Summer of Love

Summer of Love

Ha Nhu Ana Tran


It was the summer of 1990 and I had just finished the eighth grade. It was recently that the United States and Vietnam had agreed to open its doors to the "Vietkieu" (Vietnamese living overseas) and U.S. tourists. I am considered a Vietkieu having fled my country when I was only three months old, and therefore did not know anything about my country.
Being so accustomed to the American Society, I had no desire to visit my country or to learn more about it. As a result, when my father asked me to come along with him to Vietnam in order to meet my relatives, the furthest thought in my mind was accepting the offer to spend my whole summer in a country where I did not know a single soul and where it is known to be so poor. My father desperately wanted me to meet his side of the family and so he begged me to accompany him. I definitely did not want to spend two whole months there, but nor did I want to hurt his feelings, and so I agreed to come along. The decision I made to give up my whole summer in the States ended up to be the best choice I ever made.

School had officially ended for the year and the summer was about to begin. It was a time of happiness to the rest of my classmates, especially since we were all going to be freshmen in high school now. I remember many of them were so excited, and then there was me. I dreaded for this summer to begin. I could not believe I was going back to a country where I was born, yet knew absolutely nothing about. It would be the first time that I would be away from my mother for so long and not to mention my brother. My brother and I have this special bond, he is my best friend and someone I have always looked up to and being away from him for so long really scared me.

Before I had anymore time to think about this trip that I did not want to make, I was on the plane. After over 24 hours of exhausting travel, we finally reached our destination. Stepping off the plane, I remember clearly how incredibly hot it was. The airport back then did not even have any air con***ioning and it took hours to just complete the paperwork. After slipping a couple of twenties under the table, the customs official let us through the exit gate. To my amazement, 44 relatives (I did not even know I had that many) awaited us at the airport. I met for the first time my grandparents, my father's 12 siblings, their husbands/wives, and the countless cousins of mine. It was an emotional moment for my father as he was reunited with his family the first time in 15 years. It was an astonishing moment.

My father and I got in the van to take us back to our house and I still remember all my relatives and cousins staring at me. They all knew my name, yet I did not know any of them. They kept on making broken english comments (where you from? How are you...) and then they would all end up in laughter. Everyone was asking me what was on my teeth, as I wore braces back then. I was a complete foreigner to them. I remember looking out the window and noticed how dirty everything was. People were all over the place. Motorcycles and bicycles were like ants and filled the streets. It was such a different and unique experience. After about a half an hour, we reached the house where I would be staying for the next two months. I almost started to cry. The house was in the worst possible con***ion. This two-story building had mold growing from the walls and the only two bathrooms were disgusting. And worst of all, can you imagine 44 people living under this one roof?

Even though I lived in the worst con***ions for the next two months, it turned out to be an excellent learning experience and the best time of my life. I learned so much during this summer. I learned how important my family was to me and how proud I should be to be Vietnamese. After growing up in the suburbs of Seattle around only white Americans my whole life, I basically lost my identity, and used to be embarrassed and ashamed to be Vietnamese. I remember being different from all my classmates and I tried to avoid communicating with other asians that I would encounter when I went to the inner-city. From elementary to high school, I went to school with over 2000 students and there was only two blacks and three asians. One the asians was my brother and the other was my cousin. We all grew up thinking we were white and never even thought about the chance of marrying a Vietnamese let alone an asian person. After taking this trip to my country, I was exposed to my people for the very first time and learned that is was all right to have black hair. I was the majority for the first time. Seeing everybody with black hair made me feel normal, it is a feeling hard to describe.

During my stay in Vietnam, my mother back in the States was hearing from her friends that they felt so sorry for me because they knew how I had been brought up and they thought I would have the most miserable time of my life. They had gone back to visit Vietnam the previous summer and told my mother that there would be no way I would be able to stand it back there. My mother was so worried for me. Little did she know that I was loving every minute of my stay. It did not bother me anymore that I lived in filth as it was difficult, but I got used to it and learned to adjust. In ad***ion to the poor con***ions, I also had to adjust to drinking warm sodas (no refrigerators), showering in cold water, traveling by mopeds, and so on. I still can't get over the fact that over 40 people had to share two incredibly small and dirty bathrooms. Living in those con***ions also made me to realize how I had taken for granted so many little things that I had in the States. It was the first time I was exposed *****ch poor living con***ion. I never thought about how I had been spoiled all my life and that there are actually many people who would love to live in the situation that I am in.

My summer I spent in my home country is the most significant event in my whole life for so many reasons. I am now more open-minded about our society. I have grown up thinking everyone is as fortunate as myself, and now I have a taste of what it is really like to live both well-off and poor. I learned not to take anything for granted and to use my money more wisely. Every time I buy a new pair of shoes or jeans I think and ask myself if it is really that necessary.Living back there and seeing all the poverty made me realize the value of money. My family back in Vietnam is so special to me. Even though they did not have the money, they treated me like a queen during my stay. They broke their neck to make sure I had a Coca Cola evertime I was thirsty. They brought sense into me by explaining how proud I should be to be a young Vietnamese lady growing up in America. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to meet all my little cousins, uncle, aunts, and my grandparents. They all mean the world to me and since I went back, I have thought a lot about my future husband. I now consider marrying a Vietnamese man, not just for myself, but for my family and future children. My dream is to have my wedding in Vietnam so my whole family can be there. I want a husband who can communicate with my family and I want my children to know their culture.

My stay in Vietnam also got me to realize that I almost lost the Vietnamese tongue. I always was able to understand Vietnamese, but rarely spoke it. But my stay in my country forced me to speak Vietnamese at all times, as not many people are able to speak english. I had always thought I would be able to speak Vietnamese if I was forced to, but as I was speaking to my relatives and the other Vietnamese people, I found myself stuttering. I could not believe that I really could not speak my language fluently anymore. In order to communicate with anyone during my two months I was forced to speak Vietnamese. Now I am able to speak my language better and can even read letters that my relatives send me. Since that summer, I have spent every following summer in Vietnam. Not only do I spend my summers there, so do the rest of my family including my mother and brother. The choice of my life taught me so much and most of all though, it taught me a whole new culture and better yet, it was the culture that I thought I had lost. My visit back reminds me everyday that even though I live in America, I am still Vietnamese and am really proud of it.



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Ha Nhu Ana Tran
Ha Nhu Ana Tran is a Vietnamese-American now attending UC Berkeley. She wrote this article last year for the "Growing up Asian in America" contest and won first prize of $750.00 and had it published in the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner.

Ha Nhu was born in 1975 to Tran Van Dien and Nguyen Thi Hiep. Her father was a French professor in Hue while her mother was an English teacher in Saigon. Tran's grandfather, Tran Van Thong, is a well known French professor and principal in Hue. Tran and her family came to the United States just before the Americans withdrew as one of her father's students offered the opportunity to flee. Their first stop in the States was in Texas where Mr.Tran taught at the University of Austin before moving to Bellevue, Washington--where her parents live today.

Ha Nhu's father is currently a teacher at Redmond High School and holds a doctorate degree in French Literature. Her mother is a real estate broker, but devotes most of her time to the Lord and helps other Vietnamese families who are struggling. Mrs. Tran does a lot of volunteer work for St. Vincent DePaul and occasionally is a guest speaker at many workshops around the area.

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WHADDA YA WANNA SAY TO EV'RY?
I SEE YOURS THAT SO FRIGHTEN.......TRANSLATE IT !CAN YOU?
Alpha22 Fantasy

REFC Forever

Dịch theo yêu cầu, nếu dở ráng chịu .
It was the summer of 1990 and I had just finished the eighth grade.
Mùa hè 1990, tôi vừa học xong lớp 8.
It was recently that the United States and Vietnam had agreed to open its doors to the "Vietkieu" (Vietnamese living overseas) and U.S. tourists.
Gần đây, Mỹ và VN thoả thuận mở cửa ải cho VK và khách du lịch Mỹ .
I am considered a Vietkieu having fled my country when I was only three months old, and therefore did not know anything about my country.
Tôi được xem là 1 VK vì tôi rời tổ quốc khi tôi mới 3 tháng tuổi, và vì thế tôi chẳng biết gì về tổ quốc .
Being so accustomed to the American Society, I had no desire to visit my country or to learn more about it.
Vì quen sống trong xã hội Mỹ, tôi không có ý muốn về thăm hoặc tìm hiểu thêm về tổ quốc .
As a result, when my father asked me to come along with him to Vietnam in order to meet my relatives, the furthest thought in my mind was accepting the offer to spend my whole summer in a country where I did not know a single soul and where it is known to be so poor.
Vì thế khi cha tôi bảo tôi cùng về VN để gặp lại bà con, ý nghĩ xa vời nhất của tôi là nhận lời dành cả mùa hè ở 1 quốc gia nơi tôi không quen biết ai và biết rằng nước đó rất nghèo .
My father desperately wanted me to meet his side of the family and so he begged me to accompany him.
Cha tôi rất muốn tôi gặp gia đình bên nội nên ông nài nỉ tôi về cùng .
I definitely did not want to spend two whole months there, but nor did I want to hurt his feelings, and so I agreed to come along.
Tôi nhất định không muốn ở 2 tháng ở đó, nhưng tôi cũng không muốn phật ý cha nên tôi bằng lòng .
The decision I made to give up my whole summer in the States ended up to be the best choice I ever made.
Quyết định bỏ qua cả mùa hè ở Mỹ cuối cùng lại là quyết định tốt nhất của tôi .
School had officially ended for the year and the summer was about to begin.
Bế giảng năm học và mùa hè đến .
It was a time of happiness to the rest of my classmates, especially since we were all going to be freshmen in high school now.
Đó là lúc vui nhất cho các bạn cùng lớp tôi, nhất là chúng tôi sẽ bắt đầu học "cấp ba".
I remember many of them were so excited, and then there was me.
Tôi nhớ là nhiều bạn rất vui sướng, và ngẫm nghĩ về mình .
I dreaded for this summer to begin.
Tôi sợ hãi vì mùa hè này đã bắt đầu .
I could not believe I was going back to a country where I was born, yet knew absolutely nothing about.
Tôi không thể tin là tôi sắp trở lại nơi chôn nhau cắt rốn mà lại không biết tí gì về nơi đó cả .
It would be the first time that I would be away from my mother for so long and not to mention my brother.
Đây là lần đầu tôi xa mẹ rất lâu, đấy là chưa nhắc đến anh tôi .
My brother and I have this special bond, he is my best friend and someone I have always looked up to and being away from him for so long really scared me.
Anh em tôi rất gắn bó, anh là người bạn thân nhất và là người tôi luôn luôn nể phục và xa anh lâu như thế làm tôi hoảng sợ .
Before I had anymore time to think about this trip that I did not want to make, I was on the plane.
Trước khi co đủ thời gian nghĩ ngợi thêm về chuyến đi mà tôi không muốn đi này, tôi đã ở trên phi cơ .
After over 24 hours of exhausting travel, we finally reached our destination.
Sau hơn 24 giờ bay mệt nhọc, sau cùng chúng tôi đến nơi.
Stepping off the plane, I remember clearly how incredibly hot it was.
Bước xuống phi cơ, tôi nhớ rõ trời nóng không thể tưởng .
The airport back then did not even have any air con***ioning and it took hours to just complete the paperwork.
Sân bay không có máy điều hoà và phải chờ vài tiếng chỉ để làm giất tờ .
After slipping a couple of twenties under the table, the customs official let us through the exit gate.
Sau khi nhét 2 tờ ($)20 dưới bàn(chui), nhân viên quan thuế cho chúng tôi ra cổng .
To my amazement, 44 relatives (I did not even know I had that many) awaited us at the airport.
Tôi rất ngạc nhiên vì 44 thân nhân (tôi còn không mình có nhiều thế) chờ chúng tôi ở sân bay .
I met for the first time my grandparents, my father's 12 siblings, their husbands/wives, and the countless cousins of mine.
Lần đầu tiên trong đời tôi gặp ông bà nội, 12 anh chị em của cha tôi, vợ /chồng họ, và vô số anh chị em họ .
It was an emotional moment for my father as he was reunited with his family the first time in 15 years. It was an astonishing moment.
Đó là 1 lúc cảm động của cha tôi vì ông đoàn tụ gia đình sau 15 năm xa cách . Một lúc đáng ngạc nhiên .
My father and I got in the van to take us back to our house and I still remember all my relatives and cousins staring at me.
Cha & tôi lên xe van về nhà và tôi vẫn nhớ tất cả nhìn tôi chằm chặp .
They all knew my name, yet I did not know any of them.
Tất cả đều biết tên tôi, nhưng tôi không biết ai cả .
They kept on making broken english comments (where you from? How are you...) and then they would all end up in laughter.
Họ cứ nói những câu tiếng Anh "vỡ" (where you from? How are you...) rồi họ cười phá lên .
Everyone was asking me what was on my teeth, as I wore braces back then.
Tất cả hỏi tôi cái gì trên răng tôi vì lúc đó tôi đeo niềng răng .
I was a complete foreigner to them.
Đối với họ tôi là người ngoại quốc .
I remember looking out the window and noticed how dirty everything was.
Tôi nhớ khi nhìn ra cửa kính xe & thấy sao mà bẩn thế .
People were all over the place.
Người đầy khắp nơi .
Motorcycles and bicycles were like ants and filled the streets.
Xe máy và xe đạp như kiến đầy đường .
It was such a different and unique experience.
Đấy là một điều lạ và đặc biệt .
After about a half an hour, we reached the house where I would be staying for the next two months.
Sau khoảng 1/2 giờ chúng tôi về đến ngôi nhà mà tôi sẽ ở trong 2 tháng tới .
I almost started to cry. The house was in the worst possible con***ion.
Tôi sắp phát khóc . Căn nhà ở mức tệ nhất .
This two-story building had mold growing from the walls and the only two bathrooms were disgusting.
Căn nhà 2 tầng này rêu mọc trên tường và 2 nhà tắm trông phát khiếp .
And worst of all, can you imagine 44 people living under this one roof?
Và tệ hơn nữa, bạn có thể tưởng tượng 44 người sống trong đó không ?
Even though I lived in the worst con***ions for the next two months, it turned out to be an excellent learning experience and the best time of my life.
Mặc dù tôi sống trong tình trạng tệ nhất trong 2 tháng sau đó, đó lại là một bài học tuyệt vời và là thời gian đẹp nhất đời tôi .
I learned so much during this summer. I learned how important my family was to me and how proud I should be to be Vietnamese.
Tôi học được rất nhiều điều trong mùa hè này . Tôi biết được gia đình tôi quan trọng như thế nào và tôi nên hãnh diện tôi là người VN như thế nào .
After growing up in the suburbs of Seattle around only white Americans my whole life, I basically lost my identity, and used to be embarrassed and ashamed to be Vietnamese.
Sau khi lớn lên ở ngoại ô Seattle, suốt đời xung quanh toàn người Mỹ da trắng, tôi căn bản là bị mất chính "bản thân mình", và thường ngượng & xấu hổ mình là người VN .
I remember being different from all my classmates and I tried to avoid communicating with other asians that I would encounter when I went to the inner-city.
Tôi nhớ là mình khác với bạn cùng lớp, và tôi tránh nói chuyện với các người gốc Á khác khi gặp họ trong thành phố .
From elementary to high school, I went to school with over 2000 students and there was only two blacks and three asians.
Từ tiểu học đến trung học, tôi học chung với 2000 học sinh và chỉ có 2 người da đen và 3 người gốc Á .
One of the asians was my brother and the other was my cousin.
1 người gốc Á là anh tôi và người kia là người anh họ tôi .
We all grew up thinking we were white and never even thought about the chance of marrying a Vietnamese let alone an asian person.
Chúng tôi lớn lên nghĩ rằng mình là người da trắng và không bao giờ nghĩ là sẽ lập gia đình với một người Việt chứ đừng nói với một ngườì gốc Á .
After taking this trip to my country, I was exposed to my people for the very first time and learned that is was all right to have black hair.
Sau chuyến về nước, tôi gặp người dân của mình lần đầu và biết rằng tóc đen là điều được chấp nhận .
I was the majority for the first time. Seeing everybody with black hair made me feel normal, it is a feeling hard to describe.
Lần đầu tiên tôi thuộc đa số . Thấy tất cả đều tóc đen là tôi cảm thấy bình thường, một cảm giác khó tả .
During my stay in Vietnam, my mother back in the States was hearing from her friends that they felt so sorry for me because they knew how I had been brought up
and they thought I would have the most miserable time of my life.
Khi tôi về VN, mẹ tôi ở Mỹ nghe bạn nói là họ thượng hại tôi vì họ biết là tôi được nuôi nấng ra sao và họ nghĩ là tôi sẽ chịu cảnh khổ nhất đời .
They had gone back to visit Vietnam the previous summer and told my mother that there would be no way I would be able to stand it back there.
Họ về VN hè năn trước và bảo mẹ tôi là tôi không thể nào chịu được bên ấy .
My mother was so worried for me. Little did she know that I was loving every minute of my stay.
Mẹ tôi rất lo cho tôi . Bà không hề biết tôi thích từng phút tôi ở đấy .
It did not bother me anymore that I lived in filth as it was difficult, but I got used to it and learned to adjust.
Tôi không lo nữa về việc ở dơ là khó khăn, nhưng tôi quen dần và tập thích nghi .
In ad***ion to the poor con***ions, I also had to adjust to drinking warm sodas (no refrigerators), showering in cold water, traveling by mopeds, and so on.
Thêm vào tình trạng nghèo nàn, tôi cũng phải tập uống soda ấm (không có tủ lạnh), tắm nước lạnh, đi lại = xe máy, v.v...
I still can't get over the fact that over 40 people had to share two incredibly small and dirty bathrooms.
Tôi vẫn không thể quen được >40 người phải dùng chung 2 phòng tắm nhỏ và bẩn không tưởng tượng nổi .
Living in those con***ions also made me to realize how I had taken for granted so many little things that I had in the States.
Sống trong cảnh đó làm tôi thấy mình đã coi thường nhiều thứ nhỏ mọn mình có ở Mỹ .
It was the first time I was exposed *****ch poor living con***ion.
Lần đầu trong đời tôi phải sống trong cảnh nghèo như thế .
I never thought about how I had been spoiled all my life and that there are actually many people who would love to live in the situation that I am in.
Tôi không bao giờ nghĩ mình được chiều suốt đời và thật sự có nhiều người cầu được sống trong tình trạng của tôi .
My summer I spent in my home country is the most significant event in my whole life for so many reasons.
Mùa hè của tôi ở tổ quốc là một sự kiện đáng kể nhất đời tôi vì rất nhiều lí do .
I am now more open-minded about our society.
Bây giờ tôi khách quan hơn về xã hội chúng ta .
I have grown up thinking everyone is as fortunate as myself, and now I have a taste of what it is really like to live both well-off and poor.
Tôi lớn lên nhĩ rằng tất cả đều may mắn như tôi, và bay giờ tôi đã biết thế nào là sống cả rất tiện nghi lẫn nghèo nàn .
I learned not to take anything for granted and to use my money more wisely.
Tôi học được là không coi tất cả đều là sự hiển nhiên và cách dùng tiền khôn khéo hơn .
Every time I buy a new pair of shoes or jeans I think and ask myself if it is really that necessary.
Mỗi lần tôi mua 1 đôi giày mới hoặc quần jean mới, tôi nghĩ lại và tự hỏi có thật sự cần thiết không .
Living back there and seeing all the poverty made me realize the value of money.
Sống ở bên ấy và thấy tất cả cái nghèo làm tôi nhận thức giá trị của đồng tiền .
My family back in Vietnam is so special to me.
Gia đình tôi ở VN đối với tôi thật đặc biệt .
Even though they did not have the money, they treated me like a queen during my stay.
Mặc dù họ không có nhiều tiền, họ đối xử với tôi như 1 bà hoàng, khi tôi ở đấy .
They broke their neck to make sure I had a Coca Cola evertime I was thirsty.
Họ tự "làm gãy cổ" để chắn ăn tôi được uống CC mỗi lần khát nước .
They brought sense into me by explaining how proud I should be to be a young Vietnamese lady growing up in America.
Họ làm tôi hiểu = cách giải thích cho tôi rằng tôi phải hãnh diện là 1 cô gái VN lớn lên ở Mỹ .
I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to meet all my little cousins, uncle, aunts, and my grandparents.
Tôi rất cám ơn cơ hội này cho tôi gặp tất cả em họ, cô chú và ông bà nội .
They all mean the world to me and since I went back, I have thought a lot about my future husband.
Họ là cả thế giới của tôi và khi tôi trờ về, tôi nghĩ ngơi rất nhiều về người chồng tương lai của tôi .
I now consider marrying a Vietnamese man, not just for myself, but for my family and future children.
Bây giờ tôi dự định sẽ lấy 1 người chồng Việt, không chỉ cho mình, mà cho gia đình và con cái trong tương lai .
My dream is to have my wedding in Vietnam so my whole family can be there.
Tôi mơ ước sẽ làm đám cưới ở VN để cả gia đình có mặt .
I want a husband who can communicate with my family and I want my children to know their culture.
Tôi muốn có 1 người chồng chồng có thể nói chuyện với gia đình tôi và tôi muốn con tôi biết nền văn hoá của chúng .
My stay in Vietnam also got me to realize that I almost lost the Vietnamese tongue. I always was able to understand Vietnamese, but rarely spoke it.
Thời gian ở VN cũng làm tôi nhận thấy mình quên tiếng Việt . Tôi luôn hiểu tiếng Việt nhưng ít khi nói .
But my stay in my country forced me to speak Vietnamese at all times, as not many people are able to speak English.
Nhưng khi ở tổ quốc, bắt buộc tôi phải luôn nói tiếng Việt, vì không có nhiều người có thể nói tiếng Anh .
I had always thought I would be able to speak Vietnamese if I was forced to, but as I was speaking to my relatives and the other Vietnamese people, I found myself stuttering.
Tôi luôn nghĩ mình có thể nói tiếng Việt nên bị bắt buộc, Nhưng khi nói vời thân nhân và những người Việt khác, tôi bị cà lăm .
I could not believe that I really could not speak my language fluently anymore.
Tôi không thể tin nổi là mình thật sự không thể nói thạo tiếng của mình .
In order to communicate with anyone during my two months I was forced to speak Vietnamese.
Để có thể nói chuyện với bất cứ ai trong 2 tháng đó, tôi bắt buộc phải nói tiếng Việt .
Now I am able to speak my language better and can even read letters that my relatives send me.
Bây giờ tôi có thể nói tiếng của mình khá hơn và còn có thể đọc thơ thân nhân nữa .
Since that summer, I have spent every following summer in Vietnam.
Từ hè đó trở đi, mỗi mùa he tôi lại về VN.
Not only do I spend my summers there, so do the rest of my family including my mother and brother.
Không chỉ mình tôi nghỉ hè ở đó, cả gia đình tôi cùng mẹ và anh tôi nữa.
The choice of my life taught me so much and most of all though, it taught me a whole new culture and better yet, it was the culture that I thought I had lost.
Sự chọn lựa trong đời tôi dạy tôi rất nhiều và hầu như toàn bộ nền văn hoá mới và hơn nữa, đó là nền văn hoá tôi tưởng tôi đã đánh mất .
My visit back reminds me everyday that even though I live in America, I am still Vietnamese and am really proud of it.
Chuyến về thăm luôn nhắc tôi là dù tôi sống ở Mỹ, tôi vẫn là người VN và rất hãnh diện vì điều này .

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http://ttvnonline.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47411&whichpage=5&ARCHIVE=
What do you mean "incomprehensible", old chap?

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Bài này em có đọc qua từ lâu lắm rồi. Rồi còn có hội bàn luận nữa cơ, em chả nhớ ở đâu. Có người bảo chị này viết hay thế, tình cảm thế, chắc yêu VN lắm, đúng là xa hương nhưng hồn Việt không mất. Có người thì bảo chị này viết giả vật, có khi hồi về nhà chả khổ sở gần chết, ngày nào cũng mong tới ngày để cầm vé ra sân bay... khế khế, chẳng hiểu thế nào nữa. Các bác cho ý kiến mới.

Nguyệt lạc ô đề sương mãn thiên
Giang phong ngự hoả đối sầu miên
Cô Tô thành ngoại Hàn Sơn Tự
Dạ bán chung thanh đáo khách thuyền