it, and
move in."
44
�45
�"An American man come two
times to our house and ask me
if he can have my son to be his
son. He say he will give him
everything he need and send
him to college. I have one son
- I don' t give to somebody. I'm
his mother - he 's a good boy
and I love him too."
46
�47
�Many Southeast Asians became
Christians in the refugee camps
where there were missionary
nurses and workers . When we
asked Cheth if we could photograph his family with its newest
son, he wanted to make sure
that his pastor was included in
the photograph .
48
�49
�50
�51
�Formal education in Cambodia
stopped under Pol Pot's regime.
At thirty years old, Salay is
graduating from high school.
"I' m not really proud yet until
the next diploma - then I'm
born again . When I finish with
college, if God wants me to, I
would like to be a missionary .
That's why I try so hard to study.
I want to go back to help my
people - if not my people then
others who need help ."
52
�53
�" The main reason I buy a house
is so I can be independent. Now
we can welcome everyone here
without having complaints from
a landlord . My father-in-law ' s
friends live here too because
they have nowhere to go . We
all live together; it's Cambodian
custom to receive anyone that
needs a home ."
t.<
r-
9
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nn'"' ~u zou r::nu:J tn t.9ul rs9JJ
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...,
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Cl....
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rbrn ,t,.,l,J tn 10 if) c;i';"!J&,:au rj.
n.u CY.{;G)
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F>IJ, J.JJ...} U..UJ.J"l,:J.JUlr>>"c:)J...J2.~
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54
�55
�'When we fight in the Cambodian Army we believe the more
tattoos on the body, the more
protection in the war:'
56
�57
�L.<-
"My grandmother says 'if my
country is free, I want to go
back,' but we like it here . Even
if it's free, I don ' t think I go
back - I stay here ."
,
I,..,
t,..
_ ...
'
cc. ....
rr.vc'>UJt&u,:n::n ,z,r./:,cno
p...
~
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1'._J')t.97 tsu n./u ;--;:Ss F>u, tsud,n
v (:i\_ C'\., ')')
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_.
f o.!(l}•
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f
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v.
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ff JJ.v.>J .uurrfu
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58
>>
�59
�I
Mother and child at home in
the U.S.A .
r Q..'Q._ ()
<f.JJ rr;;,~ -;:)>'HJ ,n r:seu1u t.fs r~:::I:.
tnt::x> ~= ,_!}~,n .
60
-1-iu· ~
· u
h
tvJ·
{;,(Jh
O L ?tk-
�61
�Phalik performs traditional Cambodian dances - her brother likes
the "moon walk" better.
~/<._--&,~~
ot;~
Vc,/-f¼ ::J~ f{lc,~
u/4 Wl? -~ -~
Gm fw• 'c ;
'
I
·
~~
~ '' /vu;oh Sa.f.):_ ' MIL-_
1
62
�63
�mJ.J~:r~.u.d=~~C;jq~'-:Jr.,
Cambodian New Year Celebration
t. • .ui..J
64
.
�65
�The first wedding of an American
man and Cambodian woman
in Lowell.
"The priest gives the couple a
haircut as a symbol of cleanliness. The locks of hair will be
mixed in a bowl to symbolize
the sharing of the bride and
groom. The monks advise them
to use the plural, not singular,
when speaking in the house .
They should say we instead
of I."
66
�67
�YAWS*
A scratch was doom
if their village had it.
Without penicilin
it could hide in blood forever
burning holes through skin that won't close.
She said her mother put leaves on infected sores
to draw the tiny worms started by flies
far enough out to get at with toothpicks.
My experience doesn't even begin to touch this.
The closest it ever came
was the summer I got poison ivy
chipping out of rough to save par.
And when I ask her, she'll just shrug it off.
To her it's just something terrible that happened.
We even laugh when she tilts back on her heels
with fingers and toes spread
to show how they walked.
*A tropical condition caused by a bacteria, characterized by skin
lesions on faces, palms of hands and soles of feet .
68
�69
�The Lao people moved from the Yunnan area of China and
settled in the northern part of Laos in 658 A.O., eventually
spreading throughout the present-day areas of Laos and
Thailand . Many wars were fought among clans to gain domination. There were three major kingdoms in Laos by 1707. By
1779, the kingdoms were colonized by the King of Thailand.
Many unsuccessful attempts by the Lao to free themselves
from Thai domination followed . In 1893, France took control of Indochina and pressured the King of Thailand into
relinquishing some of the Lao territory. A treaty was signed
in 1907 dividing the Lao people into two nations, one under
French control, the other under Thai.
During World War II, Japan conquered Laos, pushing the
French out of the country. Its rule was short-lived, however,
and France regained control in 1946. This resulted in many
Lao leaders fleeing to Thailand to create a "Free Movement."
The Movement was successful in 1949, when Laos was given
greater independence by France, and many members of the
"Free Movement" returned to Laos and participated in the
70
�formation of the new government. Others, however, remained
in Thailand and founded a movement known as the "Pathet
Lao," led by Prince Souphanouvong. The Pathet Lao was
headquartered in northeastern Laos.
Subsequent years saw continuous power struggles between
various factions for control of the government. During this
time, in 1954, Laos achieved full independence. The power
struggles continued, and Prince Souphanouvong was arrested.
He later escaped to the jungle to join the Pathet Lao. A coalition government was formed in 1962, under the leadership
of Souvanna Phouma, to demonstrate solidarity. This government received aid from the United States. This support was
phased out, however, in 1973, when another coalition
government - between the communist Pathet Lao and the
Royal Lao Government - was being created. Communist
control was total by December 1975. The current exodus of
refugees from Laos began at that time, as those who resisted
communist control escaped the country. Some 2,000 Laotians
are here in Lowell today.
71
Laotians ·
�"There are several things that
bind all Southeast Asians: the
suffering they have experienced,
religion, and good food . When
Chanthip and I opened the restaurant we wanted to make sure
that the food was authentic . That
meant not worrying about the
Americans and what they would
think of the smells or the taste
of the food . We wanted to have
a congregating place for the
Asians - something that they
could call their own. "
......,
,
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72
--,"")
�73
�Somdeth has been in this country for less than two years. He
escaped from Laos by swimming
across the Mekong river at night
with a plastic bag he filled with
air to help keep him afloat. His
seven brothers and sisters and
parents remain in Laos .
"When I came to Lowell I went
to Adult Education classes for
ESL, and then to a special banking program at the Vocational
School. I feel very lucky to have
my job at the bank. The people
who come here always ask how
to pronounce my last name . They
want to know why I came over
here, but I have a hard time to
explain ."
74
�75
�0 Q
I
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A Lao/Cambodian wedding .
WV)
Neither bride nor groom speaks
the other' s language, although
they both speak a little English .
The bride's relative says " they
need an interpreter by day, but
not by night. "
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76
0
c.l,:nt.c.1,.e,~JJ9:1'? ''7)".UJ..J
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�"When I dance I feel like a thousand eyes are looking at me."
77
�'When we get to America my
sons grow faster. It's sports and
American food that make them
grow tall. They don't like Lao
food - they like McDonald's
and Papa Gino's and they
drink lots of Pepsi:'
78
�79
�80
�81
�, ft.i' l<f_ d,·o/ilM
IU/W) c1-u; ~ I :6-t; Il{_ (._
v~ do-,-:6 ~~
fedi Ouw-c Lao cf-e ... ~
~t)rf_ t1J ~ ~
~
Centuries of migration caused
the hill tribes of Northern Laos
to create a portable art. For
hundreds of years textile designs
have been passed down from
mother to daughter . This Hmong
tapestry, made in a refugee
camp, is an example of Pa'ndau
which means "Flower Cloth ."
C..0 /
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a
11.,6 i .
~
~
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,&_- _,
82
Va-<
fka._. .,
u:
�83
�0.
0.,..
The Pink and The Purple
f):JJ:::Si_,JJb
"We know the Lao music but we
like American better - it's the
beat I guess. We like groups like
Kiss, Dokken, Keel, and Motley
Criie. Right now we just play for
fun, but you never know . . . . "
H;::)~
I
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,,... .,_, rQ
I I
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I
84
�85
�"My parents have a lot of kids,
they can't raise them all so we
have to separate and go to live
with different relatives. That way
we can have something to eat
growing up and we can go to
school instead of work in the
fields. I don' t know exactly
how many brothers and sisters
I have . When I was seventeen
I try to track them down and
I found two or three of them .
Then after sixteen years away
I meet my real mother again.
She cries and tells me she feels
very, very sorry but that it was
the best thing she could do .
When I come to this country my
sister try to help me out so she
wants one of my twins for her
own . I tell her I want to raise
all my kids. I don't want them
to separate. I want every kid
with me no matter where I go ."
86
�87
�"When my son was three he
got poison from lead paint and
took a lot of medicine . I move
to another apartment but now
I patch up all the holes in the
wall because I'm afraid for his
sister."
88
�89
�"We all share the bathroom.
There is no electricity - if we
close the door we can't see. "
90
�91
�"I leave my first job at 2 p .m.
and get home and pick up my
son from school. I feed my son
and daughter and when my wife
gets home from work, I leave
for my second job . Many times
I work overtime on Saturdays .
On Sundays we usually do the
shopping. "
92
�93
�" I have lots of problems here
- broken windows, the ceiling
broken down, toilet and sink
that don't work. Every time I
have a problem I call the landlord but nobody ever come. I
need a better place for her."
94
�95
�~1-'·a- Nj
'"t>"la;,
'1n Laos, the elderly spend their
time in the yard . The yard is
not grass but a large vegetable
garden that provides food for
the famil y. Now, she lives on
the third floor of a tenement
building. Below is a parking
lot. She speaks no English,
there is nowhere to go."
nef /JA,U ca/ ~a:_
ck'-cd
M-ue
Vdoh..
d:ii c//.,c, 'fr'e<-
c/40,. . ¾ J'?,- /!:a-~
~ f-ih Jdj -t/l._,J' '3 0,,,i'aw~.eu') j-.w"ci ' Mt
~- ~ alfk ;c-e-. .3a rtwy
~~
~- cf~~
~~
Offd;/, JJ
1.-
96
-h~i
,1,,.1._ vd
eo' c.A.o~ ),ac, ah.'-
�97
��99
�"Now that I'm a United States
citizen I feel more confident living
here . I feel different. Not only
my appearance is different, I feel
different inside. . . being one of
the people in this big country."
100
�101
�The ethnic Vietnamese are believed to be mainly descendants
of a Mongoloid race who spread southward through the
Red River delta. The Chinese conquered the area in the second century, B.C., and ruled for a thousand years.
After many revolts against China were attempted and failed
during that long period of domination, the Vietnamese finally
succeeded in regaining independence and founded the first
national dynasty in 938 A.O. Subsequent invasions from the
north were repelled, including the major one by the powerful Mongols in the late 13th century. In the 15th century,
China tried again to re-establish its rule but was defeated
by the Le dynasty after ten years of war.
Vietnam's sovereignty ended with the advent of French colonization which was achieved in 1883 and lasted for about
60 years. In 1940, the Japanese entered Vietnam with the
consent of the Vichy government. In March 1945, Japan overthrew the French authorities and granted independence to
Vietnam under Emperor Bao Dai, the last ruler of the Nguyen
dynasty. In August 1945, only a few days after Japan surrendered to the Allies, Bao Dai handed over the imperial seal to
Ho Chi Minh, who declared independence that September.
Negotiations with the French to implement this independence
102
failed, and the French-Indochina war began. It ended in 1954
at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, after eight years of enormous
casualties. The 1954 Geneva Accord divided Vietnam at the
17th parallel, placing the North under Ho Chi Minh and the
South under ex-Experor Bao Dai, now Chief of State, who
later lost control to his prime minister, Ngo Dinh Diem, in
a referendum.
After a few years of relative peace, the early 1960's were
marked by a steadily increasing penetration of South Vietnam
by Vietnamese communist guerrillas known as the Viet Cong.
Beginning in early 1965, the pace of the war accelerated
sharply. From being largely supportive and advisory, the
United States role increasingly became one of active combat,
with U.S. troops engaging in operations designed to search
out and destroy the guerrillas. During this period, the internal political situation in South Vietnam was in turmoil. After
the coup d'etat in November 1963, during which President
Ngo Dinh Diem was killed, rule was taken over by successive
military regimes. Corruption was a constant problem, and
the political unrest fueled Viet Cong efforts. Finally after
persistent peace talks and negotiations, a Peace Agreement
was signed in Paris on January 27, 1973.
�The Peace Agreement was intended to bring about a ceasefire throughout the country, the beginning of negotiations
between the two Vietnams toward a political settlement, and
the withdrawal of foreign military forces. All U.S. forces were
withdrawn within the stipulated 60-day period . While South
Vietnam lost the vital support of the United States and had
too little time to consolidate its own strength, North Vietnam
continued a massive infiltration of troops and military supplies.
As a result, the defense system in the South rapidly disintegrated, and Saigon finally fell into communist hands on
April 30, 1975, causing a massive and chaotic evacuation of
at least 130,000 people in only a few days.
The pacification, the unification, and the enactment of
economic and political policies by the victorious communist
authorities in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos produced a
continuous stream of refugees to the first asylum countries
of Thailand, Malaysia, the Peoples Republic of China, Hong
Kong, and the Philippines. By the end of January, 1986 nearly
1.7 million people had fled their homelands. Of these, 781,000
have been resettled in the United States, 728,000 in other countries, and over 154,000 are still languishing in refugee camps.
As a result of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Policy some
1,000 Vietnamese refugees have resettled in the Lowell area.
103
Vietnamese
�"Before my husband died he left
a portrait of himself dressed in
his traditional mandarin robe
and seated in the ceremonial
position. I am 88 years old now
and must prepare to die. I have
nothing to leave behind but this
portrait of me properly seated so
that after I am dead, it will be
placed on the family altar, next
to my husband's portrait for all
my children to remember us."
104
�105
�"' [} '-u"r-i/..
'1 work on a TV station in Vietnam singing and dancing. My
husband was a conductor in the
army and write patriotic songs.
When Saigon fell in 1975 he
have to escape. One day I'm
home cooking and I say 'Oh
my God, my husband not come
home.' We don't think we meet
again, but three years later I
receive a letter that he is safe in
America . We make a plan for
me to escape when my daughters are older. When I get to
Thailand they take everything I
have, my clothes . . . everything.
Some girls they grab and rape.
Thank God my daughters were
only five and six. It's terrible in
the camps. After five years we
meet in America . Now we have
two more kids. We live for our
kids - they must grow up right."
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�107
�IN
Khanhnguyen's brother and
sister escaped from Vietnam by
boat in 1979. Three years later,
resettlement in the United States
was arranged for Khanhnguyen
and his parents. Khanhnguyen
is now enrolled in the College
of Music at the University of
Lowell.
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"When I first came to the University, I was very lonely and
depressed . It wasn 't easy for
me to make friends . The first
time I was to perform before
the school, I walked onto the
stage and back off again. I failed
because I was too nervous, I
could not cope." A month later
Khanhnguyen performed before
the school with his own improvised work . He received three
standing ovations.
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Jill'. "
108
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-
�109
�Six days a week Dr. Tran drives
from his home in Connecticut
to his office in Lowell. He never
knows how many patients will
be waiting because appointments are not necessary.
"It's like a walk-in clinic here
- the people are used to it
that way. Back home they don't
make appointments because
people don't have telephones.
They like to keep it the same
way here."
110
�111
�"I believe nobody should work
for the first seven days of Tet
because it will bring bad luck
and hard life for the rest of the
year. I must prepare all these
special dishes in advance so
that at New Year all this food
will be offered to my Creator,
to the souls of the family ancestors who are expected to visit
us, and to all my children and
grandchildren who must come
to visit me and wish me a happy
long life."
112
�113
�Vietnamese New Year (TET)
'' All other activities come to
a halt, every sorrow set aside
before midnight of New Year's
Eve. This is a time when some
people shoot firecrackers to welcome the New Year and others
quietly pray at pagodas and
temples ."
114
�115
��117
�International Beauty Salon
" Asian hair is very straight and
strong. The men love to have
their hair permed - they can
do more with it. They don ' t go
to American shops because many
cannot speak English . Besides
Vietnamese, I speak Lao and a
little Cambodian. They are so
happy that I can speak their
language . "
118
�119
�Job interviews in this country
can sometimes be difficult for
Asians. Their interviewing
skills come from a culture less
aggressive than our own. Phu's
American friends helped prepare
her to be interviewed for an
engineering position.
"After my interview at Digital,
I think I better wait for this job .
The people are friendly and
always help each other. At work
I'm very Americanized but I
don't lose my tradition . Within
the family I'm very Vietnamese."
120
�121
�John at home with fiancee.
In July, 1979, John and his older
brother escaped from Vietnam on
a twenty foot fishing boat. Late
at night, sixty-five men, women,
and children met on the shore
and swam one mile to the boat.
The younger children were
pushed on floats . Each person
paid the boat owner one bar of
gold . After seven days and nights
in rough waters, without food ,
they landed in the Philippines .
" After we buried one boy at
sea who died from starvation, I
wished that the boat would capsize so that I would die. . . then
I wouldn't have to be so afraid ."
t /.,<>l.
122
I
'I
~
/J - \.
0P--< - ··
;,>
�123
�"Look at him - see what a terrible life he' s had . He was a
major in the Saigon Army . Look
at him now ... I don' t believe
this ."
124
�125
�Memorial Day Parade
" These guys are our allies . We
fought side by side with them.
I said to myself - who' s more
of a Vietnam Veteran than the
Vietnamese?"
126
�127
�''When I was in the refugee
camps I light a candle in a bowl
and turn it upside down so the
smoke go on the inside of the
bowl. Then I use the black smoke
on the brush to paint. I did this
painting after I get to this country. It' s about the boat people
from my country who would
rather die on the sea than live
under communistic atheism. "
128
�129
�The Catholic Church has been a
source of friendship and support
for the Southeast Asian refugees ... and sometimes vice versa .
"I won' t need to look in the
mirror to see if the cut' s a good
one. If it's done out of love,
it' s good ."
130
�131
��JAMES HIGGINS and JOAN ROSS work as a
photo/design team on documentary, editorial, and
architectural projects. Their first book Lowell - A
Contemporary View, has been distributed both regionally and nationally. They are currently working on
a book documenting the cultural aspects of Ulster
and the Republic of Ireland. They make their
home, with three children, in North Chelmsford,
Massachusetts.
HAI B. PHO, Ph.D. , Project Humanities Scholar,
is an associate professor of Political Science at the
University of Lowell. He is a member of the Board
of Directors for the Indochinese Refugees Foundation and serves as a Co-chair on the Governor's
Advisory Council for Refugee Resettlement.
CAROL KEIRSTEAD, Project Coordinator, works
as the curriculum coordinator for the Southeast
Asian Bilingual Program in the Lowell Public
Schools. Ms. Keirstead holds a Master's degree
in Administration, Planning, and Policy and has
worked as an advocate for Southeast Asian
refugees in Lowell for over five years.
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Higgins, James (Jim). Lowell Books Collection, 1983-1997
Description
An account of the resource
The James Higgins book collection includes 2 copies each of 3 books related to Lowell and the Lowell area Cambodian and larger Southeast Asian communities. <br /><br />The collection is completely accessible on this site. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7</a>.<br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Julia Huynh, and Chornai Pech.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Higgins, James (Jim). Lowell Books Collection, 1983-1997. UML 7. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7</a>.
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Southeast Asians: A New Beginning in Lowell photobook, 1986
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugees--Southeast Asia
Cambodian Americans
Laotian Americans
Vietnamese Americans
Black-and-white photography
Description
An account of the resource
A photography book designed and created by James Higgins and Joan Ross with a foreword written by Dith Pran and and introduction by Hai B. Pho. "Southeast Asians: A New Beginning in Lowell" highlights some members of the Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese community in Lowell, Massachussetts. Some photographs are accompanied by text translated into English, Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Higgins, James
Ross, Joan
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Higgins, James (Jim). Lowell Books Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mill Town Graphics
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1986
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
140p.; 10.5 x 10.5
Language
A language of the resource
English
Khmer
Lao
Vietnamese
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml7_b01_f01_i001
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
1980-1989
Books
Cambodians
Laotians
Photobooks
Refugee resettlement
Vietnamese
-
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9abd1d3df67d6cc3d9c28626fd4a3c06
PDF Text
Text
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing the Coconut Dance, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members performing the Coconut Dance (Robam Kuos Traloak) during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. Back row (L - R) are unidentified, Sanny Meas, Alex Hak, Rathna Mao, and unidentified. Front row (L - R) are Calida Khut, Emaly Horn, Phallica Voang, and Vicky Keo. The photograph is printed on a thicker paper or cardstock.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 21.5 x 28
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i001
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Coconut Dance
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
Robam Kuos Traloak
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/37070/archive/files/01f7436746201d389d5b204536d6f70c.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=ahuGkcejWZjVFXmBkpoJNcWdDQlMX6E6ggzBpcCTROo-wGFoA27VWXcS%7E2j%7EpRQEqEfO0n7v-ODnJhLLb0BIumx3ZN3r9lTS3r8UaVP2Ll1kSWsEsjQjH68VVyN1oxf0DjUowcOD8qrs1dlHK-kIZAnrRMqSEugMxeOPNrhc99cilN8YOZwjmVW5OBJ81qH7oTxHijt9BSJB3I-KyZ0WNfejWaAcR070DrafOufbWYIxP6qPfjynNTqF57plCIOnuCBaTrBqHTVyx04SGMMNPB4FnhGsGrHi6ZWJn-Tzy-WJagi%7EZR5LRTlpkz-gnE2Dwa0CdrEHhcnPmGG8FtjNIw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
9eac495851359bb3d2c53c7a6d55a9df
PDF Text
Text
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing Monkey Dance, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members performing the Monkey Dance (Swva Pol) during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. The photograph is printed on a thicker paper or cardstock.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 21.5 x 28
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i002
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Monkey Dance
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
Swva Pol Dance
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/37070/archive/files/29d1f6631d5c3c4f44e37ca3f3afcfed.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=a6jetlPa962sDkuBctZw63rzbqFoVCsAhdrWDgpfy3IZpM3CzJJsGjOROLbNdZ7mBoRhCbzV%7Et1pjhbwsIJsO4j3-LoEwwVug%7Et3JEifijbJkuVgwnCE43cUcosJGUbXFr3gG5pIa4Dkfsm2NbEjlXgKjU0kSz8IOGf5SPTOgzKAbXsCtYBa44Vs2hSZqR0ttb55EvFfvq1LAjasGaeSmBkh%7EnPx4LKlaVySn3EPzFY3GFCS2OvUN0aKGYPPv3LUyhxpRCOgh91nA2ZPjGFJtgIjplV87uqZ9D7EKsQvDjn5ky4WGYpkuie2c6CdEH1vFssogDpOkLrmCmtvfiNaeA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
d3f1a4b2140f2fc16835d61f76341ba7
PDF Text
Text
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members in Blessing Dance costume, [2005-2006]
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members posing in the classical dance Blessing Dance costume. (L - R) Paulina Srey, Rancia Phin, Sondany Krouch, Monica Veth, and Sandra Proeung. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
[2005-2006]
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i003
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Blessing Dance
Cambodians
Photographs
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing a classical dance, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members performing a classical dance during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. Back row (L - R) are Evelyn Mey and unidentified. Front row (L - R) are Brianna Mai and Calida Khut. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i004
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing a classical dance, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe member Brianna Mai performing a classical dance during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 21.5 x 28
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i005
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing the Tiva Propey, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members performing the Tiva Propey dance during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. Pictured are (back, L - R) Robin Wilson, Alexandra Mai, Krissandra Mai, (front, L - R) Celina Mai, Victoria Phan, and Judith Wilson in basic traditional costume. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i006
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
Tiva Propey Dance
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing the Tiva Propey, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members performing the Tiva Propey dance during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. Pictured are (L - R) Sopheanee Khoeun, Krissandra Mai, and Valerie Chhouy in basic traditional costume. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i007
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
Tiva Propey Dance
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members in Blessing Dance costume, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members posing in the classical dance Blessing Dance costume before a performance at the University of Connecticut. (L - R) Sophorl Ngin, Rothane Yean, Nadia Heng Noeuk, Rancia Phin, and Monica Veth. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i008
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Blessing Dance
Cambodians
Photographs
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
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Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe performing the Tiva Propey, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe members performing the Tiva Propey dance during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. Pictured are Krissandra Mai (L) and Valerie Chhouy (R) in basic traditional costume. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
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UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
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1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
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Image
Identifier
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uml5_b13_f22_i009
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
Tiva Propey Dance
-
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93ae20feb76bc4900fb1d4d5a4e34851
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�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
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The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of women fixing the clothing of young Angkor Dance Troupe members, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Chenda Wilson (L) and Phousita Huy (R) fixing the basic traditional costumes of young Angkor Dance Troupe members. The members stand in a single line and are (L - R) unknown, unknown, Victoria Phan, Judith Wilson, unknown, Celina Mai, Robin Wilson, and Sopheanee Khoeun. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
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1 photograph; 28 x 21.5
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i010
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Photographs
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/37070/archive/files/c7397db025508f153e82649f03b4a7dc.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=d5F4w7-KWUo7gRM2yUgnrJrLA%7EqNJxXvMr5-3SKb3z6QmJ8PXaluIdH19hFrHsU6yeH2wpQGIvDNoC1cG-kVn6yI5S2G3UyonWHTctp%7EsZjv%7ETOgjWdnfJD%7ESLaNsn68JiTdoSlWJ-nQ-YA-nIYaPasd7L9wlnyRbCsgsmNMSV-ovLUs1pmFZXFjlpErI5nAHZNWS3rX4cYFAsA77j%7EoQq1aWYdmWYml8LVnXMo0IdzC0%7E3i7QINbBDinU0iCzfkKmzFYFHGy4GhNIk3EdftCPi2m--duitDxzKUjOZT5yCQ9YvgdgijYm9yN3LqsuboQgHe%7EZ%7E2dz6v-SH%7ErGlwAg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
f1b27567c2ccd35b881b75db3c093566
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection, 1991-2017. UML 5. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Description
An account of the resource
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.<br /><br />Part of the collection is accessible on this site. <br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Soumeng Chea, Julia Huynh, and Vivien Zhuo. <br /><br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their help with describing photographs, dating items, and identifying individuals featured in photographs and other materials: Linda Chan Flynn, Emaly Horn, Khakhada Horn, Channa Sath, and Tim Thou.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml5</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe member Celina Mai, 2005
Subject
The topic of the resource
Color photography
Cambodian Americans
Dance--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Angkor Dance Troupe member Celina Mai in basic traditional costume during the Angkor Dance Troupe's annual fundraiser at Mount Pleasant Golf Club. The photograph is printed on a regular printer paper.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 photograph; 21.5 x 28
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml5_b13_f22_i011
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
2000-2009
Cambodians
Mount Pleasant Golf Club
Photographs
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/37070/archive/files/8d6c1e26df219d7c20b2adff4de1283d.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=H2T9gD5AmJ5sMg8CzH60pgXfMld4pL0o2lpIe7igv74FkkoAvcUVNeJpBDYNZYYZHKRZG8N%7E85rgG4hp7xrPr8LghKIDApZWZ-MkwofNEpTqIVSOa2TYKEzNuVuhEjqj%7E6qk1OqmKqtWCXJ6AzOxai3cMdNk4azFtJtXUHPePMDLnN%7Ee9uONHro51PtS3RuTpaxihHjP%7ElgBgzPKPGC7d2tlOooGubqj2pVniJ-TrF-UwF4KYOnM368Q2pjn-tUH9CSWX0EA1uFrUWxXxU2ujnXQ1yKD%7Ei9CNRQnaqI-PhKxJleCDzedtya8cA26XU-aYDxAcQNHPK4KAS758LeTCg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
8b423b0ef0b62825f0fc16a9202ceb25
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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Cambodia's Children of War
·~
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James Higgins and Joan Ross
Foreword : Sova nn-Th ida Loeung
Introduction : Tuyet-Lan Pho
Essay: George Chigas
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�Copyright © 1997 by James Higgins and Joan Ross
All rights reserved . No part of this boo k may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage or retrieval system, without the written
permission of the authors and publisher, except where
permitted by law.
ISBN : 0-931507-10-3
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing
Book design by Higgins & Ross
Photography by James Higgins
Tae Kwon Do photo courtesy of Rady Mom
Printed by Mercantile Printing Company
For information or to order add itional copies,
please contact:
Loom Press
P Box 1394
.O.
Lowell, MA 01853
This publication has been funded in part by grants from
the Chelmsford Cultural Council and the Lowell Cultural
Council, with support from the Massachusetts Cultural
Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for
the Arts. Thank you .
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Foreword
Sovann-Thida Loeung
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Tuyet-Lan Pho
9
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19
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George Chigas
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The term "Fractured Identities" grew out of our listening to the stories of many Cambodian-American
young people as they expressed to us the double life they often lead: one with family, the other with friends.
"Cambodia's Children of War," the subtitle of this book, refers to those youths, now 18-22 years old,
some of whom, ten years ago, were pictured on the cover of Southeast Asians: A New Beginning in Lowell. The
cover photograph depicts the city's struggle to deal with the wave of refugees arriving from their homelands half
way around the world. These young adults, and their friends, are the subject of this book; they represent a large
part of Lowell's Cambodian-American community-the second largest in the United States.
The search for identity within a new culture has taken many of these young people in more than one
direction. The paths they have chosen to walk seem, at times, to depend on the individual's depth of exposure to
traditional Cambodian culture before 1975. At that time the Khmer Rouge came into power and obliterated the
country's rich past. As family traditions broke down in Cambodia, and later in the United States, many of these
young men and women lost respect for parental authority and felt a need to seek out other types of family structures. In some instances, gangs have come to compensate for loss of family. In other cases, religious organizations and community-based activities have filled this need. This book allows these young people to tell their own
stories in the ongoing struggle to cope with their fractured identities.
We are grateful to Sovann-Thida Loeung, Tuyet-Lan Pho, and George Chigas for the fine writing they have
prepared for this book. Their contributions have provided a larger picture for our documentary work.
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
1
�Sovann-Thida Loeung is an elementary school teacher and an instructor of traditional Cambodian dance.
In her foreword, she bears witness to the flow of history as it swept her family from their Cambodian village to
refugee camps in Thailand to Bataan in the Philippines, then on to Southern California and finally New England.
Tuyet-Lan Pho is currently Director of the Center for Diversity and Pluralism at the University of
Massachusetts Lowell. She maintains research interest in urban education and ethnic studies, and also teaches
graduate courses at the College of Education . Her introduction offers a larger gee-political perspective and adds a
rich social context to the subject of Southeast Asian youth. Since 1975, she has actively participated in the resettlement of refugees and immigrants in the U.S.
George Chigas is a specialist in Khmer literature and translation. His ground-breaking publications,
Resolute Heart and Cambodia's Lament, were among the first Khmer-English anthologies of contemporary Khmer
writings. His essay, about Sovann-Thida and her three brothers, is a meditation on survival, memory, and witness.
We would like to thank the following people and organizations for their participation and support in this
project: the Chelmsford Cultural Council; the Lowell Cultural Council; Caryl Dundorf and Charles Goldberg from
Middlesex Community College; Laurie Beth Kalb of the New England Folklife Center; Reverend David Malone and
members of the Eliot Presbyterian Church; the Lowell Streetworker Program; Rhea and Ken Gordon and the Young
Khmer Women from the Lowell Mission Center; and Phousita Huy and Thoeun Thou of the Angkor Dance Troupe.
We also wish to thank the following: Chhouk and her extended family of friends; Ry and the Veth family; Mr. Yang of
Le Petit Cafe, Lepor, Tony, Sothom, Samnang, Saroeup, Hai Pho, Lynn and Fred Faust, Martha Norkunas, Erica
Hazard, Pat Pestana, Ellen Sullivan, Gail Weinstein, Rosemary Noon, Ruth Page, Scott Glidden, and Rady Mom.
A special thanks to Paul Marion of Loom Press, our publisher, for the many hours he spent helping us
pull together all the pieces; to Gary Gurwitz, from Mercantile Printing Company in Worcester, who is responsible
for the fine printing of this book; and to Chan Snguon who allowed us to reprint his poetry-so powerful in its
message to the youth community.
2
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
�Pam Putney's friendship and encouragement has meant so much to us, as it has to the many people
whose lives she has touched while going about her valuable work in the field of women's health care in countries
around the world. We are sure that her current work in Cambodia will play an important role in the lives of many
Cambodian women.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who shared their life stories and opened their homes to us in the
past few years as we documented the changes and growth among the young people of the Cambodian-American
community, many of whom we met more than ten years ago while creating our first documentary book about their
resettlement experience. Our lives have been enriched by these encounters and friendships. We hope this book
helps people remember and understand the history of these young people, and the challenges they face.
-JH &JR
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
3
��• •
• • • •
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by
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Sovann-Th
da
Loeung
In early 1979, after living under the murderous Pol Pot regime for nearly four years, my family and I
returned to our destroyed village, finding nothing but the ashes of our home and fallow fields where there had once
been prosperous rice paddies. Life seemed hopeless, yet we were determined to try to plant the seeds that give
hope for the future. Day by day, life seemed to be getting better. To earn money for food , my mother joined a group
of men smuggling goods between Thailand and Cambodia, knowing my sister and I, though only fifteen and sixteen,
After we arranged for my uncle's
sponsorship for us to come to this
country, we prepared for our interview. My mother had to record her
children' s birth names and exact
ages. It was the first time we had to
use our birth names since the
Khmer Rouge had taken over the
country.
We had to change our last name to
correspond with the last name of
the person who had previously
sponsored my uncle. My uncle had
adopted his sponsor's last name
so that he could pose as being his
relative and be eligible for resettlement. Now my family had to do the
same thing.
could take care of my two younger sisters and three brothers while she was away. Then one day in 1979, my mother
packed some of our family belongings and told the children to go to sleep early. The previous week, she had planned
an escape route to the border camps with a Cambodian soldier who knew the safest way to Thailand by foot. In
return my mother gave him a gold necklace. They decided that my family would leave that following week.
I don't remember if I had the feeling of being in any great danger during our escape. Maybe I was unconsciously thinking of living in a peaceful Thailand. In any case, it wasn't long before we reached Thai soil, where we
were arrested by Thai soldiers in a village called Tapriya. I remember very clearly what my mother said to these soldiers who , perhaps rightly, did not want us to stay in their country: "You can kill me now if you want, but don't tell
me to go back to Cambodia." After pleading with them again and again, the soldiers finally pointed with their bayonets, directing us to a nearby army barracks. Fortunately, the soldiers treated us well, and the next day we went to
our first camp, the Sakeo Refugee Camp. From there we would go to Mai rut Camp. My family and I were in different
camps in Thailand according to our changing refugee status. This was when I learned the word "refugee" (chun pia
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
5
�kluen) for the first time. My instincts told me that we had left Cambodia for good. Yet I never asked my mother why
we had left our country. And she never explained to any of her children why we had to leave.
In July of 1981, my family received news of our acceptance for resettlement in the United States. We were
transferred to the Philippines Refugee Processing Center in Bataan, Philippines, to learn English and to be oriented
to American culture and work. The excitement of starting a new life had really begun . Our lives were now driven by
the dream for freedom and opportunity in America. Like nearly everyone else in the Philippines camp, we wanted to
lead self-sufficient and productive lives in our new home, America, and we didn't imagine there could be any obstacles that might hinder us. We had no idea of gangs, for example , or the violence of living in some American cities.
Even after my family had lived in Long Beach for three years, I didn't believe that gang violence could ever become a
problem for a family like mine.
After our family had become settled in Long Beach, California, my mother enrolled us in the public schools.
She even allowed us to have friends and enjoy our new lives in American society. As a good daughter to my mother,
school was very important to me. I was determined to do my best in order to graduate from high school. In
September, 1981, I entered Millikan High School in Long Beach. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay there long
enough to get my diploma since the Long Beach Unified School District does not allow students to study at the high
school after reaching eighteen years of age . Consequently, I continued to pursue my diploma in an adult school program instead. I never felt I would give up on my desire to complete my education .
For my three younger brothers, however, school was like a battle. They struggled to learn not only the language but also the ways of their peers. Being so much younger than me they developed a much different attitude
toward education. They soon became discouraged and unmotivated. They started to hang out more with their
friends in the neighborhood. I was concerned about the way they responded to their school work, but I was in school
myself and not able to look over their daily homework. According to Cambodian custom , the father would typically
have had this responsibility. But since our father had passed away during Pol Pot, my mother was the one to take
6
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambod i a's Children of War
�over that role. Unfortunately, however, my mother did not know enough English to help them with their homework.
After getting my high school diploma I went to live with my older sister who had recently married and
moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, with her new husband and child in search of jobs. That year, 1985, I learned from
my mother that two of my brothers had quit school and joined a gang. By 1992, one of them had been murdered by a
gang member, while the other had ended up in jail. It was very hard for me to accept the reality of what was happen ing. I kept asking myself how this could have happened to my family. I asked myself if my brothers had forgotten the
hardship we had lived through for four years. I remembered that during Pol Pot our village had scarcely any food to
eat. My father would sneak out in the middle of the night to steal food for his children . He sacrificed his life scavenging for food to feed his family. As the Cambodian proverb tells us, he died so the children could give rise to the next
generation. It seemed to me that my two brothers had not remembered that our father had saved them from starvation all those years. It seemed that the better life my mother wished for us was an impossible dream.
Being too young to learn about what is beautiful in Cambodian culture, my two brothers had only known
Cambodia as a place of war, a place that had left the scars of starvation, while teaching children to kill and steal, distrust family members, and disobey parents. Their sense of family, community, and self-identity became buried deep
beneath the scars. They stopped listening to my mother and me when we warned them about what they were getting themselves into. After all those years of surviving under the Khmer Rouge, it broke my heart to see them turn
away from us and to their friends in the gang instead. I try not to think too much now about the problems in my family. I try to be grateful that my youngest brother and sister are in college now; for the rich culture of Cambodia; and
the life my parents gave me when I was growing up before the war. Maybe this is the difference between my two
unfortunate brothers and me. I was old enough to have had something to hold on to before the fighting and genocide took everything away. But fighting and killing is all they have ever known . This may be why I am able to cope
better with the feelings of fractured identity and confusion that break so many young people apart.
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
7
�Refugee escape routes from
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
8
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia's Children of War
�• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
N
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by
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Tuyet
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T
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0
N
Pho
Growing up in the United States today, this generation of American youth faces many challenges in their
path to develop a mature and functional identity. They must live in a highly mobile, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural
society with a tremendous pressure to seek instant gratification for material needs. With adequate social and parental
support, most grow up to be successful adults. Poverty, poor schooling, dysfunctional homes, and peer pressure may
form a breeding ground for self-destruction, substance abuse, anti-social behaviors, or sometimes criminal activities.
Establishing an identity in the American pluralistic society taxes the ability of most newcomers - young
Cambodian refugees and Cambodian-American youths in this country are no exception. Many of us do not know
the full extent of the complex challenges that confront the children of Southeast Asian refugee families who recently
resettled in the United States. The poignant story of Chenda Soth, a young Cambodian woman, gives us only a
glimpse of the pain and agony she has experienced in order to overcome these challenges and to fashion for herself a new personal identity.
CHENDA's
SroRv 1
I think I'm not too Asian, I'm not too Americanized, I'm somewhere in between. I don't try
to be American or Asian; I just try to get along with everybody. I guess I'm Asian in the way I respect
my Mom and Dad - I suppose some American teenagers do that, too, but a lot of them don't. I help
my parents do their chores, and I always greet older people with respect.
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia's Children of War
9
�I used to be very shy, and I decided that I was too shy. I told myself, " This is not working. If you're
too shy, you're not going to have any friends. " So I made myself be more outgoing, open up and
greet people and be more friendly. I guess that is one of the ways I have become more Americanized.
We go to church, and I value those American values. And I like to be able to express my own
opinion, so I guess I value freedom of speech. I'm more independent than a child would be in
Cambodia, and I value that. In Cambodia, you do what your parents say, and you can't object to it.
Here, I can say, "But Mom, I like to do things this way . . .. "
Chenda tries to maintain the balance between being Cambodian and being American, while serving as a
role model for her younger siblings. The most moving aspect of her story is her yearning for acceptance and her
efforts to overcome the anxiety and isolation associated with growing up in a multi-cultural environment.
In addition to oral history studies, the literature on the search for identity and the assessment of school performance among Southeast Asian youths has been recently published. It includes two large-scale surveys conducted
by the University of Michigan Institute of Social Research and the National Education Longitudinal Study and a number of research papers that focus on the social, psychological, and educational adjustment of Southeast Asian
refugees and their children. Like many immigrants and refugees who settled in the United States before 1975, the
Southeast Asians suffered a number of social and emotional setbacks. However, the psychological vulnerability of the
Cambodian, Lao , and Vietnamese appears to be more serious than their predecessors. It is important to recognize
that the Southeast Asians are refugees who escaped their homeland out of fear for being persecuted , and many may
still have a strong familial and emotional bonds to the relatives they left behind. As a group they experienced severe
trauma during their escape and their subsequent stay in refugee camps. Many of them may never recover from the
profound sense of loss in their life even after they have safely resettled in America. Psychology field investigators have
found that the self-esteem of many refugees has suffered in the face of significant status loss, underemployment,
10
f r a c t u r ed
i dent i t i es/Cambod i a ' s Children of War
�isolation, and instances of hostility by Americans. The incidence of major depression, psychotic disorders, and other
health problems may reflect the impact of numerous stresses the Southeast Asian refugees have confronted.
Some researchers suggested that the Southeast Asian refugee children who grow up in the United States
may perceive four identity systems that are at times overlapping, but more often conflicting with one another and
with the Southeast Asian cultural background and family life. These identities are : Southeast Asian, American,
Refugee, and Adolescent. This identity crisis may create difficulty for the social adjustment and academic performance of Southeast Asian students, and the multidimensional identity assumed by many Southeast Asian youths
may have negative effects on their outlook on life and their work. Southeast Asian adolescents who migrated with
their parents, or are in foster care with other Southeast Asian families, do better in school and are much less
depressed than are those adolescents placed with American families or in group homes.
A review of essays, diaries, and journals written by Southeast Asian students in high schools, colleges, and
universities reveals their hopes for a brighter future that might be attained through education, as well as the frustra tion that they have experienced in their search for an identity that enables them to carry on the traditional values
and practices at home while at the same time being "Americanized" in school. The students' voices are most compelling in situations in which they try to sort out the differences between their acculturated perspective as an Asian
American and their parents' traditional perspective as a Southeast Asian. The students' identity crisis requires resolution as they reach adulthood and have to cope with the friction of racism and prejudice in a pluralistic society.
They share a similar identity crisis with other immigrant children or first-generation American-born students.
However, their search for an identity has been compounded by the traditional values rooted in Confucian philosophy
and religious beliefs embedded in Buddhism that their parents had imparted to them. In the socialization process at
home, students often have to deal with an apparent split loyalty to their parents' culture and to the American values
that emphasize independence, self assertion, and individual determinism. There are cases where the differences
between parents and children serve as internal forces for self drive and individual achievement, but there are also
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia's Children of War
11
�incidents whereby these differences foster dysfunctional behaviors or self destruction.
Although there are distinctive differences in cultures and languages among Cambodians, Lao, and
Vietnamese, these people share some common social customs and traditional values. For more than two thousand
years, Southeast Asia has been a crossroads of cultural activity, influenced by the customs, languages, and institu tions of the Chinese, Indian, and Oceanic peoples, and adding European Christian influences in the past 500 years.
Religions practiced by many Southeast Asians include Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism; sp iritual
reverence for ancestors, gods, or objects may also occur in some Southeast Asian cultures. Common themes
among these religious practices include the search for peace and harmony and the respect that is given to ancestors or deceased relatives.
The traditional family unit in Southeast Asia is larger than in the United States, including not only parents
and their children , but also grandparents, married children, aunts and uncles, and other relatives as well, all living
in a single household or in close proximity. In the family a great deal of respect is paid by children and youth to parents and the elderly. The father is accepted as the head of the household, although he may not be the sole wage
earner, and is charged with upholding family traditions and setting moral standards for his children. The mother is
often responsible for maintaining the household budget and promoting family unity. It is not unusual for older
brothers or sisters to take care of their siblings; the younger children obey and respect the older brother or sister
much as they do their parents. Because of strong family ties, refugees may seek out relatives who have resettled in
the United States.
The role and responsibility of individual members of the family that many Southeast Asian refugees are
able to maintain after their resettlement in the United States enable them to provide a home setting that is supportive and nurturing to children . On the other hand, many Southeast Asian families have become more nuclear as they
acculturate into the American society, as a result of housing conditions, employment requirements, and choices of
schools for the children . This shift in the Southeast Asian family stru cture has been more evident since 1990.
12
fractured
i d e n t i t i es / Cambodia's Child r en of War
�The traumatic experiences of escape and life in refugee camps are additional luggage that refugees carry
with them for life. Newcomers to the United States during the past century have been admitted under two major
immigration categories : refugee or immigrant. Each status provides its constituency with different rights and restrictions, and is governed by separate Acts of the Congress: the Immigration Act of 1917, the Refugee Relief Act of 1952,
and their subsequent amendments. According to Section 101(a)(42) of the Refugee Act of 1980, a "refugee" is a person who is outside of his or her country of origin who is unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a
well -founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or
political opinion . An "immigrant," on the contrary, is a person who planned to leave his or her country and chose to
live in another country voluntarily.
The first wave of Southeast Asian refugees or the "evacuees" at the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 was
made up of approximately 130,000 Vietnamese who left South Vietnam. A small number of arrivals from Cambodia
and Laos came in 1976 and 1977. The second wave of refugees or the boat people arrived between 1978 and 1981.
These refugees took to the high seas in small fishing boats, swam across the Mekong river, or walked through the
jungle from Cambodia and Laos to Thailand. It was estimated that only half of them made it safely to the shore of
third countries of asylum such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia;
the other half were lost at sea or fell victim to pirates. The third wave of refugees is a mixture of refugees and immigrants who have made up the continuing flow from their countries of origin since 1985. Those who arrived under the
refugee status were screened in from a larger pool of displaced people in refugee camps in Southeast Asia. The
other third wave arrivals migrated to the United States under three different immigration processes: (1) the orderly
departure procedure granted immigrant visa status to those who wished to reunite with their immediate relatives;
(2) the Amerasians, who are mostly illegitimate children of American servicemen; and (3) the humanitarian order
covering special groups of immigrants including Vietnamese who were political prisoners in their own countries.
The arrival of refugees from 1975 through 1994 and their subsequent resettlement throughout the United
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia's Children of War
13
�States were documented in Refugee Reports prepared by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, of the United States
Department of Health and Human Services. Among all nations, the United States has resettled the largest number of
Southeast Asian refugees. According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the total number of Southeast Asian
refugee arrivals in the United States from 1975 through September 30, 1994 is 1,180,538; this figure includes 70,832
Amerasians. By the end of fiscal year 1994, it was estimated that the Vietnamese made up 67 percent of the total,
while 20 percent were from Laos and about 13 percent were from Cambodia. Southeast Asian refugees have settled
in every state and several territories of the United States; large concentrations can be found in a number of West
Coast cities and in Texas, as well as in several East Coast and Midwestern cities. Massachusetts is among the top ten
states with a large Southeast Asian population (34,479 or 3.1 percent), and California has the largest Southeast
Asian population (446,092 or 40.2 percent) .
Southeast Asians residing in the United States shared the following characteristics: (1) more than 85 percent have been in the country for more than five years; (2) approximately 55 percent are male and 45 percent are
female; (3) their median age is 28; (4) the school age population represents 21 percent, young adult 19 percent,
working age 60 percent, and 65 or older 3.5 percent; (5) average family size is 5.2; and (6) a large number of households have from 4 to 6 children. These characteristics make the Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants different
from their predecessors such as the Irish, French, Italian, and other European immigrants who came mostly as single
males and settled in a number of large cities on the East Coast.
Southeast Asian refugees coming to the United States bring with them a wide range of socio-economic and
educational backgrounds, from tribal mountain dwellers to farmers with limited literacy to urban professionals holding advanced degrees. However, most schooling in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam has been disrupted since 1975;
many younger refugees may not have attended school.
The educational systems in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam were based on the French system as a result of
French colonialism, an instructional approach that emphasizes memorization and repetition . As a result of the
14
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
�Confucian education, teachers are highly respected, to the point that no one would consider questioning either the
information a teacher provides or the way in which it is provided. Both children and parents from Southeast Asian
cultures may have difficulty adjusting to the style of learning in public schools in the United States, wher€ discussion
and questioning are preferred and encouraged.
The influx of Cambodian refugees to Lowell started in 1985, and lasted through 1990 largely as a result of
second migration. Lowell is a mid-sized city located approximately 30 miles northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. Its
population is composed of about 100,000 people from many different ethnic backgrounds. Southeast Asian refugees
who have resettled there since 1980 represent approximately 25 percent of this community's population. lt is estimated that Southeast Asians who reside in Lowell include 20,000 Cambodians, 5,000 Lao, and 2,000 Vietnamese .
Among American cities, Lowell has the second largest population of Cambodian-Americans. The concentration of
Cambodian refugees in Lowell has led to dramatic changes in the city. The Cambodian community has impacted not
only the city's housing pattern but also the schools and the business environment as well. More than 75 shops and
stores are Cambodian owned and operated. There are numerous service-providing agencies and Buddhist temples.
Altogether, these establishments have sustained the preservation of cultural heritage and created business opportu nities for the newcomers as well as the city residents. At the same time they have fostered a greater level of tension
in the integration process of the Cambodians and their children into the city.
For many young Cambodians who live in Lowell, the pieces of their life may not fit well together-and their
stories need to be told. Since the early 198o's, Joan Ross and Jim Higgins have opened their home, lent their ears,
and patiently recorded the faces and the voices of many Southeast Asian refugees and their children. Their work was
brilliantly assembled and published in 1986 as Southeast Asians: A New Beginning in Lowell. The book was appreciated by the Southeast Asian community and well received by historians, teachers, and social workers across the
nation. In this sequence, Fractured Identities: Cambodia's Children of War, Higgins and Ross have followed a number
of Cambodian elementary school students they photographed in 1986, listened with compassion to their stories, and
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
15
�captured the poignant images of their lives. These children of war have grown into young adults with compelling
stories of their struggle against great challenges in their search for an identity. There is joy, pain, and hope for the
future in their stories.
*1
This is an exce rpt from the tra nscr iption of a taped interview with Chenda, one of the subjects of an ethnographic study conducte d
wit h students at Lowel l High Schoo l in 1993.
Newly-arrived Cambodian
refugees photographed
at Logan Airport in
Boston, 1985.
16
fractured
identities/Cambodia's
Children
of War
��•
��• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
A college student studying criminal justice,
Tom has his own Tae Kwon Do school where
he instructs military personnel.
"We got to this country when I was nine.
Where I lived we were surrounded by
American families. I'd walk to school in
the morning and the kids would spray
water at me with a hose. My father
knows I could beat the kids up anytime
but he say we came to their country, let
it go. I started to learn Tae Kwon Do, and
in high school I ended up on the same
sports teams with the same kids that
sprayed water at me. In time we became
friends, and we would laugh about
those times."
20
�" When I was fourteen , I took the summer off to
become a monk. My family make a big parade
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
for me and my cousins. We dressed in safron
rob es and rode horseback from our home to the
temple just like my father did in Cambodia . At
the temple I would wake up at 4:00 in the morning and cook noodles and rice for the monks. We
would say the prayer over and over. We cannot
even kill an insect. In those three months I
learned more than in nine or ten years. I learned
to meditate and to think a lot about everything.
Now, I always think twice ."
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia ' s Children of War
21
�Kim, photographed with her two children,
and with her extended family, at the Eliot
Presbyterian Church.
"She's afraid that her son will grow up to
be like his father... he was in a gang and
now he's in jail. I told her I won't let it
happen ... he's only young."
- Cham Rong, about his sister
and her son
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
�• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
"Junior" has a full-time job, and is the high-scoring forward
for the "Rascals, " a traveling basketball team that competes
up and down the East Coast.
"As far as movies go, I like action, fighting, and comedy
- especially Arnold . .. and Eddie Murphy. Robin
Williams is good. I saw Good Morning Vietnam with
my uncle two or three times. We don't learn anything
about the history of Cambodia in school here . .. just
Columbus ... who discovered America . . . stuff like
that-it just doesn't go in my head."
�Vy, a recent vocational school graduate,
holds a picture of his father who is missing
in Cambodia.
"His father disappeared after the Khmer
Rouge came to our village. He was just a
baby and he don't remember him, but he
keep his picture in his room. It keeps
him from forgetting."
- Vy' s mother
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
�"Salina" works at a fast-food restaurant and
is in her second year of college.
"I'm still expected to help out at home
with the younger children, but my mom
is happy for me being in school. I want a
business degree and then maybe I'll
have a chance to get a good paying job.
I have three older sisters but I'm the first
in our family to go to college ."
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
25
�26
�• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
After escaping
Cambodia-family ID
portrait at Site Two
refugee camp in Thailand
Sa-ang (left) is a college senior studying
electronics; Sophin studies computer
networking and takes classes in graphics.
" My mother complains because the
phone is always busy when her friends
try to call. Our modem is hooked up to
our telephone line . .. We have student
access to the internet so we spend
about four hours a day on-line."
D'
Nel n11pe: Sophfn NelSlte
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.... ·"°'""''-•'"""'1n'
..,,.\........ .,
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s.tt ........ J
ff
''VEB PA@E
p~
I wQld dlDlll lQ-wdCIOllMoyoal o myboal'OCl lMSllp!I' WonUIOllHighw:ay('JbtWtb). lr:illlSbomt~ot mli.yoq, will find linb'
10 1nfQfmlUCiglb;Ju1 myOCMK11fyll'l4.POl'l'l•oC myfnCJ;tui11&Uldlillll::!lwill.alJOirlHCtd.-J'O"'IOlllJ'f.&111ily(Tbt3lwfft"I)
SOE URN 'S FAMILY
I
�Dy is a junior in high school and is a member
of the Lowell Mission Center.
"When I was 15 I got in trouble . I wanted
to go out at night but my parents wouldn't
let me. I started staying out at my friend 's
house and when my parents felt they had
no control over me, the DYS put me with
foster parents. When my family moved to
California I tried going with them , but my
mom always complained of how much
trouble I was in - so , I left on a bus and
came back to Lowell. .. it took four days.
I came back to my foster parents . I feel
like I fit in here in Lowell. I want to go to
college to be a surgical technician. I like
biology and science and I can stand the
sight of blood!"
28
�Cham Rong graduates high school this year.
He hopes to go to college and find a job to
help support his mother and grandmother.
"It's kind of hard to get out of a gang...
when you're in, you're in. You have no
choice. It took me a while to understand
that all the things I did were wrong . ..
beat up people for respect. .. that's not
how you get respect. I had to be locked
up for three years with lots ohime to
think. At first I didn't really want to listen
to the counselors there, but when I did
listen to what they had to say it helped
me to help myself. It's hard not to listen
to your friends, but if they are really your
good friends, they won't ask you to do
things you don't want to."
��• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
T
H
R
E
E
An
B
Essay
R
by
0
T
H
George
E
R
s
Chigas
One family. Three lives. Three brothers. One was killed. One went to prison. One went to college. The
telling of the story depends on these so-called facts.
More facts. They arrived in Los Angeles in September, 1981, with their mother and four sisters, three older
and one younger. Their father had died two years earlier during the Pol Pot regime. The second sister, my wife,
once told me how he had stolen food for the family from the communal kitchen where he worked but did not eat
enough himself; how before he became sick he was weak from hunger; how he died in a place called a hospital
where there were no doctors or medicine. She told me that not long after his death the Vietnamese invaded the
country, and in the confusion the family escaped across the mountains to the first refugee camps in Thailand. My
wife, the second oldest, was fifteen. The boys were eight, nine, and ten.
As I present this information-the so-called facts of the story-I realize how I could be taken as posing as
one who "knows" and is therefore in a position to make it known to others. That because this information may be
verifiable as "fact," I should be able to present a "true" account of at least part of their story. And that with enough
facts I would be able to tell their "whole" story. But I must say from the start that I do not have enough facts, and
the ones I have seem to leave out as much as they tell or, conversely, put in more than what might have been there
to begin with. Further, the information I present is nothing more or less than someone's translation of memory into
language. This story, this translation, therefore, depends on memory. On memory which desires to be told.
If this story must be told, then let it begin with the father's death. This is because if there were anything that could
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
31
�have made the story turn out differently, it would have been the boys' having had a father. In this story, the father
was the principal of a village school in the Cambodian countryside who had the reputation of being a firm but fair
disciplinarian. I am told that he was equally strict at home. But the father was not only a school principal and the
judicious enforcer of rules and regulations. He was also a dancer, and in the afternoons after school beneath the
tamarind tree in front of their house he taught his children, especially his second daughter, my wife , the dance. The
mother, besides keeping house and raising the children, supplemented the family income by making desserts to
sell at the village market. Early in the morning, before school, the second daughter would start a cooking fire and
help her mix rice flower with water and sugar. The second daughter remembers this very clearly.
Because of their good parents, the children had a happy and comfortable life. The three boys respected
and obeyed their father. The three older daughters went to school and performed household chores. They bathed
and fed their three younger brothers. They gathered and split wood for cooking. They carried water from the river.
They helped their mother prepare meals and wash clothes. They swept the ground beneath their house which
stood on wooden stilts and which, during the rainy season, became engulfed in water. And so, because of the
father's position and the industry and beauty of his wife and daughters, the family had a good reputation in the village where they lived. And on summer evenings, when movies would be shown on a large canvas sheet spread
between two trees, the father's daughters and sons did not have to pay. The second daughter remembers this in
the same way she remembers learning the dance beneath the shade of the tamarind tree and helping her mother
make dessert in the morning before school.
The story's telling begins in the oral tradition. It is told both in the way that it was heard and not in that
way. Its telling changes the teller which changes the telling. Its telling is the translation of someone else's translations of the memories of her life. The original experience of learning the dance beneath the tamarind tree or making dessert before school was not the same as I tell it or as she remembers it herself. Yet we are aware of their
importance, especially the memory of the dance, which she carries with her, inside of her, like her breath. Dance
32
fractured
identities/Cambodia ' s Children of War
�and th e memory of learning th e dance have a direct relation to th e memory of the father. They are contiguous,
physically touching each other in her mind. By maintaining the one, she sustains the other. The dance keeps a
place inside of her to carry her father's memory. It opens a space for her desire to redeem his senseless death .
Yet, at the same time, the dance is what confirms his loss. The two memories, the on e of the dance and
the other of the father touch one another at an inaccessible horizon of meaning. Each simultaneously produces
and negates the other. By dancing, her fath er is both presented and made absent. Dancing presents his absence.
Perhaps this is why so many Cambodian dancers can look so terribly sad when they dance. They too may be
remembering their teachers who died . This would make the tradition of lighting incense in honor of one's teacher
all the more necessary and important. Since the genocide, this ritual has new and added meaning. The dance has
become a way of both reclaiming an unjust death and mourning an irredeemable loss.
*
*
*
The story's telling changes, must change. I remember the Christmas when we returned to America on
home-leave from our jobs in the Philippines. The first brother had been arrested by the police after falling asleep at
the wheel of his car. The officer had found an illegal weapon in the car. Upon investigation it was learned that the
car had been at the scene of a recent robbery in Lowell. There is a picture in my mind of the way he looked when I
went to the station to bail him out. They were taking his mug shot as he held a name card across his chest. I
remember how the way he looked then resembled the way he looked in the small photograph taken for his exit visa
on the day before his family left the refugee camp to come to the United States. In both pictures he is holding a
small chalk board in front of him written with his name. There is a seven year difference between the two pictures,
the picture of the departing refugee, the survivor, and the memory of the police suspect. And there is another
seven years between this memory and its telling as part of this story. In both pictures he has the same curly hair
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia ' s Children of War
33
�and confused expression on his face. In both pictures he is the oldest brother and the one who most physically
resembles the father. The father who did not survive. Who did not come to the United States. Whose body became
part of the Cambodian killing fields.
After driving him back home from the police station I sat him down with the second brother in the living
room of their sister's house in Lowell. The second brother had also been in trouble with the police. The second
brother, perhaps the brightest, would go to prison that year. He is the one, perhaps more than the others, for whom
having a father could have made the story turn out differently. He is the one who always wanted something. The
one who, on the way home from school in Long Beach, beat up his younger brother so he would not tell their mother he had joined a gang. He is the leader with a quick mind who did the best in school before dropping out. The one
whom I saw years later at a Cambodian dance party after he had been released from jail the first time. The one who
told the other gang members what to do. The one whom they respected and obeyed as their leader. The one who
led them inside the restaurant to the party where they were seated and politely served food and drinks for free so
there wouldn't be any trouble. He is the one who would go to jail again for manslaughter. Whom his sister and I
saw during visiting hours on Sunday. Whose son is growing up without a father just as he did.
On that day after returning from the police station, the mother was waiting in the living room of her
daughter's house. She was not the same woman who had lived in the village where her husband had been the
school principal. Not the same woman who had made desserts with her daughter to sell in the market. In this story
she is the widow who has fled her country. She is the refugee who doesn't speak English. In the course of this story
she has become the survivor. In this story the widow sits with her two older sons in the first daughter's house in
Lowell, Massachusetts. Her face is red and swollen from crying. There is a Christmas tree in the corner of the room
with gifts placed underneath. The two boys are sitting on an old couch hanging their heads, looking down at the
floor as I pace the room back and forth in front of them.
"This is not a game," I tell them, "not some kind make-believe show on TV. What the hell do you think
34
fractured
identities/Cambodia's Children of War
�you're doing? What kind of life are you trying to make for yourselves? Your sister and I come home for Christmas,
and we spend our time bailing you two out of jail. What is this all about?" The two boys sit silently on the couch as
their mother wipes the tears from her eyes.
"It's not like the movies," I tell them again . This is for real. These gangsters shoot real guns with real bullets that kill real people. You want to die? You want to spend the rest of your lives in jail? For Christ's sake! I can't
believe this is happening! I can't believe what you two are doing to yourselves and this family."
*
*
*
There are other memories of other photographs . One of the three boys in the Mai rut refugee camp in
Thailand. They are in front of the family's crude bamboo and thatch shelter. There's something cooking on a fire
made from the coal allotted by the United Nations to each family. The second brother is lifting the lid off of a cooking wok while the other two are laughing. They are all wearing soiled T-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. Their sister
keeps that photograph in an album in a box with other photographs from that time.
I never went to Mai rut camp. But we did visit Site 2 many years after the picture was taken. I remember
waking among the bamboo huts built in long, seemingly endless, rows with narrow, red clay alleyways between.
On that day my wife and I saw similar scenes as in the picture of the three brothers in Mai rut camp: people cooking, cutting wood, washing clothes in aluminum tubs. Children swam in the pools of stagnant water that collected
in the drainage ditch by the side of the road . Many of these children had been born there and had never been
beyond the barbed wire fence that surrounded the perimeter of the camp. The memory of these children, their
laughing and how they waved at us, is connected to the memory of the three brothers in the picture of the camp.
The memories touch each other in a way that is similar to the way the dance and the memory of her father physically
touch each other for my wife. They are contiguous fragments but not like the parts of a puzzle which add up to
fractured
i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia's Children of War
35
�_J__;o\¥l~JJJ1)an
-f·o1.ii-uv~sl16t. --
--· - - --·. -c
-- - ·. -- . -_-. .·_
d1 lrfi1g Yi,S}f_
.· t;00illjfI·.-- . .::
.
·.·
··-
something whole or complete. Instead, they remain broken and, in translation, continue to break, not apart, but
farther. These fragments, which depend on the desire to remember, the desire to reconstruct an original experience, are paradoxically broken farther by remembering.
I remember the winter night in 1991, when the phone rang. It is true that the phone rang in our house on a
winter's night in 1991. And it is true that my wife answered the phone and heard the oldest sister say that their oldest brother had been shot in a parking lot in Stockton and that he was dead. I remember the sound of her voice
when she called my name and walked into the room. And I remember getting up from my desk and holding her in
my arms and that we didn't say anything for a long while.
The next day I didn't go to work, and we sat in a chair holding each other. I remember there was snow on
the ground outside the window. Perhaps there was a fire in the wood stove. There were however many hours of
tears. In our life together there have been countless hours of tears. And afterwards there has always been the
crumpled tissue left behind. The tissue that she clutches in her hand and presses to her eyes. The tissue that
makes me think of a cloud . The same tissue I find beneath her pillow in the morning. The one she presses to her
eyes as she lies next to me curled on her side. The one that drops from her hand when she finally cries herself to
sleep. But to call the tissue "a cloud" would be unfaithful to the telling of the story. It would be an exuberance for
the sake of "effect" that hinders the task of translating the memory of my wife, who has just been told of her brother's death. So now I must try to begin again.
*
*
*
At that time the youngest brother was living with us in Millers Falls. Of the three brothers, he is the one I
know best. Or I think I know. When he came to live with us, he was about sixteen . At that time he had been living
with the oldest sister in Lowell, waiting to be called by the United Parcel Service for a job loading delivery trucks. In
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�the meantime, he sat in his sister's house watching TV. He was going to Lowell High School but failing many of his
classes. He spent his time helping his sister take care of her three young children, going on weekend outings with
the Mormon church and watching television . When my wife and I returned home from the Philipp ines and saw him
sitting day after day in front of the TV waiting for a call from UPS, we decided that he should come with us when we
moved to Amherst. In other words, we would be the ones to get him out of the city and give him a chance to make
something of his life .
We knew that he didn't really want to go to Amherst. He had already moved too many times. During Pol
Pot his family was forced to leave their vi llage. After t he Vietnamese invasion they fled to Thailand . From Thailand
they were resettled in California. Then he left his neighborhood friends in Long Beach to move to Lowell. And now
he had to leave his friends at the church in Lowell to move again. And he loved his friends. He needed his friends
very badly. More than anything else I think, he wanted to stay in one place and be part of a loving family. The
church gave him that, or at least, it gave him that more than anything else he had ever known . At this time his
mother had moved back to Long Beach after an argument with her daughter. His second brother was in jail. The
oldest brother had moved in to live with his girlfriend. One sister was here and another there . The church was his
family now. But he had no choice. He had to do what his older sister told him to do. That is the Cambodian custom.
He fe lt that he had to obey his elders.
I would like to think that by bringing him to Amherst we kept him from dropping out of high school and
working at UPS for the rest of his life or perhaps being a Mormon missionary. I would like to believe that this is why
he is a senior in college now. Why he went to Thailand as an American Field Service student when he was in high
school. Why he joined the drama club and performed in Guys and Dolls and Midsummer Night's Dream. When we
moved into our apartment in Amherst, he brought his skateboard , a sling shot and his Mormon Bible. The first two
things had to do with him wanting "to be a kid ." When I would tell him he was too old for sling shots, that's what he
would tell me. He didn't want that taken from away from him. At least not yet. He entered Amherst High School at
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37
�the sophomore year, which he had just completed in Lowell. He had alre ady been kept bac k one yea r and th is made
two. But I decided he wasn't ready to be a junior. He was still a kid.
In the morning before school, I made him noodle soup, and at night I corrected his math homework. He
wasn't allowed to study in front of the television. When I came home one day and found him asleep in front of the
TV as a pot of water was boiling on the stove, he was not allowed to watch TV for two weeks. I took my role seriously, perhaps too seriously. His sister didn't like me making him soup in the morning. He was too old for that, she'd
say. She didn't like it when I drove him to the Mormon church in Amherst. Why did he go there when he didn't even
know his own religion , she would say. His sister and I would frequently quarrel about what was best for him. I like
to think I did the right thing. I like to think I did my best.
The story of the second brother is the story of a relationship that is not unlike the relationship between a
father and son. And so I become aware of having started to tell a different kind of story in which the rules of the
story's telling have changed . This translation is being done with a different mind . The space between the memory
and its translation is more narrow, harder to locate, more difficult to maintain . The mind begins to resh ape itself. It
searches out new ways to give meaning to these memories. The tone becomes one of self-questioning and reflec tion on one's intention to do the right thing. The tone is sentimental. The telling of the story becomes more difficult
because the memories I translate are not the memories of what someone else has told me. This translation is performed with the mind of a "parent" who wants to believe that he did the right thing.
The picture in my mind is the one of the third brother in his ROTC uniform. In that picture he is standing at
attention with his arm lifted in a firm salute. He is wearing a blue visored cap and a white shirt with blue clip-on tie
that is a little off center. He is smiling and happy looking. This is the brother who, in the beach pictures at Mai rut
camp, has his arm over the second brother's shoulder. He has the same good -natured smile. He is the same boy
who wants everybody to love one another. The same boy who wants to be part of a family that loves one another.
As I said, when he was in high school he was chosen to go to Thailand as an exchange student for the AFS.
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�In Thailand the father of hi s host family, which he still calls his family, is an officer in the Thai air force . One day they
went to the air field together to see the jets. He was treated as the "son" of his host father and given special treatment. One of the pictures he brought home to Amherst shows him sitting in an American jet. Since his return, he
has exchanged letters with his family in Thailand and all of the friends, his "brothers" and "sisters," that he met
there. After receiving these letters he would tape them next to the pictures of his family on the wall in his room
until it was nearly covered floor to ceiling. I believe that trip was a turning point in his life. It may have been the first
time that he had ever received unconditional love and had had the opportunity to show that love. On the night he
returned from his trip we all sat in the first sister's new house in Chelmsford as he opened his jam -packed suitcase.
He had bought each of us a small gift: batik shirts, sarongs, miniature carvings . For me there was a pocket watch in
the shape of a lady bug, so that when you spread its wings the clock face appeared beneath .
During the two years his sister and I separated and she moved to Lowell to work as a teacher there, he
continued to live with me for a number of months. I was very disturbed by the separation and impossible to live
with . One night we had a horrible falling out that ended with me asking him to move out by the end of the month.
By the end of the week he had packed his belongings, including the letters and pictures from the walls of his room,
and left the house to stay with friends in Amherst. And so that part of the story ended .
It is hard for me now to find the space for the continued telling of this story. I ask myself who is using this
sentimental tone to tell the story of a " father" and "son"? Who is telling this fiction whose telling is itself the experience? Perhaps he is the one who makes an offering of words in the hope they may be accepted. Perhaps his
desire is the impossible desire of the three brothers. And their sisters. The impossible desire that one's story could
ever be told .
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39
�Why.does it seem like the war will never end?
Why can't my people make amends?
We left our country to stay alive,
but even here we can't survive
brothers die and sisters cry
moms and dads wonder why
.
the children they run away
against each other they become the prey
in the streets they join a gang
in a week, a gun goes bang
a trigger pulled without a thought
too late now, a brother shot
just like way back then
,
we live the war again and agail1
Can't my people comprehend?
it's time we put it to an end
lift your spirit and keep hope alive
no more worries and no more cries
the sun will shine and we will rise
-Chan Snguon
Youth Peace, June, 1995
�•
��this stuff."
-Sunny
�"My parents encouraged me a lot to stay in school. They were
there 100% even though they didn't understand English. I
don't put the blame on the parents. It's hard for them .. . they
can't go to work and learn English, too. It's not the involve ment, it's the time ... they just don't have it. And sometimes
they don't feel comfortable at school because they think that
they might be looked down upon. One of my friends brought
home his report card with all Os and the parents asked what
a D means and he said that means good . So, the parents
were so proud .
"My father was a monk for ten years and he is a Buddhist but
I am a Christian. I was baptized. I wanted to believe in something to make life better to live for. Sometimes I often ask
myself, "Did God make us, or did man make God because man
wanted something to believe in, or something to have faith in,
or someone to talk to when he's by himself, all alone .. . ."
-Tony
��"When I joined ROTC I was thinking of being an
Air Force nurse or an office worker, but now I
think I want to be a pilot-this is the 90s and
I feel like I want to do something more for myself.
" My parents think that when I go out after school
I'm looking for trouble ... even though the Young
Khmer Women are going out for community service to break down the stereotypes of kids getting
in trouble. They say, 'I don't see the other kids
going out joining a girls group or whatever you
call it' .. . they just don't understand. They worry
that the neighbors might think I'm going out to
look for trouble - I say I don't care what the
neighbors think."
- Phors
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�"The first time I went to DYS was for hitting the
principal. He came up from behind and put his
hand on me and I turned around and swung at
him because I thought someone was attacking
me. I was sent to Forest Tree Camp ... you're out
there alone with the wind and trees and stars.
They make us walk 42 miles with everything on
our backs-one thing lucky to us is there was
snow, so we cross-country ski for 42 miles
instead of walk."
- Bun
"My mother goes to ESL class, but can't speak much
English. My father's 57 years old. The only time I talk to
him is when we get a phone call, or when the mail comes.
When I ask him for money he never gives me money...
nothing. Right now my parents are doing a blessing on
the house ... every couple of months you have to do a
blessing on the house so the evil don't come."
-Yorn
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47
�fractured
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�"After I had Gavin, his grandparents gave me an
herbal mixture to drink everyday so the milk
would keep flowing. One time I thought I had no
more milk so I took some of the herbal drink and
the milk poured out of me. They had me take daily
herbal steam baths to rid my body of impurities,
and they put a hot, heavy rock on my stomach to
flatten it and to help me heal quickly. These are
Cambodian customs.
"I went back to school a month after Gavin was
born. I graduate pretty soon and I can't wait for
the senior prom. Having a baby does make it
more difficult, but I love him with all my heart.
He's my 'pumpkin pie in a pea pod."'
-Ry
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49
�50
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�"In Cambodia I was a teacher in a private school. Here I teach K to 7th grade.
Most kids in my class are from broken fam ilies. Every time that the kid have a
problem, I call their house but nobody answer, nobody home. But some parents are very good. They transport the kid from home to scho ol but the kid go
in the front door and get out the bac k door an d the parent never know that. The
administrators say "where do we put th e bad kid?" I say let the parent be
responsible. They shou ld not put bad and good toget her in the cla ss room. If
you have fresh meat in one bu cket and you put bad meat in with it, all the meat
spoil together... same thing in school.
"Discipline is number one for the kids. Th e way we educate kids in Cambodia,
we let them unde rstand that this is part of life skills. We start in the 1st grade.
We create song, we create poem ... I love my mommy. .. I love my daddy. Step
by step if you reinforce every day, the kid have no problem when they grow up.
I educate my daughter, I told her to read boo ks, I encourage her to read-I
believe the more she read, the better she understand. I hope she will be a role
model for my family. She told me she wants to be a doctor. I cannot see into the
future but I hope it comes true ."
- Mr. Sokhan Yang
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51
�"When I was in high school I fell in love. One day I
came home late. That day my boyfriend dropped
me off and my mother questioned me about skipping school with him. I was afraid to stay home
because of my father. My sister and I would be
whipped just for having boyfriends. I went to a
friend's house and didn't come home for a week.
After that my parents made us get married. The
parents feel that the guy that takes you away
loses your virginity. I didn't know anything about
sex. I was 17 and he was 16 when we got married.
We lived with my mom and both went to school.
"One night he went out to shoot some pool and
he never came home-he got killed that night.
I was a widow at 19 with two kids. After he died, I
went into a despair of life. I wanted to die but
people told me you have to be strong. I try to
keep myself busy. I started working as a physical
therapist in high school. Now I want to graduate
from college . . . I know I'm going to lead my kids in
the right way."
-Chhoeun
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�fractured
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53
�"In my family, my parents never really talked to us
about growing up. My father didn't really associate
with anyone. It's been hard for us kids. He works
3rd shift; he's tired all the time . Wh en he did ta lk
to us, he lectured . He doesn't teach us the right
way to grow up . .. only lectured about being good.
"Sunny and I support each other like sisters.
Living with a group of friends is like being in a
family - we're never embarrassed around each
other and we share everything."
-Chhouk
54
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55
�"I ~·anted the o
express xnyse1f es
�I can see the pain in her eyes
her tears tell a story
as they trickle down her cheeks
to form a river full of misery,
yet her courage is relentless
and she never gives up
her spirit is vibrant
and her faith is undying
she doesn't smile often,
but when she does, it is a celebration
her laughter tickles me,
and makes me proud to be her son.
-Chan Snguon
Youth Peace.June, 1995
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57
�• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
A
B
u
0
T
T
H
E
A
u
T
H
0
R
s
James Higgins and Joan Ross work as a photo/design team on documentary and editorial projects. Their first
book on the Southeast Asian community, Southeast Asians: A New Beginning in Lowell, has been distributed
worldwide, and photograp hs from the book have become a traveling exhibit with shows at the National
Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution, and refugee camps in the Philippines. They are
currently working on a project with San Francisco State University and the Bay Area Immigrant Literacy Initiative
documenting community-based organizations in the Bay Area .
I
A special thanks to the guys down at the basketball
court who allowed me to be part of the game . ..
-JH
.. . and to Ry (right) and her mom, Rav (center), who let me
help coach Ry and Soeun ' s son, Gavin, into this world. ..
-JR
58
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i d e n t i t i e s / Cambodia's Children of War
�I
��
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Higgins, James (Jim). Lowell Books Collection, 1983-1997
Description
An account of the resource
The James Higgins book collection includes 2 copies each of 3 books related to Lowell and the Lowell area Cambodian and larger Southeast Asian communities. <br /><br />The collection is completely accessible on this site. <br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7</a>.<br /><br />-------------------- <br />SEADA would like to thank the following individuals for their work in making this collection available online: Monita Chea, Julia Huynh, and Chornai Pech.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Higgins, James (Jim). Lowell Books Collection, 1983-1997. UML 7. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Relation
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The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml7</a>.
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Title
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Fractured Identities: Cambodia's Children of War photobook, 1997
Subject
The topic of the resource
Black-and-white photography
Cambodian American teenagers
Cambodian Americans
Children and war -- Cambodia
Massachusetts -- Lowell
Description
An account of the resource
A photography book designed and created by James Higgins and Joan Ross with a forward by Sovann-Thida Loeung, an introduction by Tuyet-Lan Pho, and an essay by George Chigas. In "Fractured Identities: Cambodia's Children of War," Higgins and Ross follow up with children depicted on the cover of their book "Southeast Asians: A New Beginning in Lowell" to learn about their lives.
Creator
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Higgins, James
Ross, Joan
Source
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Higgins, James (Jim). Lowell Books Collection
Publisher
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Loom Press
Date
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1997
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UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rights holders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Language
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English
Type
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Text
Identifier
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uml7_b01_f02_i001
Coverage
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Lowell, Massachusetts
Format
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68 p.; 21 x 27
1990-1999
Books
Cambodians
Photobooks
Refugee resettlement
-
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4665af2db515c48aabe2f1573bac5fac
PDF Text
Text
Oral History
Partial transcript of interview with Vera Thong Tith and her husband
William An Tith of Lowell, MA. Interview was chiefly with Vera, and
unless noted otherwise, all quoted words are hers.
Conducted by Sheila Kirschbaum, TIHC, February 13, 1993
Both born in Cambodia (Win 1950, Vin 1952)
1979: Son born in Cambodia after Khmer Rouge left, after Communists left
Were married [8/25/74] before Communist rule
Held off from having children during "hard" Communist-ruled
"generation."
Named son born after Communist rule "Samnang," meaning "lucky"--they
mean this as "very lucky."
"Not enough food to eat, work very hard," during Communist era.
People in camp waited long for agency "call them to the United States."
Daughter born 1983 at Lowell General Hospital. Nurses gave Vera a book to
choose name from. Husband suggested Dy (pron. "Dee," Vera's given
Cambodian name); they named her Deanna.
When V. and W. became citizens, they changed names from Dy to Vera,
from Savoeun to William ("Savoeun" was "hard to call"; Dy would be
pronounced "Die"). William explains that "somebody [at work] tried to
ignore [his Cambodian] name." No bad feelings about changing names.
Vera wants names to be "easy" for others. Says," My eyes still the same;
my skin still the same .... It's no matter. "
Taught in Cambodia 2 years. After escape to Thailand, taught there almost
2 years (taught young children). In Cambodia, taught math, French in
secondary school--"like a private school."
Some language difficulty once in US, but not much, because Cambodians
studied English in school for one hour a week in secondary school; every
other subject was taught in French. Did less and less in Cambodian and
more and more in French as they went on in school. French knowledge
helped with English learning.
Vera completed college*, but had "no proof." Left Cambodia with "empty
hand." "They destroy everything when Communists come through,"
explains William. People were moved from in town to outside the town, to
fields.
*[William completed college, too--technology, Phnom Penh.]
Q: Were you considered dangerous (due to education)?
A. They (V. & W.) knew they had to "keep eye on ... what was going on.
We were quiet."
�2
Wore only black, could only dye clothes black. Boiled bark of tree to make
black dye to dye clothes. Wore black like a uniform, to suggest conformity
(compliance) with Communist rulers. Vera: "Your mind not follow them"
if you don't change to one color. One color, "one spoon of rice every day."
(For this interview Vera happens to be wearing a bright gold sweater,
William a bright red one.)
·
The rule still Communist. Vietnamese invade, "have something in their
mind, too." Not just there to free people from the Khmer Rouge. Vera says,
"I don't like politic[s] at all." One comes, the other leaves; one leaves, the
other comes. "Poor Cambodian in the middle" (V.). "Like a game," adds
William.
No respect there now for UN. They will kill anyone. Would even fire on a
Red Cross truck.
Hard to tell who ~ vs. who orders killing. Khmer Rouge? Vietnamese?
(Vera uses A, B, C to show who kills whom--A may hire B to kill C, for ex.)
"War still around ... very, very sad."
William: "Vietnamese don't want to get out of my country. I saw by my
eyes, they took every single thing from my country to their country."
Machines, gold, rice concealed in a military truck by a Vietnamese who
claimed the truck contained only the body of a dead soldier.
William was an electrician in 1979 when the Vietnamese invaded
Cambodia. Vera saw on the news that Vietnam had invaded.
Vietnamese soldiers changed clothes to look "regular," not like soldiers,
instead of leaving as they were supposed to have done. They took pains to
look like Cambodians. Only their speech gave them away as Vietnamese.
They would even speak Cambodian to each other. Real Cambodians weren't
fooled.
Vera: "The bottom line: We have to understand each other," all people of
all countries. Have to avoid urge to be "more powerful," to have "more
money." Vera and her family visited Cambodia during the summer of
1992. Vera says: "My tear cry all the time," explaining how she felt while
there. She kept asking herself, "What should I do now?"
Vera then says if there were more Demonstration Schools and no war,
people would understand each other (The Demo is a trilingual, tricultural
Lowell elementary school where she teaches preschool children).
"United States very good country, seem like control very good.... We want
- to share, too. We don't say we want only Cambodian people in Cambodia.
�3
Any country can join together, but don't make problem." Vera wonders
"what should we do" to promote understanding, togetherness.
William: People who get citizenship love the land (US). Cambodian people
are like a closed flower (hiding patriotism inside). Ho Chi Minh's book
influenced people to take over Cambodia. When John Kerry went to
Vietnam, he was shown, by Vietnamese, an unreal scene. ("They so
smart," Wm. says of the Vietnamese.)
Q.: Would you ever go back to Cambodia to live?
A.: (Vera) It is "my dream" to go back to Cambodia to live.
(William) "I don't know" if I would. I would go, "in peace."
Vera explains that before 1975, Cambodia was a wonderful, peaceful place.
From 1975 to 1979 "everything [was] destroyed" and there is "still not
peace."
"Very, very scary" now: accidents, thefts. Hometown is far from capital.
Six-hour drive before, eight-to-twelve-hour drive now: holes, road is
"broken," bridges unrepaired.
THE TRIP OUT
William: "tough time." Vietnamese inside border, in forests near Thailand
border. Had to crawl, watch for mines. Lots of mud. Vietnamese didn't
want Cambodians to cross to Thailand.
IN THAILAND CAMP
In 1981, five people (in Vera's family) "have name" to come to US: William,
Vera, son, mother-in-law, niece. Mother-in-law, when name called,
decided to stay. Wanted to die in Cambodia. But two years later (1983),
conditions in camp (theft, little food) caused her to change mind. Two men
took sixteen-year-old niece away from her, perhaps "for money." Took her
to Cambodian camp. Mother-in-law came to US in 1983 (when
granddaughter Deanna was three months old).
William: asked someone to help them see niece last summer--had to pay
$100.00 each way--long, overnight trip. Cannot get niece to US now; she's
not a close relative (according to Kathy Flynn, who works with refugees).
They just learned they may now be able to sponsor. Vera has one brother,
two sisters, one niece, and one nephew still in Cambodia.
•
[At this point Vera brings out photographs of her uncle, niece, and other
relatives they saw in Cambodia last summer. Says, "Sad story, Sheila."]
Had celebration. "Very quick one month"--hard to leave and time passed
quickly. Relatives touched them, said, "Oh, people from United States," felt
their skin. Vera's sister got married shortly after they left. People at
airport in Cambodia asked V. and Wm. if they'd seen any of their relatives
�in US. "Did you hear this name, that name?" they would ask.
4
William is no longer employed as an electrician--was laid off from Wang
after ten years. "Company, you know, keep like a trick on us, and we get
laid off," Vera explains. Vera advised William to go to -=tchool in the
intirim, saying, "No one can steal education."
·
Vera became the first Cambodian teacher in Lowell when she started
teaching in 1985. At first she took eight to ten college courses a year; now
takes one to three courses a semester (aim=120 credits for a Bachelor's
degree). Needs two more courses for degree, then certification.
William shows picture of himself teaching sports at Thai camp. "Skinny"
at camp (lack of food). V. and Wm. were paid ten "baht" (sp?) a day in
Thailand currency (both were teaching).
Were in Thailand from 1979-1981 before "name called" to come to US (other
countries offered as choices as well). They'd filled out forms. American
agency came to camp, interviewed them. Hospital wanted to hire Vera as a
nurse; she'd been a midwife in Cambodia. William, an electrician, does
electrical work around the house now, and Vera values his skills.
Q.: Why come to Lowell?
Vera: First, came to NY, arriving in Brooklyn on Feb. 18, 1981. Lived there
nearly one year. Son often sick, had to take subway to clinic. No welfare;
food stamps provided, though. Husband got job in fifteen days. Worked for
about $3.00 an hour, traveled by subway a long distance to work. One day, a
male friend living in Lowell called. Knew of Vera's background and
education; said, "Come here!" In Lowell, he pointed out, are educational
institutions, hospitals, an easier life.
January 5, 1982: Tiths came to Lowell--no welfare, no food stamps. Hard to
find jobs at that time. Vera decided to go to work at Comet Products
[makers of plastic utensils], then worked at Prince pasta factory in Lowell.
1985: Son late for school, bus didn't pick him up for some reason.
Vera called school (Greenhalge), brought son to school. She was
asked that day to translate :for another Khmer-speaking parent. Teacher
talked to Mr. Gallagher (principal) and Ann O'Donnell (director of
Bilingual Department) on Friday. Gave up well-paying job to start teaching
at Greenhalge the following Monday. She has written down (in resume
form) these facts, so her children can see the sequence of events.
•
Vera explains that now, when they have free time, she and her husband lie
down and "think about how we are now"; they feel amazed: "We supposed
to be killed, that generation.... We [were] so skinny.... He [William] is
still hurt--a lot of things he hold [inside] .... You cannot say no; if they say
�5
you have to do, you have to do .... But we so lucky! Working so hard ....
Very, very lucky."
Vera loves studying. Says her father "worked hard" for her, telling her,
"No one can steal your education." Family was middle-class. In
Cambodia, generally, "if you [are] a girl, you cannot get high education.
Most [women] have to ... stay home." Vera was lucky to finish school,
then finish university at capital (Phnom Penh).
END OF SIDE A
SIDEB:
The Communists divided people. They gave different groups different food
to eat. "New 17 March People" and "Old People, 18 March" were the two
groups. The Old 18 People controlled the town. They wore black, too, but
controlled, and might kill, the "17 people." Came in on Mar. 17 to control
whole country. The 18 were like "the boss," and the 17 "the employees."
[The Tiths mean APRIL. The Communists invaded on 4/17/75.]
Hometown far from capital, close to "state": Battambang. William
explains that primary school, high school, college were in "state," then
university in Phnom Penh, capital.
William and Vera met at college one year before Communists came in.
Not in class together. V. never saw him; he saw her. He told his mother
he had noticed Vera. His parents went to Vera's home. Cambodian girls
don't talk "in public or in private" to µoys. The elementary schools are
either all-boy or all-girl. There was some mixing in college. In classroom:
one side girls, one side boys. Each "discusses" with own gender.
(In US, Vera says, there are many problems with pregnancy [among
teens]. Boys and girls in Cambodia don't have much chance to talk. Girls
"shy" with boys. "That is the culture." In US, boys and girls "close.")
--above story, cont.: Vera avoided looking at Wm's face (as was the custom).
He'd seen her riding a motorcycle. Parents said for them to marry. In the
work camp they, like most husbands and wives, were separated up for one,
sometimes two weeks. Vera cooked for a thousand people. Some families
did not get together at all. Some people's loved ones were killed.
Now the Tiths are thankful to be together, despite hard times. They try to
save money, have no desire to be rich, are happy to survive. They rent out
their upstairs to meet the costs of a high mortgage. At first all five in the
family lived together (William's mother and the four Tiths). Vera stresses
the importance of William's going to school (He's currently taking business
courses.).
�6
Lots of schools want Vera to work there next year. She loves Demo., Demo.
program--children are together [integrated]. At Greenhalge, she heard an
American child say, "Don't play with this Cambodian kid." Demo. kids,
she says, disregard differences.
On culture and language:
Vera notes the value of language study. Knows French, used it in Montreal
after car accident they were in. Writes in journal. William tells how they
teach their kids Khmer for one hour a day. Kids are mainstreamed, but
Vera says she doesn't want kids to "miss our [Cambodian] culture." Her
son writes in Khmer to his aunt, and learns French and Spanish from
Vera. AIM: to understand each other. English-only movement is like
being "in your own pond." In Montreal, knowledge of other language
proved very helpful.
Demonstration School: Demo kids use Khmer words naturally. Teaching
opportunities could exist for Vera at the Greenhalge, Demonstration,
Washington, and Lincoln Schools. Tells of when one Demo. faculty
member left and kids cried. Cambodian proverb: People come in very
happy--very, very sad to get out. Demo. plan is to rotate teachers out after
two years. Vera has stayed extra year already and will stay at least one
more year (by request). Notes importance of child readiness, importance of
mutual understanding. Tries various ways to help kids learn vocabulary.
Celebrations: Soul Day--big celebration. Parents or family members pass
away; life cycle is to come back, to be reborn. Soul "hang[s] around
somewhere, looking to get a new life,_" may be hungry. 'We are alive"--we
make food, bring to temple. Monks pray for the deceased. William tells of
how his mother's difficulties in life (childbearing and childrearing) mean
"we have to do something special for her." Had monk pray for her during
celebration. Cambodian custom is to cremate, but, he explains, "I miss[ed]
her so much I cannot cremate her," and therefore buried her. He says he
wanted "to leave her in one place," bought her a bi1' plot (didn't want to step
on any surrounding graves in placing flowers).
Monks use candles, incense in praying for deceased. Soul Day is on October
30th, near Halloween, Vera points out. Every Cambodian has to "do that."
All souls looking for seventh temple, and if relatives don't "see you make
anything and pray to them, ... they cry. You won't be blessed. Two
temples now, in Greater Lowell. He then shows a picture of a tray on
which are Vera's father's leg bones, dug up and reburied in US in 1992.
(He died in 1979.) William points out that the bones were "still good." Vera
explains, "We do good things, we receive good things."
Vera's father died during "Communist generation." Not killed outright,
but suffered due to lack of food during hard times (probably starved to
- death). Shows picture of family members, including five children with no
parents, no "old people" to take care of them. [Two are Vera's sister's
�7
children; three are Vera's siblings. Vera's sister died of starvation.]
Vera's mother also may have died from starvation (indirect killing).
Others killed by sticks or long knives; some were shot.
The Tiths collect pictures, stories, share accounts of Cambodian heroes.
Vera considers herself a hero for surviving. Vera and Demo teachers
talked with preschool and kindergarden students about heroes; Vera tells
me my daughter Julie told of what she would do if she were a hero.
Vera and Wm. show picture in National Geographic of Cambodian mass
grave, skulls. People were lined up and killed "like animals," hit with
something like a bat. Maybe three million people killed. V. and Wm. teach
their children about personal and national (Cambodian) history. Vera: "I
pray every day that peace will [come] soon."
William: "If the Vietnamese don't want my country, ... leave my country
alone." He says China wants Cambodia too.
Picture of cars in a heap--they (Vietnamese) took tires to make sandals.
Picture of a stripped Mercedes. Took ?(some car part) to make a spoon.
("No education.")
Vera says their son Samnang wanted to go to Angkor Wat, but couldn't go-not safe. Vera went there once as a child. Belief that people who go are
lucky. Thais, some think, want Angkor Wat. (Displayed in the Tiths'
living room are 2 large pictures--one of wood?--of Angkor Wat.)
They show me a special beaded piece made by Vera's mother over long
period of time. Desire to familiarize their kids with Camb. culture, through
collected, displayed objects.
Show picture of son Samnang, who, at age nine, became a Buddhist monk.
As a monk, he'd use a beaded piece, and eat only twice a day (morning and
afternoon). Head shaved, beautiful white lace shawl over one shoulder.
1987: William was a CMAA leader, after Narin Sao.
Son was monk for 10 weeks; Few Cambodian boys do this. Having a son
like that means luck for parents. William had become a monk for his
mother, to "open way for her," in accordance with "Buddha Bible." Wm's
mom passed away peacefully at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lowell. Wm. tells
story of guy with many children, many sons, but none who "opened way."
Vera adds that man found it "hard to pass away." William says he tried to
determine why the man suffered so, and learned he'd been a jail guard and
pehraps had beaten people and was now getting his payback.
�8
FIRST IMPRESSION OF US (New York):
William: "My feet were like the people [walking on] the moon." Big
country. At market, "everything new in the refrigerator! Everything
fresh!"
Vera: "For me, it was scary."
William: Wrote home about NY ("Words coming out from my heart") to
mother, brother, sister-in-law in Cambodia.
Vera tells of first time seeing snow, Feb. 18, day of arrival. She was
wearing sandals. "What happened?" she asked a tall man who was
picking them up. Said to herself, "New life. What should I do?"
The Tiths were given $45.00 ($15 for each of the three of them). The man
transporting them went to look for William's name, found it, brought them
to hotel. William bought some food at grocery store. Vera couldn't sleep;
snow coming down. "This is the new country. What should I do? They
have rice to eat or not?" No training at Thailand camp. Others were
trained in Philippines and Malaysia; they weren't. Went directly to US.
William tells that his application was, he thought, worded such that he'd
indicated his life was in danger due to Communists. Lots of countries
listed for them to pick from. They'd picked US, because he had studied
English. Said no to French option. (French called first.)
Vera explains she had friends in Switzerland who had purchased tickets
for her to go there. Chose US instead; feels "lucky" to be here.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Interview ended as tape ran out. Missed answer to question: Is
there anything you don't like about the United States?
ANS.: an unequivocal "Nothing!" The Tiths consider themselves very
lucky to be in the US. They are effusive in their gratitude. They wanted
very much for their parting remarks to be recorded, and I promised to
record them on paper. They would not complain about anything about life
in the US. In closing they reiterated their gratitude.
SEE "FULL TRANSCRIPT"
�9
Full Transcript
of that part of the conversation with Vera and William Tith that
appears on the Master Tape but not on copies of that tape:
Q: Were there things you decided you didn't like about the United States?
(Silence) Or have you decided that there are things that you don't like ...
Vera: In the United States?
William: They have many countries, they have application, like France,
Belzig [Belgium?], Australia, and etc.
V.: Japanese, too. A lot of country, you know.
Q: You could pick a country?
Wm.: And then I pick United States because at that time when I was at the
college and university I study English, and I decided, "Oh, maybe I come to
United States, because I already know some English, and then I already
study," and we decide to come to United States, and I found ...
V.: We put application in ...
Wm.: ... United States call. The French call first and we decide we don't
want to go there.
Q.: The French called first?
Wm.: Yes. We just, we didn't decide to go France. We decided wait to the
United States only. And special my wife have friend in Switzerland.
V.: Usually they want, before Communists, they wanted me to go to Swiss,
too, but on that time, you know, seem like a balancing: Which way I go?
Which way I go? When I go, I miss my family, you know, so that's why I
stuck with the Communist ...
Wm.: You remember when they give you cowida [words unclear]* ... (See
page 10.)
V.: They wanted me to take to the Swiss ...
Wm.: They remember, one Swiss lady, she [Vera] work at the hospital ...
V.: They already gave everything, you know, buy airline, air ticket, for me,
- but I cannot go. That's why we lucky we came to the United States. We
very lucky . . .
END OF TAPE
�10
*When I inquired about this word, Vera told me that the "Swiss lady gave
[her] clothes already cut for {her] size and a necklace timer."
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993
Description
An account of the resource
The Vera T. and William A. Tith oral history interview collection consists of one audiocassette tape, 1 audio CD, a complete transcript, and a partial transcript of an oral history interview conducted by Sheila L. Kirschbaum with Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith on February 13, 1993. Topics covered include but are not limited to Vera and William’s children, their lives in Cambodia before they left, living and working in a Thailand refugee camp, resettling in the United States, and their lives now in Lowell, Massachusetts. <br /><br />The collection is accessible on this site.<br /><br /><strong><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">Content warning:</span></span></strong><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0"><strong> </strong>Mentions of war, death, and other situations read</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">ers and listeners may find<span> </span></span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">distressing.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW158174635 BCX0"> </span><br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16</a>.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993. UML 16. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith oral history interview (partial) transcript, 1993
Subject
The topic of the resource
Cambodian Americans
Electricians
Elementary school teachers
Genocide--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Oral history
Refugees--Cambodia
Description
An account of the resource
The partial transcript of an oral history interview conducted by Sheila L. Kirschbaum with Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith. Topics covered include but are not limited to Vera and William's children, their lives in Cambodia before they left, living and working in a Thailand refugee camp, resettling in the United States, and their lives now in Lowell, Massachusetts.
A full and complete transcript is also available.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Tith, Vera T.
Tith, William A.
Kirschbaum, Sheila L.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Tith, Vera T. and Tith, William A. Oral History Interview, 1993
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1993-02-13
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
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10 p.; 21.6 x 28
Language
A language of the resource
English
Khmer
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml16_93.7_i001
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
1990-1999
Cambodians
Demonstration School
Documents
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c73324ee84fa6e7c26c32e373a8bec0e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993
Description
An account of the resource
The Vera T. and William A. Tith oral history interview collection consists of one audiocassette tape, 1 audio CD, a complete transcript, and a partial transcript of an oral history interview conducted by Sheila L. Kirschbaum with Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith on February 13, 1993. Topics covered include but are not limited to Vera and William’s children, their lives in Cambodia before they left, living and working in a Thailand refugee camp, resettling in the United States, and their lives now in Lowell, Massachusetts. <br /><br />The collection is accessible on this site.<br /><br /><strong><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">Content warning:</span></span></strong><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0"><strong> </strong>Mentions of war, death, and other situations read</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">ers and listeners may find<span> </span></span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">distressing.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW158174635 BCX0"> </span><br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16</a>.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993. UML 16. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith oral history audio recording, 1993
Subject
The topic of the resource
Cambodian Americans
Electricians
Elementary school teachers
Genocide--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Oral history
Refugees--Cambodia
Description
An account of the resource
The audio recording of an oral history interview conducted by Sheila L. Kirschbaum with Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith. Topics covered include but are not limited to Vera and William's children, their lives in Cambodia before they left, living and working in a Thailand refugee camp, resettling in the United States, and their lives now in Lowell, Massachusetts. <br /><br />The recording is in two parts.<br /><br /><strong>Content warning:</strong> Mentions of war, death, and other situations readers and listeners may find distressing.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Tith, Vera T.
Tith, William A.
Kirschbaum, Sheila L.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1993-02-13
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
2 audio recordings; 00:48:43 and 00:46:48
Language
A language of the resource
English
Khmer
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml16_93.7_i002
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
1990-1999
Cambodians
Demonstration School
Sound recordings
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PDF Text
Text
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
CONTENT WARNING:
Mentions of war, death, and other situations readers and
listeners may find distressing.
INFORMANTS/
NARRATORS:
VERA T. TITH (VT)
WILLIAM A. TITH (WT)
INTERVIEWER:
DATE:
SHEILA L. KIRSCHBAUM (SK)
FEBRUARY 13, 1993
SPEAKER
DETAILS
(TIME)
SK (00:07):
This is Sheila Kirschbaum and I'm interviewing Vera Tith and her husband William Tith at their
home on February 13th, 1993. I'd like to start with some basic information about where you were
born. You were both born in Cambodia, were you?
VT (00:37):
Yeah.
SK (00:40):
And, were your children born there?
WT (00:40):
Yeah.
VT (00:41):
My children... My son born there in 1979. There’s the Khmer Rouge, you know, left from the
communist, that is the time that the communist leave.
SK (01:00):
And, was your daughter born here?
VT (01:02):
Yeah.
SK (01:07):
Page 1 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
You have two children?
VT (01:07):
Yes.
SK (01:11):
When you say he was born in '79 after the communists leave, what did that mean for you? How
did your life change after the communists left?
VT (01:23):
For me, because since communists occupy in 1975, so that's why my son named Samnang which
means lucky. In English, it means lucky because he's very lucky. Because we both marry before
communists began. We both married, and after that, the communists start, in 1975. And we didn't
have my son on that generation that's very hard. We don't have enough food to eat, we worked
very hard. So, we don't have my son yet. When the communists tried to leave, that's my son was
born. That's why we put my son's name Samnang, which means lucky.
SK (02:14):
Is Samnang a common name for the children that were born after the communists left? I know
There's a child in Julie's class.
VT (02:20):
No. Samnang, which means lucky, that mean very lucky. That mean like that. Yeah.
WT (02:25):
It's just some parent that we believe in some... We just put it. Just give the name away. That we
are just thinking about we are just left from communists.
SK (02:44):
It meant something special.
WT (02:47):
Yeah.
VT (02:47):
Yes, sometime lucky in different way. Like my son's name Samnang. It's lucky because he not
born on that communist. You know?
Page 2 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (02:58):
Hard time.
VT (02:58):
On that hard time. Because, when we saw on that time, if we have children on that time, very
very hard. You know? Not enough food to eat. Was very hard. That's why we put name. And
some other Cambodian child name Samnang in different way because maybe in that family they
have something very very hard, and on that time, they have their child, they put that Samnang
because they left from you know the hard thing which mean that...
WT (03:29):
Like people, they live in the camp. They waiting immigration to call into the United States. But
on that time, they wait and wait. They don't have no name to come to the United States. And then
his wife become pregnant. Okay? They still no name to come to the United States yet. They wait
and wait and wait. So, after that child born one day, they put born and then they have the name,
come.
VT (04:12):
Come to the United States.
WT (04:12):
And then they give the name, Lucky.
VT (04:12):
Samnang. Samnang. Yeah. Which means that.
SK (04:13):
Lucky.
WT (04:13):
Yeah.
SK (04:13):
Wow.
VT (04:13):
Yeah. That's very good, it's important.
Page 3 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (04:13):
Different, different way to give the Samnang or Lucky name.
VT (04:18):
Like Samnang, which mean lucky.
SK (04:27):
Yeah, I can see why.
VT (04:28):
Yeah.
SK (04:29):
Does your daughter have a special name that means anything?
VT (04:34):
My daughter, when she was born in 1983, at Lowell General Hospital, they gave me the book
you know to choose the name, but my husband combined my name. So that's come out Deanna.
So Deanna, before my name is Dee, so he put it down combined together. Deanna, we saw on the
booklet, Deanna, so we took that name. So I thought all night, "That's very good." Meaningful,
too, for Deanna. I see on the book.
SK (05:08):
Mm-hmm (affirmative). So her name is Deanna?
VT (05:11):
Yes, Deanna.
SK (05:17):
It's very pretty.
WT (05:17):
D-E-A-N-N-A
SK (05:19):
D-A...
VT (05:19):
Page 4 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
D-E-A-N-N-A
SK (05:20):
Oh.
VT (05:22):
Which mean very firm love, with you know my name, too.
SK (05:28):
Because your other name is?
VT (05:31):
Yes, Dee. D-Y.
WT (05:32):
D-E-E
VT (05:35):
No. Before we changed. D-Y. D-Y is called... You too, if you see D-Y, you not call Dee, you
called Di. Right? See? You say Di. When I became citizen, my husband say that's a good time to
change. So that's why I choose Vera. I don't know Vera, which means, which... I say "Oh, that's
good time." Because I go anyway, and I spelled D-Y, they called me Di. So that's a good time to
change, too. That's why I changed my name to Vera.
SK (06:06):
Oh, that's interesting. So you chose that the day you became citizens?
VT (06:06):
Yeah.
SK (06:11):
And did you choose William when you became citizens?
WT (06:16):
Yeah.
SK (06:17):
Is A-N your original name, then? Your Cambodian name? Wasn't it An?
Page 5 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (06:23):
Oh. Yeah.
SK (06:26):
What was your name before you chose William?
WT (06:28):
They have to call me, that's why I change.
VT (06:30):
They have to callWT (06:30):
Savoeun.
VT (06:30):
S-A-V-O-E-U-N. Savoeun. That's hard to call. You know?
SK (06:30):
S-A-V-O-E-U-N?
VT (06:31):
Yeah.
WT (06:31):
When I was at work, somebody tried to ignore my name.
VT (06:31):
They had to call, "Hey, you!". But that's what I call the easy name. You know? Let them call
easier. That's why he choose William.
SK (07:02):
How does it make you feel, though, to give up your Cambodian name and take an American
name?
VT (07:09):
For me, that seems like okay, because it seems like in here, it's easy for them to call. Like just I
mentioned, my husband, when he go to work, some people have to call, too. So that's a good
Page 6 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
time to say, "Oh, maybe put that name." But, we don't mean like, "Oh, we change names."
Because my eyes still the same, my nose still the same. [inaudible] then my body's still the same.
So, just change name. Easy, the two way. Easy for the people in here, and easy when go to work,
too. So it's no matter. It's not a, "Oh, why we change name in here?" Seems like I think, from my
understand, I think they're very good too. Because easy for them, and easy for us.
SK (07:59):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
VT (08:01):
Yeah.
SK (08:01):
One of my fathers, I think it was his great grandmother, changed the name, for the same reason.
Just to make it easier. They changed the last name. Well, I know Vera, you're a teacher. Have
you been a teacher ever since you've been here, or were you in Cambodia?
VT (08:19):
Yes. I teach at Cambodia for two years. And when I escape to Thailand, I teach like... Thailand,
almost two years too, in Thailand camp, because I stay there and...
SK (08:36):
What did you teach?
VT (08:36):
Teach young children in Thailand, and I teach...
WT (08:38):
French.
VT (08:42):
Secondary school. You know? Like [inaudible]. Because in Cambodia they have vacation too.
Seem like a [inaudible] in [inaudible]. I teach that. Yes. I have background in that. Yeah.
SK (08:55):
You taught French too?
VT (08:55):
Page 7 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
Yeah.
SK (08:55):
Wow.
VT (08:57):
Because in Cambodia, learn French. So that's why move them in English. That's why I came
United States. The first time, I don't know English you know very well, but I know a lot
vocabulary in French, then just pronunciation little different. That's why, because I understand.
When I heard the word, I can like, "Oh, that is mean like that." Because it look similar to the
French word. It looks similar. Just pronunciation.
SK (09:21):
That's [inaudible]. People will ask me how to say something in Khmer. I'll say I cannot do that.
But I can say it in French.
VT (09:21):
Yeah. Oh. You look at like, demonstration. In French, “démonstration.” The same exactly
spelling. But just the same pronunciation. See?
WT (09:48):
Different.
VT (09:48):
Different pronunciation.
SK (09:49):
The English language has a lot of words from French.
VT (09:55):
That's right. So might be having easy to...
SK (09:57):
Yeah. And then French and Spanish are a lot alike. I think that's why [inaudible].
VT (09:57):
Yeah, that's right.
Page 8 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
SK (10:04):
So did you have difficulty speaking when you first got here?
WT (10:15):
Yeah, we learn [inaudible] in Cambodia.
VT (10:15):
Then secondary school. At a secondary school that's why I know some English make me easier
come to United States. Because I know the word too.
WT (10:26):
...from high school, and college.
VT (10:28):
When I was away.
SK (10:29):
Mm-hmm (affirmative). [inaudible].
VT (10:30):
Yes. Everyone did when you go up to high school. They have one that was one hours a day. But
everything, every subject is in French. So I took one hours a day in English.
WT (10:43):
When we get upgrade, we learn more French and can go [inaudible]. When we beginning from to
upgrade, Cambodian more, learn French [inaudible] until we finish school 100% with all
subjects, French. All subjects, 100%.
SK (10:43):
Did you go to college in Cambodia, then? And did that make youVT (11:22):
I complete in there, but unfortunate I come here, no proof. That's why I study really hard.
WT (11:30):
They destroy everything when the communist control.
VT (11:31):
Page 9 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
Empty hand.
WT (11:42):
How they move-VT (11:43):
Don't have anything.
WT (11:43):
They move all the population out from town to outside. To the farms. You know? Two to three
hours.
SK (11:48):
And did they consider you dangerous because you were educated?
VT (11:51):
That's why the point that I want to share too.
WT (11:55):
They [inaudible], because we saw keep eye on [inaudible] we moved before the communist
control [inaudible], and we saw what's going on [inaudible].
VT (12:09):
Only black, that we can wear. Only black.
WT (12:12):
A dressVT (12:12):
Wear black clothes, black pants, black shirt. Only black. You don't have any color.
WT (12:18):
Black shoe.
VT (12:19):
If you have color, have to be like a... You know? What it's called? Like, the [inaudible] of the
tree to make your clothes black. You cannot wear color. No way.
Page 10 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (12:37):
Oh. You mean like, if they don't provide black clothes enough, and then we have color clothes,
they can boiling the peel tree.
SK (12:41):
Bark of the tree.
VT (12:41):
The bark. Yeah. That.
WT (12:41):
Yeah. Yeah. And we put it inside. Then after that, we put in the [inaudible], to make it black.
SK (12:42):
If you had color clothes, they thought you knew how to make dye?
WT (13:10):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
SK (13:10):
To cover your clothes with?
WT (13:11):
When they just said like this, then when we go change to black color, you still...
VT (13:19):
Your mind not follow them.
WT (13:21):
You mind still [inaudible] something, which you're going to [inaudible] one thing. And one
spoon of rice.
SK (13:37):
So now, do you like to wear colors? You have [inaudible].
VT (13:41):
Yeah. Usually.
Page 11 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (13:42):
It seem like that is still communist never change. They change the idea because the Vietnamese
control. And then they know the idea that Cambodian people don't like the [inaudible]. They just
make freedom about wearing [inaudible], and something. But the rule still communist.
SK (14:16):
So, when the Vietnamese army invaded, that made things better for you eventually. Right?
VT (14:16):
From my understand, it just Vietnamese invade in Cambodia, but on that generation, seem like
Vietnamese have something in their mind too. It's not just come for help us to on that time,
Khmer Rouge. Because that time, Vietnamese want to be occupied from, I understand history,
that... You know? That's hard. It's not just on that time, I say, "Oh, Vietnamese come, and Khmer
Rouge are gone." I don't know, because I don't like politics at all. That's why I don't care about.
But they say Vietnam come, and we are free from communist on that time. But I'm not sure
about that politics. You know? The politics changed somewhere else. But I don't know. But I still
heard on the news and on the tape, I saw on the movie last time, tourist say when Vietnamese
came and Khmer Rouge are gone, those two seem like together. Khmer Rouge come,
Vietnamese out, Vietnamese come, Khmer Rouge out. Seem like politics to each other.
VT (15:28):
That's why my husband and me, keep thinking about it. How we get free too. You know? When
this come, the other out, when the other come, the other out. So that's why free never come to
Cambodia. Poor Cambodians in the middle. You know? The play around, it seems likeWT (15:47):
A game.
VT (15:48):
Like a game. That's what I saw. You know?
WT (15:50):
And I feel bad for the UN. When they are to help Cambodia out. But I heard on the news, some
UN was killed by...
SK (16:10):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Page 12 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (16:10):
They don't find out. They didn't find out who kill them. But I just feel so sorry. You know?
What's crazy, they don't put UN, they don't respect UN, they just kill. I couldn't believe it.
Because UN just come and help every country. They should understand like a Red Cross. When I
study in the war, when they saw the Red Cross truck, they cannot shoot, but they shoot. They
don't care.
VT (16:48):
That's hard to believe, Sheila. That's my opinion. That's hard to believe. Who do what, and who
killing. And sometimes, when we saw the news, seem like I don't blame. Like, all news is
perfect. Right? Sometimes, sometimes wrong too. You know? Seem like the killing. We don't
know, Khmer Rouge kill, or who kill, or Vietnamese kill. Like, United Nation go to help. We
don't know. Sometime, in mind for instance, like two people, A and B. A want to kill C, but A
don't dot it by himself, because A want to be like that. A give money to B. "B, you kill C." So the
point is, C is to get money. But the main idea come from A. Did you agree that?
WT (17:44):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
VT (17:45):
That's what I keep in mind. That's hard to see who kill who. That's why the wars still around and
no peaceful.
SK (17:55):
Feel like you can't trust anybody.
VT (17:57):
That's hard. You know? Hard to be trust. That's why I look at Cambodia, and it's very, very sad.
Look at all the pictures. I went there, and very sad.
WT (18:08):
To me I believe they don't even like it, how it was [inaudible]. They don't want to know. And
see, we are outside here and [inaudible] when the Vietnamese out, because we chase them to the
[inaudible]. They took everything they saw [inaudible]. They took every single thing from my
country to their country. But first, they took the gold within the [inaudible], and when are ask
them to change, they said no. That's a soldier died [inaudible]. But we know they took it.
Everything. Machine, rice, gold.
SK (19:01):
Page 13 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
Did you have a job where you did check vehicles then?
WT (19:04):
Yeah. We had it, but they don't make, because they more power than us.
SK (19:05):
Right, right.
WT (19:05):
Yeah.
SK (19:12):
So, what was your job at that time, in Cambodia? What were you doing for a job?
WT (19:27):
Oh, me? Electrician.
SK (19:27):
Electrician?
WT (19:27):
Yeah.
SK (19:27):
Uh-huh (affirmative).
WT (19:27):
On the...
VT (19:27):
That's '79.
SK (19:27):
Pardon me?
VT (19:27):
In '79. 1979.
Page 14 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
SK (19:27):
'79.
WT (19:27):
Yeah.
VT (19:27):
When the Vietnamese come, that's '79 that they come. That is why I saw on news they invade
Cambodia. But they take a lot of things from Cambodia. That the point, that's what we see.
WT (19:42):
And one more thing I would like to tell you too. When I was there in last summer, with my
family, and I just heard [inaudible], they say that they wanted the Vietnamese soldier out of
Cambodia. They say, yes. And then they change the clothes from soldier to regular. They still
more Vietnamese in there. And the Cambodia soldier said, all these soldier. But just they change
the clothes.
VT (20:22):
Change the clothes. No soldier, now regular people.
WT (20:25):
Yeah. See? And right now, if you not Cambodian, Cambodian still know which one is
Vietnamese. If you went there, you don't know which one, because they...
VT (20:36):
The same skin.
WT (20:36):
... they are the same color right now. Before they put the hat, we can ID. Now they don't wear the
hat. They make similar to Cambodia until listen to them and listen the action. They speak
similar. Especially, they talk to Vietnamese and to Vietnamese, usually they spoke their
language. Now they don't speak. They speak Cambodian to themselves.
SK (21:06):
Oh.
WT (21:06):
Yeah.
Page 15 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
SK (21:15):
They want to stay.
WT (21:15):
Yeah. They going to stay there.
VT (21:18):
The bottom line, we have to understand each other. No matter what Vietnamese, no matter what
Cambodian. Every country understand to each other. You know? Don't want to be more
powerful, more money, more rich. That's why I keep still in my mind. I say, "What they want to
do?" But all those, they want to be more powerful, more money, take all things. That's why the
war start. What they need for? I don't believe in those things. Like everybody, I don't believe that
way. Why they need war. And look there. It's not peace. I went there, and my tear cry all the
time. I cry, say, "What should I do now?" You know? Because I think that way. If all the people
think that way too, maybe no war, and we all together. That's why I love Demonstration School
very much. That's why I [inaudible] the children grow more and more. A lot of people like the
Demonstration School. I think it's no war at all, because they seem like they love, they joy, they
understand each other.
VT (22:33):
Look at this. Hard to [inaudible] to someone, but like we came in United State. Very good
country. You know? They seem like control, very good. But over there, we want to share too.
We don't want only Cambodian in Cambodia. Not only Cambodian people. Any country can join
together. But don't make the problem. Right? You know? Maybe we do together, loving
together. That's why the way that we are joined together. Like in here a lot. Look at in here.
Seems like a lot of things going up on the news. You know? Killing, shooting, that's why other
guys, they say, "What should we do for people?" That's the main point.
WT (23:22):
Vietnamese people, when they going to do in their country and, when the government
[inaudible], I see in Cambodia too. But after that is gone now, they said like a flower, it bloom.
They come in, get the citizen. But they get the politics from their country. When the war, they
just fight from outside and inside, like a flower. See? That's why. Not like in here, a lot of
different people, they get the citizen, they love the name. They love the United States. They,
"This is my country." Everyone said that. But Vietnamese, they just want my country. Because
they follow the leader, namedVT (24:16):
Pu Ching [spelling?].
Page 16 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (24:18):
Pu Ching [spelling?]. Wrote the book.
VT (24:19):
We know the story.
WT (24:21):
After he die, he wrote a book. "You have to take Cambodia, control Cambodia." He want to
[inaudible] the power.
SK (24:39):
So he still has that influence? He influences people through his writings still?
VT (24:41):
Because they have on the writing, from the [inaudible], we should be [inaudible]. But seem like
that from we they know that. This summer, I went. You know?
WT (24:52):
Didn't you see Kerry?
VT (24:53):
Yeah. John Kerry?
WT (24:55):
Yeah. You see that they went to Vietnam?
SK (24:58):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
WT (25:00):
They so smart and they do it quick, that they... They do like this. Vietnamese politics like this.
Dirty. They so twist, very fast. In the United States, [inaudible] I trust them maybe, I don't know
for future. Because they change so fast so fast. You know? When they go there, John Kerry went
there, they smart, they show the government, they show the American guy, the soviet guy, they
show the [inaudible]. Just drinking. Yeah.
VT (25:38):
That's why I give example for you like A, B, and C.
Page 17 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (25:42):
[Inaudible] just looking at the last time, how many hundreds that American soldiers die in
Vietnam. Right now, I still look at cartoon or movie. You know? I still miss a little bit, people.
Vietnamese play game so much.
SK (26:03):
Would you ever go back to Cambodia to live?
WT (26:04):
I don't know.
VT (26:07):
For my dream, yes I do.
WT (26:12):
[inaudible].
VT (26:12):
Because I really in peace, that's why we waiting. That's why last summer, I brought my son, my
daughter. All, we went there. We want to show how Cambodia is. Seem like, look really small.
It's not like just before 1975. Before that, very peaceful, and very, very good. You know? That's
very wonderful place. But after 1975, up to '79, everything destroy. From '79, it seems like now I
went there, still not peace also. It's not the same before. But my dream, I say because we hope
that the more we try, sometime, it might be good. We don't know. But my dream, I want to go
back to.
SK (27:07):
Was it dangerous for you to be there when you went last summer? Or is it safe for you to travel
there?
VT (27:13):
I saw by my eye, very scary. Was lucky, that's why we came back here. We keep say we are
lucky. How many people went there? almost 60, yeah? Some got accident, some got stole.
Different kinds. You know? But for me, we went from capital... Because my hometown is far
from capital. How long we drive? How many hours? 12? Or eight hours? We drive...
WT (27:49):
Page 18 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
No, that depends. Before, we drove about six hours, because the roads is good, the highways are
good. But now, it's very bad.
VT (27:54):
You know? It seemed like a [inaudible].
WT (27:54):
A lot of hole. You know? Because the...
VT (28:04):
Broken road, or broken [inaudible].
WT (28:05):
Because Khmer Rouge broke the bridge. And the roads broken. They don't build. And took so
long to go there. But it's not too good. Not safe at all. When see a [inaudible], my family come
back. She said, "Oh, you guys so lucky."
VT (28:29):
Mm-hmm (affirmative). It's very hard.
WT (28:31):
Because she went there before me. Not safe at all.
VT (28:33):
It's scary.
SK (28:36):
How did you get out of Cambodia?
WT (28:40):
When? Before...
SK (28:40):
When you first left. Yeah.
WT (28:42):
There's a path turn through. Vietnamese control the border. Many lane. Inside border, and plus,
they live in the forest close to the Thailand border. We had to [inaudible].
Page 19 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
VT (29:02):
Crawl. Mine. They put mine. They don't want Cambodia cross to Thailand. Vietnamese put
mine.
SK (29:09):
Vietnamese didn't want?
WT (29:09):
Of course not.
VT (29:11):
Yep. Oh, look at my mother. My mother-in-law cross the mud like this, Sheila. Mud. And very,
very sad. You know? That's why I have one niece, they have two children, now three children
still there. We have five people to come United States. We have name. But my mother, she says
she misses... You know? She don't want to leave. She wants to go back to Cambodia. That's why
she came after me in 1983. '83, that my daughter born. Three months, then she came. And my
niece still there.
SK (29:47):
That'sVT (29:49):
That's my mother-in-law.
SK (29:51):
Your mother-in-law? Uh-huh (affirmative).
VT (29:51):
Yeah. She died by the time that I go work at the Demonstration School.
SK (29:56):
Oh.
VT (29:56):
Yeah.
SK (29:56):
She was here?
Page 20 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (29:58):
Yeah.
VT (29:59):
She's here.
WT (29:59):
She came in '83.
VT (30:00):
But she came after me. I came '81.
WT (30:04):
[inaudible].
VT (30:09):
Yeah.
SK (30:10):
So, you and you, and and your son...
VT (30:14):
And my son.
SK (30:14):
... came in '81?
WT (30:15):
Yeah.
VT (30:17):
Yes, '81.
SK (30:17):
Together?
VT (30:17):
Page 21 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
Yeah.
SK (30:17):
And then your mother came in '83?
VT (30:18):
Came after.
WT (30:20):
When we was at the camp, we have [inaudible]. That's why [inaudible]. And when we have
name, she don't want to come. She wake me up. She want to go back to country.
VT (30:44):
[inaudible].
WT (30:45):
She said she want to die in Cambodia.
SK (30:46):
Your mother did?
WT (30:46):
Yeah.
VT (30:46):
Yeah.
SK (30:50):
But she changed her mind, and sheWT (30:51):
Yeah. When I come here two years, and then they have a lot of problem in the camp, [inaudible].
You know? The people for [inaudible].
VT (30:56):
[inaudible]. That's hard to leave. With my niece we decide very hard...
Page 22 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (31:15):
And when my mother come, [inaudible] to come to the United Sates, two men took my niece
away from her. Seemed like that they steal her, but over here they call...
SK (31:29):
Kidnapping?
WT (31:36):
No, not that. [inaudible].
VT (31:36):
Take away. They took it out. Because my niece... how old she is? It's 11 or 12. Yeah?
WT (31:46):
[inaudible] they come down here, 16.
VT (31:53):
Yeah, they took it out. So that's why she came alone. She came United States.
SK (31:57):
Who? Your niece?
VT (31:59):
No. Now my niece still in the camp now.
WT (32:03):
My niece [inaudible]. Because the two guys took from my mother. They don't want my niece
come.
SK (32:10):
In Thailand? So she [inaudible].
WT (32:12):
Yeah, they took from the Thailand camp to the Cambodian camp.
SK (32:17):
They took her back to Cambodia?
Page 23 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
VT (32:20):
Because, seems like they want money. Something like that. But they took it out, and my mom
still alone. So that's hard. You know? That's not easy get there, and we went to pick her at the
airport.
WT (32:34):
But when I was there last summer. I asked one person to go from Cambodia to get my niece to
me. They spend $100 go there, and $100 go back to [inaudible].
VT (32:53):
That too far. You know? Too far from the Thailand camp and from my house that I live. That's
why they go to [inaudible], they want to see.
SK (33:04):
So, you didn't see her when you were in Cambodia?
WT (33:06):
Yeah.
SK (33:08):
Oh, you did see her?
VT (33:08):
Yes, that's right. WeSK (33:09):
But you had to pay $200.
WT (33:09):
Yes.
VT (33:09):
Yes. $200.
WT (33:10):
[inaudible] had a long [inaudible]. Plus, people that [inaudible]. They had to sleep one night from
[inaudible] to for my niece to see me.
Page 24 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
SK (33:29):
So she's not free to leave the country there? They're still holding her?
VT (33:33):
Yeah. NowWT (33:34):
See, I went to a international before my mother dead. Before my mother pass away. And Captain
Flynn. Yeah. Captain Flynn.
VT (33:51):
Yeah, Captain Flynn.
WT (33:54):
She work for the [inaudible]. She said I cannot leave my [inaudible], because [inaudible].
SK (33:54):
Oh.
WT (33:55):
They just want mother...
VT (33:57):
The rule change.
WT (33:57):
... or father, or brother, or sister.
SK (33:57):
Immediate family.
WT (33:57):
Yeah.
VT (33:57):
Mm-hmm (affirmative). That's why we wait, and wait, and wait. So we cannot get [inaudible].
WT (34:06):
Page 25 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
But right now, I heard we can sponsor from Cambodia to United States. I just talked to my wife
this morning, and she's still have one brother, two sister, and two....
VT (34:29):
One niece, one nephew.
WT (34:34):
Yeah. To her [inaudible].
VT (34:35):
That you already [inaudible].
WT (34:36):
We have picture. We have picture [inaudible].
VT (34:49):
Sad story, Sheila.
SK (34:50):
Yeah. Yeah.
VT (34:50):
That's whySK (34:50):
It's hard to imagine.
VT (34:56):
Now we leave all [inaudible]. This all that we can show.
WT (35:04):
Let’s see.
VT (35:04):
We [inaudible] a lot together. This is my sister, here.
WT (35:11):
Page 26 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
Yes. [inaudible].
VT (35:12):
Now she's teacher too, over in Cambodia.
WT (35:13):
[inaudible] when I went there. And she told me her [inaudible] is in college.
VT (35:13):
In Cambodia.
WT (35:13):
[inaudible].
VT (35:13):
Yeah. In Cambodia.
WT (35:23):
[inaudible].
VT (35:26):
Oh. My uncle. He is very tall. [inaudible].
WT (35:31):
This the college.
VT (35:35):
[inaudible].
WT (35:40):
[inaudible].
VT (35:41):
[inaudible].
SK (35:47):
It must have been hard to say goodbye to her, to come back here.
Page 27 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
WT (35:49):
[inaudible].
VT (35:49):
Oh, Sheila. All day cry. Especially my daughter, my son.
WT (35:53):
See this? All these people, uh when I went there we uh make celebration. Yeah. With all theVT (36:01):
They so happy...
SK (36:02):
Why?
VT (36:02):
... to see us [inaudible].
SK (36:03):
[inaudible].
WT (36:03):
Yeah.
VT (36:03):
One month very quick. Very quick one month.
SK (36:07):
Yeah. They [inaudible].
WT (36:09):
[inaudible] cook, chef.
SK (36:09):
Wow.
WT (36:20):
Page 28 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
They so happy to see us, and we come close. "Oh, they are people from United States. Oh. Look
[inaudible]." They used to say that. These are people in front of the airport. When I went to come
back to the United States, and I took a picture. See.
SK (36:42):
Mm-hmm (affirmative). All friends and relatives of yours?
WT (36:45):
Yeah.
VT (36:45):
No.
WT (36:46):
No, it's justVT (36:47):
It's not all mine. Different people. You know? They come to wait, to see. They have their
brother, sister, [inaudible]. You know? Sometime go to ask "Did you heard this name, that
name?" Because they miss to... very, veryWT (37:01):
See? These are my wife’s sisters too.
VT (37:03):
Just married.
WT (37:07):
Just married after we come back. We cannot wait, because we just have one month vacation.
VT (37:14):
[inaudible].
SK (37:35):
Wow.
WT (37:36):
And then we cannot wait.
Page 29 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
SK (37:36):
Oh. But she sent a picture?
VT (37:36):
Yeah.
WT (37:36):
Yeah. She sent these two pictures.
VT (37:36):
This my uncle, this my aunt.
SK (37:36):
[inaudible].
VT (37:36):
There is my brother. [inaudible].
SK (37:36):
Oh.
VT (37:36):
Where? [inaudible]
SK (37:43):
Are you still an electrician here in the United States?
WT (37:46):
No.
SK (37:46):
Doing something else now?
WT (37:47):
Yeah.
SK (37:50):
Page 30 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
I think you might have told me [inaudible], but I forget. Are you starting your own business?
VT (37:50):
Yeah.
SK (37:57):
Or, were you trying to start your own business?
WT (37:57):
Yeah.
VT (37:57):
Because now, Sheila, my husband will get... almost 12 years, right?
WT (38:03):
No, 10.
VT (38:03):
10 year. And got laid off, now we know. I keep telling him. "Go to school." You know? No one
can steal education. [inaudible] you know keep like a trick on us. And he got laid off. See? That's
very...
WT (38:18):
The one that I'm talking about. That's [inaudible] with my mother and sister to come.
SK (38:18):
Yeah.
WT (38:18):
And then...
SK (38:40):
So did you have to start from the beginning with your education?
VT (38:44):
Yes. I became the first Cambodian teacher in Lowell, in 1985. So I study courses you know
every semester. So now, it seem like 120 credit a lot too. But I keep take every semester. One,
two, or three. But last year, the year before, I took a lot. Like, complete 10 courses, eight courses.
Page 31 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
But now, Dr. Pearson told me, just two more. That's it. So when I have a degree, I can go to get
certified too. Because before you get certified, you have degree first. But they cannot give,
because I don't have any proof. And they invite other experts, come. You know?
WT (39:35):
Most of the camp...
SK (39:35):
Hold old were you?
VT (39:39):
Very skinny.
WT (39:41):
Skinny. [inaudible].
SK (39:42):
That's still in Thailand?
WT (39:47):
Yeah.
VT (39:47):
Yeah.
SK (39:48):
While working here?
WT (39:48):
That's one teacher.
VT (39:51):
My husband. Yeah. And I teach young children that come. You know? We have ฿10. For one
day. Right? ฿10. Thailand money. ฿10. They call it, ฿10. So my husband get ฿10, I get ฿10
every day. You know? That's why. To survive, at that camp.
SK (40:11):
What year did you leave Cambodia and get into the camp?
Page 32 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
VT (40:16):
'79. '79.
SK (40:19):
So you spent two yearsVT (40:20):
Spent two years, yeah. So I start teach over there almost two year until the name call, that's why I
left to United States.
SK (40:30):
And some groups sponsored your coming here?
VT (40:34):
We pick, from I heard, I fill out the form, because a lot of American people went to the camp.
They ask more information. They ask me to want to be like one more they understand French a
lot. Or English, some. So I work with a agency, Like, a hospital, a lot over there, they need me
too. But lucky when I go to interview with the school, they say they want to take me to teacher,
and the other one want me to be a nurse over there, because I know I was a midwife in Cambodia
also. So seems like one want me, they want me but... finally I teach, because my husband sport
teacher, and say, "Oh, teach." And I had my son too on that time. So we both went the same. You
know? Teaching. And we get money from that.
SK (41:25):
So your husband taught sports?
VT (41:25):
Yes.
SK (41:26):
And he was an electrician, too?
VT (41:34):
No, in Thailand no electrician. He electrician in Cambodia.
SK (41:38):
Cambodia. Yeah.
Page 33 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
VT (41:40):
Yeah. He get a good job. Like, in here too. Everything, he can do it. That's very good.
SK (41:45):
That's good..
VT (41:45):
Yeah. Have a lot too. You know? If you car really expensive. Seem like little thing he can by
himself. So that's very good.
SK (41:56):
Now, did you have any choice about coming to Lowell or...?
VT (42:00):
Oh. The point is, I came the first time, I came to New York.
SK (42:06):
Oh.
VT (42:06):
Yes. The first arrive at New York, February 18th. I remember. I never forget. '81. And I came
New York almost one year before. Very hard at New York. I live at Brooklyn. My son often
sick, sick, sick. And I took subway. My husband came early. Two weeks he had go to work,
because they don't provide welfare or food stamp. So he go to work, because say, "I have only
one son." So that's why he go to work very far. You know? Take subway, and 15 day in United
States. $3, something he work there.
VT (42:50):
And after that, friend in mine live in Lowell. He call and say... because he know my background.
Because usually, I learn in Cambodia. Have a lot education. And he say, "Come here." Because
hear everything I told, because I have a hard time. Take subway, bring my son, go to the clinic
that's very far, change different train. You know? Almost very, very hard. And he call, and I told
about life in New York. And he say, "Come here, because in here, they have education, easy to
go to hospital, easy you know to go everywhere."
VT (43:28):
So we decide. Say, "Oh, maybe we can." And after that, is why we came in Lowell in 1982.
January fifth. Yeah? January fifth, I came in Lowell. So, came in Lowell, that's why I say, "We
Page 34 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
cannot survive, because we don't have any welfare and food stamp." I decide to go to work, too.
And on that time, '81, '82. It's very, very hard to get a job. So they took me, interview me
[inaudible] they choose only me to work at company product for glasses. Because I can
understand. Hard to find a job on that time.
VT (44:11):
So after that, I worked at the Prince, because I have Deanna. And my son go to school, and he
missed school. He missed school one day, because the bus didn't pick up. So I make a phone call
at Greenhalge School. So I make a phone call to say... Because the bus didn't pick up, I drop my
son to school. And that time, that's really that I start to be a teacher. And Miss [inaudible], my
son teacher, had problem with the Cambodian kid. They cannot understand what parents say. On
that time I brought my son in there, he said, "But you have to speak Cambodian with the other
parents, because they cannot communicate." So I talk, and I tell English that she say, "Oh, you..."
She asked me about my background, "What do you do?", and say, "Oh, you should apply,
because they have job opening. They want to looking for Cambodian teacher."
VT (45:08):
So she call right away. Because Mr. Gallagher... She spoke with Mr. Gallagher, principal at
Greenhalge. And she called to [inaudible]. And one day I worked over there. I have good salary
too, at Prince. And they call me, interview on Friday, and they let me work on Monday. I get job,
that's why I became a first teacher. And after that, I teach Vietnamese, Laos, Cambodian. At one
class. You know? So they don't understand. I cannot speak much. I know how to count in
Chinese, in Vietnamese, or in Laos. But not much word. You know? My husband know a lot.
Like, different languages. He know a lot. You know? The word to find. You know? That's very
good for him too. That's why I start teacher in 1985.
SK (46:02):
That's great.
VT (46:03):
That's right. Look at that story. I still do my resume on that, because I never forget. So I write
down, because... You know? Who knows? That is for my children to see what happened. You
know? The sequence of life. So I already write down, that's why I took classes. Sometimes they
ask about writing on our lives. Very, very share. And when you see the sequence look at, that's
sometime I have free time, I lay down, and with my husband, and we thought about it. How we
all now. You know? Seem like it's amaze. We don't think we have everything, and we do.
VT (46:51):
Look at our life. We supposed to be killed on that generation. We so skinny. My husband work
very hard. You know? Now he's very hurt, still hurt. A lot of things he hold. Because you cannot
Page 35 of 36
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
say no. If they say you have to do, you have to do. But me, lucky. I'm lucky on my generation.
I'm so lucky too. And that's working so hard. Because, seem like I don't know. That's why I say
my life very, very lucky. When I work with my parents, I'm very lucky too. Because I have my
sister do all the work. And very good, because only one for me is study. I really love study.
That's why I say, I still remember my parents. Especially my father. Because he say, "No one can
steal your education." He worked very hard for me. You know?
VT (47:48):
Because, in Cambodia, because my family is not rich, but it's not very poor. In the middle class.
But Cambodian people, if you a girl, you cannot get high education. Most have to be stay home.
Some that have high education, very rich. You know? Seems like. Or lucky. For me, very lucky.
You know? Seem like I finish school in my country, and I go to capital, I finish study. And I
have name. Some people support me to go to more education. That's why I finish my education
very high in Cambodia. And lucky, and all the communist generation very lucky too. And I
never lie on that time. I always tell the truth, because he say...
End of tape 1 of 1, side 1 of 2.
Page 36 of 36
�
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Text
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
CONTENT WARNING:
Mentions of war, death, and other situations readers and
listeners may find distressing.
INFORMANTS/
NARRATORS:
VERA T. TITH (VT)
WILLIAM A. TITH (WT)
INTERVIEWER:
DATE:
SHEILA L. KIRSCHBAUM (SK)
FEBRUARY 13, 1993
SPEAKER (TIME)
DETAILS
SK (00:03):
In the camp you mean..
VT (00:03):
No, in the communist generation, people are starvation. When I call, I say because maybe why,
maybe why people like no generation because people 17 the old people they divide separately.
They eat differently because what is called crime open borders or Khmer Rouge right, what's
called... And our people because people 17. So you cannot eat really well.
WT (00:44):
When the revolution on the March 18 that their people, they were in the town because 17th of
March and they put because my people in the town become the new 17 March. And there are
people that they work together to control the town because they hold people 18 March.
VT (01:32):
Yeah 18, 17, 19 maybe, why? But they wear black too, black clothesWT (01:39):
Some they do...
VT (01:40):
But they control no people. That's why, you cannot move.
WT (01:47):
That's why they killed 17 people. This [inaudible] my people.
Page 1 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
VT (01:50):
If you not work like they say, "They say you not very good." So itWT (01:54):
17 March come in to control the whole country. That's why we call the people in the town
because 17 March they control [inaudible].
SK (02:12):
And the all 18 March were the communist?
WT (02:13):
Yeah.
VT (02:14):
Yeah, they all... They say they are all. So they control.
WT(02:19):
They mean they are live outside of the town. That means the group, the Khmer Rouge
themselves, they put their name 18.
VT (02:31):
18.
WT(02:32):
All 18 people. That means the all 18, that mean the all person just that every people like eight,
and you and me they work together in outside the forest. When they get in they control the all
people.
SK (02:50):
And so you were the new people?
VT (02:53):
Yeah. New 17 and you have to work what they say. If they say like “do this,” you had to do this.
If you not do...
WT (03:03):
Like the 18 the boss, the leader. The 17 [inaudible].
Page 2 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
VT (03:11):
Employee.
SK (03:13):
Now you said you've lived far away from the capital, your hometown was far away from the
capital?
VT (03:18):
Yeah.
SK (03:19):
Is that right?
WT (03:20):
But close to the program. Close to the...
VT (03:25):
The stadium, the state.
WT(03:27):
See lived close to the state. The name of the state is called Battambang, B-A-T-T-A-M-B-A-NG. Battambang.
VT (03:41):
Capital in Phnom Penh. When you have higher education you have go to Phnom Penh. Like in
here like you want to continue around college here but if you pass college, you hold like a
Harvard something like that. You go over there and live. But this lies in my near mine is very far
away, fly to the...
WT(04:03):
Over there, the college if he needs so that we have primary school. We finished primary school,
we had to go to the high school. Still have in the state and then they have the college in the state
too. After we finish college we had to go to the university in Phnom Penh, the capital. On the
university we have the communist.
SK (04:37):
Did you meet at college then, or?
Page 3 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
WT(04:38):
Yeah. We meet at the college and we marry before the communist [inaudible]
VT (04:45):
At the time that’s lucky you know.
SK (04:45):
One year before the communist came in?
VT (04:45):
Mm-hmm (affirmative)
SK (04:54):
Is there a special story to the time that you met each other? Were you were in class together?
WT(05:01):
No.
VT (05:02):
We just see to each other by that time. I didn't see him very much, but we know that he told his
mother because Cambodia it's different. It's not just, he seemed like he had the other school and
the school and when they arrange that his parent go to my parent, that's why we marry that way.
It's not like we met in the same school or never talk. I never see him too before, but he saw me.
But I never see him that Cambodian culture arrange.
SK (05:36):
And arrange?
VT (05:37):
Yeah, arranged marriage.
SK (05:40):
And the way that works, did you have any choice in the matter or did your parents pick?
WT (05:45):
No we had to... Like me I had to tell my parents and my parents has to talk to her parent.
SK (05:53):
Page 4 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
You did notice her first?
VT (05:53):
Yeah.
WT(05:55):
But we don't talk to each other.
SK (05:56):
You didn't talk to her. But you saw her? And you told your parents...
WT(05:57):
Yeah.
SK (05:58):
And then you talked...
VT (05:58):
Yeah, but I never see because usually Cambodian girl not much, you know, not talk in private,
no. Or in public also because when you a girl it's different from here that very different. When I
go to school seem like we have... When I have the elementary school they are Cambodia girls
school, boys school from my stand.
VT (06:25):
When we go to college we mix not much talking in here, share, no. If you are a girl you sit with
girl. But always seem like separate, not much...
WT(06:36):
One classroom.
VT (06:37):
Yeah, one side girl, one side boy. Not much discussing, no. If you want discuss I always discuss
with girl and boy discuss with the boy. So sometime they never see it's not sure. That's why I
sing in here. When I go to psychology courses I see now a lot pregnancy, a lot problem with that.
VT (07:02):
But we have that too over in Cambodia. Not might happen like that. Why? Because girl and boy
not talking so much to each other. Even I learned at university too. We don't have chance too
Page 5 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
much to talk with the boy because that is the culture. When I want the way that the boy or
whatever and I want, you seem like a shaking. We shy with the boy, but that is hard that is the
culture too.
VT (07:33):
Now when the kid born in here, seem like very close. You see you don't the boy, they never
married and here that from I know most Cambodian girl, Cambodian boy, they know before not
like me. I never know where but when married, one year I never look at his face very... But that's
very hard to look his face very in front. He keep talking, he saw me. The motorcycle, he saw me
that way.
VT (08:04):
But I never see and married because we follow parents. Parents say marry and that time we
married and we tried. And from now on and at the communist generation too it seem like
husband and wife not work together. Husband work far away and I cooking you know in the big
building they want me to... They have like 10 or 15 girl cook to survive. Maybe thousand people.
When they come from work food had to be ready for them.
VT (08:43):
So that way sometime one week or two week, my husband you know come to see me. Yes, they
let to come to see me. [inaudible] not very much but lucky with me and my husband seemed like
we meet each other often time. But some family, no. Sometimes they kill husband, why still
[inaudible]. That's very strange unless when some time we have spare time we go back sit on by
seem like scary.
VT (09:17):
So that's why I told my husband he got laid off it seem like we sit down, you know we do how
much we can save. Now we take care of my children bring them go to school, we care them first
because seem like very scary. Maybe I mentioned to you or I mentioned to our team teaching
over there too.
VT (09:37):
We sit down and say usually when we work together my husband will usually go Friday for
lunch, but now we cut it down we save money that way and seemed like he knows a lot like car
fixing or fixed somehow in here and electrician he excellent. He can fix everything. So we save
that money too.
VT (09:58):
So now, seem like if I have job, seem like support that's my one and only [inaudible]. I want to
be rich. That is my middle way. Now I seem like I have survived as good pay my mortgage
Page 6 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
before I didn't rent. Now I rent one family to save because my husband got laid off. I get to share
with me because my mortgage is very high too. That's why I’m stay. So my family all before my
mother passed [inaudible]. So my husband keep [inaudible]. So now he goes to school, get more.
SK (10:45):
He goes to school now?
VT (10:47):
He go to school too and takes some college course about business. He want to do something a
little bit because seem like no work is a very tight, have a single to school and we do a lot of
work too now. So maybe sometimes we can do a little bit now.
SK (11:09):
Are you going to [inaudible] next year?
VT (11:09):
Now we discuss... You miss on advisory meeting. See advisory meeting on Thursday, last
Thursday, yes we do that and a lot on that day uh early childhood. They have a lot of push and
and it’s [inaudible]. You a lot of push and we know a lot and a lot of school asking when you
there.
VT (11:32):
And Greenhalge school, Mr. Gallagher, why he married his wife was there. He married with
Helen and Helen know me and Greenhalge School. We have to go back and after that everyone
when we go back and I say, because we don't know. We say we had to work it out and
[inaudible]. And then on that day he mentioned don’t be apply anywhere else because maybe he
want me to try to have one more year. But not very sure yet.
VT (12:02):
But for me, they're asking me, they test me, ask question, how will you feel on working and then
I say I love very much, Sheila. I think that program is excellent. It's not even looking at they
together. And you see it, look it, we have some time problem. But you know what because
people like that there even when I say thinking of this program is excellent as far as I know.
They shared it.
VT (12:32):
They didn't know you are when I worked at Greenhalge. Somehow [inaudible] with this
Cambodian kid like that. I heard, but in here seem like they don't know Cambodian or Spanish.
Page 7 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
They really enjoyed together, the three year over there. That's why I like that way. They keep
asking me like that and a lot of same, I try. They learn very good too.
VT (12:57):
Even understand or repeat but they try very hard. Even when you know that's why I saying, the
more language you have, that's easy to live on that I have my experience. I know friend, and I
have vacation and I went to [inaudible] last few years but my mom was alive. Even then my
husband's friend, we go two car and he got big accident, they get hit from the other car because
[inaudible] drive very fast. Did you went there? Very fast drive and hit him really badly. And he
cannot speak French.
VT (13:37):
And over then they taught you English too and ask for help with English and they asked, "Can
you speak French?" I said yes. I asked called report police ambulance come right away and car
got hit on one spot. We had to go to hospital, hospital speak French too. So if my husband and
me cannot speak what should we do?
VT (13:59):
That's why I still write in [inaudible] for my children. That's why my children enjoy learning
language. So my husband keep my son, my daughter learn Khmer everyday one hour, because it
or now when they know more they put them in the regular class before my children belong
bilingual. They know you know.
VT (14:22):
So now they say you understand we have mainstream, they go regular. So we don't want to miss
our culture because now he write the letter to his aunt, he write in Khmer too. So that's why he
wanted. So I say that school time. He has time teach them and he learned more French from me
if I have time. If I have time in Spanish too.
SK (14:49):
Yes.
VT (14:50):
My son love it because now they cut off at [Bailey/Daley?] school. Before, they have Spanish
lesson, now they cut off. But he knows some, I say don't worry maybe go to high school. Maybe
some more but I want him to get a Spanish because this area you know more Spanish because
French, I will have more later on. Because now look at our society a lot of Spanish everywhere.
So when you get a job, you know English and you know more Spanish and you know about
Khmer. That's easy to find, to understand to each other.
Page 8 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
VT (15:28):
If you don't understand when Spanish say ah we don't know. That's hard, that’s why I know.
That's what I heard one time I will get Greenhalge School they say English only. I say I went to
public hearing at Smith Baker. Unbelievable. English only seemed like I still remember in your
[unknown]. That's good. When you go outside I went to [unknown] something happened. You
cannot do English might be you have hard time. How hard you all imagine it if you cannot speak
the other language.
VT (16:02):
And you just stay in own pond that's good, very well. That's from I understand that's why I really
love the [unknown]. I really give example like that. I think you noticed it's very good. If children
enjoy and look at, few children fluent Spanish, understand, I play card, play song, they remember
you know body part. They go to Cambodian store they say in English, in Khmer [unknown
Khmer]. In there. That's really good.
SK (16:39):
And you're great too you. Everybody will be sad if you leave Demonstration School.
VT (16:43):
I don't know but I like because for me, it's okay, Sheila. I can go find job. Every school now, a
principal and by [inaudible] school want me to go to her class to... And a new school and get
school year they want me there. For me it's okay but feeling that's really impressed me with the
children.
VT (17:07):
We will cry. Professionally I cried because last week Julie left, and we went to see the show at
South Campus. Children cry really hard because Julie left, we saw Julie. So seem like hard to.
That's why we had Cambodian proverb say, "People come in very happy, when get out very,
very sad to get." That the way it is. That's now at school advisory last Thursday they discussed
about that, but we don’t know yet because the plan is to be changed, have to be rotated. That the
point. But we don't know yet, maybe sometime we can change and we can use the two year and I
had to go to the other school this year too, that’s why [inaudible].
VT (18:08):
When you gave Vera too much school. But now I don't know but just he said on that day, not yet
don’t go apply everywhere. He will work it out for me but we don’t know yet. I love very good,
Sheila. I try very hard. Sometimes children not ready to learn or different, but when they ready,
it's very good and then it's excellent. That's why I said this program is really excellent.
VT (18:38):
Page 9 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
If all the world understand each other like a singer song. First we know vocabulary like came
here. I pull out, I recite the vocabulary to be able... My body go to understand. If you don't have
word, how do you understand? First, you had to learn the word. That's why I had to pull out, play
games made something different for them to learn.
VT (19:04):
If you have word in your mind, you combine word together and you can speak out. So you can
get food to eat easily. When you go somewhere you can speak. That's why I said this group is
excellent. This program, did they repeat...
SK (19:22):
Now this question doesn't have to do with the school, but I'm curious to know. The Cambodian
celebrations that you do here now that you're in the United States, but especially in your family. I
know that Cambodian New Year's celebrated.
VT (19:33):
Yeah, we do. The other one and the [unknown Khmer] is very, very important and [unknown
Khmer] is called soul day.
WT (19:40):
Soul day.
VT (19:40):
Soul day. That celebration is very big one. Because in life, we believe that parent or family pass
away. We believe because the lifecycle has to be resize. The had to become by. So when the
people was that from the believe, they still hang around somewhere. We don't know to get the
new life and they are starvation, looking for food to eat and we are alive.
VT (20:10):
So that's right that we believe we make your food, we bring to the temple and the monk pray for
them to come get out even some people with something bad and their life, they cannot find the
place to reborn. So that's why they hang around. We believe that it's why the big celebration.
Everyone never miss.
WT (20:35):
Like my mother passed away and the place that buried her and when we love her so much and
we would like to do something for them. We understand that she have a hard time to carry like a
problem [inaudible] until to the board, and we have to understand how heart she is carry after the
baby born take her to give the food, provide this provide that. Even go somewhere she had to
Page 10 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
carry us. That's why when she passed away we had to do something special for her. This not the
time that passes away. This is a year and a year after I had to invite the monk and some people
some nun to go over there to pray for her and on the place. Use the picture, here. This my
mother’s picture put on the stone on... How do you call this?
SK (22:02):
A tombstone in the cemetery?
WT (22:04):
Yeah.
SK:
This was, where was this?
VT (22:05):
In here. Lowell.
WT (22:08):
I think just first one, right, that we bury. The Cambodian usually do uh burn.
SK (22:12):
Cremation.
VT (22:12):
Cremation.
WT (22:14):
Cremation. But I miss her so much. I cannot cremate her. I had to leave her one place and I
bought a big land and I bought four place for her and it's a big, I don't want to step on somebody
else. I just do around the map and put a flower the summer or I want to do like this just go there
and put [unknown].
VT (22:44):
And now in monk they pray.
WT (22:46):
Pray.
VT (22:46):
Page 11 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
That's we believeWT(22:47):
Do we believe just only the monk? And they have candles and they have incense. That mean
when the incense burn that mean that we can go to... We told the monk pray my mom and then a
time a lot of people.
SK (23:15):
Is there a certain day that is Soul Day?
WT (23:18):
Oh, yeah. Once a year.
VT (23:20):
Yes, once a year in October.
SK (23:22):
October?
VT (23:24):
Yeah.
WT (23:24):
It's close to the Easter.
VT (23:27):
No close to theSK (23:28):
Memorial Day?
VT (23:29):
... Halloween. Halloween, October. Because that's why I still say because they were like different
and know, Halloween seemed like a fun for children. And this really every Cambodian had to be
do that because if you not do that, we have like the thing that say the people that was that, that
relate to our family, they looking for seven temple. That they didn't see you make anything and
pray to them, they will you know...
Page 12 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
WT (24:04):
Cry.
VT (24:05):
They will what it's called cry very hard.
WT (24:08):
Because on that time theVT (24:11):
And it's not blessing for you. They don't want to blessing for you to see the very bad new for
you. They say like you have something bad that we believe that it's a very big celebration. Every
temple and here we have two temple, now because too many people at one. So we just have one
more temple near here and the other one near our school. I think the [inaudible] school very big
place. Very, very big over there.
SK (24:52):
At [inaudible] street?
VT (24:53):
Quinley? What’s it called? Quinley? Quinley Street? Yes, yes. Very big and beautiful.
WT (24:53):
The time we went to Cambodia to her house, my wife’s house. Her father bone buried and we go
there. We ask the monk to take him out and put special thing where we have buildVT (25:12):
Cemetery.
WT (25:12):
... cemetery.
VT (25:12):
Monument. We have monument over there. Put them. Seem like make you luck, that we believe.
But I believe that's very true come out too, Sheila. We do good things, we receive good thing.
That's my believe, that's why we do reallyWT (25:28):
Page 13 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
What's... He pass away in 1979. ‘79, burry.
VT (25:40):
And this all the bone.
WT (25:40):
... very bone. ‘91.
VT (25:40):
‘92.
WT (25:47):
‘92. And the bone still good. We said it's a good bone.
SK (25:51):
But he was killed by the communists?
VT (25:52):
Yeah.
WT (25:54):
Not killed by the communist.
VT (25:59):
In the communist generation.
WT (25:59):
The time that the communist out and he pass away.
VT (26:07):
Yeah, the communist generation. I didn't see him on that time when we go. My husband and me
go there let's see while he was there. We didn't see him while there.
SK (26:15):
So he died natural causes during...
VT (26:16):
Page 14 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
Yeah, natural. No seemed like he really starvation or food. Very skinny. That my brother, sister
told me, which mean seemed like killing by communists also because very sad, very sickness.
That's why he told me.
WT (26:32):
They celebrate for my father-in-law. This is my wife's brother, that the sister come back and
married is the school teacher and this my niece. Nephews.
VT (26:57):
The parent. No parent when they were young, that's very sad. My niece and nephew.
WT (27:08):
These five, these fiveVT (27:10):
They're single.
WT (27:11):
... no parent, single. We just have the old sister over here. And when I went there I couldn't
believe they have taken care by themselves. No old people take care. We saw surprise.
VT (27:29):
They're very, very strong.
WT (27:31):
When we went there we're so proud that they don't have no parents and how they grow like this.
VT (27:38):
They grow themselves.
SK (27:46):
Did your mother die before your father or after your father?
VT (27:49):
Yes. My mother died before.
SK (27:49):
Of natural causes too but during the communist generation?
Page 15 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
VT (27:50):
Yeah. Then from point is very starvation, Sheila. No food to eat, not enough. That's why
sometime they're working hard. But some that my parent die from that way but the other people
die from killing, shooting and very hurt with the stick like here by [inaudible]. Very, very sad.
WT (28:18):
Long knife like very sharp.
VT (28:19):
And like this. And that's why I collect what is called magazine and it's called? No, it's not
magazine. Geography? I have that picture that's why I bring to show that I do on Cambodian
hero, this team and I bring different picture, different story, different book to show them. They
really enjoy to ask this question about. So sometimes they say mine is hero too because I have
lived, stay alive because suppose we tell them about how Cambodian map is that those like
history first.
VT (29:00):
And we learn about Cambodian hero. What is hero mean? So it's come out beautiful even Julie
too do draw beautiful; she want to gain money. To be hero in Cambodia. Some say want to be
building hospital. Look at the idea. I have a lot of things, keep it over there.
WT (29:24):
These the people they kill they took a picture. This is Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge.
VT (29:33):
Black.
SK (29:33):
That's one.
VT (29:41):
A lot of bone look at this is.
SK (29:41):
Which is notVT (29:46):
This is the [inaudible]. It's not like my father was that was sickness.
Page 16 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
WT (29:49):
He kill like I kill animal.
VT (29:50):
This one like animal, Sheila. I shake like this. They go get in line. Get in line and bang, bang,
bang, with a stick like a bat.
SK (30:03):
I heard they killed maybe 3 million people?
VT(30:08):
Yeah. Look at these unbelievable, they had this. How they get all this? That's right. I collect you
know. When I see something I already pull on together.
SK (30:20):
You teach your children about the history?
VT (30:23):
Yeah.
SK (30:23):
To make sure that they know?
VT (30:23):
Yeah. Because first I told them where I born. The place that I born. Introduce them [inaudible]
they know how I escaped. First I live in here, continue education. So everything they know so I
point to them about me.
WT (30:40):
Vietnamese soldier. Vietnamese.
VT(30:47):
Look at... So that's my prayer every day. I want peaceful coming soon.
WT (30:52):
My believing: if the Vietnamese don't want it, just my understand, if they don't want it, they just
take care their country and leave my country alone. I think no problem plus China's too. China
Page 17 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
they want my country too, you see. I don't know. You see in the communist time, all the time
they just took the time to turn for the [inaudible].
VT (31:22):
To make a show to sometimes.
WT (31:22):
And they took the [unknown]. They took the [unknown] to make spoon. You see that?
VT (31:22):
You know what that’s why no education. No son, and [inaudible].
WT (31:22):
No, the leader they have education.
VT (31:22):
My different.
WT (31:31):
The people see that this is the capital before communists.
VT (32:02):
My son-in-law this very much.
WT (2:06):
[inaudible].
VT (32:08):
He loved it. He went to work Cambodia, he want to go to see uncle one. His uncle one, but we
cannot go because not safe at all. You cannot say I miss it.
WT (32:22):
On a high way.
VT (32:23):
I went there one time when I was young.
SK (32:27):
Page 18 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
What time?
VT (32:27):
Only one time and over there they have let me say people that came to see uncle what that means
lucky people even people live around in this place around they cannot go in there. They say thatSK (32:46):
Who is controlling it?
WT (32:47):
This place?
SK (32:47):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
VT (32:49):
Now they say Thai want it and we don't know, Thai that place. And that's hard.
SK (32:57):
Thai? Thailand?
VT (32:58):
Yeah, Thailand. My son want to go. He do research on his paper, on this too. He went to library
and we have somebody's friend research that he say he want to see it. But when I got there I
asked let's cannot say, we cannot go unless there isSK (33:15):
Well I have that beautiful picture that you brought back when we had the interviews. You
handed everyone one that I put it out up on my dining room. Very pretty.
VT (33:28):
That one look at I want to from there. Before we don't have it I bought over there to show my
children $5 when long time.
WT (33:46):
This was very hard to I carry it from the [inaudible].
VT (33:47):
Page 19 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
Oh, my goodness.
WT (33:47):
They don't let you carry it. They take care for me and when I got to Boston, which is [inaudible].
VT (33:51):
That's the one to see, you know. Even my grandchildren later on lucky if they have this thing to
show them. Very simple thing and look like my mother made that. That's really show how
working hard and so my children never forget. So we save a lot of things. She sew very hard.
SK (34:16):
She sewed that with all the beads?
VT (34:17):
Yep. And spend a lot of time. A lot of time, Sheila. She sit down and do that's very, very you
know for culture. That is fun. Usually we do when we go to the temple. That's very important
point and she complete just notWT (34:29):
They cannot be done for regular.
VT (34:29):
Not regular celebration and specialWT (34:35):
When they have child. Not a daughter, just a boy become a monk.
VT (34:45):
We had that really [inaudible].
WT (34:48):
Become on Monk and thenVT (34:49):
That's my son became a monk.
WT (34:51):
Page 20 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
... They put that on the clothe before they get the clothe for the monk. Yellow cloth, clothe. The
parent have to uh... that’s my son.
VT (35:04):
That's special and she completed.
WT (35:08):
My son become a monk when uh... three months' vacation.
VT (35:10):
He was nine years old. Two month and half.
WT (35:19):
My mom want him to be a monk. To pray something for us. And after that the head monk...
VT (35:25):
Unbelievable. 10 week. Nine years old.
WT (35:30):
We can put it on.
VT (35:31):
And eat only two times a day, nothing else. One morning and one afternoon.
WT (35:36):
Morning and lunch.
VT (35:39):
That's all.
WT (35:40):
You know this... [inaudible] He’s the president of the CMAA, too. After him, and then Narin
[unknown] after theVT (35:52):
You know Narin [unknown] because I saw his name.
SK (35:57):
Page 21 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
Yeah, I know him just through the [inaudible].
VT (36:02):
And after Narin, my husband tried to happen the president to help in 1987.
SK (36:29):
Wow.
WT (36:29):
[inaudible].
SK (36:33):
So this is all in Lowell?
VT (36:34):
Yes.
WT (36:35):
And we look so small just [inaudible]. All I think can [inaudible] made this here how to look for
us. That has been very [inaudible].
VT (36:35):
That's right classify look. It's amazing and...
WT (36:38):
And he not hungry in evening and nighttime at all. I don't know that we believe and we put that
on and we have Buddha put inside here.
VT (36:54):
Because my son always if he opened the... [inaudible]. That's why I still wonder my son hungry.
But finally, he said no. 10 weekSK (37:06):
10 week?
VT (37:08):
Yes, vacation. All vacation is spent there and come back, go to school with no hair.
Page 22 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
SK (37:17):
Now, do many boys do that? Many Cambodians? It's a very special.
VT (37:21):
Very special. And seem like if you have son like that which mean we are lucky parent because
he seem like he do the job like my husband was a monk too. He took his vacation and he paid
because we believeWT (37:37):
I do that for my mom.
VT (37:39):
He do for his mother. But it's very, he do that very religiouslyWT (37:43):
Like, like we...
VT (37:44):
Look at that my husband over there.
WT (37:55):
We know her for almost [inaudible] way, right? And we are the son, we kno, we try to open way
for her [inaudible]. We had the son before the parent passed away to become a monk for her,
open the way for her and then see she really enjoy, she really happy. She really peaceful when
she passed away.
VT (38:24):
Peaceful, my mother passed away, that true. I believe that's why I see by my eyes.
WT (38:37):
I prepare my mom and another person that I saw by my eyes in the Lowell. Even Cambodians
[inaudible]. Maybe not only one son like me, have many children.
VT (38:41):
Many son.
WT (38:47):
But he have a [inaudible].
Page 23 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
VT (38:52):
Oh my God. [inaudible] I go to see it when [inaudible]] he passed away. Unbelievable people
pass away.
WT (38:54):
Had the monk come to pray for him. They still not [inaudible].
VT (38:55):
Did you ever see people pass by your eyes? I have two. My mother, no that very carefully is two,
he one that my husband just say the man in Lowell. Oh, Sheila. Had to pass away. But my mom
at Saint Joseph Hospital. My mother in law, it's a very peacefully. Peacefully.
WT (39:27):
You know what? After that I tried to find out what's going on then I know this when people like
young like me are very peaceful for the you know the...
VT (39:27):
God [unknown].
WT (39:27):
[inaudible] then in this let's come to you when the [inaudible]VT (39:27):
I believe.
WT (39:27):
[inaudible] before she died. You will see what happened. And my mom passed away go like a
sleep. Easy and then [inaudible].
VT (40:07):
Unbelievable at Saint Joseph.
WT (40:07):
And one another day I believe [inaudible]. Maybe with time. Talking of [inaudible] with time.
Go the temple or go to the church [inaudible],
VT (40:23):
Page 24 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
So you calm yourself down that the point I think you seem like everywhere want this, want that.
You still want it so your mind is not very put together when you seem like go down. You've seen
the way you go. That's right peaceful maybe. But my mother very peaceful. I keep going and sit
down with my husband, my children was sleep and very peaceful. We sit and sit until she passed
away. Very nicely.
SK (40:58):
One more question I wanted to ask you about when you first arrived in the United States. You
said you went to New York first. What was your first impression of the United States?
VT (41:11):
Oh myWT (41:13):
When I sit like this like people at the moon. Because my country when we live a big country like
[inaudible].
VT (41:18):
Oh my gosh, Sheila.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
When I go to the market I saw everything new in the refrigerator, everything fresh. I so
impressioned.
VT (41:40):
For me, I’m scary.
WT (41:41):
Coming out of my heart and every word that I want to say I wrote a letter to my country, to my
niece, my brother, sister [inaudible].
VT (41:54):
First time I came I still remember on February 18 that the snow coming down. That's my first
time, I never see a snow. I will send the sandal from Cambodian and the guy go pick me up very
tall man. I say what happened. We scare, I scare. My husband not scared but me very scary. I
think because no lie. What should I do? They gave me $45 and that time $45 for three people.
Yes 45, 15 for each. $45 and he goes looking for my husband needs over and finally decide we
come with him. And they brought us to go to the hotel and leave me right there. And that is the
Page 25 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
first time I never meant. I'm so hungry. What we do my husband come down because at hospital
they have a grocery downstairs.
VT (42:54):
My husband come and buy bread and little food over there. I cannot sleep that night. My
husband sleep, my son sleep, but I could not sleep. I made a wonderful job to write down to let
my son. Because I look at the snow is coming down and I was wondering what should I do? This
is the new country for me. What should I do? I keep asking myself. I said what should I do
because usually I don't know. They don't they have rice to eat or I'm not because I came in the
Thailand camp, no raining about United States because usually I heard when they go after the
call to the United States they have training like a six week, six months, six months sometime at
Philippine or somewhere else but me, no. When my name was called boom in one day, United
States right away. Never stopWT (43:53):
Because direct.
VT (43:56):
Direct.
WT (43:56):
We come direct. We not go to the another country like Philippine or Malaysia. Somewhere...
VT (44:06):
Directly to United States.
WT (44:07):
Some friend had to stay. But I don’t know why I come direct. They look at my education
[inaudible] the communist looking for me to kill more or something like that. Maybe [inaudible].
SK (44:50):
Was there a thing you decided that you didn’t like about the United States? Or have you decided
that there are things that you don't like?
VT (44:53):
In United States?
SK (44:54):
Yeah. What would you like [inaudible]Page 26 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
WT (44:56):
And then they have many country. They have applications like France, Belgium, Australia, andVT (45:04):
Japanese too.
WT (45:04):
And thenVT (45:07):
A lot of countries.
SK (45:09):
You could pick from?
WT (45:10):
And then I pick United States because on that time when I was at the college and university. I'm
studying English then I decided oh maybe I come to the United States because I know some
English already and French I already study. And we decided to come to the United States.
VT (45:36):
We put application and [inaudible].
WT (45:38):
Before the United States called, the French call first and then we decide we don't want to go
there.
SK (45:42):
The French call first?
WT (45:45):
Yeah. And just we didn't decide to go to France. We wait to the United States. And especially
my wife have friend in the Switzerland.
VT (46:02):
Usually they want before communist, they want me to go to Swiss too, but on that time seem like
balancing. Which way I go? Which way I go? When I go I miss my family. So that's why I stuck
with the communist.
Page 27 of 28
�UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE
TITH, VERA T. AND WILLIAM A. ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, 1993
UML 16 (Oral History #93.7)
NOTE: This is the transcript for oral history tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
WT (46:16):
You remember thenVT (46:18):
Then they gave me the [inaudible]. Yes.
WT (46:20):
Khao I Dang.
VT (46:22):
Khao I Dang. They want me to take the Swiss.
WT (46:30):
They remember when the Swiss lady she work at the hospital. SheVT (46:35):
They already gave everything, buy airline, air tickets for me. But I cannot go. That's why we
lucky, we came to the United States. Very lucky.
Unknown (46:47): End of tape.
End of tape 1 of 1, side 2 of 2.
Interview ends
Page 28 of 28
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993
Description
An account of the resource
The Vera T. and William A. Tith oral history interview collection consists of one audiocassette tape, 1 audio CD, a complete transcript, and a partial transcript of an oral history interview conducted by Sheila L. Kirschbaum with Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith on February 13, 1993. Topics covered include but are not limited to Vera and William’s children, their lives in Cambodia before they left, living and working in a Thailand refugee camp, resettling in the United States, and their lives now in Lowell, Massachusetts. <br /><br />The collection is accessible on this site.<br /><br /><strong><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">Content warning:</span></span></strong><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0"><strong> </strong>Mentions of war, death, and other situations read</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">ers and listeners may find<span> </span></span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0" xml:lang="en-us" lang="en-us"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158174635 BCX0">distressing.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW158174635 BCX0"> </span><br /><br />View the collection finding aid for more information, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16</a>.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993. UML 16. Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Relation
A related resource
The collection finding aid, <a href="https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://libguides.uml.edu/uml16</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith oral history interview transcript, 1993
Subject
The topic of the resource
Cambodian Americans
Electricians
Elementary school teachers
Genocide--Cambodia
Lowell (Mass.)
Oral history
Refugees--Cambodia
Description
An account of the resource
The complete transcript of an oral history interview conducted by Sheila L. Kirschbaum with Vera Thong Tith and William An Tith. Topics covered include but are not limited to Vera and William's children, their lives in Cambodia before they left, living and working in a Thailand refugee camp, resettling in the United States, and their lives now in Lowell, Massachusetts. <br /><br />The transcript is in two parts. <br /><br /><strong>Content warning:</strong> Mentions of war, death, and other situations readers and listeners may find distressing.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Tith, Vera T.
Tith, William A.
Kirschbaum, Sheila L.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Tith, Vera T. and William A. Oral History Interview, 1993
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1993-02-13
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
UMass Lowell Library makes this material available for private, educational, and research use. It is the responsibility of the user to secure any needed permissions from rightsholders, for uses such as commercial reproductions of copyrighted works. Contact host institution for more information.
Format
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application/pdf; 36 p.
application/pdf; 28 p.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Khmer
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
uml16_93.7_i003
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell, Massachusetts
1990-1999
Cambodians
Demonstration School
Documents