OCR Text |
Show . I "4 yv ,,,2:: '.K. fv Father Pat Carley with Va (left) and Ying Hounang. pvier, A family is reunited after six uncertain years by Teri Gomes When Ying and Va Hounang left their family in Saigon six years ago they had no idea when, if ever, they would see their family again. Eligible to be drafted into the Communist army, a prospect which their parents could not face, the two teenagers were smuggled out of the country for a sum of 16 gold pieces around $3,000. The pair waited and worked in a Vietnamese village far from their home for a year before being slipped out on a boat bound for Hong Kong. There they spent another eight months working, and waiting for word of an American sponsor. Back home for a vaction in Ireland five years ago, Father Pat Carley of St. Mary's Church in Park City was angered by discussions between Irish government officials and Irish Catholic bishops over what could or could not be done for the Vietnamese boat people. The Irish government said it could do no more. The bishops disagreed. Father Carley came back to the United States determined his parish could do something and applied to sponsor a Vietnamese family. In January of 1980, Father Carley received word from Catholic Charities that they had a brother and sister who had been separated from their family. Would St. Mary's be interested? Father Carley checked with the parishioners. They were. From the day the two arrived here they made it very clear their goal was to reunite their family. Last Friday at a joyous and tearful reunion in Salt Lake City, the entire Hounang family, all nine ot tnem, were together again for the first time in six years. "There was lots of hugging and crying," Ying said. "It was so good to be all together again." The family spent their first night together in their new home on the west side of Salt Lake City. The older home was purchased by Ying and Va with the help of St. Mary's Church. "Mother cooked a Chinese dinner for us," said Ying, whose family is Taiwanese. "We all sat around and talked a lot catching up and remembering. Ying and Va say their brothers and sisters have grown up in their time apart the oldest is now 32 and the youngest 14. They are concerned about their father, who has a bad heart, and their brother, who is 21 and has polio. Their parents have noted Ying and Va's subtle Americanization, but all are grateful to St. Mary's Church and the Red Cross (who loaned the family monev for their airfare) for bringing their family back together again. The senior Hounangs are Chinese from Taiwan. Both were teachers in Vietnam before the Communists took over in 1975. They have taught history, geometry and Chinese. Once the Communists came into power the family was not allowed to work. The children took to selling sugar and coffee on the black market. They also made money by selling American medicines such as Contac and Murine sent by Ying and Va. Each year the pair managed through various house-cleaning and dishwashing dish-washing jobs to send back around $3,000 American money. It was enough to keep the family of seven going for six months. All the while the two worked through legal channels, whose rules changed with the seasons, to try to legally get their family to America. The Hounangs have no plans to return to Vietnam. "America is now our home," Va said. "Our brothers and sisters wish to get an education here and all my family wishes to find work." It hasn't been easy here for Ying and Va. Learning English proved to be harder than anticipated for the two very bright students. "It was really about two years before we could really understand and get along" said Ying. "The weather here was very different for us," added Va, "and so was the food." However, now the two confess to liking pizza, hamburgers and Father Pat's Irish stew. Father Carley has seen great changes in Ying and Va. 'Their English is so much better, and their self-confidence," said Father Carley. "And they have matured a lot and become more independent. But they have retained a lot of their Oriental ways they have a great respect for their elders; they are hard working, very education-oriented and very caring with children. It has been easy for the people of the parish to learn to know them and to want to do things for them. They're very likeable, good people." Ying and Va see the future as working hard to repay all the kindness they have been given. "The people here helped share our pain ancwere very good to us" said Va, "especially Father Carley who was so caring to us." The Hounangs are starting to put their family back together this week. They are in need of some household and clothing items. Anyone wishing to donate can contact Father Carley at St. Mary's at 649-9676. |