For Mr. Remington’s Memoir Poem assignment, An Nguyen created a visual of the rental house in Vietnam where she grew up. With her family, the four year old girl lived on floors below street level that would flood with heavy rain.
An’s childhood view of poverty and hardship was remarkably positive. In her poem, A family, she recalls a particular rainstorm in the old house.
An reflects, “The experience taught me that money isn’t the most important thing in life, but insufficient money can make life disadvantageous.” Memories of the flood motivate her to study hard to escape poverty. Although An now understands the complications that came with a flooding house, she still values the time spent with her family. She continues to follow her mothers advice, “look for the smallest positive thing and smile at it.” A very relevant lesson during the immigration process. She misses the traditions, culture, memories, and especially swimming in the river with her friends, but she now says, “I can’t believe that I am living in the most powerful country in the world and have received such an excellent education. I love how society values freedom of speech and I am free to practice my religion.”
