"The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit th citizen/national of the United States..."

Our family became naturalized citizens in 1990. It was a joyful time as well as a very patriotic time in our family. We took the oath of citizenship at Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, a bastion of American History. It was also the time of the Persian Gulf War, the US vs. Saddam Hussein, "good vs. evil," and patriotism running high. I felt a part of it as I took my oath, and even shedded a tear when Whitney Houston sang the National Anthem during the Superbowl.

Before that time and before going to college, I didn't give much thought about labeling myself entirely Vietnamese or American. Though I was extremely proud of my heritage, I didn't feel an identify crisis. Today, I do consider myself an American. But my Vietnamese culture and Asian heritage is a part of my indentity that enriches everything American about me.

My first day of kindergarten in America, I got into a fight when one of my classmates started calling me "Chink" and "Bruce Lee." I don't remember how I responded to his name calling, because I didn't know much English, but I did know the meaning of the derogatory remarks he was throwing at me.

Through school and television, I learned the English very quickly. Language was never a source of internal conflict in my Vietnamese/American identity because at school I spoke English and at home I spoke Vietnamese. My parents made sure we all spoke Vietnamese at home. They always reminded us where each language was appropriate. But as we got older, it was harder and harder to maintain this distinct sphere of language. It became easier to think and speak in English because English was all around us. Now English is my main language and Vietnamese is something I have difficulty mantaining and improving.