I UNDERSTAND

I Understand

by Thuong Thi Tran

Hi ! teacher, classmates.

I met Hanh when I started a new job in San Rafael a few months ago. Some of my friends said, " You need to move your job to some other places, maybe you will have more experiences." So I agreed with that.

At that time, I went to work in a nail shop in San Rafael, and Hanh was working there. She told me that she had just come to America about six months ago, so everything was new to her. She said, "The thing that is the most difficult for me is the language. I am afraid to go outside because I don’t understand what people are saying."

I asked her, " You are just 20 yrs old. You are still young. Why don't you go to English school, I think that would be good for your future."

She said, " I want to but I need money to pay for many things, and if I have some extra money I will return to my hometown for a while because I miss many things there very much."

I understand that because I had the same feeling as her in the first few months when I came to Oakland. I thought if I had enough money I would fly right away to Vietnam to visit the rest of my family.

Then, later my wish came true. I returned to my hometown two times. But the second time, there were a lot of changes in my hometown. Some of my friends were moving away to other places - even my brothers and my sisters, too.

And there are many other changes. I didn’t recognize many people and places at all. Perhaps, it's only in my memory. And when I was in my old hometown, I had a feeling that I missed some things in America. I missed my job, my school, and some other things.

I hope, in a short while, Hanh will feel better. I told her," Don't look back. You should look forward. You will be happy with your beautiful future."

I believe that.