REUNITED AFTER 32 YEARS!
"The
foundation you teachers gave me in PFAC made things easier for me and all the
Vietnamese refugees you've helped." MIKE LEE
ANDREW: Good morning, everyone! I'm sitting here with a former PFAC Palawan student named Le Kim Hoa, who is now known as Mike Lee. He currently resides in Chicago. It's an honor and a pleasure to sit down with him and interview him for the PFAC Palawan Blog. So, Mike, how are you doing today?
MIKE: I’m fantastic! I can’t believe that I’m sitting here with you today, Andrew, after over three decades.
ANDREW: Neither can I. Well, we’ve just been reunited after 32 years. When did you arrive in PFAC and when did you resettle in the United States?
MIKE: I arrived in PFAC in June 1988. After eighteen months, I was moved to PRPC in Bataan in preparation for my resettlement in the USA. In Bataan, I took a course called P.A.S.S, which stands for Preparation for American Secondary School. On January 22, 1991, I immigrated to the United States and made Chicago my new home.
ANDREW: Why Chicago and not anywhere else in the United States?
MIKE: Well, I have an older brother, Anh Hoang, who had been living in Chicago during the last ten years. He was instrumental in bringing me to the USA.
ANDREW: That is awesome. It’s always advantageous to have a family member or a relative who can help you integrate into your new country. In that regard, you were extremely fortunate. What was your daily routine like in the camp, Mike?
MIKE: It's really that simple. I awoke in the morning not knowing what lay ahead of me. I showered, dressed, and went to school. Sammy Taylor was my first teacher. Sammy taught me my first words in English, beginning with ABC. After three months, I began communicating in simple survival English. I was assigned to two other female teachers, the names of whom I no longer recall. After the term, I was transferred to Benny Ong's class. Finally, I was promoted to Andrew Taylor's class, HTC-PFAC's highest level. I believe I was with him for almost six months. After school, I just hang out with my friends, classmates and neighbors. We played sports and occasionally went to nearby farms to pick up fruits. At night, I collected water from the pump to ensure we had enough water to last until the next day. In the camp, I watched Thần điêu đại hiệp over the weekend.
ANDREW: Which aspect of your HTC-PFAC experience stood out to you the most, and why?
MIKE: I’d say it was my first experience learning English from ABC because I didn’t know any English. My comprehension was close to zero. It was challenging and at the same time exciting. My teacher Sammy gave us a lot of encouragement and support. He treated us like a family. For that I am so grateful to Sammy, my first English teacher ever.
ANDREW: You mentioned that before you were promoted to Andrew Taylor’s class you were with Sammy. Do you have any message to your former Teacher Sammy?
MIKE: Definitely! Thank you, Sammy for giving me my first foundation in English. You made it easy for me to love the language and comprehend the value of being able to communicate well when I resettled in the USA. I would like also to extend my appreciation to all the HTC-PFAC teachers for the job that you did in order to help the Vietnamese refugees facilitate their integration into the American society. I worked very hard to get where I am now, but I can humbly say that the foundation you teachers gave me in PFAC made things easier for me and all the Vietnamese refugees you've helped.
ANDREW: Wow! That is powerful. Do you still maintain communications with your former classmates and friends from the camp? Who are they and where are they now?
MIKE: I don’t have many connections with the people I knew in the camp. But I am very well connected to three teachers- Sammy Taylor, Benny Ong, and Andrew Taylor. I was very young then and there was no social media at that time.
ANDREW: What do you believe is the most difficult aspect of being a refugee that you would like people all over the world to understand so that they can better serve refugees?
MIKE: Being a refugee was tough. There were times that I wanted to buy something or eat something, but I couldn’t afford it because I didn’t have any money. It was a huge challenge. We survived in the camp with whatever the UNHCR offered us- food, rice and stuff like that. Drinking coca cola, coffee or beer was a luxury for all of us.
ANDREW: You’ve touched a little bit about it, but what challenges did you encounter in the camp while you were living there and how did you overcome those challenges?
MIKE: I don’t know exactly what to tell you. In the camp, there was nothing else to do for me rather than go to school and learn English. I was fifteen years old. Well, I guess the challenge for me was how fast I could get to America and start a new life. That’s about it.
ANDREW: Did you find it hard to learn the English language?
MIKE: I was young. I was like a sponge. I could absorb everything with little effort. But I have to say, the HTC-PFAC teachers were a group of highly professional and exceptional educators. They made it easy for us to learn English. When I moved to Bataan, I graduated valedictorian and I got the Future American Award, and a twenty-dollar prize. For a refugee like me, $20 was a lot of money in the camp.
ANDREW: I’m very proud of you as your former teacher. What do you think made you successful in the United States?
MIKE: When I arrived in the America, I was young and very focused on what I had to do to secure my future and to make my parents proud of me. I immediately went to high school, worked extremely hard, then I went to college to pursue a computer degree. Four years in college were challenging, but I made it with hard work and perseverance. I was fortunate that I was offered a job as a computer programmer by my company even before I graduated from college. I’ve worked in the same company for 24 years now. I work hard, save hard and spend money wisely. I do not spend more than what I earn. I am lucky because I am able to save half of what I earn. God has always been good to me.
ANDREW: That's incredible. I observed how you interacted with your co-workers when I visited your company. You were self-assured. Your co-workers treated you with the utmost respect. What do you recommend new immigrants to do to ensure a successful life in the United States or their countries of resettlement?
MIKE: Be sure to get an education regardless of your age. Pursue your dream career. Study hard. Blend with the culture. Be optimistic. Don’t be influenced by people who might tell you that you’re too old to achieve your hopes and aspirations. Once you get a job, work hard, save hard and invest.
ANDREW: Excellent advice. What are your hopes and aspirations for your children in the future?
MIKE: My two children were born here and they know exactly what they want to pursue in the future. My older daughter is only twelve years old and she knows what she wants to do in the future. I’m not worried about my kids. I know that they will be more successful than me.
ANDREW: As you are aware, the Philippine government established the PFAC Palawan, PRPC in Bataan, and the JFC in Manila to facilitate the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees in the United States, Canada, and Australia, among other places. Do you have a message for the Philippine government, which has provided a safe haven for Vietnamese refugees for more than two decades?
MIKE: I certainly do. The Philippine government was extremely generous to the Vietnamese refugees. They constructed the refugee camps. They assisted in moving the Vietnamese from island to island and from the Philippines to their destination countries. For this, I'd like to thank the Philippine government, the volunteers, the islanders who assisted us, welcomed us, gave us temporary shelter, and provided us with food and water when we arrived. And of course, I am grateful to the Filipino people in general.
ANDREW: Which reminds me of something your brother Huy said: when you landed on the Philippine island, one of the boat people on your boat was on the verge of dying when he landed. One Filipino man dashed home, grabbed a glass of milk, and placed it in the refugee's mouth. He was revived by the milk and is still alive today.
MIKE: I will never forget that moment.
ANDREW: We value your time today in sharing your life experiences and perspectives with us. You are the epitome of what immigrants can achieve when they believe in themselves and work extremely hard to pursue their dreams. You are a son of PFAC Palawan. I am extremely proud of you as your former teacher. What are your final thoughts?
MIKE: So, thank you very much, Andrew, for this interview and for paying me a visit here in Chicago. After 32 years, we were finally reunited. You adore the city of Chicago and had a great time meeting my family.
ANDREW: Meeting you again was a watershed moment in my life. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I had done in the past and how God had used me as an instrument to inspire and empower others. Meeting your two older brothers, Hoang and Huy, and your family was an emotional experience for me. You are fortunate to be surrounded by family members who are positive and respectful. They clearly adore you. I feel truly honored and grateful to have met them.
MIKE: We all feel the same for you, especially me. God bless you, Teacher Andrew Taylor.
o
Andrew Taylor now
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