My name is Huong but all my friends in US call me Helen. Helen, I love that name, it started for my life in US, a way for me to adapt a new culture, a new country and a new life. I would like to share with you the fate between this country and me.
In 2002, not many Vietnamese people had chance to know about other countries or the world current news. Vietnam’s telecommunication was still undeveloped. Accessing to internet was so fancy. And going out of country was an extremely lucky opportunity for anyone. I was in high school with high GPA and very good potential to be a candidate to go oversea to study in a government’s education program. I was do my best with full of curiosity and passion about US to get that scholarship. I did. But luck didn't smile to me, I failed a visa to come to US. All my hard things, my effort and my time to get this opportunity suddenly meant nothing. As a normal teenage, I swore to the sky that I hated US and I would never go to there even it would be a paradise.
Not going to US, I went to college in Hanoi in IT major. Although I didn’t like America, I had to confess that Bill Gate was my idol and learning IT I must read books or get IT information or material from US resources. Graduating and getting the best job I dreamed; that was a position in IT service department of IBM Vietnam. Again, I didn’t like this country but IBM is a big company from US. I thought I had something called a fate with US.
Since I was a student, I loved social and student activities. I volunteered and became the leader of many clubs. One of the most successful group is USGuide (you can check out what it is on the website: www.usguide.org.vn). You see, the tag of US here. I was with this group 5 years and thanked to it, I met my husband. A day in 2006, my husband who was a PhD candidate in University of Austin, coming back to Vietnam for a visit and he wanted to provide Vietnamese student more information about US education and encouraged them to come...