Oral History Interview with Huy Q Ly

MARIANNE S. ARRINGTON: Okay. This is Marianne Arrington. Today is June 25th, 1999. I'm at Barnes & Noble um, on Campbell Lane in Bowling Green. With Huy Ly. Spelled H-U-Y L-Y. And Huy is from Vietnam and he is um...going to tell us again about his experience in coming to the United States with with family when he was six-years-old in um, 1981. And so, will you please tell again about your father 1:00being an officer in the military?

HUY Q LY: (laughs) Let's see. My dad was an officer in the military. For (indeterminable). When the communists took over uh, my mom and him decided uh, we better to leave the country than stay and live with the communists. So, yeah. They decided to leave the country and come to the U.S.

ARRINGTON: And okay, that was in, the war in 1976?

LY: Yes.

ARRINGTON: And so, tell again how, what happened during those five years. That you were in Vietnam.

LY: Well during that five years um, they planned to leave the country in privacy. So, what they did is, you know, they looked for a, how do you say, boat 2:00builder. If that's the correct word for it.

ARRINGTON: Hmm.

LY: To build a fishing boat. You know. To escape from Vietnam. You know they say um, they say a fishing boat would be a good, a good source to, to leave...

ARRINGTON: Just because it wasn't, it wasn't an obvious...

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Thing.

LY: See because a fishing boat um, they have that big um...what do you call it? The thing under the boat? A place where they put the fish and stuff.

ARRINGTON: Oh. Like a cabin or something underneath there?

LY: Yeah, like a big cabin underneath.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: So, the communists would not expect people would go down there.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: And you know, and I remember it was packed. Like people laid side-by-side 3:00for like, several, you know, couple of days.

ARRINGTON: So, it was, okay it was your grandparents--no two, two grandparents, right?

LY: No, it just my mom's parents.

ARRINGTON: Okay, so your mother's mom and dad?

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: And then your mom and dad.

LY: Mhmm.

ARRINGTON: And then you and your three brothers. And tell again how old they were.

LY: Let's see. I was around six. And my three brothers would be eight, ten, and twelve. Yeah. We pretty much, you know, two years apart.

ARRINGTON: Um, and so the captain you were saying um, was confused about directions?

LY: Yeah...

ARRINGTON: Or, for a little while?

LY: Yeah, somehow he didn't have a compass so he was just basing his directions, I believe on the North Star. So what happened at night, he looked at the North, the North Star and head, you know, towards that. But when morning come, he don't see he anymore. Somehow he would make a big circle. Then the same night, you know, he'd see that North Star in the same position and like, two times he make a big circle because...It was pretty crazy.

ARRINGTON: So, you had planned to be on the boat for two days, but you ended up on the boat for about four days.

LY: Yeah, four days. Well actually, three nights, no four nights and three days.

ARRINGTON: Four nights and three days. And so, it was so many families in there. Give me an idea again. Just guess how many people were in that boat. Like a hundred? Or like...

LY: I would say--yeah, about 150.

ARRINGTON: (sharp inhale) Oh, really?

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: That's a lot more than I thought.

(00:05:01)

LY: I mean, it was pretty much everybody cram up in the boat. Like sardines pretty much.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Um, but yeah I remember I was at the bottom. And somehow the oil had leaked into the, into the basement of the boat, you know. You know, where I was laying. And it's, it's wet. You know, so the sea, the saltwater and the oil was mixing, and I was laying on it for so long that it ate through my back. And I have like, scars where the saltwater and the oil was eating through my back.

ARRINGTON: Did that hurt?

LY: I can't remember. Yeah.

ARRINGTON: (sighs deeply) And you couldn't really move because...

LY: Yeah. I mean, you know, I can't get out on the top deck because there's people up there, too. And the man, you know, would not like that. You know.

ARRINGTON: And so you all had to hold still for that many days.

LY: Mhmm. Without water.

ARRINGTON: Because you ran out of water. And food, too.

LY: Yeah. Food, too.

ARRINGTON: Oh, how miserable.

LY: It was pretty bad. But you know, I think, I think the hardest ones that, you know, that were thinking about turning back.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Yeah, headed back. Somehow they, you know, keep on going...

ARRINGTON: Wow. Um, and you said that, that you had to pay. Like your parents had saved up the money...

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: ...for a long time.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: To pay for each of you.

LY: Um, I think the captain charged them...uh, I forgot how much gold. Like, I'd 7:00say two to three kilograms of gold. It'd be like a bar. You know, you know how a bar?

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: A bar of gold looks?

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: That's pretty much how much each head cost. I mean, each head mean like each person.

ARRINGTON: Yeah. And so you um, you finally reached...in the islands...

LY: Um, in the islands. I believe it's Polynesia? And there, you know, they wouldn't--see a lot of time, you know, from what I heard, a lot of times if the people there were not safe to you, they would pull you out to sea and then sink your boat. And you know, everybody would die. Yeah...But somehow, I don't know why they pretty much accept us, you know. Because we had to give them gold and 8:00jewelry and stuff, you know.

ARRINGTON: So they accepted everyone on the boat?

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: Not just your family?

LY: No. Yeah. The whole, the whole crew. Then my dad had to give his wedding band away for water. So my parents, you know, have no, you know, no band. I'm thinking about buying them some, but I can't, can't afford it. So that's, that's you know, that was really hard on my dad to give up his band just, just for water. It's pretty hard.

ARRINGTON: Yeah. Um...So you stayed there, you stayed in Malaysia for about a year?

LY: For about a year.

ARRINGTON: And then you uh...you said something about the U.S. Embassy?

LY: Yeah um...(clears throat) So we stayed in this refugee camp about, close to 9:00a year. Until we talked to the U.S. Embassy. And you know, they accept us, you know, to the U.S. And um, Miss Deputy--you know Marty Deputy um, somehow she was able to take us here to Bowling Green. Uh, and that's how we ended up here.

ARRINGTON: Um... (tape cuts out) Okay, there's, there's more to this um, story of how Huy's family escaped from Vietnam. Um, that night as they left--go ahead 10:00and tell it.

LY: Okay. Um, the night that we, you know, planned to leave is that, you know, they board women and children first to the fishing boat. And then the men would come later on. But, somehow the men was caught behind. Um, they spotted a um, a communist boat. Or police, whatever. Just driving around just, you know, searching and looking, you know. To see if anybody escaping. And um, somehow they was, you know, like (indeterminable), they was hiding behind, waiting until the communist boat would leave. And um, that wait, you know, in the water, and close to morning, before they could board a small boat to take them out to the, 11:00you know, to the fishing boat.

(00:11:00)

ARRINGTON: So it was your dad and several other men.

LY: Right, my dad and several other men. You know...

ARRINGTON: Um...

LY: Oh I'm saying if, you know, if they would get caught or something, then they probably would all go to jail, or maybe death or something. The whole family would, you know, probably get caught. Pretty risky...

ARRINGTON: Um, and your dad, you were saying something earlier about your dad being an officer. And how he uh...was lucky because all of the documentation about him...

LY: Right um, before the communist took over, pretty much the office where they were at, the building...

ARRINGTON: Where your dad worked.

LY: Right, where my dad was at. And um, somehow they destroy at lot of the 12:00documents and paper and the files, you know.

ARRINGTON: Your, your dad did.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Your dad and his...

LY: My dad and other, you know, officers and stuff I guess. Yeah. They could destroy a lot of it before the communists could take over the building.

ARRINGTON: Right.

LY: If they have, you know, if the communists get ahold of like, your records or something. You know, they can say, "Okay, he's an officer. And he's done this and that," you know. And you know, you can get a lot of stuff, you know. A lot of trouble. Yeah so, I guess my dad was one of the lucky ones that his file was destroyed and, so they didn't really, you know, know who he is.

ARRINGTON: So they didn't try to sort of hunt down your family.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Because they didn't know about his involvement.

LY: Right. (phone rings) So that's all...

ARRINGTON: Did you always, during those five years...Can you remember, was there a lot of fear in your family about what might happen? What the communists might 13:00do? If they were to find out about your father?

LY: Well, I don't really know much about that. But I do know that uh, the communists would go house to house, destroying like, pretty much destroying all religious...You know, if you're a catholic they would destroy all the cross and pictures of Jesus and stuff like that. And if you a Buddhist, you know, they, well pretty much they would destroy all religion.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: And politic stuff.

ARRINGTON: They'd come into your house?

LY: Right. You know, they can do whatever they want. Pretty much. And they would give you a picture of their president. You know, and hang up there. And you know, you have to do it. If you don't, you know, they would shoot you. You know, 14:00just no question asked.

ARRINGTON: Did anyone ever come to your house?

LY: Yeah, yeah. You know, everybody have to do whatever they have to do. But um, at our house we have a uh, a little bomb shelter. Under my grand-, my dad's parents' bed.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: You know so, (clears throat) if something, you know, like really bad happens. Like bomb or shooting or something. You know, we would all go in that bomb shelter and hide...until it was over.

ARRINGTON: And so that was your dad's...parents. But they didn't leave with you?

LY: No, they didn't.

ARRINGTON: Did they choose to stay? Or what happened?

LY: Yeah, they, they want to stay because, you know, they're, they're like around 80, 90-years-old.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: And they figured, you know, coming here, you know, would be hard on them.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: With the language and, you know, they have nobody to get in touch with.

(00:15:05)

ARRINGTON: So...

LY: So my dad's side of the family all stayed in Vietnam. But my mom's side of the family, you know, come to the U.S.

ARRINGTON: So when your dad left he probably knew he would never see his parents again?

LY: Probably, yeah.

ARRINGTON: Have you been in touch with them at all?

LY: Well lately my dad has. You know, because Vietnam was, now they're getting to be more, more advanced a little bit.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: You know. So um, my parents visit them.

ARRINGTON: Really?

LY: Yeah. In 1994.

ARRINGTON: Really.

LY: For the first time.

ARRINGTON: So they were able to each other.

LY: It was really hard for my dad.

ARRINGTON: Oh, I can imagine. (tape cuts out) Um, okay so you arrived in the 16:00United States in '81.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: And, you first contacted Marty?

LY: Marty Deputy.

ARRINGTON: Deputy.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Mom.

LY: Mom.

ARRINGTON: (laughs) And so, does she arrange housing, or...

LY: Right, she arrange everything. You know, housing and transportation if we need it.

ARRINGTON: Really? And so did your dad get a job right away?

LY: Um, yeah. My dad work at um, a restaurant. Used to be House of (indeterminable). Have you heard of it?

ARRINGTON: (no)

LY: Yeah, it closed down a long time ago.

ARRINGTON: Oh, I've only lived here for a couple of years.

LY: Oh yea?

ARRINGTON: Yeah? And so he worked there for awhile. What did he do?

LY: He was a chef. Is that how you say it? A cooker. He cooks. Yeah...You know 17:00that's, it it kind of helped a little bit because, you know--see when we first came to um, here, you know, there were no Vietnamese people. You know.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: So it was really hard for them to get around because they didn't know the language.

ARRINGTON: Right.

LY: My mom did a little bit. Because she um, used to work for like, the U.S Air Force.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: Yeah, she was a secretary for them.

ARRINGTON: In South Vietnam?

LY: In South Vietnam, yeah.

ARRINGTON: But your dad didn't speak English?

LY: Not, no...

ARRINGTON: So did you, did your family um, I mean you speak exceptionally well. And so how did your family learn English?

LY: Well um, the...well you know, me and my brother learned from school, okay.

ARRINGTON: Okay.

LY: And um, my parents um, the Refugee Center had um, English class and stuff 18:00like that.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: That they could attend. So they did that for awhile. You know, kind of pick up a little bit. Just like, I don't know, just like common uses.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: Yeah. So that helped a little bit.

ARRINGTON: So right now do they speak very well?

LY: My mom, yes. My dad, you know, still having a hard time.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: Uh, tell, tell me your dad's name again.

LY: Uh, it's Ky. But it's spelled K-Y.

ARRINGTON: Ky. Okay.

LY: Right. Like Kentucky.

ARRINGTON: Ky. Yeah, sure. (laughs) Like Kentucky. Um, so where does he work now?

LY: He work at um, Community Towel and Uniform.

ARRINGTON: Say that again.

LY: Community Towel, like, Uniform. Um, It's a company that washes um, uniforms 19:00for other companies.

ARRINGTON: Oh, oh sure.

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: It's called Community...

LY: Right. Community Towel.

ARRINGTON: Community Towel and Uniform. And so they like, they supply um, other companies with their uniforms and...

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: And stuff that they need. Um, and how long has he worked there?

LY: Oh uh...yeah, maybe 15 years.

ARRINGTON: Oh wow, that's a very long time. Um, what does he think about being in the United States? I mean do you, do you think that your dad is really glad that he's here? As opposed to being in Vietnam?

LY: Yeah, I think, you know, it was a hard decision for him to make, you know, to come here. But I think, well I think pretty much it's, it's for all our 20:00benefit. Like my brothers, you know, me and my brothers. You know, he want to raise us, you know uh, the correct way I guess. You know, not under any communist rule, you know. And I think it's just, you know, his decision and my mom's decision it's for, you know, I think just for us.

ARRINGTON: For the kids?

LY: Yeah, for the kids.

(00:20:29)

ARRINGTON: So does he have a lot of dreams for you? Does he have a lot of hopes for you and your brothers?

LY: Hmm...

ARRINGTON: How old are you right now?

LY: I am 22.

ARRINGTON: 22.

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: So does he hope, I mean like, does he expect that you go to college? Like your brothers? Did they go to college?

LY: Yeah--well see they went to--yeah, I mean you know they, you know they push us to study and, you know, make good life out of ourself. But yeah I 21:00guess--well, I don't know if they have high expectation of us. You know, I'm sure, you know, he does have high expectations. But, but it's pretty much it's up (indeterminable), you know. It's up to us because he can't, he really can't make you do so much, you know.

ARRINGTON: But, in other words he just wanted to provide you uh, and your brothers with an opportunity...

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: ...in a free country.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: That wasn't oppressed by war.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: To make whatever you want to make of yourself. Your dad sounds like a wonderful man.

LY: He is, you know. Sometimes, you know sometimes I take for granted, you know.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Sometimes, you know, it's parents, you know, you will get made at them and stuff like that.

ARRINGTON: (laughs) Yeah.

LY: But, I wish I didn't get mad at him, but...you know. For what he been 22:00through for us, you know, there's no way I can repay him, you know. I mean if he did not decide to go to the U.S., there's no telling what I am now.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: Might be a communist, shoot people or something.

ARRINGTON: (laughs) Wow.

LY: It's hard. But you know, when we came here, it was really hard for him, you know. He didn't know, didn't know the language. During a world that he never would dream of. You know, you seen all this, I guess--well you know, the American people that's...And you know, when we first came here people would look down on you. You know. I guess racist.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: So he got to put up with that, you know. And you know, it's, it's really 23:00hard, I think for him.

ARRINGTON: Well and especially not knowing the language...

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: ...makes it really hard.

LY: You know because people can make fun of you stuff, I guess.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: And you wouldn't have a clue.

ARRINGTON: Sometimes people are not patient at all.

LY: Yeah, yeah. I think it was hard for him. My mom, too I guess.

ARRINGTON: But they stuck it out.

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: Did they become involved, I mean did they become involved in a community here? Because you said when they first came there were not other Vietnam people in the city. So they were some of the first people who came here.

LY: Well um, I have an uncle that came here. But they live in Beaver Dam. Beaver Dam.

ARRINGTON: So, well did you get to choose? I'm wondering if your dad got to choose what city he wanted to go to.

LY: No. No.

ARRINGTON: The embassy decided?

LY: Right. The embassy decided.

ARRINGTON: And then after you were here you could move if you needed to, but...

LY: Right. I had um, I had two uncles that, you know, did the same thing as we did. Escape and go to an island and all that.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: And uh, Australia. The, you know, their embassy accepted the to go to Australia.

ARRINGTON: Huh.

LY: You know. So our family kind of split up.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: You know.

ARRINGTON: So you didn't really have a choice.

LY: Right, we didn't have a choice.

ARRINGTON: But did they end up liking Bowling Green? I mean they stayed here for a lot of years.

LY: Well, at first we, I'd say we got here we, somehow we moved to Virginia. Because we had other, you know, we have other relatives that live there. You know and um, and then my parents decide like you know, the city's too big. They want to, you know, they're afraid that we might turn out to be rebels or something, you know.

ARRINGTON: (laughs)

LY: Be rotten kids. So we moved back to Bowling Green because it's bigger, you 25:00know. It's like hey, you know, there's no Asian there to, you know, so...it's for (indeterminable). They want to raise with American people, you know, where we can...

(00:25:18)

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: You know concentrate and study and stuff without hanging out with other Asian people. Or other Vietnamese--

ARRINGTON: Are there other Vietnamese people here now?

LY: Oh yeah.

ARRINGTON: Where you're from?

LY: Yeah, there's a lot of Vietnamese people here now.

ARRINGTON: Do you have like a clubhouse? Or a, I mean do you, do you socialize a lot with other Vietnamese families?

LY: Yeah, we do.

ARRINGTON: Do you?

LY: Yeah, we do. Um, pretty much all the Vietnamese people here, you know we um...how would you say? You know, get along with other Vietnamese.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: You know. So that's, that's kind of good, you know. Even though we have small community...

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: But you know, we kind of stay together.

ARRINGTON: Together.

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: Um, so are your parents religious? Are you religious at all?

LY: Religious? Well yeah because, you know, we're Buddhist.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: Okay.

ARRINGTON: So do you, are you practicing Buddhists? I mean do you...

LY: I don't really.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: You know. But my parents do, yes. Yeah.

ARRINGTON: They were Buddhist in Vietnam?

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: And then they brought that over here with them?

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: So how does that fit in? I mean that's a big jump...

LY: It is, it is.

ARRINGTON: ...from Buddhism to Christianity.

LY: It is a big jump. Um...uh, let's see...I don't know. Um...you know my parents is Buddhist, okay. And I have a brother that's getting married. He has been converted into Catholic.

ARRINGTON: Hmm.

LY: Yeah. So, you know, I don't know. It's kind of, it's kind of hard.

ARRINGTON: Is it hard for your parents? Because they really believe in Buddhism?

LY: Yeah. They, you know, they're really Buddhist.

ARRINGTON: Yeah. And they were probably raised that way?

LY: Right, so...

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Yeah. And, you know, we were raised Buddhist, too.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: But you know, my brother choosed to be converted.

ARRINGTON: So do you go to any specific church?

LY: Not here. Because, because they don't have any mona--what's that word?

ARRINGTON: Monastery?

LY: Monastery. And uh, we pretty much do it at our house. You know.

ARRINGTON: What do you do at your house? You do what at your house? (laughs)

LY: See, it's kind of, kind of hard to explain unless you see it.

ARRINGTON: But it's like a service? Some kind of service that you do? Some kind of religious service that you do?

LY: Uh well, it, you know, it's not like you sit down, do like you know, Catholic mass here.

ARRINGTON: Right.

LY: Pretty much--ah, it's kind of hard to explain. We have like picture of Buddha and, and some other god I guess. And um, we would offer food to them. And we just leave the food there with them. And uh, we pray, you know (indeterminable) or something, you know. Uh...it's kind of hard to explain without seeing it.

ARRINGTON: Yeah I studied, I studied Buddhism a little bit.

LY: Oh yeah?

ARRINGTON: So I understand what you mean about offering food.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: And stuff like that. But that's really wonderful, I think. That you kept, that you uh, that your parents keep up...you know their, their traditional belief. That must be kind of hard for you because I'm sure that...

LY: It is.

ARRINGTON: ...a lot of your American friends who are native Americans find that 29:00really strange.

LY: Yeah I, you know, I have some like really close-minded friends. And I have some really open-minded, open-minded. But you know, they always criticize Buddha, you know.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Like they say, "How can you worship somebody that's a man?"

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: You know, like how really can I, you know, explain that? But...Yeah it's um, it's kind of hard because my girlfriend, she's a Catholic, you know. Um, and you know, I don't go to church with her, you know. So I'm, I'm more of a person in between. You know, I say I'm Buddhist...

ARRINGTON: Right.

LY: ...but I kind of like, you know, I want, you know like, be Catholic too, you know.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: Kind of hard.

ARRINGTON: It'd be hard to be both. (laughs)

LY: Yeah, yeah.

ARRINGTON: They don't exactly, you know, fit together those two religions. (laughs)

(00:30:01)

LY: You know, I've read books and, you know, people compare the two religions.

ARRINGTON: Mhmm.

LY: And I've read some that somebody wrote, you know, put both of them in the same book.

ARRINGTON: Oh really?

LY: And compared, you know, compared how, how similar...

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: ...the two religions are. It's really interesting.

ARRINGTON: Well I'm sure that um, there are a lot of similarities in beliefs.

LY: Right, in beliefs.

ARRINGTON: And in um...expectations about um, behavior...I'm sure there's a lot of similarities. But in terms of worship, it's very different.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Um, so has that been a major difficulty? That's been--it seems like that's been a big thing in being here.

LY: Well, lately it has. You know, because I pay attention to it more.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: You know, now then before.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: Yeah, it's, it's harder now. Because I understand a little bit better.

ARRINGTON: And probably when you were really young you just did what your parents did.

LY: Yeah. You know.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Yeah, I guess yeah you have no choice. You're born into it, so...(indeterminable)

ARRINGTON: But then as you grow older, you are exposed to more...different options and...

LY: That will make it harder for me. (laughs)

ARRINGTON: So your girlfriend, is she Vietnamese?

LY: No, she's American.

ARRINGTON: She's American.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Um, how old is she?

LY: She's 22 as well.

ARRINGTON: And is she a student?

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: At Western?

LY: At Western.

ARRINGTON: Have you, have you been at Western at all?

LY: Yeah. I just graduated from Western.

ARRINGTON: You just graduated? I didn't know that!

LY: Yeah. In May.

ARRINGTON: You just graduated...And so, what was your degree?

LY: Um, I have a B.S. in Industrial Technology. And then an Associates in Architectural (indeterminable)

ARRINGTON: Huy! That's sounds pretty good to me! (laughs)

LY: I'm...

ARRINGTON: You're marketable.

LY: ...still unemployed.

ARRINGTON: You're marketable. You're marketable but unemployed. (laughs)

LY: I'm working on a job right now.

ARRINGTON: That was just May, right? Just a couple months ago? Yeah, so it takes some time to get a good job. You will. That's a very marketable degree.

LY: Well, I've been trying to get into Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: Yeah.

ARRINGTON: Yeah.

LY: Hopefully I, you know, I know by next week.

ARRINGTON: Yeah, something will come up. That's great.

LY: Work for the government.

ARRINGTON: (laughs)

LY: I wouldn't mind.

ARRINGTON: That's, that's great. Congratulations, that's a big deal to graduate from college. (laughs)

LY: It is.

ARRINGTON: It's a lot of work.

LY: So...My parents, you know, they're really proud. We have--

ARRINGTON: I bet.

LY: We have one brother left that, he'll get out, he will be out this uh, December.

ARRINGTON: Oh, so all of you have graduated from college. Except for one so far. But he's almost...

LY: Almost...

ARRINGTON: Whoa, that's impressive.

LY: Yeah, December.

ARRINGTON: Um...Is there anything else you can think of? Any other...maybe story or circumstance about your family either coming over here or once, since they've been here? I mean there's so many things that would go into starting a new life in a new country. We can't possibly cover them all.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: But you know, some these cultural things that you've talked about like Buddha, and the language...

LY: Yeah um...Like, I don't know like, in Vietnam when, you know like, when 34:00you're first born.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: You get an age, okay. Like when you're first born you're one-year-old.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: Okay. So um, and then each year, everybody celebrates a birthday at the same time. Like New Year or something like that.

ARRINGTON: Okay.

LY: Okay. Um, it's like December 31st you know, and then it would change to January 1st, everybody get a...

ARRINGTON: Everybody?

LY: ...get an age. Or you know, one year older.

ARRINGTON: Oh okay, okay.

LY: So if you're born in like December 31st, you get one year older. You know.

ARRINGTON: Uh-huh.

LY: And then when January 1st come you get another one. So you're like two-years-old.

ARRINGTON: Two--I mean you're only really two-days-old.

LY: Right.

ARRINGTON: Okay. (laughs)

LY: Okay. So um, so you know, I was born in July so, I have to think...But-- (tape cuts out)

(00:35:10)