Khmer Krom

He speaks 5 languages. He has seen the destruction of his country, the devestation of war and perhaps he will see the extinction of his own culture.

What is it like to leave a country as the capital city falls to communism? What is it like to raise a family in a new country while trying to keep the imprint of a heritage that is culturally irrelevant?

He is a small man, but powerful. His passion for this country is evident and I am ashamed that I take so much for granted. He is not afraid to stand up in front of english speaking westerners and give a speech. He is not afraid, it seems, of anything.

I admire this man and though we are generations and cultures a part, I see that we are much the same. We both want our families to know who we really are. We want to embrace the newness of a life but we yearn for the peace of a life we once knew -- a life that can never be returned to us. We each look for our own bit of family, our own "people".

We are so different and we are so much the same.