1. With close reference to the text, explain how Saeng and her family have adapted to their new life in America. (8m)
Saeng
- She has been living in America for the past four years
- She speaks a mix of English and Laotian with her family
- However, she feels more comfortable speaking in English
- She still has not completely adapted to American culture
- Her cultutrally conservative background is at odds with the more liberal and outlandish American culture
- She feels embarassed while watching MTV
- Thirteen year old Americans are more comfortable doing certain things than she herself is despite already being sixteen
- She works extremely hard in her academics
- She has never failed a test even when she first enrolled into school and knew not a word of English
- She spent many nights with her mother translating English words into Laotian to understand better
- Deep inside, Saeng feels homesick
- She does not feel as if she truly belongs
- This feeling is most apparent when she sees Lambert and his girlfriend together
- She has flashbacks of her traumatic emigration to America
- She buys a plant on an impulse that reminds her of Laos
Family
- The family plants typically "Asian vegetables" that cannot be found at local supermarkets
- The family also went smelting in their first summer to have enough food during winter
- Furthermore, they combed a golf course for worms to be sold to buy rice for the winter
- By their second year, the family was off social welfare
Parents
- Saeng's parents had been school teachers back in Laos but deigned to take up jobs such as a dishwasher and a janitor
- They also enrolled into an English lessons programme sponsored by the state
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BONUS: an analogy
The tough and resilient winter hibiscus is transplanted from the nursery to Saeng's garden. This is similar to how Saeng family moved from Laos to America.
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