Adjusting To A New World Essay Research — страница 2

new life with empty hands in a new world wasn?t easy for us. We had left everything my parents had worked hard and sweated for. In just one day, all of it was left behind or dumped in the ocean and then in our new world we had to start all over again from scratch. It was hard for us to adapt to the new environment” (Collier 77). I agree with this statement because my friend?s family fled from Vietnam and they told me how hard it was for them to start a new life. When they came to the United States they were put on welfare, had to learn English, and had to face racism. Not knowing people where you relocate can create a difficulty. It helps to know people in the area you are relocating in because they can help you adjust to your new surroundings. Unfortunately, many of the

Southeast Asians did not know anyone here once they were settled. “Moreover, many earlier refugees did not have relatives already in the United States who could provide either assistance or an introduction to their new surroundings. Because there was no prior history of immigration from Southeast Asia, there were no existing communities that could serve as way points or sources of jobs, goods, and services” (Collier 69). This showed that the immigrants from Southeast Asia had no desire to live in the United States before the Vietnam War. The fact that there were no earlier waves of Southeast Asian immigration leads to the conclusion that they would not have relatives in the Unites States prior to their arrival. Fam Linh Saechao is a 17 year old Mien girl who was born in a

Thailand refugee camp to Laotian parents who in the early 1970?s had to flee the destruction that was brought upon by American and Vietnamese bombs. She is an example of how living in a country where your customs seem completely strange to others, but is considered normal in your culture can be hard. “Fam says she started learning how to cook and care for her four younger siblings when she was five. Her cousin, Yien Wang Saechao, learned how to kill a chicken when she was twelve. She usually holds its wings while her mother slits its neck, then lets the blood drain out” (Chao A1). This quote suggests that the girl?s customs are very different from that of a Caucasian girl?s. This makes it hard for others not of Mien culture to understand their customs, therefore alienating

them from certain social cliques. The girls do not have anyone to turn to other than Mien friends and family. “They?re so alienated from their family because of society and so alienated from society because of their family” (Chao A1). This contributes to the fact that her family had to flee their country resulting in difficulty in the new society. Since there are very few Mien people here in the United States, Saechao feels the alienation from society because of the lack of knowledge of their people. She also feels it from her family because they choose to continue their customs in a place that is strange to others. In conclusion the transition from one country to another is always a difficult one. Whether or not you already have relatives living in the country or if your

education is at the same level as the competition, the adaptation to a new society will be difficult. Unlike other immigrants, the refugees from Southeast Asia had a totally different experience. From the trauma during the actual fleeing from the country to living an impoverished life in the place that is supposed to be your refuge, the Southeast Asian immigrants adjusted to Western Society as well as they could.