Li
Gender: Female
Age: 25-64
Race: Asian
Nativity: Foreign Born
Educational Attainment:
Some High School
Occupation: Homemaker
Internet Access In Home: Yes
Religion: Buddhist
Town: Garner
Narrative:
Li is 43 years old right now and has many memories of the past. She was born in Cambodia and traveled to America. Her journey started when Cambodia became a communist country and gold became useless. Her dad owned a restaurant, but the Cambodian government ordered every Chinese person to move to a farm in a forest where they grew their own food. Her family all worked together to make a new house from the trees in the forest. When the whole Chinese community finished their houses they formed a small town. After a year and a half they finally established a good home. They fished, hunted deer, cut bamboo, picked mushrooms, and dug up various kinds of potatoes. Then the government gave them a new order. They had to separate into different towns in Cambodia. There were three families in each of the towns. The town that she got was actually a jungle called Ooa-Saiy or River Bamboo town. Since no one was living there they had to start over again. This time the government they took the food and everything else away and put it in storage and every once and a while they would give them some food. They could only speak Cambodian, and they were forced to wear black clothes. The government controlled her life. If you were told to do something then you had to do it. She was helping someone dig a hole to keep water in one spot (like a man made lake). There were no breaks and less food and the day was hot, people died, and the nights were long. If you worked hard then you get a bowl of rice. Then Vietnam soldiers came to help them escape the country.