Vietnam Babylift Personal Stories

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(khanh duy nguyen oehlke) wrote:
email: kdnoehlke@yahoo.com
City: saigon
Country: vietnam

Comments: In October of 1974, I was found in Saigon. An unknown person brought me to New Haven Orphanage where my birthdate and age were "guesstimated". By april of 1975, Ihad been adopted by a family in Rockford, Illinois.

Throughout my childhood, my parents consistently encouraged me to explore my Vietnamese roots. Somehow, by the summer of '85, they convinced me to attend the first Colorado reunion organized by the Sisters of Loretto. There, I formed a few friendships that have continued to grow throughout the years.

Having tapped into a whole new world, my friends and I attended the next reunion in '95, and then '00. Each reunion was vastly different from the next, each serving its own unique purpose in my life.

Then I went on the "Motherland Tour" in 2001, organized by the same wonderful Sisters of Loretto. When I returned to the states after the 2 week stint, I knew I had to go back for a longer period of time.

I now have been living in Saigon for the past 11 months, learning about my birthplace, about what my life could have been, and perhaps more importantly, learning about what kind of person I am becoming.

Many Vietnamese locals are fascinated when they learn why I came back, that Idon't have any Vietnamese parents or family to speak of. Usually, the first reaction is sympathy. "Sorry to hear that". I just smile and point out the fact that there's no need for that. "My family in America is everything anyone could ever ask for. ...They must have done something right. enough so that I came back, right?" They can do nothing but agree.