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Obsession or Motivation
Throughout my monumental lifetime, I had never thought about facing death until the COVID-19 pandemic spread out in my country, Vietnam. The people in my country were like many people around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most historic events that no one living in this decade can forget. For me, the days of quarantine in the isolation center were the biggest obsession of my life.
When I was at home on the first day of national quarantine, I received an email from my CEO, which informed me of shocking news about my colleague, who had tested positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19, the most dangerous virus at that time. I couldn’t believe that because when I was with her on the last day in our office, there weren’t any symptoms, and we had an effective meeting. At that time, I knew that someone from the local health center would ask me to go to the isolation center because isolating the individuals who closely contacted the patient was a new law of the government in the COVID-19 situation. Finally, it came. On the following day, I received a call from a healthcare worker who guided me to prepare essential items for the next 21 days, and then I waited at home until a car came to drive me to the isolation center.
After a while, a white SUV with a siren came in front of my apartment. The driver asked me to wear a blue protective suit and a mask. When I got in that car, there were two people in costumes like me. They looked so worried, and one of them was praying. That made me a little bit nervous. I wondered if they had been detected with the virus and if they were a danger to me. The car moved to a luxury apartment and picked up a man in a black suit. There was a silent atmosphere in our car. We didn’t talk about anything with each other; we had been tense, worried, and prayerful until we got to the isolation center near our area.
I got out of the car in surprise. The government utilized an elementary school to become an isolation center. I went to a classroom and chose a tiny bed for myself. There were five single beds in each classroom, and each one was two meters apart from the others. After that, I set up my area with a few essential items that I had brought, such as a pillow, water bottles, a cup, a bowl, a spoon, a lot of instant noodles, vitamin C, hand sanitizer, and a water bucket for bathing. At that moment, I wondered how I could live a life of poverty like this for 21 days, and if I would become a victim of COVID-19 in the following days.
On the first day of isolation, the other people in my room and I had to take PCR tests. In the evening, we were provided dinner boxes with rice, meat stew, and soup. They were really bad, but I tried to finish them to be healthier. At night, I couldn’t sleep; I was really worried about the PCR test result. I prayed for a negative result because I didn’t want to infect the people who had closely contacted me on the previous days. Early the next morning, a person in my room was informed that she had to move to a centralized hospital because of her positive result in the PCR test. At that moment, I was completely frustrated because that person and I had been in the same car and stayed in the same room since yesterday. Although I had always stayed apart from her and had never talked to her, I still thought the next person who had to move to the hospital was me, and I could die. I made a video call to my parents, and they advised me to calm down and drink as much Vitamin C as possible. They also taught me that I should be patient and believe in God no matter what the result was. And I did. I prayed a lot, and I studied the ways to self-protect with COVID-19 by searching on the internet. After a while, I was informed that I wasn’t detected by COVID-19. The result made me think more positively. I started planning how to spend the next few days there safe and healthy.
On the following days, I woke up earlier than the others because I wanted to take a bath and brush my teeth before other people touched the bathroom. I spent my free time reading Many Lives, Many Times, which is the book I had brought. When I received any food from the isolation center, I always disinfected it before eating. During that time, I tried to wear face masks 24 hours per day and used hand sanitizer after I had touched anything outside of my area. I had to test every day with rapid tests provided by the isolation center, and every week I had a PCR test. At the end of each day, I called to chat with my friends and family to get an update on their health and gossip. Eventually, I completed 21 days of quarantine, and all my test results were negative. I went back home and stayed there until the last day of quarantine. Since then, I have always lived with a positive mind, and I realized that no matter who you are, you never know when you have to leave this life. This experience always reminds me that you cannot foresee what will happen, so don’t be worried, just live fully each day and pray for tomorrow.
Written by: Trang Nguyen
Unexpected, but Never Again
Whenever I pass by the Oregon Korean War Memorial in Salem, it reminds me of the day in May in Washington, DC, in 2010. It was a sunny day with an unexpected meeting with an old veteran that left a very strong memory, like that day’s strong sunlight. When I lived in Seoul, I had a chance to visit Washington, DC, in May 2009, 2010, and 2011 as a guardian of two teens who received a volunteer award. This business trip taught me the strength of gratitude. Sometimes, an unexpected event can change the perspective of life.
The first year I visited Washington, DC, in 2009, everything was new and great for me. 102 American middle/high school students and 10 international high school students gathered in Washington, DC, in May, and there were educational programs for the students. During my first business trip in 2009, I was busy taking care of two teens in a group of 112 middle/high school teens. I did not have a chance to provide any kind of feedback about the programs. However, from the second visit in 2010, a part of the program started making me a little uncomfortable. One of them was the Korean War Memorial visit because it was not a proud moment in my country’s history, so I complained about this part of the program to my American co-worker who worked for Prudential and designed this program. She was a bit embarrassed by my comment and tried to explain why this program was important for both American and international students. However, she was not able to convince me, and the sightseeing started with my skeptical view of this program.
At first, we visited Arlington National Cemetery, and two students laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. As a Korean, I didn’t want the Korean War to be mentioned repeatedly in this program. It was a sunny day, but my feeling was cloudy, like a gray sky. After this ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, I got on the bus offered by the company to move to memorials in Washington, DC.
When we arrived at the memorial park in DC, a chaperone explained that we were able to see three memorials: the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. A chaperone who was a teacher at a middle school told us that visiting DC was a rare experience, so she recommended that we visit and see all three memorials. Before seeing the Korean War Veterans Memorial, I went to the chaperone, and then I expressed my uncomfortable and frustrated feelings as a Korean to her. I said that it was meaningful for Americans, but this program didn’t care about the feelings of the Korean staff and students. She looked embarrassed by my feedback and my upset voice, but she recommended that I look at the faces on the mural wall and read the quotes on the wall.
While I looked at the wall as per her recommendation, an old man in a wheelchair came to me with a volunteer and started looking at me and listening to my language. He was wearing a military uniform with many badges or medals, so I could figure out that he was a veteran. And then he said to me, “Excuse me.” I looked at him, but I didn’t respond to his words. The sun was very strong, and I was wearing sunglasses, so he was not able to see my furrowed brows. Two or three seconds passed, and he asked me with a shaky and weak voice, “Are you from South Korea?” I was about to say yes and leave the place. Before I even answered his question, he told me that he had fought for South Korea 60 years ago. At that moment, I noticed his tears, and I thought that I had to say something heartwarming with a polite attitude. So, I took off my sunglasses and kneeled in front of him. I looked up at him and told him that yes, I was from South Korea, and I carried out my words to him, “Thank you for your dedication to my country.” His eyes were full of tears, and his face looked so touched. So, I held his hands and told him that I was able to receive a good education in a democratic country with his dedication, and I was able to visit the United States on a business trip finally. He shared his experience about the Korean War with me for about 5 minutes. He participated in the Korean War in 1951, when he was only 21 years old. At that time, he was too young to fight in the war, and he had many near-death experiences during the Korean War.
When he shared his experience with the Korean War, I deeply and sincerely expressed my gratitude for his sacrifices for my country’s freedom. He left the place with a smile, and I went back to the chaperone, who listened to my complaints. I shared this astonishing experience with her. After sharing my story, she told me that the old veteran was going to share his experience about the Korean War and me with his family at the dinner table, and his family would respect him and his sacrifices more.
I visited Washington, DC, with two teens again the following year, in 2011, but I was not able to meet the Korean War veterans again. The old man was the first and last Korean War veteran I ever met in my life. I was told that most of the Korean War veterans had passed away, so if I had ignored the old veteran and his question as I thought at first, I would regret that moment all throughout my life. I think that he had been curious about Korea, where he had risked his life to fight for freedom, throughout his whole life. After meeting with him, the quote on the Korean War Veterans Memorial was delivered to me deeply, "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”
Written by: Jihye Kim
The Big Move to the Northwest
Before I left Taiwan to move to Portland, I would not have thought that some of my daily experiences would relate to the famous saying, “April showers bring May flowers." Indeed, just like the other saying “things happen in threes," three clear impacts crossed my path during the first few years of living in Portland.
The weather has impacted my mental well-being and body health. Since I have lived in Portland, I have been affected by the gloomy, wet, and notoriously cold Pacific Northwest weather. The high rates of precipitation restrict my feet from making contact with the outside, which decreases my daily happiness. Due to the lack of sunny days, in each corner of our condo I have a lamp for brightness. Many times I tell my sons and husband in a strong voice to never turn off any yellow lights without telling me, including the light above the stove. At first, I did not know why I acted so furious. When I shared this story with my friends, who also live in Portland, they told me that I may have seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. They recommended that I start taking vitamin D and that the lights should certainly stay on during the day.
A positive thing is that I have been able to do many outdoor activities that I could not do beforehand. During the pandemic, all restaurants and schools did not have walk-ins nor did they have their doors open. I had a lot of time on my hands for homeschooling my kids. Exploring outdoor activities then became a big routine in our family. I told myself that we, as a family, would try to do activities we have not all experienced. I tried SUP once. I launched it on the Willamette River, and the board was big enough for two children and myself to sit on. We were happily paddling, singing, and splashing each other. There were the occasional group of ducks or beavers showing up to greet us. Snowshoeing has given my friend and me a great chance to enjoy and admire the beautiful snowy scenery, step by step. Since we both come from tropical and subtropical countries, the change in scenery was pleasant. Disc golf was a new activity, too. After I searched and listed some disc golf courses close to my home, I visited each one. As a beginner family, when any disc was accidentally thrown into a pond, river, bush, or even the middle of nowhere, it just all made us laugh and left a joyful memory.
The third impact is my weekend entertainment, which is vigorously planned with thriving arts, festivals, and other activities. Just like a new immigrant, I eagerly wanted to expose myself to the local scene. During the spring, I visited the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival to appreciate a beautiful nursery that also shows a family’s decades of effort. After signing up for biking across the city, I got to know how Portland is a bike-friendly city. There are well-organized riding paths along the riverside, in the neighborhood, and colorfully painted designs downtown, encouraging the locals to present an eco-friendly environment. Each year for trick-or-treating my family goes to the Alberta district. Not only do the neighborhood stores cooperate together to give a sweet, friendly seasonal ambiance, but they also have numerous amazing murals to browse. It is where I learned about the diverse culture, strong community, and colorful history of African-Americans in that neighborhood.
Overall, Portland has given me many vivid and memorable experiences. Though some have been a bit negative, like a dreary rainy day that seems to never end, most of them have been positive, like the Tulip Festival and the numerous beautiful flowers that we enjoyed seeing. Certainly, the better effects have overridden the lesser ones by a wide margin.
Written by: Hsin-Ying Lin
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