Trang Nguyen is from Vietnam and working for an economic consulting firm in New York, USA
“So if you feel like this, like you are down in the bottom of the mud, don't lose faith in the more important things and don’t forget that the only way possible is to go up.”
Trang Nguyen
Half of Vietnamese culture is formed on the street. My name is Trang and half of me is from Vietnam; the other half is a mixed bag of picked-up cultures, things I learn from the streets.
At age three, I learned to bath naked in the rain with children in the neighborhood, then suffered from such severe pneumonia that my grandmother banned me from the swimming pool for good. Consequently I never learned how to swim. But like the rest of this Vietnamese generation, I learned everything else: piano, Taekwondo, chess, in addition to a whirlwind of advanced math, English, and literature classes. In hindsight, it dawns on me that at age three, I had achieved the rare freedom of bathing in the rain, unabashed. It does not come very frequently.
At age ten, I befriended a boy named Son, who shined shoes in front of a tapioca shop where my friends and I usually hung out after school. He was one year older than us, but was shorter and twice as thin. I taught him to ride a bicycle, and he let me peak into his shoeshine kingdom, where the bigger kids were kings and the smaller ones workers. Once my family found out, they immediately took my bicycle away, and forbade any contact with the shoeshine kids. "Society is complicated. You are too small to understand but we have good reasons to do this" was their only explanation. I made a fuss, but eventually succumbed. That first direct contact with the less fortunate street kids, and the odd behavior of my family, however, made a strong impression on me.
The next year, I won the national contest in math and literature, and was delegated to the Philippines for an international competition with peers around Southeast Asia. In Manila, I marveled at 3D cinemas and cars and air conditioners. Here, in a bigger scheme, I was the shoeshine boy, overwhelmed by a higher, better world.
I left for America at the age of fifteen, full of curiosity and expectations. Yet my high school years in New Orleans, the quaint and loud city which oozes jazz and produces people of the strangest ethnic mix, left me feeling awkward with my thick glasses, my un-cool style and my awe at the obvious American things . The first week of school featured running into wrong classes and arguing with the history teacher, because I couldn’t quite accept the neat thin lines in my history textbook of how the Vietnam War happened. In a short few months, my sense of being, my Vietnamese-ness had become ridiculous. It was as if one day, the world decided to wear shirts inside out, and they laughed at me for being different.
Though I eventually made peace with the American way, it was not until Bates College that I fully regained the confidence and appreciation for my heritage. At Bates, encouraged by friends with similar motivations, I was able to channel my identity crisis into useful actions. I spear-headed a fundraising effort throughout campus for Agent Orange victims, and co-founded an organization named VietAbroader with a Batesie friend, Khoa Pham. Born in 2003, VietAbroader has since become the leading hub of information and networking to equip Vietnamese students with knowledge and motivation for higher education. Our most recent project was a partnership with Asia Society to coordinate the 19th Asian Corporate Conference, to be held in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2009.
Looking back, I know that my journey in the U.S. has provided me more than knowledge. It has recoded my mental state, so that I would never again succumb to quizzical actions of those around, but would be able and ready to aim for a higher, better world. With that renewed confidence, I attempted to broaden my perspective through traveling to France, Eastern Europe, Jamaica, Mexico, among many other fascinating places. I tasted first-hand the desperation of poverty, having spent the night in New York’s Chinatown McDonald among a crowd of homeless people. And I learned first-hand the kindness of strangers, as the McDonald staff on shift that night generously handed me a warm burger and a glass of hot chocolate to ease the cold.
I would say then, that the biggest lesson I have learned thus far is to have faith – in life and most importantly in people. Be upset that your country is poor, that things are slow and life sucks - sometimes we can't help it. But the Vietnamese have often joked with one another, "We are already at the lowest possible, so there is no other way except going up." So if you feel like this, like you are down in the bottom of the mud, don't lose faith in the more important things and don’t forget that the only way possible is to go up.
Trang graduated from Bates College in 2007 with a double degree in Economics and Political Science. She currently works in New York for an economic consulting firm.
Girl, you know I love you and you inspire me :) When I thought I was outgoing and adventurous ,i met you and realized I was a classroom rat. Thanks for sharing that I needed to get out there. i will never walk the streets of New York at 3 am with you but I will get beyond the 'shutting walls'. Love Trang con, to you and fat man Buddha , from me and Jesus, lol. :)
Trang, your story really crack me up. I was amazed the entire time by everything you did, the thought of you crying all because of the Vietnamese story and then becoming a wonderer. I must say though that while your story was entirely funny every bit was really inspiring. You have given me thought to many things I need to do ... and desist from settling for acceptable but to rise to the occassion andtruly explore my potential.
Such an inspiring story. Keep up the good work. You are going places and you will undoubtedly reach farrrrrrrrr.
I firstly admired sis Trang for her superb writing style in vietabroader. Now, she makes me even more respectful for her bravery.
That's so happy to be your friend. Can I?
Hey Trang. Sounds like a great idea. I will be in Jamaica this christmas. I live in Montego Bay though so i am not sure how we would meet up. We could definitely eat some Jerk Chicken and get to know each other more. sounds great. Looking forward to meet the great Trang Nguyen and Shawna.