As We Speak
A periodic newsletter for TESOL members
March 2007 Volume 4 Number 1
By Kim Le
Submitted by Marsha Chan
When I was
19 years old, my family immigrated to the US as refugees from war torn Viet
Nam. Since then, I have changed
tremendously, both physically and emotionally. The most profound change for me
is my effort to treat people without prejudice and instead judge them for who
they are, not what they own or how they look.
When I was
six years old, my parents were so poor that they could not afford to raise me,
so they sent me to live with my wealthy uncle's family. In return for my room
and board, I had to work and was treated as one of their dozen servants. I felt sad, inferior and unprivileged.
There was an unwritten rule that having wealth or being born in the right
family equated with power, dignity and respect. Other qualities were
overshadowed by material possessions.
After ten years of hard work, my parents became wealthy, retrieved me,
and in turn hired servants to serve us. I remember one young girl my age was
sent by her parents to work for my family. We treated her just as my uncle's family had treated me
before that. Our innate prejudice drove us to do so even though I had been in
her position ten years back.
Twelve years
after Viet Nam fell in 1975, my parents fled the country, losing everything
they had worked for all their lives.
Life had come full circle for us: from poverty to prosperity and again to
poverty. Recognizing that our skin
color was different, we were destitute and we did not speak much English; our
family fully anticipated and expected to be discriminated against. The first
American family we came to know were our sponsors, the Warhursts, whom we lived
with our first seven months in the U.S. Much to our astonishment and pleasant
surprise, this family treated us as equals even though we depended on them for
everything, from food to shelter to clothes. They truly judged us by our character
and treated us with dignity, compassion and kindness. By doing so, the Warhursts helped us build confidence and
belief in ourselves. We thrived
despite the obstacles because they gave us their best and brought the best out
of us. I began to realize how
positive it felt to be treated for whom I was, not what I had. Since then, I
diligently treat people the way the Warhursts treated us.
It has not
always been easy to avoid prejudging people but I strive to make conscious
decisions to evaluate people by their character, integrity, and moral compass,
not by a superficial façade. I teach my children to live by this
principle. The American people
have opened my eyes. I am proud to say that I like this change in me, and I
believe I am a better person for it.
Author: Kim
Le
Email:
[email protected]
Kim Le is a student in class Advanced Grammar Review and Editing at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA.
Teacher:
Marsha Chan
Mission
College: 3000 Mission College Blvd Santa Clara, CA 95054-1897
Email:
[email protected]
Marsha Chan is a professor at Mission College in Santa Clara, California. Professor Chan, an author of several ESL textbooks that address speaking and pronunciation, is also noted for excellence in teaching and for her use of technology to engage the student in the process of learning.
As We Speak is published by TESOL and supported by your active
membership. Contents copyright by authors except where otherwise noted.
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