Another Country
We were always angry having to translate for parents who did not fully comprehend the English language.
Being in another country and being unable to speak the common language has really given me insight on what parents had to go through coming to America.
-soburelusions
The Green Papaya is a community blog and online forum where the Southeast Asian community may share its stories. Its goal is to provide an online space that engages the SEA community, fosters voices within that community, and also raise awareness about that community. Click here if you wish to submit a post.
love not greed
This past week has been an eventful one at Cal
So many thoughts in my head tangled with heartfelt emotions
Please listen as I let my emotions flow, messy, with all its rawness
Occupy Cal: corporations have been trying to hold us down for too long
5 days ago, I heard the people’s voice
3000+ students, teachers, staff, 3000+ people… gathered on the historic steps of Upper Sproul
The whole world watched as we showed our anger, watched as the unrest in our hearts spilled out through our mouths and not through our batons
They may take down our tents and and put us in jail
But the seed has already been planted
Movements begin with the soul and manifests itself in various ways
The corporations may stop some of them but as long as the movement is rooted deep within the blood sweat and tears of the people, no amount of police brutality can tame our hearts.
This is why I believe in the people. This is why I believe in us.
We’ve seen struggle.
Who knows what its like to eat just rice and fish sauce for lunch and dinner?
Who knows what its like to never see your parents until 9pm because they work two jobs?
The calluses on my moms fragile hands will never mask the tender love and care that emanates from her every breath, step, and touch.
This is what you call a mother’s love.
This is what fuels my soul. This is what fuels my love for the community.
Love not greed…
—-
Nhan Vu
http://nh4nvu.tumblr.com/
Life is not fair…life is twisted…life is ‘mind fucking’. But I’m grateful for having my reasons to continue—this is a world worth fighting for. One people. One struggle. One love.
kennyhoang.tumblr.com
Where are my Cambodians at?
I get mistaken for..
Phillipino
Mexican
Thai/Black (I was quite surprised when I heard this)
But people can never get to Cambodian! Nothing wrong with being mistaken, because they are all sexy :3! It just makes me really think though. I am amazed when people say “You are the first Cambodian I have ever met.” In the back of my head, I am like really? Foreals, you must be kidding! But, the thing is, they are not kidding and its 100% the truth.
Now I sit and think, and I think really hard. I ask myself, “Where are my Cambodians at?” I was never able to find the answer until I came to Berkeley. I also wondered why there were so vietnamese people and no Cambodians. Now I finally can understand why.
We went through hella shit when the Khmer Rouge rose to power in Cambodia. Many lives were lost, people lost their family, friends, and technically everything they had. Many suffer PTSD and so much more. What I think is we lost was our faith, love, community, and our leaders/role models.
We lost our educated people. People that could have potentially mobilized our community and people who could have saved ourselves from each other. No one was there to empower us. Our parents, grandparents, and etc came from a tragic event. I feel that many of us are at a lost, because we don’t have guidance. America was not the most loving place for refugees, but I am thankful because I am here and we are all here. However, I just don’t see enough of us in higher education or being productive with what we have and it breaks my heart.
I want to shed light onto my community and I will. For that to happen, I need to become a somebody. As of now, I am a nobody. A 2nd year student at the University of California, Berkeley, it doesn’t mean much, but I hope it will in time. I don’t like to see my community struggle and get nowhere.
We are warriors and we have it in our blood. Our families struggled and fought for their lives to get here. Now we must prove to everyone that we will do something and make our world a better place for ourself and others. It will be tough, but it is possible. If our parents can escape unbelievable odds so can we.
I know that gangs and violence have been prominent in our community. I am no longer angry at that fact, but I am heart-broken. Heart-broken that I understand the history of it and how it transformed over time. Heart-broken that it tears down our community. We are effected by gambling, drinking, and so much more. I hope that we can rebuild ourselves and love ourselves.
I see so much pride and unity in the Mexican and Philippine community. I do not see enough of that in the Cambodian community. I see a broken community that WILL be fixed. We just need to come together, realize all the good shit we can do, and do that SHIT!
We need to show this “Pull yourself up from the bootstraps” concept who is the BOSS. I strongly dislike how society is, but we can play by the rules and show them who is BOSS. We are all BOSSES! We have control over our life and can make it better. NOW SHOW EVERYBODY, that you are BOSS.
I Love My Cambodian Community and I Love The World,
Sevly Snguon
