Sunday, January 11, 2009
Life Began In Saigon City
On a business trip to the Saigon’s Chinatown District of Cho Lon, grandfather was introduced by a friend to meet up with a Singaporean businessman named Sai Tung, who owned block after block of real estates in the Chinatown District which he rented out to various shop owners.
At the time, Mr. Sai Tung was interested in hiring someone to take over the job of collecting monthly rents and running his daily errands. Convinced by grandfather’s fluency in both Vietnamese and Cantonese, he immediately offered grandfather the job. Taking on the job meant that grandfather had to move his family to Saigon and Mr. Sai Tung had agreed to let grandfather and his family living in the two stories house, number 31 on Nguyen Cong Tru Street, located in the Saigon’s District 1. By day, it was Mr. Sai Tung’s office. By night, it became home for the Thai family.
And this time around, it was grandfather leading his family adjusting to the new life in the city.
Starting Anew
Came to settle in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam, great grandparents were determined to make it in Ba Dua, a town of Cai Lay district in the Tien Giang province.
After taken on a job at the local meat processor, great grandfather found a means to support his family of a wife, two children and a younger brother-in-law. Together, the small family managed to adjust to the new life in unfamiliar surroundings of people, places and culture that were quite different from the southern China coastal province of Guangdong, where the family was originally from.
With the birth of grandfather, Ba Dua was no longer just a town to live and make a living. It became the place one would long for whenever s/he is far way.
Long Distance Travelers
[Next] | Starting Anew
Though it is cliché, one cannot help to say "life is a journey." Whether the journey is considered as changes in physical location or to be comprised of living events, what matters most to life travelers is the ability to immerse in the culture of a place and how they would interact, endure, overcome and live out their life.
Since family stories tended to be told often without a specific date and time, the actual beginning of a family history is usually unknown. As for our family history, there is no difference. There are stories about ordinary people, like many others, who had traveled through life and I’m just a representation of their continuation.
Documented here is a collection of stories resulting from my ongoing research in preservation of family history for members of the younger generation - nieces and nephews - to carry it forward.
Starting Anew
...in Ba Dua, a town of Cai Lay district in the Tien Giang province
Life Began in Saigon City
Number 31 on Nguyen Cong Tru Street
Lost In Transliteration
Guangdong, China
To be continued...
[Next] | Starting Anew
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Night Falls in Saigon
The time was the mid-80s.
The place was Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
The life story was of those three elder brothers of five orphanage sibling, whose father was missing at sea, mother was running away because of the unbearable thought of having to bring up the children alone.
They were being left behind, finding themselves looked after by their grandparent.
Wanting to help out, the three brothers walked the long stretch of the bustling street of Nguyen Hue Boulevard making small earnings. Day after days, starting before night falls and ending just after midnight, they begged to sell cigarettes and chewing gums to passerby and nightlife patrons of well-lighted restaurants and bars to dimmer street side eateries lining up Saigon River’s harbor strip.
The beginning was not easy. They were often getting lured into a fight with those who came before and took claim over the establishment of what so called: “business operating perimeter.” That is not to mention that the eldest brother was being bullied for being a half-breed, con lai – children born to a U.S. military father and a South Vietnamese mother. So, it was not surprised for one, two, or all of them coming home with some type of bloody scratches here and there; considering it a blessing that they were not getting stabbed or worse yet, loose their life.
There were nights when those pairs of legs got tired and stomachs growled as hunger called, leftover dishes and drinks would look as good as any. They jumped at the chance to clear those bowls and down those glasses as the diners paying the bill and getting ready to leave. Or else, the food service helpers would soon clean those up for dish washing.
Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding people, they obviously felt embarrassed, but so what?
The sky was clear; the stars were shining bright.
When all the noises faded into the night, they silently walked home to a family with a love no less.
They are my cousin brothers and I’m proud of them.
Reminiscing about the past, there is no bearing of anger toward anyone or anything. There is only love. And that tomorrow sun will shine just as bright on the white clouds decorated blue sky. With hope and determination, we will overcome.
The place was Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
The life story was of those three elder brothers of five orphanage sibling, whose father was missing at sea, mother was running away because of the unbearable thought of having to bring up the children alone.
They were being left behind, finding themselves looked after by their grandparent.
Wanting to help out, the three brothers walked the long stretch of the bustling street of Nguyen Hue Boulevard making small earnings. Day after days, starting before night falls and ending just after midnight, they begged to sell cigarettes and chewing gums to passerby and nightlife patrons of well-lighted restaurants and bars to dimmer street side eateries lining up Saigon River’s harbor strip.
The beginning was not easy. They were often getting lured into a fight with those who came before and took claim over the establishment of what so called: “business operating perimeter.” That is not to mention that the eldest brother was being bullied for being a half-breed, con lai – children born to a U.S. military father and a South Vietnamese mother. So, it was not surprised for one, two, or all of them coming home with some type of bloody scratches here and there; considering it a blessing that they were not getting stabbed or worse yet, loose their life.
There were nights when those pairs of legs got tired and stomachs growled as hunger called, leftover dishes and drinks would look as good as any. They jumped at the chance to clear those bowls and down those glasses as the diners paying the bill and getting ready to leave. Or else, the food service helpers would soon clean those up for dish washing.
Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding people, they obviously felt embarrassed, but so what?
The sky was clear; the stars were shining bright.
When all the noises faded into the night, they silently walked home to a family with a love no less.
They are my cousin brothers and I’m proud of them.
Reminiscing about the past, there is no bearing of anger toward anyone or anything. There is only love. And that tomorrow sun will shine just as bright on the white clouds decorated blue sky. With hope and determination, we will overcome.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Pillars of Love
Cột Trụ của Tình Thương
Mỗi sáng thức dậy (thường là vào những ngày cuối tuần) hoặc/và mỗi khi đi làm về, hể thấy bóng dáng ba là tôi vội kêu to:
“Lụ tầu!”
Dad!
Ba ơi!
Ba tôi liền hỏi lại:
“Mách dẹ?”
What is it?
Có chuyện gì vậy con?
Đôi lúc thì tôi hỏi tiếp,
“Nị hủ ma?”
How are you?
Ba có khỏe không?
Ba tôi luôn trả lời rằng:
“Hủ hủ…”
Good, good…
Ờ, khỏe, khỏe…
Và cả hai đều cười.
And we both laugh.
Thường thì cuộc đối thoại giữa hai cha con tôi chỉ đơn giản như thế thôi. Mặc dù hỏi để mà để hỏi, nhưng hỏi đó để tôi nhận biết là ba tôi còn đó và nghe đó để ba tôi hiểu rằng tôi luôn ở bên ba.
Mỗi sáng thức dậy (thường là vào những ngày cuối tuần) hoặc/và mỗi khi đi làm về, hể thấy bóng dáng ba là tôi vội kêu to:
“Lụ tầu!”
Dad!
Ba ơi!
Ba tôi liền hỏi lại:
“Mách dẹ?”
What is it?
Có chuyện gì vậy con?
Đôi lúc thì tôi hỏi tiếp,
“Nị hủ ma?”
How are you?
Ba có khỏe không?
Ba tôi luôn trả lời rằng:
“Hủ hủ…”
Good, good…
Ờ, khỏe, khỏe…
Và cả hai đều cười.
And we both laugh.
Thường thì cuộc đối thoại giữa hai cha con tôi chỉ đơn giản như thế thôi. Mặc dù hỏi để mà để hỏi, nhưng hỏi đó để tôi nhận biết là ba tôi còn đó và nghe đó để ba tôi hiểu rằng tôi luôn ở bên ba.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)