Two Tales of the Same Story
A Biography
I was taught two tales of the same story. One was told to me by my dad as a young child and the other was taught to me by my teachers at an older age in school. The story my dad told me involved a conflict between two sides wrestling over control of the country they loved, both believing their side was right and both believing they should be in charge. Ultimately the conflict resulted with one side victorious and the losing side forced to face harsh punishment or flee in exile. The conflict had come to an end but the story hadn’t. My dad’s tale continued well after the conflict between the two opposing sides had ended, well after the dust had settled. The story my teachers taught me in school similarly involved a conflict between two sides wrestling over control; however, it was a wrestle between the two sides for control of someone else’s country. Ultimately the conflict in this tale, much like in the other tale, came to an end with one side being victorious. The losing side in this tale however faced no harsh punishment from the other side nor were they forced into exile. Instead I was taught that the losing side packed up and returned home following the end of the long conflict. The tale taught to me by my school teachers ended once the conflict came to an end, but continued no further. Most tales normally do end when the conflict is over… but the tale my dad told wasn’t over and it still isn’t over.
Through this project I hope to better define the two tales I have learned. I want to sharpen my knowledge of the Vietnam War by looking at credible sources with historical information that will help me become a “Vietnam War Scholar.” I also want to fully understand my Family’s story and know everything I possibly can about how my family moved from South Vietnam to the States. I was told our story but only a PG version, without much detail and without much depth. I am looking forward to relearning my family’s history now that I’m older and am ready to become a bearer of the tale of my family’s history. This will be achieved by me talking to my family members and also by me researching the things my family members enjoy whether it be food, music, etc. Ultimately my goal is to be able to fully express and explain to someone I meet, my family’s story and how we came to be where we are today.
Hello I’m James and I’m a student at the University of Georgia majoring in business and finance. I’ll be graduating in 2022 or at least that’s the plan. Hehe. There are many things I enjoy doing: playing basketball, watching movies, listening to music, eating, and most of all spending time with friends and family while doing the things previously mentioned. I was born in San Diego and lived in California for 8 years before moving here to Georgia. My family is pretty Americanized, but we make sure to hold onto parts of our family’s roots. We still love Vietnamese food, we still love to hate my dad’s Vietnamese music cassette tapes, and we still love Vietnam.
