Vietnamese group links kids to culture
The University Vietnamese
Student Association puts on
events to immerse children in
their cultural roots
Roman Gokhman
Campus/City Culture Reporter
Seven-year-old Helen Lan Anh
Shorack is quickly becoming an
origami expert. But unlike most
American children her age, Helen
can name her origami creations in
Vietnamese as well as English.
Helen was adopted two years ago
from Vinh Phuc, a small rural village
in north Vietnam. Her adoptive
mother, Candace Shorack, said while
Helen has adapted to her new envi
ronment, Eugene is very different
from what she is used to.
“Eugene is a very white place,” she
said. “It’s good for her to be around
people who are grown up and who
share her ethnicity.”
The University Vietnamese Stu
dent Association is helping children
like Helen retain their cultural roots.
VSA held its annual Tet celebra
tion in the International Lounge
Thursday. The event provided a
chance for Vietnamese children who
were adopted by American parents
and Vietnamese-American children
to play traditional games and learn
about their culture.
Tet is the Lunar New Year, celebrated
by Chinese and Vietnamese cultures.
“The Vietnamese community is
very small in Eugene and (the kids’)
parents want them to interact with
their culture,” VSA member Phuc
Nguyen said.
About 10 kids participated in the cel
ebration, which marks the coming of
spring. Traditionally, oranges are eaten
for happiness, and “bad words” are not
spoken, because if they are, the speak
ers will have a bad year. Children
learned other New Year traditions, such
as not using sharp objects because they
will “cut” good luck, and using fire
crackers to scare away evil spirits. They
were also given red envelopes with
“lucky money.”
The children folded origami and
played puzzle and dice games, where
they placed candy on different
squares with six animals from the
Chinese calendar — dog, rooster,
dragon, rabbit, tiger and snake—and
rolled a dice that had the six animals
on the faces. If the animal on the dice
and the squares matched up, they
would win the candy.
VSA organizes this event and oth
ers similar to it every year. Member
Ricky Ho said the group is always try
ing to spread awareness of the cul
ture to anyone who will listen.
VSA member Wendy Tom added
that it is important for children to
know their heritage.
“It’s for the kids — for them to get
to know... who they are,” she said.
Brian McCartin, a VSA member who
is not of Asian decent, said the group is
a great asset to the University.
McCartin said he is teaching himself
Vietnamese because the University
does not offer the language. He added
that once he can speak the language
sufficiendy, he wants to attend classes
at the University of Vietnam in Hanoi.
Contact the reporter
atromangokhman@dailyemerald.com.
Mark McCambridge Emerald
Chris Trinh helps Helen Lan Anh Shorack select the appropriate color of crayon
du ri ng the Tet Celebration.
News brief
Organizations
sponsor peace festival
The University and Central Pres
byterian Church at 555 East 15th
Ave. will host the campus group
and community sponsored third
annual Peace Festival on Saturday
and Sunday.
University Students for Peace, Eu
gene Peace Works, Oregon Progres
sive Alliance and Justice Not War are
organizing the festival with a theme
of “Peace Begins at Home.”
“We’re trying to emphasize the
fact that in order to attain peace ...
we need to start with ourselves,”
Students for Peace member Phillip
pa Anderson said.
A march and rally will take place
Saturday afternoon. The march
will begin at 3 p.m. at the Universi
ty and will end at the Federal Cour
thouse on East Seventh Avenue.
Speakers include authors Paul
Lobe and Bhavia Carol Wagner,
Mario Africa, founder of the San
Francisco-based Third World Out
reach Program at the Center for
Conscientious Objectors, foreign
correspondent Reese Erlich, and
Hope Mars ton, a member of the
Lane County Bill of Rights De
fense Committee.
Other activities include work
shops dealing with issues of nonvi
olence and domestic violence,
classes in tai-chi and meditation,
and performances by the Eugene
Peace Choir and hip-hop band
Sirens Echo.
For a schedule of events and
speaker biographies, go to
http://www.oregonpeacefestival.org.
Roman Gokhman
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