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1975: Year of the Cat
"Today is tet, the first day of the lunar calander." Tet is like the vietnamese new year where everyone gains 1 year of age no matter when their birthday was. -
Period: to
Ha
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Papaya Tree
Ha is growing a papaya tree and her brothers notice everything before her and she is mad "i vow to rise first every morning to stare at the dew on the green fruit shaped like a lightbulb" -
Missing in action
Ha's father went to go serve in the army and never returned Ha's mother prays and begs for his safe return "Each of us bows and wishes and hopes and prays" -
Current news
Vietnam is in a war rand news is spreading like wildfire "We keep talking about how close the communists have gotten to saigon, how much prices have gone upsince american soiders left, how many distant bombs we heard the previos nigh" -
Birthday Wishes
Ha wishes for a lot of things on her birthday some are serios others are personal "Wish i could loose my chubby cheeks...i wish father would apear in our door way and make mother's lips curl upwards" -
A Day Downtown
Ha and her family went to see the president (not to hear his soeech but to get supplies) and the president seemed to be falsely crying "Then he cries actual tears,unwiped,facing the cameras. Mother clicks her tounge:Tears of an ugly fish. i know that to mean fake tears of a crocodile" -
closed too soon
The war is on the doorstep of Ha's village "A sirenscreams over miss Xinh's voice in the middle of a lesson on smiley and bald president ford we all know it's bad news." -
Bridge to the sea
Ha's uncle son visits her and tells her family that there is a nvay ship that is letting navy family's board "
would a navy ship meet your approval?" -
Early Monsoon
The Viatnam war has reached Ha's village of saigon "In the distance bombs explode like thunder, slashes lighten the sky, gunfire falls like rain." -
Wet and Crying
Ha is sad that she has to leave her papaya tree so she and her siblings share the biggest fruit from the tree. "My biggest papaya is light yellow,still flecked with green...You children should eat fresh fruit while you can" -
Floating
Ha is on the a navy ship leaving saigon and going to america "our ship creeps along the river route without lights without cooking without bathrooms" -
Once Knew
Ha is getting sick of being at sea " Water,water,water everywhere making me think land is just something i once knew" -
Alabama
Ha has finally got off the ship and is in America and now they need a home "Mother dosn't care what the man came looking for" -
Our Cowboy
Ha is in Alabama and her sponser looks like a cowboy "our sponsor looks just like an American should" -
Neighbors
Ha has moved into a new house but her neighbors dont seem to like her. "eggs explode like smears of snot on our front door."
