The book "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" and the documentary Daughter from Da Nang both account the life of being born in Vietnam and the move the United States. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places was written by Le Ly Hayslips and Daughter from Da Nang was directed by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco. Even though their stories are similar and different they both can be compared to each other in a way to show how being away from your birth country can affect you. Both Heidi and Le Ly made their way to the United States but by the means of different contexts. In the documentary, Heidi came to the United States because her biological mother feared of retaliation on mixed babies by the North Vietnamese. Heidi was the baby of a Vietnamese
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Heidi was excited to not only go visit her biological family, but to see the woman who gave birth to her ,"The pictures I was like yes, this is true, you know I look at her and I even went to bathroom and held her picture up to the mirror to see the resembles and was like yes this definitely her" (Dolgin)! She goes on to say, "Never in a millions year I would think I'll be doing this, I could pinch myself" (Dolgin). Both of these statements showed the joy and happiness of going back to see her family is brought by Heidi. Her situation resembles being reunited with a relative that you haven't seen in forever. You happy and excited and nobody can tell you anything. Heidi is very interested with her cultural and learning about it such as pronunciations of words, the food, and etc. she shows that by trying to indulge in her cultural and learn since she didn't get a chance to when she was younger, "This is my first big Vietnamese meal." and "Do, we just reach off the plate. We don't just serve our self off the plate first" (Dolgin) . Throughout the film, Heidi starts to appreciate more and more of what her mother does and did for her to give a better because her life could have been different if chose not to make that decision. Heidi goes on to say, " I could not imagine my life here oppose to living in the states. I cannot imagine it at all." In a scene, she shows some realization of what her mother has done for her including the decision to give her up, " I look at this woman and look at all the things she has done for me…. and made that choice to give me up 22 years ago" (Dolgin). Le Ly was happy to return back to their home country but knew it wouldn't be the same. She recognized U.S. was the place she called home and not the place she was birth at. "People are raised to think their native country is their home, but that's not always true. Coming back a changed person to a place
Heidi was excited to not only go visit her biological family, but to see the woman who gave birth to her ,"The pictures I was like yes, this is true, you know I look at her and I even went to bathroom and held her picture up to the mirror to see the resembles and was like yes this definitely her" (Dolgin)! She goes on to say, "Never in a millions year I would think I'll be doing this, I could pinch myself" (Dolgin). Both of these statements showed the joy and happiness of going back to see her family is brought by Heidi. Her situation resembles being reunited with a relative that you haven't seen in forever. You happy and excited and nobody can tell you anything. Heidi is very interested with her cultural and learning about it such as pronunciations of words, the food, and etc. she shows that by trying to indulge in her cultural and learn since she didn't get a chance to when she was younger, "This is my first big Vietnamese meal." and "Do, we just reach off the plate. We don't just serve our self off the plate first" (Dolgin) . Throughout the film, Heidi starts to appreciate more and more of what her mother does and did for her to give a better because her life could have been different if chose not to make that decision. Heidi goes on to say, " I could not imagine my life here oppose to living in the states. I cannot imagine it at all." In a scene, she shows some realization of what her mother has done for her including the decision to give her up, " I look at this woman and look at all the things she has done for me…. and made that choice to give me up 22 years ago" (Dolgin). Le Ly was happy to return back to their home country but knew it wouldn't be the same. She recognized U.S. was the place she called home and not the place she was birth at. "People are raised to think their native country is their home, but that's not always true. Coming back a changed person to a place