Cecilia Nguyen McClure and Sharron Southern Osborne

[00:04] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Hi, I'm Cecilia Nguyen. I am 38. Today's Monday, September 26, 2022. We're in Ogden, Utah, and I am with my friend Sharon Osborne.

[00:19] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Sharon Osborne. I'm 57. Today is Monday, September 26, 2022. We're in Ogden, Utah, and I'm talking with Cecilia McClure, and she is my friend of about three years. And we are both transplants to Utah from Florida. Our husbands work together, and up until very recently, I've always known Cecilia at CC McClure, and just recently, I learned of her given name, which is wing fun Wen. And so what we're going to talk about today is her family's immigration journey before, during, and after arriving in the United States from Vietnam. So, Cece, can you tell me about some of your earliest memories? You were quite young, I think you said that you arrived here just before your 9th birthday, but you still. What can you remember from Vietnam?

[01:40] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: I remember living at my grandma's house and then kind of running around, playing with my cousins, you know, in the streets and mostly schools, and, I don't know, some of my relatives house. When I say my grandma's house, I mean, we had probably ten people living there. And then we were right next to the public bathroom. So I remember that very vividly where, you know, we had no water, no running water, no utilities. We had some electricity, but it was just very bare.

[02:31] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So you talked about you've lived with about ten people in your grandmother's house. Can you tell me a little bit more about your family tree?

[02:43] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So my parents, my dad is one of 13, and then my mom, I believe, is one of eight. A few of them passed away pretty early on and, you know, stillbirth, but that was like the living aunts and uncles we have. And then my immediate family tree is I am one of four, and I'm the oldest of four.

[03:17] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Okay, so, and your family immigrated here. How old were you when you first became aware that you would be leaving Vietnam?

[03:33] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: I asked my mom this, and she was thinking I was probably about seven or so, because the process was about, like she said, over a year. So I think I was, like, at least seven. And then I have some memories of it, you know, remember, like, getting a physical and getting a lot of vaccinations because we had so many, I guess, vaccinations required before we could come over. So I remember that.

[04:06] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So how did this come about? In other words, what are there any activities? And this is kind of from a child's perspective that you can remember in preparation for your family coming over. Like, did a family member come first? And how did all that happen?

[04:29] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So when my dad left in 88, he was one of the original boat people, so he left. And, I mean, it was just crazy because I can't even imagine doing what they had to do. My mom was three months pregnant with my sister, and I was, like, four. And, you know, he basically got, I want to say, had access to, you know, getting on a boat in order to get to international water. And he was told the night before, and he was just like, okay, I guess we're going. And the early morning that he was supposed to leave, he was just. Had a lot of second doubts and was telling my mom, like, no, I don't want to leave because I was four and she was three months pregnant. But she's like, no, you have to go. Like, this is. We tried before. They tried, both him and my mom tried to leave on a boat, like, nine years previously, but then they got caught. So, yeah, when he left, it was just overnight. And then I guess I woke up and my dad was no longer there. And she. I guess she told me that. She just told me that he was on a business trip or something. And then she kept saying that for over a year, and I believed it. Cause I was four and, yeah, so. And during that whole time, I think she said it was over a year before she kind of told me that, you know, we may be going somewhere, but, I mean, I was just so young, I didn't really remember or I guess, understood, like, where my dad just disappeared to.

[06:28] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So if you were four when he left and almost nine when you and your mother and I guess your sister finally made it to the United States, that was, what, four or five years she was gone?

[06:47] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. I mean, sometimes I think back, I'm like, my mom had to raise a four year old by herself, and then she gave birth on her own. So she was a single mom. She was living with my dad's parents, so she had their help and she had her family nearby. You know, it wasn't, like, the best circumstance. And I remember her, you know, because the communications, this is back in, like, 89 or 90, it was all letters and pictures, like photographs and, you know, she'll give me a picture of him and be like, this is your dad. And I'm like, okay. I guess. I mean, I was, like, five. And, you know, she would just show me these pictures, but I don't know. I can't imagine what my four year old, five year old mindset had, like, believed and, like, thought about do you.

[07:49] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Know if you remember at the time missing your dad? Like, or was he just an idea that you've been told?

[07:58] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: I think it was just an idea. Like, I think I was so young. Like, I mean, when I asked my mom, it was heartbreaking for them because their memories were a lot clearer. But she said, like, when I was, like, three or four, I guess I had this game with my dad that when he comes home, I would hide, and then he would pretend be like, hey, where is she? Is she over at, like, my other grandma's house? Like, where'd she go? And then I would jump out and be like, here I am. You know, so we did that. And, you know, I was their firstborn, so I'm kind of, like, his first favorite, but, you know, like, so I did that for the first year that he was gone. She said it was heartbreaking. Like, I was still doing that, you know, like, hide when I hear a motorcycle comes by. Cause that's when my dad come home with a motorcycle, I mean, a bicycle. And I would go and hide, and then she would just be like, oh, no, he's not home yet. Or something like that. Yeah.

[09:03] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow.

[09:04] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah.

[09:04] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow. Have you heard any more details? You mentioned that they had tried to leave once and they were caught, and this was under communist rule.

[09:18] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So.

[09:19] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So what happened?

[09:20] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: I think they try to leave in 80. The timeline's kind of cloudy, but it's around 80, and that was before, you know, they had us, but they both tried to leave. And, you know, when I say they try to leave, it's kind of like an underground, very risky. Risky. But the. And then, of course, they have to pay, you know, so they saved up and tried to leave. And when they got on the boat and they finally were out, I guess the person that was supposed to take them to international water didn't know his way. So then they got caught and pulled back, and then they both end up in, like, jail. But it's. I guess it was kind of like re education, farm or community. And then it. And then I asked her, like, why did it take you so long from almost nine, eight, nine years before. I guess my dad tried to leave again. And she said, we just didn't have money. You have to pay people, you know, in this underground, trusted network in order to leave. You just didn't go on a cruise or something like it was. You know, it was a risky risk.

[10:38] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: You couldn't just go buy tickets.

[10:40] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: No. Yeah, right.

[10:42] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow. So.

[10:47] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: And he didn't plan on leaving either. Like, he'd never. You know, I mean, they started a family. They had me, they had my, you know, my mom was pregnant, so I asked. She said that basically someone they knew had already, like, did a deposit for their kid, but towards the end, they refused to go. So then they came over and was like, hey, you know, you have a spot if you guys want to leave. So then my dad was so obviously, my dad was like, I guess so, like, I can go once they kind of work out. Like, okay, well, I guess they do, like, this half deposit. Like, I'll pay. I already paid for it now. And then if you make it alive to, you know, and give us word back that you're alive, then you have to pay the rest. And then I guess they set up, like, a safe word, I. So that once he left and were able to get to a safe spot, then they can, you know, say, like, hey, it's actually me. I made it. Cause, you know, this is in, like, the eighties, there's no communication.

[11:55] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Right, right.

[11:57] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So, yeah, like, that was, wow, that was really.

[12:02] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: And then to just. To just pick up and do it.

[12:04] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: At the last minute without just overnight, no planning. I mean, he just left with whatever he had on.

[12:10] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: That's a huge, huge risk. And. But I guess that just speaks to how desperate they were to make a change for the better.

[12:23] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Right? Yeah.

[12:25] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So, and this is kind of just, again, I realize that you were so young, but, you know, since several years passed, as it's getting closer and your dad, I guess, was established in the United States and was able to send for you and your mom and your sister was. Did your mom talk about that before the actual journey to kind of prepare you? And were you told, you know, you were going to be leaving? So what were you told? And did you have the sense that you were desperately moving away from Vietnam or, like, in an excited way, moving to the United States that's supposed to be. Were you told that it was just so much better?

[13:18] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So I do remember, I mean, I had a lot of cousins, you know, around my age, so we played a lot. But I do remember watching a lot of, when I say a lot, but, like, some Disney movies, and these are like the old, old Disney movie. And I just remember my aunt and my cousin was like, oh, you get to go to the US. Like, you need to learn English. And of course, you know, we didn't know Amy. So I remember just because in the vietnamese alphabets, we don't really have S's. So I just remember playing with my cousin and pretend to we pretended to speak in English, and we basically just go just a bunch of s's, like. Cause that was the only thing that sounded different to us. So that's what I remember the most in preparations, but in, you know, going to, like, the medical, because I hated to get shots and I got so much vaccinations. So I remember that a lot.

[14:23] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So were you. Did you. Can you remember, did you feel excited or were you anxious or did you understand enough to.

[14:32] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Well, I think I was, you know, told that, like, we're gonna be reunited with your daddy, who I haven't seen for, like, years. So I think I was excited about that, but I think I'm. I'm sure I was pretty sad about leaving all my cousins. You know, like, we saw each other every day and playing, and so I think as a kid, I think I would have been pretty sad about that, but I think it was just. I don't know, it was just so unknown. Because how can you tell a child that you're like, okay, you're gonna go to a completely new place where you, I mean, know this person that is your dad, but you really don't know them, and then you have to know, like, a whole new language. Like, yeah, I don't. I can't imagine.

[15:24] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So as, now that you're an adult and as you've gotten older, I would imagine maybe your parents have shared more details that may be something that. Is there any new information that has come to light that maybe surprised you?

[15:48] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah, actually, I asked my mom how was the process of them getting over, and I had assumed that my dad had help, you know, doing the paperwork and, like, trying to get us over here to America. But she was like, no, your dad went to the library and, like, had a dictionary, and they just, you know, this is, like, back in the day, like, in the early nineties, and there's no agency to help like they have now. So he just got these forms, and he literally went word by word in order to translate what that, you know, what these words meant in the forms and to do all this paperwork in order to file to get us over. And then he also, you know, didn't have the enough financial because, I mean, he was just working as, like, an immigrant, so he was able to, through my aunt and friends, that. To find an actual american to sponsor us as the financial backer in case something happens. And that was when our paperwork actually got along. But, yeah, he had to do it all himself. I mean, I can't. Like, my dad's sitting there in the library, like, going word by word on the form in the dictionary. Like, that's just. Yeah, that's just crazy.

[17:14] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: A lot of determination.

[17:15] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. To do all that, and that was overdevelop, like, over a year just to do the paperwork.

[17:22] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow.

[17:23] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah.

[17:24] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So did they ever second guess their decision? Because that's years and years and all the risks that was taken. Did they ever second guess it?

[17:37] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: No, because, I mean, they really didn't have a choice. Like, they, you know, I mean, even when they were established as a family, they were still living with my grandma, you know, so it wasn't like they had their own place or they had, like, really great job. My mom worked at, like, a daycare, and then my dad was just doing. He was a carpenter by trade, and he was just, you know, he wasn't working for a company or something. He was just doing odd jobs. So that was how they survived, and they didn't really have a choice. Like, I mean, he, you know, the night that he was supposed to leave, he was just like, I can't leave. I can't leave you. And, you know, my kid, but she's like, we don't have a choice. Like, this is your opportunity. Like, you're not gonna get this opportunity again. You know, we tried before, so you have to leave now. Yeah. I just can't imagine.

[18:35] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Well, and it all worked out, thank goodness. So you talked about your extended family. Did they remain in Vietnam or immigrate? Were there friends? Are there still people in Vietnam? Or has everyone.

[18:55] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: What? Well, since they're both from, like, huge families, we're kind of, like, all over the world, fortunately. Yet I think half of my dad's family did the same journey, you know, trying to go over on the boat. So they're kind of, like, all over the world. Some is in Europe. That's where the. I guess, who was one of the country that was willing to take in the refugees and then some. I think my mom still have, like, a couple of siblings still in Vietnam, but most of them have immigrated over and settled in the US.

[19:33] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow. Are there any other than siblings? Are there any family members or close family friends that your parents or even maybe you would like to someday reunite with, whether it's a visit or is that even possible?

[19:58] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So all of my cousins that I talked previously about that we grew up together, you know, they're all still in Vietnam, and I haven't since, like, seen them since I've left. I've seen photos and, you know, now, great. Because of social media, we can kind of connect, but it just feels like this part of, like, other me, you know, like, didn't get to grow up with them. And then, like, was this completely, I don't know, like, life that we're supposed to grow up together because we were so. Like, we were siblings. Yeah.

[20:36] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow.

[20:37] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah.

[20:38] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So the actual immigration for your. You and your mother and your sister. So you're almost nine. I think, by then, your sister's four ish.

[20:53] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah.

[20:54] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Um. What. From a. As a child, what do you remember from. How did. How did you get here? You guys didn't come by boat, but how. So how did you get here? And how did that happen?

[21:08] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Oh, boy. So I think I have a fear of flying because, you know, the first. We didn't have a car in Vietnam. We just used, like, a mopeds or bicycle. And so the first mode of big transportation I had was, like, an airplane, and it was terrifying because, you know, again, this is in the nineties. We had, I think, about, like, three or four connections over two days to get over here, this. This flight. And my mom, I think, had a panic attack during one of the fights or the connection, and she just froze. And, of course, we all got, like, air sick, motion sickness. It was just horrible. I think we were all very glad to get through that because. But then I do have this very, I guess, very sweet memory of. Do you remember that, I guess, the terminal where you get off the airplane and can, like, walk out? I don't know. What is that called?

[22:10] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: The jetway?

[22:11] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yes. Okay, so I remember. I mean, this is back in. I think this is 93. I came over in. Yeah, I believe it was September of 93. And since I was, like, the only, you know, like, between me and my sister, I'm the only one that my dad has met. I just remember, like, running down that jet, you know, that. What was it?

[22:35] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: The jetway.

[22:36] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: The jet way. And then my dad, Washington, kind of kneeling at the end of the jetway, and I, like, jump on into his arms, and there's a picture of that, actually. So that was really sweet. So that was our. After two days of flying?

[22:51] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Yeah.

[22:52] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Wow.

[22:53] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: And so where did you land?

[22:55] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So we flew straight from Saigon to. Well, not straight, but we started in Saigon, where I lived, and then we got to Orlando.

[23:05] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow. Okay. So is there, you know, now as an adult, are there any other details that you've been told, like, your parents told, like, how did you know airline tickets are not cheap? So how did you get the tickets? Who paid for the tickets? How did all that happen.

[23:32] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So when he was doing his paperwork and once it got approved, you had to basically show all these financials saying, hey, I have the tickets. So I believe he took out a loan in order to get the three airplane tickets for my mom, myself, and my sister. And I think they just had to take out a loan in order to get.

[23:59] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So what was he doing for work by that time? He's been in the United States for several years. So what was he doing for work?

[24:08] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: I think he was just doing multiple jobs. Like, I know he worked as, like, a dishwasher for a restaurant and then just random odd jobs because he couldn't, you know, he was a carpenter by trade, you know. Cause my grandfather was a carpenter who taught him all his skills and, you know, that he couldn't get a job like that here. So, yeah, I think he was just doing odd jobs, which is why he needed to get a financial sponsor. And it was just this old, older couple. I believe he was like a vet, a veteran, and he was a friend of my aunt, I believe, and he was willing to sign. And we met him when we came over and met his family. So that was really sweet. And then another thing, I was asking my mom more about my dad's boat journey because I was just like, I mean, you know, we had extended family, like, extended extended family that people have left and they never heard from them again, so they don't know what happened to them to this day. So, yeah, it was super risky. Every time you get on there, it wasn't like, oh, hey, I'm going on a cruise. So, you know, she told me, like, yeah, he left. And basically you're trying to get out to international water and then hopefully be able to get picked up by, like, another boat or something. But you could be out there for days or weeks, and there's no room in this tiny little fishing. I mean, it could be barely called a boat. Like, it's. I would never get on it now. And, you know, and it's, like, crammed with people, and people left with just clothes on their back. I mean, it wasn't like you packed for this trip. So there was lots of boats that were just stranded on this water. I mean, on the international water without food or water. And a lot of people passed away from that, just being completely stranded on the water and, you know, but luckily, and then, of course, risk of pirates and, you know, just all kind of things that could happen.

[26:29] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: But what kind of boats would. Were they. Anything would pick them up.

[26:35] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: It was just like these small cargo ships or. No, no, no. It was like these small, tiny, wooden, like, fishing or shrimp boat. And I'm talking, like, I would think. I mean, it's, like, less than your recreational fishing boat here, you know, that could fit in a garage. Like, that's how tiny. And then people were just kind of hidden underneath. It wasn't like you're sitting up there enjoying the view, like you're stuck underneath because you're trying to get smuggled out, basically just to get to safe waters. And then.

[27:11] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So once he was in safe waters, how long did it take before another boat picked him up? And what kind of boat was it?

[27:21] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So he first got to Thailand, but I guess the refugee camp there was too full. So he said that they actually, like, fired shots, you know, kind of like, hey, you guys can't dock. Like, you gotta go away. So they went back out, and then they. I get. Yes, they got to a place called Bidong, Malaysia. And it was just, like, a little island that took in some refugees. So they were there, and he was there for a couple of months, and while he was there, he was trying to get to an actual refugee camp that was set up by, you know, I guess, the Un or something. And so he was there for a couple months before he got over to the Philippines, and then he was in the Philippines for, I think, almost a year, waiting for paperwork. This is while the refugees are basically waiting to say which country would take them. And since he was trying to get to America, it was a longer wait, and he chose America. That's where some of our. His siblings had already got there safely, so, you know. But, yeah, he was there. Oh, and then he got to the Philippines. I guess there was a kind of, like a school for them to get ready to get wherever they were gonna go. So he was learning English while he was there, but he was only supposed to be there for about six months, but because of the paperwork, and then it was just getting so crowded, and so many people were trying to get over that. He was there for over a year, and I think there was a couple pictures of that while he was there.

[29:14] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So during this time, is he able to communicate with your mom?

[29:22] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: I think once he got to the Philippines that he was able to, like, get word back that, like, you know, gave his safe word, like, hey, I'm here. But I think that duration of, like, the, you know, the night that he left to get to, I guess, Malaysia, that was no words before.

[29:46] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow.

[29:46] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: She heard anything. Yeah. Can you imagine being pregnant with, like, your second child and have no idea if your husband made it? Yeah, I can.

[29:57] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So did the local vietnamese officials, did they notice he was gone, and did they question that?

[30:08] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So, yeah, they knew. But it was just. I guess so many people were trying to leave by that point that they. I guess I'm sure there was, you know, all kind of money giving, you know, passing hands that they just kind of turned a blind eye on it. There's just too much.

[30:28] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: They just couldn't. Yeah. So. So your family settled in Orlando. Orlando, yeah. And tell me about your home there. You're in your neighborhood.

[30:47] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So I remember, like I said, this is my first memory of the United States is running water. And I guess not just running water, but, like, a flushing toilet and a bathtub, because we didn't have that. We just had, like. Like a kind of this random tank that collected rainwater at my grandma's house in Vietnam. So when we first got here, we got to this, basically, it was like a low income apartment. I think it was like a two bedroom, but just a tiny place. But me and my sister took a bath together in this bathtub because we've never seen it before. And my dad had to show us how to use the toilet and how it worked, and that was just amazing to us. So I clearly remember just taking a bath and flushing the toilets.

[31:43] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So you've moved from your home to a country where everything is different. The language, the food, the culture, geography. Everything's foreign, and it's got to be really overwhelming. So describe your experience. Experience as a child, I think that.

[32:11] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Was a blessing that we were so young, that we're still being very adaptive and can just adjust. And then the fact that we're all together again. And I'm sure I can feed off the energy that my mom and my dad is back together. And they're excited that they went through all that to get us here. So I'm sure it was a lot of emotions. And I do remember, and, of course, you know, my English was very minimal of whatever it was that Disney or kids movies that we watch. But I remember that when we came out, I guess leaving to go somewhere, our neighbor, our Yden in the same apartment came out, and it was just this big african american gentleman. And that was my first time seeing somebody. And I said, say hi to this, you know, gentleman. And he was just like, hi. But I thought, like, say hi. Like that. Both those words were how you say hi. Say hi to people. So, you know, as this kid, I'm, like, telling this guy, like, tell me hi. So I remember that?

[33:36] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Did you start into school right away?

[33:38] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So I was supposed to go into fourth grade, but because I didn't know any English, I started in third grade again. And fortunately, at that time, they did have more resources. So I was in, like, the ESol program. So I had, you know, like, a vietnamese teacher. And it was a classroom full of vietnamese refugee students.

[34:02] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Wow.

[34:03] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: But then we had, like, the home, I guess, home class or period with, like, the regular teacher. So we were able to get both. So, yeah, I started again in third grade and then learn everything from there.

[34:20] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: And so fast forward, like, to. You're about.

[34:25] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Can I make a quick note?

[34:26] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Yes.

[34:27] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Because this is not giving back, but this is how I learned English was through public, like, tv, PBS, you know, I was 910. I think I was still, like, twelve. Watching Barney. Basically, all the after school activity programs on PBS. Like, so that's how I learned my English was all the school. I remember watching Barney's. I remember watching, like, Sesame street, you know, Mister Rogers, like, all of those programs. And we had, like, the subtitle on, like, our small, tiny tv. And that's how I learned it was through PBS. And I didn't remember that until my husband's, like, make sure you, like, talk about that because. Yeah, that's. That's how I learned.

[35:15] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: And, of course, five year olds don't usually watch Barney.

[35:20] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So watching Barney and singing.

[35:23] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: But, so, but fast forward, so you're about nine when you arrive. And fast forward ten years. Where are you ten years at age 1819, where were you?

[35:39] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Oh, boy. So I graduated high school in Orlando. And then I was basically starting college at UCF in Orlando.

[35:52] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So in ten years time.

[35:55] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. I went from someone who did not know any English to being the first in my family to go to college.

[36:02] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Yeah.

[36:04] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So basically, you know, my parents were able to see, like, all their hard work was.

[36:09] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Yeah.

[36:10] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Paying off.

[36:11] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: And then you ended up with a degree in biology.

[36:16] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yes. Wow. Yeah.

[36:18] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: And so then you have your sister, and then you also, after you arrived in the United States, then your family expanded, right?

[36:31] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah. So once we were settled and they worked multiple jobs in order to afford a house and stuff, my sister, my youngest sister was born, and then the youngest brother was born here. So we have, like, a nice mix of, I don't know, childhood of varying degree.

[36:58] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So real quick, what cultural traditions, if any, has your family continued to practice or observe, celebrate your vietnamese heritage?

[37:18] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: So we've outgrown most of them. But I do remember it's kind of funny because my dad risking his life to leave Vietnam. But at the same time, he was very fearful about us forgetting our identity as Vietnamese, you know, forgetting our language, so. And because I, you know, almost was almost nine, I had pretty good Vietnamese. So he was always telling us, like, don't speak English at home because he wanted us to continue because he knew, like, we're gonna lose it really soon.

[37:56] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So do you still have it?

[37:58] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Yeah, so I can still speak it fluently, just conversationally, and then I can read some. But again, like, I was nine, so it was at a very elementary level. And then we did celebrate because, you know, we did have extended family around. We did celebrate New Year's tut. That was a big, big tradition for us. And then we went to, you know, whatever community that. The vietnamese asian festival. Yeah, festival that was there every year. And so we tried to. I think he tried to keep all that up with us until, you know, once we get to kind of older where we're like, I'm not interested anymore. Or we just got busy with school and, you know, but you always.

[38:47] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: You talk about when your family gets together now that you cook.

[38:51] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Oh, you eat, eat, eat, eat. Yeah. It's just.

[38:53] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: So that has to change.

[38:54] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: No, that would never change. When we have any kind of vacations, we go food first and then activities. The activities is just like a time filler within our meals, so. Yeah. And then my dad has cancer right now. He has multiple myeloma, and I think my sister kind of wants to get him have a nice little visit to Vietnam because I think the last time he was there has been quite a while. So I think we're trying to plan that because I haven't been back, like, since I left.

[39:37] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: That would be great.

[39:37] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Actually, my sister, my mom has all visited Vietnam since, and I haven't, like I said, because of my flight, was traumatizing.

[39:51] SHARRON SOUTHERN OSBORNE: Okay, well, what a story. Thank you so much for sharing.

[39:56] CECILIA NGUYEN MCCLURE: Oh, thank you for asking. That was such an honor. I don't think my story is that interesting because, you know, like I said, he had. It was a risky journey, but he was very fortunate and lucky that he made it without any harm. But there are so many stories out there that was just way worse. And, yeah, I'm so thankful that we're here and that we're able to look back and be, you know, just. Just have this, like, history and journey to get us to where we are. Yeah.