Progress:
In this post, I will ask my Dad what he thinks about American culture and the experiences of getting used to all-American traditions. What he thought was bizarre or cool. Compare it to Asian cultures as well. I hope to gain some insight on the culturally different stuff that he had to go through and how it compares to his home country. I think that this is very important as the process of moving from one country to another. It's hard to adapt. Once you get acquired to a certain taste, it's very weird to taste something out of your norm. Plus, I've always wanted to know what he thought about his semi-Americaness.
Interview Questions:
What's the most American thing you learned when you stepped onto American soil?
"The first thing I learned is that people are very quiet. They live in family units. There are communities but it's not as noisy in Vietnam. There weren't a lot of trash either. It's more organized here. You have more crosswalks here. There are a lot of beautiful houses. We lived wall to wall in Vietnam. There weren't a lot of spaces either."
Did you have any American friends?
"Yeah, I did. They treated me really nice. They tried to help me on English, writing, and reading. They taught me the American culture. They taught me mannerisms and they told me that there are malls. He taught me how to go shopping oddly enough. Every time on the holidays, Americans would gather together at different houses. It was interesting."
How's American culture different from Viet?
"They live in a single family house. In Vietnam, we live in a big family with uncle, grandparents, cousins. But in America we live in single families. They live in different houses and they move out when they get married. In Vietnam it is very different. We stick together all the time."
What's the most shocking American tradition for you?
"The most shocking is that when their kids turn 18, they can kick them out. It was scary. I was afraid my Dad would kick me out when I'm 18. I don't see many, but I hear a lot of people say that. My American friend got kicked out when he was 18 so I was scared. It's weird knowing that you can be on your own at the age of 18."
Reflection:
I've learned through this interview that Americans and Vietnamese people are very different in how the family units are set up. In America, we have a house of a single family. Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Pet. In Vietnam, a family house is full of: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, pets, brothers, sisters, once removed cousins, and the list goes on. It must've been so lonely for him to just live with his Dad and brothers. He told me how it was weird to not have all of his family members near him or a house down the street away. I think this is a big difference in Americans and Vietnamese. It makes sense why most Vietnamese-Americans I know have a house full of 12 people! It has never dawned on me that this is the lifestyle that Vietnamese people are accustomed to. As more and more come over to America, I've started to see trends of people moving out into smaller family units. In the process of immigrating, one has to learn how to adapt.
In this post, I will ask my Dad what he thinks about American culture and the experiences of getting used to all-American traditions. What he thought was bizarre or cool. Compare it to Asian cultures as well. I hope to gain some insight on the culturally different stuff that he had to go through and how it compares to his home country. I think that this is very important as the process of moving from one country to another. It's hard to adapt. Once you get acquired to a certain taste, it's very weird to taste something out of your norm. Plus, I've always wanted to know what he thought about his semi-Americaness.
Interview Questions:
What's the most American thing you learned when you stepped onto American soil?
"The first thing I learned is that people are very quiet. They live in family units. There are communities but it's not as noisy in Vietnam. There weren't a lot of trash either. It's more organized here. You have more crosswalks here. There are a lot of beautiful houses. We lived wall to wall in Vietnam. There weren't a lot of spaces either."
Did you have any American friends?
"Yeah, I did. They treated me really nice. They tried to help me on English, writing, and reading. They taught me the American culture. They taught me mannerisms and they told me that there are malls. He taught me how to go shopping oddly enough. Every time on the holidays, Americans would gather together at different houses. It was interesting."
How's American culture different from Viet?
"They live in a single family house. In Vietnam, we live in a big family with uncle, grandparents, cousins. But in America we live in single families. They live in different houses and they move out when they get married. In Vietnam it is very different. We stick together all the time."
What's the most shocking American tradition for you?
"The most shocking is that when their kids turn 18, they can kick them out. It was scary. I was afraid my Dad would kick me out when I'm 18. I don't see many, but I hear a lot of people say that. My American friend got kicked out when he was 18 so I was scared. It's weird knowing that you can be on your own at the age of 18."
Reflection:
I've learned through this interview that Americans and Vietnamese people are very different in how the family units are set up. In America, we have a house of a single family. Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Pet. In Vietnam, a family house is full of: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, pets, brothers, sisters, once removed cousins, and the list goes on. It must've been so lonely for him to just live with his Dad and brothers. He told me how it was weird to not have all of his family members near him or a house down the street away. I think this is a big difference in Americans and Vietnamese. It makes sense why most Vietnamese-Americans I know have a house full of 12 people! It has never dawned on me that this is the lifestyle that Vietnamese people are accustomed to. As more and more come over to America, I've started to see trends of people moving out into smaller family units. In the process of immigrating, one has to learn how to adapt.