CHAPTER6

ImmersioninLafayetteCollegePennsylvania,USA

TheMaidenFlightacrossthePacificMyVeryFirstVoyagebyPlane,1952

Saigon‐Manilla‐Guam‐Wake‐Midway‐Honolulu‐SanFranciscobyDC6‐B

ItwasmylongjourneytotheAmericancampus,arealfrontal“EASTmeetsWEST.” The choice of Lafayette College was not mine because I knew nothingaboutAmericanuniversitiesandcolleges.Almostallof theVietnamesestudentscontinuedtheirstudiesinFranceforthesimplereasonthatsincechildhoodtheyhad followed theFrenchcolonialeducationsystem. Inmycase, IneverhadanyourseinEnglishbecauseitwasnotgiveninmyjuniorhighschoolwithFrenchashefirct stlanguageandVietnameseasthesecond.

TheUSIS(UnitedStatesInformationService)Saigonofficewasprocessingmyscholarshipapplication forstudyingMechanicalEngineering in theU.S.Mrs.Bertha von Allman interviewedme in her Saigon USIS office on Hai Bà TrưngStreet, near the famous French Grall Hospital. My academic requirement wasmorethanadequateexceptformybiggapinEnglish.IexplainedtoMrs.Allman

156 EAST meets WEST

thatmymathandsciencesgradesandmy“MentionBien”inFrenchBaccalaureateinMathematicswouldenablemetofollowtheengineeringclassesbecausemathandsciencesinthemselveswouldbeunderstoodbypeopleallovertheworldasuniversal languages.Besides,theEnglishlanguagehadabsorbedandbeenmadeupofmorethan30%FrenchwordsinitsinceitsNormantimes.IalsopromisedtostudyEnglishdayandnighttothedayofmydeparture.Finally,likeamiracleto me, I was granted a Fulbright scholarship to Lafayette College in Easton,Pennsylvania,aschoolselectedbyUSIS.IwashelpedbyHeaventobesenttothisrelativelysmallschoolofabout2,000studentsinsteadoflargeruniversitieswithensofthousandswhichwoulddrownmeinabigcrowdespeciallywithmyveryoorEtp nglish.

Forthisproblem,Ibought immediatelya78RPM“LaVoixdeSonMaitre”record player andAssimil vinyl diskswith text books. I spentmost ofmy timelearning“Mytailorisrich,myteacherispoor…”changingthesteelneedleofthephonograph and cranking by hand its spring for every face of the disk. ImustadmitnowthatmylevelofEnglishwasprobablyfitforatouristbutnotforafirstyear Engineering student of any U.S. college. Mentally, in Saigon I envisaged aTotal Immersion in English on the American campus without knowing theevastatingconsequencesofthatdecision.d

Châu,myclassmateandIwentshoppinginSaigontogetreadyforthelongtrip

ForthefirstlongtriptotheNewWorld,IselectedthebestIcouldhavein

mysuitcase.In1952,theFrenchGrandMagasinCharner,GMC,wasthebestandbiggestgalleryintown.IfoundtherethemostmodernlightweightsuitcasemadeinFrance.Inthosedays,themaximumluggageforeachpassengerwasonly20kgcomparedtothe50poundsallowednowadays.Myfamilygavemealsothebestcamerainthefamily,aRolleiflex,andanOmegawatch.

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 157

ThebestsuitandovercoatmadewithBritishwoolandimportedfromHongKongwerehandtailoredbyMỹTho'stopHanoiTaylor.Mymotherwantedmetofeelsafeindifficulttimesaloneoverseas.ShemadesurethatIhadaringmountedwithaseveralcaratsdiamondanda24caratsheavygoldnecklace.Ofcourse, Ilways took great care of these valuable treasures by keeping them in a safeeposad itboxatthelocalbank.

Family friendsmade a special trip fromMỹ Tho to the Saigon Airport tosendmeoff.Asusual,BrotherFivewasalwaysthegoodmanandletmedrivehissmallFrenchRenault4CVtoseeforthelasttimemyLycéeYersingoodfriendatLaregnèreStreet.Afterparking,Iforgottoturnoffthecarlights!Whenthetimecametorushbackhometogototheairport,the4CVcarbatterywasdead.Whatapanickymoment!Fortunately,the4CVwasaratherlightcar.MyfriendandI,wepushedittogetherthenIjumpedbackinsidetojumpstartthecarbyusingtheclutch.ThankGod,themotorstartedandIdidnotmisstheveryimportantflight.What a catastrophe it would have been forme andmy family if I got stuck inSaigon because of that incident. I later learned that my Yersin friend becamerofessorofMathematicsat the famousFrenchÉcolePolytechniqueandretiredtRuepa XaintraillesinParis.

I returned the Renault 4CV car to my brother Five, with my heart stillbeatingheavily.Thereweremanypeoplewaitingat theairport to seemeoff. Ihad experienced nostalgia and loneliness during previous departures to Dalat,only 400 km from Mỹ Tho with the knowledge that my return date was 10monthsaway.ThistimeIwouldbeseparatedfrommyfamilyforatleast4yearsand 14,000 km. Not a very comfortable thought. Probably the exceptionalscholarshiptotheU.S.neutralizedthepainofthemoment.Asthesayinggoes:liveyourlife,onedayatatime.“Quesera,sera.”Ididmybestnottocryinfrontofmydear parents and relatives trying to convince myself that “the sadness of theeparturewasforthosewhostaybehind.”Itwasjustaquickfix.Lifewasmoreompldc icatedthanthat.

Saigon InternationalTânSơnNhứtAirportwassosmall that the terminalconsistedofamodestsingletwo‐storybuilding.Theadvantagewasthattheroofterracewasdesignedasacafébarforvisitors.Theycouldenjoytheirdrinksandwaivetheirhandkerchiefstosaygoodbyeortowelcomehometheirfriendsandelatives,adozenmetersaway. In thegoodolddays, therewasnodanger fromrrorists.

rte

158 EAST meets WEST

AsaMekongDeltaboy, IwasveryexcitedtoseetheNewWorldhalfwayaroundtheglobe.Itwasalsomyveryfirstvoyagebyplane.Inthe50’s,propellerplanescouldnotmakenonstopflighttotheU.S.andthemostdirectitinerarywas:SaigonTân SơnNhứt airport toManila, Guam,Wake,Midway Island,Honolulu,San F ancisco, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and finally the small regional airportAllentown‐Bethlehem‐Easton,Pennsylvania.

r

SaigonTânSơnNhứtAirport1952PanAmhostess

OurfirsttimeintheFamousManilaHotel,putupbyPanAmduetoatyphooninthe

PacificOcean

AttheManilaHotel

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 159

Thechemistrythatstartedinmewhen"EastMetWest"inDalatforthefirsttime was going to continue at a much more accelerated pace in a completelydifferent environment and state ofmind.After themaiden "Flight of theEagle"from the shores of the Mekong Delta to San Francisco Bay, my life changeddrastically.IleftanunderdevelopedFrenchcolonyinIndochinaandflewoverthePacificOceantostudyengineeringinthemostadvancedcountryoftheworldin1952.Itwasquiteabigjumpforalittleguy.Iwouldkeepmyeyeswideopentoobserve thenew“blackboxorPandora’sBox.”Mystayat theLycéeYersinhadlready instilled in me the essence of French good manners. Now I would bexpos oae edt thenewAmericanwayoflife.

My initialTrans‐Pacific journey,8,880miles(14,200km)fromtheEast totheWeststartedwithatyphooninthePacificOcean.ThepropellerplanesDC‐6BandConstellationofthisperiodcouldnotflyabovethebadweatherliketoday’sjets.Asaresult,theairlinehadtoorganizeanunscheduledovernightstayatthefamousManilaHotelinthePhilippines.Thehotelwasfamousbecauseitwastheheadquarters of General MacArthur during WWII. The trip itself was uniquebecause thePacificOcean routewasnot ready for commercial aviation service.Many refueling stops were actually made at US Navy bases such asWake andMidway islands in thePacificwhere therewereno civilianairports.TheplanesgotrefueledbythemilitarypersonnelandthepassengerstooktheirmealsattheNavymesshalls.ItwasararetreatformetoknowwhatlifewaslikeintheNavy.My adventure had really begun this way. I noted that in the early 50’s,international flights were considered a luxury. Passengers were mostly welldressed.Airline seatswerewideand comfortableunlike those inmoremoderntimes. Meals on planes were served with porcelain and silverware. No papernapkins, paper cups, plastic knifes and forks. Tourist class meant comfortableclass.Nomessysecuritychecksorstripsearchesat theairport likethose in the21st century.Noshoesoffeither! Itwasverycivilized,enjoyable travel.Anothersurpriseinmylife:IlivedtwoThursdaysinoneweekonearthbecauseIcrossedthe international dateline. Airline stewardess gave out souvenir certificates forthespecialoccasion.Forhours,IsawnothingbutmonotonouswhitecloudsovertheOcean.Finally,theplanelandedonAmericansoil,Honoluluairport.IwasveryimpressedbytheexoticHawaiianHuladancerswearingcolorfulgrassskirtsandholdingtorches.

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HawaiiHuladance

HawaiiHuladanceTorchfiredance

A new headache for me. The immigration papers must be completed at

Honolulu airport before going to themainland and I was not capable of fillingthem out in English. Fortunately for me there was TN Châu, my Yersinschoolmate,whohappenedtobeonthesameflighttoAmericaandhecametomy

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 161

rescue. He did all the required paperwork forme. Finally, the silhouette of theworldfamousGoldenGateBridgeappearedonthehorizonannouncingthearrivalintheNewWorld.IdidnotknowthenthatthisGoldenGateBridgewithitsSanranciscoBaywastobemanymanyyearslatertheplaceformetofinallythrowyanchorinthegreatAmericanNation.

Fm

GoldenGateBridge

AFirstHotDog

rrivingatSanFranciscoAirportSept1952 A

MyscholarshipprovidedafewdaysoforientationinSanFranciscotohelpmeadjusttomynewlifeinAmerica.Itwasaveryimportantmomentinmylifewhen East met West for the first time in a much more overwhelming waycomparedtomyfirstexperienceatthelittletownofDalat.Itwasthebeginningofa long and very challenging journey. In San Francisco, the orientation program

162 EAST meets WEST

hadFrank,a jovialAmericanguideshowingmewhatanewcomershouldsee inheBayArea.t

AftertheGoldenGate,IpaidavisittotheCliffHouseshopandrestaurant.Amini shock happened when Frank offered me a “Hot Dog.” Of course, in aVietnamese village, some people could enjoy dog meat but I did not expectAmericans todo that too!Not so, Frank toldme that actually itwasmadewithpork and beef. I learned later that the consumption of dog meat was foundsometimes in Germany a long time ago. Therefore, the normal suspicion thatsausagesmighthavecontaineddogmeatwasoccasionallyjustified.Ahotdogcanoftenbeknownunderdifferentnameslikefrankfurter,frank,wiener,andweenie.Towardstheendofthenineteenthcentury,cleverstudentsatYaleUniversityinNewHaven,Connecticut,beganreferringtosausagesasdogs.Alunchwagonthatoperatedthereatnightwascalled"TheKennelClub"becausethehotdogswereits specialty with the sausage served in a bun garnished with mustard. Frankexplained theoriginof theword “dog” in the expression "HotDog" thatway toconvinceme that therewas no dogmeat in the hot dogs in the U.S.. The term"dog" was used as a synonym of sausage already in 1884 and accusations ofsausage‐makersusingdogmeathaddatedbacktoatleast1845.

TheCliffHouse,famo foritsRockfullofsealsus

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 163

OldCableCar

TheGatetoChinatownwiththelargestChinesepopulationoutsideofChinaandTaiwan

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UnionSquareinthecenterofdowntown&famousSaintFrancisHotel

TheSt.FrancisbecamethehotelwhereRepublicanpresidentsstayedwhennSanFrancisco.i

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 165

HistoricFairmont Democratic presidents usually stayed at the Fairmont. In 1945, theFairmont hosted international statesmen formeetingswhich culminated in thecreation of the United Nations. The United Nations Charter was drafted in theotel's Garden Room and this major historical event was memorialized by alaqueatthehotel.hp

TWA,ConstellationSanFrancisco‐Pittsburgh‐Easton,Pennsylvania

Afteragood time inSanFrancisco, Iwouldbealonesoon tocontinuemy

journey toLafayetteCollege, inEaston,PennsylvaniaviaPittsburgh,Harrisburg,andfinallyAllentown‐Bethlehem‐Eastonairports.Therewasnononstopflighttothe small town of Easton. This was a fascinating trip to the Lafayette Collegecampus,allaloneandthistimewithoutanyhelpfrommyfriendTNChâuwithhisfluencyinEnglish!IselectedthewindowseattoobservetheNewWorldcarefully.Whentheplaneapproachedtheairportatlowaltitudetoprepareforlanding,myfirstsurprisewasthemillionsofwhitechickensrunningfreelyonthemanygreen

166 EAST meets WEST

farms. InVietnam,wedid not have anyhuge,mass production of chickens andeggs like that. Ialsosawgiant,healthyweepingwillow treeson those farms. InVietnam,weepingwillowwasthesymboloftheslim,slender,petiteandgracefuligureofa lady.WhatacontrastbetweenEastandWestwhichhadstartedwithhe"hft otdog"inSanFrancisco!

At the airport, I felt relieved to have Mr. Lee, the Lafayette Director offoreignstudents,takecareofmycheck‐outandtransportationtothecampus.WetoppedatPardeeHall(seephoto)tocompletemyregistrationasafreshmaninngineeringandtogetadormitoryroominEastonHall.se

PardeeHall,LafayetteCollege

Up tonow,my journeywas just one‐week tourism.Nowbegan the roughandtoughacademicImmersionexperience.

LithographofLafayetteCollege,circa1875

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IhadhadatasteofimmersionintotheEnglishlanguageontheflighttothePennsylvania campus, but now Iwas suddenly “thrown into the ocean to learnhowtoswim.”NoonespokeVietnamese,orevenFrench,soEnglishwasnowmyonlyoption forcommunicatingwith thepeoplearoundme.The feelingwasnotdissimilartohowIhadfeltwhenmyfatherimmersedmeintheMekongRivertoteachmehowtoswim. Ichokedinthemurkywaterandlostmybreathseveraltimes.Nowadays thereareothermorehumanewaysof teachingswimmingbuthen‐asnow‐Iwasscaredtodeath,andhadnochoicebuttolearnhowtostaybovethewater.ta

MyregistrationatPardeeHall,builtin1873

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EastonHall

EastonHall,mydormitory,wasbuiltin1926.Myroomwasontheground

loor,ontheothersideofthisfaçade,facingasmallgreenforest.f

EastonHallGateto downtownEaston

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LafayetteCampus

LafayetteCampusinautumn

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Campusinautumn

IwillalwaysrememberthosefirstfewdaysatLafayette.Comingfromawar

torn country, Iwas surprised to see somany century‐old buildings around thecampus,aclearsignthatAmericahadenjoyedpeaceforalongtimethroughthecourseofitshistory.NosuchhistoricbuildingscouldbefoundinSouthVietnamue to the devastation of five decades of continuouswars following the nearly00yed1 arsofFrenchcolonialrule.

My adventure of attending an American university beganwith getting toknowmyfellowfreshmanclassmatesinEastonHall.TheyaskedmewhereIcamefrom, and when I told them Vietnam, they had no idea where that was! IreluctantlyexplainedthatVietnamwasformerlyknownasFrenchIndochina,andonly then did they seem to know it was somewhere in Asia. It seemed as ifAmericanswerepoorlyversed inworldgeography.Even later,when Iacceptedinvitations to speak to groups about Vietnam such as the Kiwanis and Rotaryclubs, I was often asked the same questions. Once, at the Wilkes‐Barres TVstation, the staff provided me with photos of half naked montagnards, ourietnamese equivalent to indigenous tribes living in the highland jungles, andeferredtothemasthe"peopleofVietnam!"Vr

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 171

My next surprise was discovering that the dorm’s shower facilitiesconsisted of only one big room with six shower heads. No privacy at all; justeveryone naked in the same room taking showers! Itwas quite a shock tome.Withmy longestablishedConfucianupbringing, ithadnotevenoccurred tomethat bathing would be a communal activity at my new school. Whereas I waseagertoadaptmyselftotheAmericanwaysoflife,Iwasnotquitereadytostripdownandforegomyprivacy.Iwouldencounterasimilarsituationyearslateratamp Pendleton, but for now my solution was to shower wearing swimmingrunksCt .

My next door neighbor and freshman classmate was Don Sayenga, fromPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Hewas over six feet tall and a heavyweight. I, on theother hand, was a five foot four, and a featherweight. Don belonged to theLafayette football andwrestling teams.Hewas incrediblyopenhearted, andanincredibly nice guy. He did not intimidate or bully me with his physicalsuperiority;onthecontraryheseemedtoprotectmeagainstadverseconditionsonourfloor.Webecameveryclosefriendsandourfriendshiphaslastedovertheyears. With Don’s help, I enduredmany surprises as I foundways to adapt toeing “strangerinastrangeland.”

a

b

DonSayengacametoseemeinCaliforniaaftermycampPendletontime,1975

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Among themanysurprises that I encountered,oneof thebiggestwas thefood. Everything about it was completely different. As soon as I arrived inAmerica,Ihadtoswitchcompletelyfromchopstickstoknifeandforks,fromriceto cereals and bread, and from water to milk. Since Vietnam had no dairyindustry,Ihadneverhadfreshmilk.Ihadonlytheexpensive,importedsweetandcondensed milk that we added to our black coffee. Furthermore, as if I didn’tstandoutenoughasa smallAsian fellowspeakingbrokenEnglish, Idiscoveredthat my hand tailored shirts and trousers further singled me out as a newlyrrivedforeigneroncampus.Iquicklytradedtheminforbluejeans,T‐shirts,andwarmaa jackettoblendintothecrowd.

Mymath,physicsandchemistryclassesweresmoothsailing,but Ihad todrop my surveying class because the colonel teaching the course had a verystrong and incomprehensible accent from Alabama. Instead I took a speedreadingclass,andEnglishforforeigners.ThefirstfewweeksaroundthecampusweresointensethatIlosttrackoftimeandmybrainwassofullthattherewasnoroomforfeelingnostalgicorhomesick.Thensuddenly,IfeltlikeIhadbeenstruckbylightningwhenIreceivedaletterfromtheInstituteofInternationalEducationinNewYork thatwas administeringmy scholarship. It stated thatmyprogramwasgoodonlyforoneyearanditwasnotrenewable.Whatashock!Myparentscouldnotpossiblyaffordthousandsofdollars to financemynext threeyearsofcollege,andIcouldn’tbearthethoughtofgoinghomewithoutadegree.Icouldn’tunderstandwhyUSIS inSaigonhadnottoldmethis inadvance.Was itmyfate,ydestiny?HadIknownthisbeforehandIprobablywouldhavegivenuponmyream gmd ofstudyin inAmerica.

I carefully read the letter again andwas able to find a loop hole, a silverlining.ThefineprintmentionedthattheywouldhelpmerenewmystudentvisaifI could prove that I could supportmyself next year. After some brainstormingwith friends, I came up with a solution. I would save most of my existingscholarshipmoneyfornextyear,andlookforeverypossiblewaytoworkforfoodorcash. Iwassure that Icouldmake itworkby limitingmyexpenses toabareminimum.Thiskindofchallengehardenedmycharacter,madeamanoutoftheboy insideme. In retrospect, the fearof failurewas sogreat thatall thepainfulsacrifices seemed small, and thisunprecedentedperiodof survival hada directinfluence onmy future achievements and success in life. And so, in this way Ireceived a baptism of fire right there on campus. Frank R. Hunt, the dean ofstudents,becamemyfirstAmericanGoodSamaritan.HeandMrs.Huntlivedinasmall villa on 3West Campus in Easton. He offeredme a small room near hiskitchenforfree,sothatImightbeabletocontinuemystudies.Inreturn,Iwould

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 173

help with little jobs like washing the car, cutting the grass, and sweeping theallen eavesintheyard.f

l

DeanHunt’shomewhere livedfrom1953to1956I

DeanHunt’shome

OntheHunt’sfrontlawnwithmytwinfromParis;graduationdayMay1956

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Ialsofoundajobasadishwasherand/orwaiterinWatsonHall,astudentresidencewithin‐houseeatingfacilities.ThemanagementofWatsonHallanditsresidentswasdonebythestudentsthemselves,withthehelpofthehousemaster,whoalsolivedatthehall.Inthiscase,Dr.Saalfrank,theheadoftheMathematicsepartment,servedasthehousemaster.Theonlypersonhiredfromoffcampusasthefulltimeprofessionalcook.

Dw

WatsonHallStudentResidence,agiftfromIBM

Byworkingtwohoursaday,Igotmybreakfast,lunchanddinnerforfree.

For aVietnamese fromawell‐offmiddle class family, having towashdishes orwait on tables was surely unheard of. Asians looked upon manual labor asdegrading.ButIsawitas“otherlands,othercustoms.”Apparently,eventhesonofPennsylvania’sgovernordidmanualworkonthehighwayprojects.IrememberhowreluctantIwastoputonmywhitewaiter’suniformtoserveboysandgirlsintheWatsonHalldiningroom;butthedyewascastandonthefirstdayofwork,severalofmycoworkersopenedthekitchendoorand launchedmeoutto“sea”likeaboat!Icontinuedtoworkformymealsforthenextthreeandahalfyears.Therewerenotips.OnceinawhileIwasinvitedtoeatatthetablewhereFrenchwasspokentohelpstudentspracticethe language.OnthosedaysIdidnotwaiton tables orwash dishes, even formy ownmeals. Actually, washing dishes bymachinewasaneasytask.Themachinedidallthewashing,rinsinganddrying.Ijust put dirty dishes on the tray, let themachine do its thing, and took out thecleandisheswhen itwasdone. I alsohad anotherwaiter jobon campus at theHoggHallcafeteria,whereImostlywaitedontables,butalsolearnedhowtogrill

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 175

hamburgersandhotdogs.WiththisjobIearnedtheminimumwageofonedollarper hour, but also received tips. Studentswere not good tippers however, andduringtheentireperiodbetween1952and1956,Inevergotatipofmorethanauarter.Nowadays,Ialwaysleavegoodtipstowaiters,havingbeenintheirshoeseforeqb .

Aroundthecampusmanyprofessorshadtheirhousescleanedbystudents,andDr.Pascal,aFrenchteacher,hiredmetokeephisheater filledwithcoal. Inthe 50’s,manyhomes in Pennsylvaniawere heatedby gravity‐fed coal burningheaters installed in the basement. Trucks on the street level would fill up theheatersorcoalhoppersinthebasementwithgranularcoalthroughabigpipe.Ahugeinvertedpyramidfunnelinstalledonthetopoftheheatersreceivedthecoal.Iwashiredtogodowntothedark,coldbasementtorefillthecoalfunnelbyhand.Iremembercoveringmynosewithahandkerchiefwhichofcourse,waswhiteinthosedays.BythetimeI finishedthe jobmyhandkerchiefwouldbecompletelyblackaroundmynose.Forthismiserablejob,Iwasstillonlypaidonedollarperhour.Neverthelessthevalueofthosedollarsstrengthenedmycharacter.Lookingbacknow,IthinkIwouldhesitatetorepeatthesameexperience,butnotallofmyobsweresodifficultordirty.Forexamplemyformermathteachersletmegradeheirsjt tudents'quizzeswhichweregiveneveryfewweeks.

Onweek‐ends,someprofessorshiredstudentstohelpcollectscientificdatainthelabfortheirresearchpapers.IquicklybegantorealizethatmanystudentsinAmerica"workedtheirwaythroughcollege,"anormal,laudableandhonorablepractice ‐ nothing to be ashamed of, as it would be in the East. My biggestproblem,however,was time. Itwasaconstantbalancingactbetweenworkandstudies. My first two years proved to be the most challenging. I had to spendcountless hours doing homework for my engineering courses, all the whileorking to earn enough money for the renewal of my student visa for theollowwf ingyear.

Nowadays, lookingbackmorethanhalfcenturyago,Icannothelpbutfeelbothawedandsomewhatoverwhelmedbytheprogressthattheworldhasmadein both science and engineering. Back in the 50’s when I was in school,engineering students used long bamboo slide rules. There were no personalcomputers, pocket calculators, iPads or tablets. The slide rule was used formultiplication and division, plus functions such as roots, logarithms andtrigonometry.Everydayon thecampus,engineeringstudentswalked fromclasstoclasswitha10‐inchleathersliderulecasehookedtotheirbeltlikeaweapon.Theuseof sliderulescontinued togrowthrough the1950’sand1960’s,butbytheearly70‘s,theelectroniccalculatormadethesliderulelargelyobsolete.

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Engineering wasmore difficult forme than formy American classmates.ThiswasmostprobablybecausetheyhadgrownupinamoremechanizedsocietythanIdid. InAmerica, itwascommonforteenagerstodriveandmaintaintheirown cars, which was rare in the East. Similarly, many students were alreadyfamiliarwithfarmmachineryandothermechanicalgadgets. Itwasobviousthatthishands‐onexperiencegavethemaclearadvantageintheirlabwork.Ididmyest tobreach theknowledgegapbetweenmyselfandclassmatesbyvisitingasanymanufacturingplantsaspossible.

bm

Standard10‐inchsliderulewithleathercase

PrestonandĐiểudoinghomework,EastonHall1953

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 177

Moneywasn’t the only reason that I pushedmyself to apply for a tuitionscholarship for the following year. I also needed good grades. In addition topassingthedreadfulEnglishclasses,IhadtomakesurethatIgothighmarksinmathematics, physics and chemistry. The American academic system wascompletely different from what I was used to, but I grew to appreciate thedifferences.Forone,therelationshipbetweenstudentsandprofessorswasquiteinformal, and there was a constant flow of liberal exchange between them.Secondly,incontrasttoVietnamwherethestudentstookonlythefinalexamsattheendoftheyeartopassthecourse,theAmericansystemwasbasedonquizzesall year round. I liked thisnew test approach since it allowedme to spreadmystudy loadmore evenly over time, rather than cramming intensely for just thefinalexams.Ialsoappreciatedthehonorsystemobservedbythecollegebecauseitshowedrespectforthestudents,whowereforcedtofeelresponsiblefortheirowndeeds.

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IexperiencedaverydifficultbeginningatLafayette,however,likeapieceofsoftironbeingcraftedintoafinesword,Ibecameharderandsharperindealingwith problems. Admittedly, at times I felt terribly homesick, with my belovedfamily seemingly a million miles away. I can remember looking through mywindowinEastonHallcryingquietlyonmanyarainynight,butIwaswillingtopaythepriceofafewtearsinordertogainfinancialviabilityandtoovercomethefear of failure. I realized that therewas nothing degrading about doingmanuallabororevenwaitingontables.EachtimeIfoundadimeoraquarterleftonthetable, I felt it was fair for thework I did ‐ not charity dispensed bymy fellowstudents at Lafayette. I learned to appreciate the real value ofmoney, knowingthatithadcomefrommyownsweatandsacrifice.Itwasamemorablelessononinancial independenceandhowto livewithinmymeans,auseful tool thathaservedfs mewell‐especiallyduringretirement.

During my years at Lafayette, I discovered another soothing treasure ‐classicalmusic.Inhighschool,Ihadlearnedfromthepoet,Lamartine,hownaturecouldserveasasourceofconsolation.NowIfoundthatclassicalmusiccoulddothe same. Duringmy school days in Vietnam, I had never been exposed to theworksofBeethoven,Mozart,Dvorack,Tchaikovskyandothers,butnowtheworldof classicalmusic opened up tome, and I took solace in its ability to upliftmyspirit and smoothmy soul. Later,when I returned to Vietnam, I shipped home

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 179

severalhundredlongplayingrecordsandagoodhi‐fisystem‐mymosttreasuredouve irfromAmerica.s n

Summerwork:

Duringsummer,Ikeptmyselfbusyworkingtosavemoneyfortherenewalofmystudentvisa.IenjoyedmyjobasacounselorinsummercampsinNaples,Maine,teachingswimmingtotheboysandmakingfieldtripstoNewHampshiremountains.

CampcounselorinNewHampshire;swimminginstructor,Naples,Maine1953

Anothersummer,IstayedonthecampusdoinglabworkinsandcastingtoollectdataforDr.WilliamChilds’sfoundryresearchpaper.c

Sociallife:

Around the campus, there were many church organizations whosememberssponsoredforeignstudentstohelpthemfamiliarizewiththeAmericanway of life and tomake them feel less lonely in a new land. I was lucky to beintroducedtotheMillerfamilyin1953bythedowntownPresbyterianChurch.Ibecameamemberof the familyeversince.Duringtheholidays theytookmetovariousparts of the country: theHershey'sChocolateWorld inHershey,PA, anentertainment complexwhich also includesHersheypark.We visited the Jerseyhores,thePoconoMountains,theDelawareWaterGapNationalRecreationAreandNewYorkCitywhichisonly70milesaway.sa

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Week‐endattheMiller’shome1953WeekendatJoanFlagler’shome

BudMillervisitSaigon1967

FriendinFloridatripwithDean&MrsHunt;TouringNYCwithschoolmates

Immersion in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, USA 181

TriptoFloridawithDean&MrsHunt;SociallifeatRutgersUniversity1956

Christmas1953,RockefellerPlazainNewYorkCity

I met two friends from Vietnam: Chẩn working for VOA New York andr. Mô,SaigonPostmasterinmissionhere.M

182 EAST meets WEST

Lookingbackatmyfirstencounterwhen"EASTmeetsWEST"attheLycéeYersin,theclashwasrelativelyaminoronecomparedtowhatIhadtodealwithatLafayetteCollege.MystrugglewithFrenchmannersinDalattookplacewhenIstill lived in my country and was surrounded by my familiar Vietnameseenvironmentwithitstraditionsandcustoms.Iwasthenayoungmanfromawell‐to‐do family having comfortable living conditions and the joy of seeingoccasionally my parents and relatives. At Lafayette College, I was completelysubmerged in the American way of life and had to work as a waiter andhandyman formy roomandboard to seeme through college. LafayetteCollegewasmyfirstrealbattlewhen"EASTmeetsWEST"rightontheAmericansoilanditwasonlythebeginning.ManymorebattlesandmuchgreaterchallengeswereawaitingmeattheprestigiousMITinBoston,Massachusetts...