Coming to America Look Book Project Issue 16 Home Page

Photo: Andreas Bauer I came to the United States as a refugee together with three other members of my family, but none of them could speak English. We were very worried about that. Trying to Immigrate Mr. Hung Cao from Vietnam My family left Saigon, Vietnam on February 8, 1995. I came to the United States as a refugee together with three other members of my family, but none of them could speak English. We were very worried about that. When my family came to California, we lived in the city of Montclair. My two daughters went to elementary school. After one year, I enrolled in ESL classes at Claremont Adult School. Two years later, I moved to Upland and started to go to Chaffey. Now I am a full-time student and work part-time in a supermarket. At school, I learned a lot--just like my daughters. They speak English very well. I can speak English too, but not fluently. I feel happiness in my life because my two daughters are receiving their education in the most powerful country in the world. I often think of my family who still live in my country. They have a lot of difficulties. They don't have anything. My wife, my daughters and I, on the other hand, enjoy the high life here in the U.S. We thank the American government and the population for their kindness. In this country, there are a lot of opportunities and my family will always try hard to use them. This story was selected from Julia Karet's ESL writing project at Chaffey Community College: The Look Book Project More stories about coming to America: My Most Difficult Experience | Coming to America (1) | New Horizons Coming to America (2) | Coming to Study in the U.S. | War in My Country Unforgettable Early Days | My Arrival in the U.S. | My First English Words Return to: Coming to America | Issue 16 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics .mag@gmail.com