Duyên Phạm

My mom is definitely one of the people who influenced my life the most. I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to learn more about her. My mom's name is Quyên. She was born in 1972, and here is her story.

My parents got married in 2001 and had me in 2002. When my parents got married, my dad had already moved to the U.S. from Vietnam. He met her before he left and came back to marry her. My mom continued to live in Vietnam after they got married and he went back to the U.S.

My mom and I didnt come to the U.S. until I was 5 years old. She took care of me and raised me on her own for five years. Because of this, I think my mom and I share a special bond. I asked her what the hardest thing abut those five years was, and she shared that she was always so worried whenever I was sick.

My mom knew she was going to move to the U.S. when she married my dad. I asked her why she wanted to come here.

Her answer: I didn't.

She said that she felt like she had a stable life in Vietnam and was very happy there. My mom was an elementary school teacher and a seamstress on the side. She didn't have any family in the U.S. It was completely foreign to her.

My mom has three older sisters, one older brother and one younger. She and her sisters are very close despite being halfway across the world from each other. I can understand why she didn't want to be away from her family. Both my mom and I have a tendency to want to stick with what we're used to and comfortable with.

All my aunts and my mom know how to make and alter clothes. Two of my aunts were also teachers and made clothes as a side job. They made all kinds of different clothes and even Áo Dài. One of my aunts still owns a fabric store and sells Áo Dài. These sewing machines was one of the ways they were able to help their family and it's stuck with them until now.

Through this project I realized how much my mom has given up for me. It reminded me of the hardships and countless sacrifices made for me to live the life that I'm living now. I also realized how much we resemble each other when it comes to our personalities. This project was a reminder for me to be grateful for what I have and to remember where it all came from.

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