越南
四十年后，
难民了
学生对她说
国土
michele coffill的故事
康妮的照片由阿曼达皮茨
即使四十年后, 当康妮·邓(Connie 见鬼)讲述1979年她和家人逃离越南家园的那一天的故事时，她的脸上流露出很多情绪，她的声音有时会颤抖.
她15岁. 见鬼, who recently retired as Grand Valley’s senior inclusion 和股权管理人员, said she arrived home from school with her sister that day. Walking together to and from school was a ritual for the Pham sisters. Once home, her father announced the family was going out to dinner. 他们挤进车里开车. They drove for a long, long time, said 见鬼.
“最后，我们到达了一个渔村，我们被告知要上船，”她说. “We paid money to this fisherman to get us out of 越南. There were about 120 people crammed on this 50-foot boat.
“For 10 days, we traveled on this fisherman’s boat to Indonesia.”
The 越南 War ended in 1975 but political unrest, 柬埔寨和中国的经济衰退和激烈的战争迫使该国的难民危机增长到超过2人.500万人.
“I had no idea my family was fleeing 越南 that day. My parents later shared that we had to keep it a secret, 否则, we could have been persecuted if anyone found out,见鬼说.
It took more than 40 years for 见鬼 to return to 越南. There had been opportunities to travel with her parents and relatives. She did not attend the funerals of her grandparents. “我一直心怀愧疚, 这些背叛的感觉逃离了我的国家，离开了我的朋友和亲人,见鬼说.
She did not return until she found a purpose.
去年6月, 见鬼和Scott Stabler, 历史学教授, 带领10名同学参加就职典礼, faculty-led study abroad program to 越南. The two-week trip had stops in nine cities, starting in the north at Ha Noi and traveling south to Ho Chi Minh City.
“I didn’t want to go back as a tourist. Some in 越南 call me and others in my position ‘foreigners,’”她说。. “但带领一群学生参加这个全球体验式学习项目给了我一个目标, 一个非常有意义的目的.”
Connie and her father pictured on Lunar New Year in 越南.
Connie and her father pictured on Lunar New Year in 越南.
1970年的彭氏夫妇:谭和连战带着孩子(从左到右)洪秀柱、康丽妮、赵淑雯和卢家乐.
1970年的彭氏夫妇:谭和连战带着孩子(从左到右)洪秀柱、康丽妮、赵淑雯和卢家乐.
《博天堂官方网页》前往越南
参加该项目的学生在前往越南之前先上了两节课. 见鬼教授越南历史, culture and people class; Stabler led students through a history of the 越南 War.
“想到和我们一起旅行的学生比越战士兵的平均年龄还要大，真是太疯狂了, 也就是19,Stabler说.
西莉亚McClure-Sikkema, 大急流城的大三学生, 说，他们很高兴能成为第一批参加由教师主导的越南项目的学生, partly because they have relatives who live in Laos and 越南.
“I understood different pieces of Southeast Asian culture because of my family,McClure-Sikkema说. “I knew the war was horrible, but I only had that American perspective. 在那里让我大开眼界，因为我得到了越南人民的经验.”
作为一个社会工作专业的学生, McClure-Sikkema说，他们立即注意到越南人对家庭的重视.
“People in restaurants would call me ‘little sister,而不是“夫人”,’ which I thought was very human-centered. 这对我来说意义重大，”他们说.
“我们谈论创造
对…的归属感
我们在大峡谷的学生.
早在2022年，我就想过
我自己，‘我们属于哪里?’”
康妮见鬼,
纳入退休长者
和股权管理人员
西密歇根州:“生存”
That fisherman’s boat with 120 people made its way to Indonesia. 见鬼回忆起海上可怕的雷暴，“让这艘露天船看起来像过山车.”
The travelers were taken to a refugee camp to wait for an American sponsor. 五个月后，圣. 格兰维尔的庇护十世天主教堂欢迎邓和她的家人，并将他们安置在西密歇根城市的一所房子里.
As new refugees who spoke little English, 见鬼 called the act of going to an American school with her sister “surviving.”
“我在格兰维尔高中读10年级，主要通过学校的法语老师交流,”她说。.
Her parents learned English at a community center in Wyoming. Soon, 见鬼’s father got a job at Steelcase Inc. 在维修部.
“It was really a time of survival for all of us. But going to college and obtaining a degree was an expectation and a goal established for all of us; my parents believed education presented opportunities for social and economic mobility,”她说。. “放学后，我会帮妈妈照顾四个弟弟妹妹，直到他们上床睡觉. For me, homework meant working with an English-越南ese dictionary. 我通常会在十一点前完成.m.”
Connie and Julia 见鬼 visited 越南 in 2022. Pictured is an altar at Connie’s uncle’s house, 他们在那里向康妮的祖父母祈祷并点上香.
Connie and Julia 见鬼 visited 越南 in 2022. Pictured is an altar at Connie’s uncle’s house, 他们在那里向康妮的祖父母祈祷并点上香.
故事事
在西密歇根, 越南移民和越南后裔比其他任何亚洲国家都多. 见鬼 said that was partly why she wanted to help develop this program. “这是我们的社区. 我们必须让学生具备与不同背景的人一起生活和工作的文化能力和知识,”她说。.
Planning the 2023 trip began with a site visit the year before. 见鬼和Stabler考察了城市和地标，以确保首次旅行的安全, affordable and accessible for students. They also began to collaborate on the classes they would teach. For 见鬼, that meant a syllabus grounded in the narrative approach.
“The book I selected was a collection of short stories. 叙事研究允许在他们的历史和文化背景的背景下研究个人经验的丰富性,”她说。.
见鬼 paired narrative research with counter-storytelling, 她说，这种方法为那些经历和观点往往被剥夺合法性的人提供了空间，让他们讲述自己的故事，挑战持续的刻板印象.
西莉亚McClure-Sikkema说，他们带着全球视野从越南回国，当他们完成社会工作学位并进入劳动力市场时，这将推动他们前进.
他们称赞见鬼作为导游的洞察力，以及她领导的越南文化课程.
“I do have a better understanding of the country now. 战后, 它被摧毁了，但这个国家用实力为基础的方法重建了自己,McClure-Sikkema说. “I saw a level of vulnerability in the people.”
McClure-Sikkema在旅途中注意到许多越南国旗在家庭和企业中飘扬. 他们说，不那么明显的是，人们对自己国家的自豪感.
“我们谈论创造 对…的归属感 我们在大峡谷的学生. 早在2022年，我就想过 我自己，‘我们属于哪里?’”
康妮见鬼, 纳入退休长者 和股权管理人员
西密歇根州:“生存”
That fisherman’s boat with 120 people made its way to Indonesia. 见鬼回忆起海上可怕的雷暴，“让这艘露天船看起来像过山车.”
The travelers were taken to a refugee camp to wait for an American sponsor. 五个月后，圣. 格兰维尔的庇护十世天主教堂欢迎邓和她的家人，并将他们安置在西密歇根城市的一所房子里.
As new refugees who spoke little English, 见鬼 called the act of going to an American school with her sister “surviving.”
“我在格兰维尔高中读10年级，主要通过学校的法语老师交流,”她说。.
Her parents learned English at a community center in Wyoming. Soon, 见鬼’s father got a job at Steelcase Inc. 在维修部.
“It was really a time of survival for all of us. But going to college and obtaining a degree was an expectation and a goal established for all of us; my parents believed education presented opportunities for social and economic mobility,”她说。. “放学后，我会帮妈妈照顾四个弟弟妹妹，直到他们上床睡觉. For me, homework meant working with an English-越南ese dictionary. 我通常会在十一点前完成.m.”
Connie and Julia 见鬼 visited 越南 in 2022. Pictured is an altar at Connie’s uncle’s house, 他们在那里向康妮的祖父母祈祷并点上香.
Connie and Julia 见鬼 visited 越南 in 2022. Pictured is an altar at Connie’s uncle’s house, 他们在那里向康妮的祖父母祈祷并点上香.
故事事
在西密歇根, 越南移民和越南后裔比其他任何亚洲国家都多. 见鬼 said that was partly why she wanted to help develop this program. “这是我们的社区. 我们必须让学生具备与不同背景的人一起生活和工作的文化能力和知识,”她说。.
Planning the 2023 trip began with a site visit the year before. 见鬼和Stabler考察了城市和地标，以确保首次旅行的安全, affordable and accessible for students. They also began to collaborate on the classes they would teach. For 见鬼, that meant a syllabus grounded in the narrative approach.
“The book I selected was a collection of short stories. 叙事研究允许在他们的历史和文化背景的背景下研究个人经验的丰富性,”她说。.
见鬼 paired narrative research with counter-storytelling, 她说，这种方法为那些经历和观点往往被剥夺合法性的人提供了空间，让他们讲述自己的故事，挑战持续的刻板印象.
西莉亚McClure-Sikkema说，他们带着全球视野从越南回国，当他们完成社会工作学位并进入劳动力市场时，这将推动他们前进.
他们称赞见鬼作为导游的洞察力，以及她领导的越南文化课程.
“I do have a better understanding of the country now. 战后, 它被摧毁了，但这个国家用实力为基础的方法重建了自己,McClure-Sikkema说. “I saw a level of vulnerability in the people.”
McClure-Sikkema在旅途中注意到许多越南国旗在家庭和企业中飘扬. 他们说，不那么明显的是，人们对自己国家的自豪感.
越南留学之旅
The two-week trip had stops throughout 越南, starting in the north at Ha Noi and traveling south to Ho Chi Minh City.
越南留学之旅
The two-week trip had stops throughout 越南, starting in the north at Ha Noi and traveling south to Ho Chi Minh City.
“我们属于哪里??’
见鬼持有西密歇根大学工商管理学士学位, 在Grand Valley大学获得公共管理硕士学位，在东密歇根大学获得教育领导博士学位.
她的兄弟姐妹们现在分散在密歇根州和德克萨斯州，他们也同样多才多艺. 在他们的职业组合中，有两名工程师，一名教师和一名重症监护护士.
“All of us have worked hard and we are successful. 我们努力追求父母为我们设定的目标，”她说.
Her parents used to watch 见鬼’s children, 亚历克斯和朱莉娅, when they were younger and 见鬼 went to work at Grand Valley, initially in the Human Resources office. 是Tham和Lien Pham教他们的孙子们越南语单词和短语, 还有这个国家的传统.
现年26岁的朱莉娅·邓(Julia 见鬼)在2022年的实地考察中与母亲一起前往越南. 康妮·邓说，朱莉娅一生中听到的故事在她眼前展开.
“I took Julia to the village where my grandparents were born and buried. When they died, I didn’t have the opportunity to put them to rest. We stood at the altar of my grandparents, lit incense and said prayers.
“There were no words to describe that feeling,见鬼说.
Connie 见鬼’s father, Tham Pham, died in 2017. 见鬼和她的哥哥范鸿鸿(Hung Pham)在大峡谷大学设立了一项奖学金，以纪念他. 范定潭纪念捐赠奖学金帮助越南学生支付他们的教育费用. 她的母亲现在83岁了.
“我一直心怀愧疚, 这些背叛的感觉逃离了我的国家，离开了我的朋友和亲人.”
康妮见鬼, 纳入退休长者 和股权管理人员
“带女儿回到祖国，让她所听到和读到的故事栩栩如生，”见鬼说. “我因为战争而成为难民，但我从来没有想过朱莉娅会受到战争的影响，直到我在越南看到她.
“我们谈论创造 对…的归属感 我们在大峡谷的学生. 早在2022年，我就想过 我自己，‘我们属于哪里?’”
留学旅行前, and before her site visit with Stabler in 2022, 见鬼 read and re-read stories about the 越南ese, 既要为即将到来的课程做计划，也要更好地了解战后重建国家的人们. That preparation steadied 见鬼 for what to expect when the plane landed.
“I was grateful to go back in 2022. It helped me sort through those feelings that were oppressed,”她说。. “Every site we visited had a connection to the classroom, and we made connections with our readings throughout the whole country, 从北到中到南.
“我也能够调和内疚和背叛的感觉，并与自己和平相处.”
