Meet My Very Good Friend Nam Nguyen.
Andrew:
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen!
I'm sitting here with Nam Nguyen, who is one of the active participants
in our PFAC Palawan 2015 Grand Reunion.
When exactly did you leave the VRC or PFAC?
Nam: I
left the camp in October 1987. Yeah,
1987, I remember. I'm getting old.
Andrew:
Nam, it's been a long time since you left the camp. What inspired you to come back to Palawan and
be with us today?
Nam: In this reunion, well, after thirty years you
see a lot of old faces again. It's
really important to rediscover the legacy that we've left in this camp. It's always good to see people after so many
years and to renew the friendships that bound us in the past. But more importantly, we're here to show our
appreciation and gestures to the local community who supported us during our
time in the camp. I strongly believe that without their support we would not
have gotten to where we are today.
Andrew:
That is an amazing validation, Nam.
Please tell us three positive things that you remember about your life
in the camp.
Nam:
First,
the degree of freedom that we had in the refugee camp, first asylum camp, or
whatever you want to call it, was truly remarkable. The Vietnamese refugees were free to
mobilize, do business, go to the cinema downtown Puerto Princesa, interact with
the Filipinos... So even though it was called a refugee camp or a first asylum
camp, I would call it a community. After
I immigrated to Australia, I decided to work as a volunteer in Hong Kong. My work in the refugee camp in Hong Kong gave
me the opportunity to experience how different it was from the living
conditions that we had in PFAC Palawan, and I can confidently say that PFAC was the best refugee camp in the
world.
Andrew:
I couldn't agree with you more. Nam, are there people in the camp that you are grateful to? Do you want to take advantage of this moment
to express your gratitude to those who have touched your life during your stay
in the camp?
Nam: Yeah...
I feel that the generosities of the local Filipinos, the PFAC administration, the
Philippine government, the UNHCR... They have made a lot of impact on my life
during my stay in the camp. I learned a
lot from them as I did my daily routine in PFAC. I think what I am today is the result of
everything that I received from them.
Andrew:
So would you say that the camp and the volunteers in the camp actually
gave you the foundation that helped empower you when you resettled in
Australia?
Nam:
Definitely! I learned a lot of
things. If there was anything that I learned besides my academic education in
Australia, then I must say that most of the things that I learned that helped
me mature and become who I am today, I learned most of them in the camp.
Andrew:
Absolutely amazing. Do you by any chance speak
any Filipino language? Can you share with us
three words or expressions that you remember?
Nam: I
can say the popular expressions that people used to say here in Palawan like Iniibig kita. Mahal kita. Mahal mo ba ako? Maraming salamat po.
Andrew:
That's incredible. Any message that
you want to convey to the former refugees that maybe will inspire them to join
our future PFAC Palawan reunions?
Nam: You
folks out there... I understand that we are all very busy with our lives, our
children, jobs... but bear in mind that it is important to look back and
reflect on ourselves so that we can determine what we want to be or where we
want to go in the future. Coming back
here to Palawan is a great opportunity for all of us to do some charity work
and to show gestures of gratefulness to the people and to the land that used to
be a part of your lives. Without that
support from them in the past you and your family wouldn't have been where you
are at right now. So I will strongly
recommend to everyone to make an effort to join reunions like this and you will
surely enjoy and have that feeling of satisfaction.
Andrew:
Well said, Nam and we are exceedingly proud of you. You are a very successful person. You are the epitome of what is possible for
refugees, former refugees... for immigrants when they believe in themselves and
work hard to attain their goals. I'd
like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing your heart and your
perspectives, and your love for the Vietnamese, Filipinos and international
volunteers. God
bless you, my friend. God bless you.
Nam:
Thank you, Andy. I cherish our friendship and treasure it forever. Thank you for being a part of my life in PFAC, Palawan.
Andrew: I will do it again in a heartbeat. You're welcome.
