By Lam Te
My parents gave birth to me, knowing
that they were going to raise me differently from other Khmer children. They
wanted a life for me that they themselves could never have because their
parents could not provide for them through the hardships that come from living
in rural Khmer Kampuchea Krom. My father had escaped South Vietnam in fear that
he would be forced to become a soldier and had entered the Thailand border and
came to the United States as a refugee. My mother and her family consisting of
my grandmother, four brothers, and a younger sister fled to the Philippines and
were afforded the opportunity to come to the United States through the help of
a Catholic American family who sponsored them. Both my parents came to the
United States on different conditions, but both had hopes that their lives
would be better in the United States.
After my parents met and shortly
after had me, their outlook and what they wanted for their children differed
greatly from the traditional Khmer person. My parents had a vision that I would
be someone important in life, and so would my other three siblings who would
grow up to be equally as intelligent and innovative in their unique ways. My
father once went to a palm reader who foretold that all of his children would
grow up to be intelligent and to make some kind of difference in the world. As
a child, I always had the thirst to learn something new every day. Ever since I
could remember, I enjoyed writing. My mother told me as soon as I was able to
hold a pen and paper, I would follow her asking how to write my name, how to
write the name of family members, and other things I often wondered about. My
mother when she got to the United States was immediately put into high school,
although she spoke no English. School was difficult to bear when there are no
foundations, and so she never finished high school because she had me, but she
never gave up the will to learn. As I grew up, my mother learned to speak
English through me, through interactions and through the cartoons that I
watched every morning before I went to school. Even though she never graduated
high school, she still managed to teach me most of what I know today. My father
was more educated than my mother, finishing high school in South Vietnam, and
went to a community college in the United States. After obtaining his
associate's degree in political science, he continued on for his Bachelor's
degree at a university. He too helped to form my intellect and my perception of
the world. At the same time, I helped myself. I was not a child who was idle
but always did something productive, and it showed when I attended school. I
always received top marks, did well in all subjects, and was fairly likable. When
the other children enjoyed recess, I sat alone and read books of all sorts. I
saw no benefit in an idle time when something better could always be done.
My parents showed me love and
kindness but were also strict and stern when it was appropriate. They told
themselves that they would do what they could to boost their children up, to
have things that they could never have. What little money my parents saved up
was invested into my siblings and I. They saw no point in saving up money or
buying material items that would do us no good. At the age of 9, my parents put
my two siblings and me into taekwondo. Taekwondo did not come cheap, especially
for 3 children and 1 adult (my mother joined too). In taekwondo, I was taught
to be more disciplined, be braver, and to be strong. I am strong today because
of taekwondo as well as the support and sacrifice given to me by my parents. Because
of both things, I have strong ambition and more will power to make a difference
in the world even if it is small. Today, my 3 younger siblings, both parents
and I still do taekwondo. It makes me happy and comforted to know that my
parents are still healthy and active for their age and that a long life is
ahead of them even though I am getting older. My parents taught me important
and powerful messages in life. In life, there is more to working and making a
lot of money, but if you do make money, make sure to put that money to good
use. My parents never had much, but all of their money was put into us. No
amount of money can buy health or happiness. They invested in our health and education. Education is always an investment no matter how you look at it. Knowledge
is priceless.
When I grow older, I will always put future generations into mind. I will invest in my children’s education like my parents did and be around to teach them. Not
everyone is as lucky as me to have such opportunities but it is important not
only to look into the present, but also into the far future. We are here to
pave a wave for our families and the future generations and if we don’t give them a strong foundation and support system to start off
with, who will?