Reading Reflection #7
Response to "I am a man with a heart"
This reading was about a man, Andrew Thi, who immigrated to Oakland, CA with his family from Cambodia to escape the genocide and war. He discussed his father's role in his life and how he constantly was bringing home trouble, even though he was very smart academically. Through his crimes, being in and out of jail, and the support of his family, friends, and girlfriend, he was able to become a changed man.
This article was interesting to me because it highlighted on the life of a minority from his own perspective. Seeing his story through his eyes, not from a third-party perspective, we can see how although he was raised by good parents and had a lot going for him, he let his friends influence him and became rebellious. He discussed how his Cambodian friends didn't end up graduating from high school, but that he was able to. He overcame many expected shortcomings, but was still eventually sucked into being a criminal because the lifestyle was fast and exciting. In the end, he became religious and realized the life he wanted for himself to be an honest one. However, this realization came late as he became faced with deportation to Cambodia since he was considered a very dangerous individual. He was only 6 years old when he came to America, and sending him back to Cambodia would be as if he was being sent to a foreign country.
Question: Is the only real option to send Andrew Thi back to Cambodia, a "home" he barely remembers?
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