A young Vietnamese boy adopted by an American family talks about what he remembers about his homeland.
My name is Anh Kim Van Sandusky, and I am 15 years old. I was adopted by my current family when I was just ten years old, five years ago.
People often ask me if I ever miss my homeland of Vietnam, or if I even think about it. The answer to both questions is yes. I do miss Vietnam very much, and I often do think about my life there and how it was before everything went wrong and I came to America as a result.
Vietnam is a small country, stretching out like a long skinny snake in the South China Sea. North to south, it is over 1,000 miles long in length; and it is bordered by China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west.
The climate in Vietnam is often quite humid, especially during the months from May to October, which is when they have their annual monsoons. Monsoons are very heavy rain events with a lot of wind; and they can do a lot of damage with catastrophic flooding. Vietnam can also get typhoons, which are like the hurricanes that strike the southeastern and eastern sections of the United States.
I remember a lot about Vietnam; the people are friendly, and the cities are very vibrant and filled with much activity. I also remember the people commuting from place to place on bikes, in cars or buses, or on foot; and I remember the wildlife there. I remember the temples and such, and praying to Buddha each and every day, asking for his blessings upon my life. I also remember the bustling cities and the remote little villages that were nearly impossible to get to, due to all the hilly and mountainous terrain. I also remember the rice patties and smelling the fresh food, vegetables, and seafood at one of the many open air markets; and how my stomach would growl at the odors wafting through the air; and how I was wishing I had some dong (Vietnamese money) for some food.
I remember the taste of nuoc mang (fish sauce) that is a staple of Vietnamese style eating; and I remember the beautiful language of my people (I still can speak Vietnamese; and I speak Chinese and English quite well, too). So there is a lot of things that I remember about my native Vietnam; and I often wish I could go back there and see my friends and my relatives back there.
nice to have memories of home...no matter where in the world you live...i enjoyed reading this about this young man from vietnam, learned some new things! nooooo...methinks i'll leave that fish eye sauce...no, fish SAUCE...alone...sounds *naaasty* yuck. :( but this story wasn't yuck...it was good! ((((HUGS)))) and love, karla. :)
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