Habinh is a 15 year old girl who moved to the United States from Vietnam when she was 10 years old. Like many teenage girls she must face the pitfalls of adolescence, but what is unique for Habinh is the challenges involved with bridging the gap between two different cultures: The Vietnamese culture she came from, and the American culture she finds herself immersed in. I will touch on two topics in relation to that theme: her relationship with her parents, and her identity.
To begin, Habinh is an intelligent, thoughtful 15 year old girl living in Chicago. She does well in school, has many friends, and participates in her local Vietnamese community. Like many girls her age she has formed a circle of friends, and has developed an interest in experiencing independent activities with her peers. Habinh’s parents …show more content…
She takes part in traditional Vietnamese dancing when her Vietnamese community gets together. She also helps her family prepare meals as is common in a traditional family structure. When her grandfather is sick she makes hundreds of cranes as a traditional (Japanese) wish for him to get well. Conversely she listens to popular American music, and dresses in American clothing. She learns the rules to American football. She starts dating a boy she has been friends with for quite some time which wouldn’t happen in traditional Vietnamese culture (this is apparently changing rapidly, especially in large cities like Saigon). She participates in American cultural events like the homecoming dance. She’s worried if she eats too much she’ll “get fat”: a primary concern among adolescent females in Western culture. In traditional Vietnamese culture an “ugly” wife who is strong and can work is more desirable than a “pretty” girl who
To begin, Habinh is an intelligent, thoughtful 15 year old girl living in Chicago. She does well in school, has many friends, and participates in her local Vietnamese community. Like many girls her age she has formed a circle of friends, and has developed an interest in experiencing independent activities with her peers. Habinh’s parents …show more content…
She takes part in traditional Vietnamese dancing when her Vietnamese community gets together. She also helps her family prepare meals as is common in a traditional family structure. When her grandfather is sick she makes hundreds of cranes as a traditional (Japanese) wish for him to get well. Conversely she listens to popular American music, and dresses in American clothing. She learns the rules to American football. She starts dating a boy she has been friends with for quite some time which wouldn’t happen in traditional Vietnamese culture (this is apparently changing rapidly, especially in large cities like Saigon). She participates in American cultural events like the homecoming dance. She’s worried if she eats too much she’ll “get fat”: a primary concern among adolescent females in Western culture. In traditional Vietnamese culture an “ugly” wife who is strong and can work is more desirable than a “pretty” girl who