My mother, who is very beautiful, applied for a job to work with my dad. At first, he didn't give her the job, but two weeks later, they decided to get married!

My mom was born in Vietnam, daughter of a royal family. She moved with her family first to England and France, then to New York. Then she moved to Berkeley, California to go to college, and she spoke out against the war. After college, she decided to go back to Vietnam to help, and that's how she met my dad.

My dad was born in Chicago, in a family that came from England and Germany generations ago. After college, he became a lawyer. When he learned about the terrible suffering of the Vietnamese people in the war, he, too, decided to go there and help.

When my mom and dad were ready to start a family, they decided to move to Berkeley, California because they knew there were people of many different races and backgrounds living there. My dad is still a lawyer, and my mom writes for a newspaper. She was the first Asian-American columnist in the United States! I went to Berkeley High School, where I felt at home among the students from many different races and countries. I know there are still a lot of problems in the U.S., but I believe our country contains the seeds of a better, more fair world. While my family came from around the world, my strongest roots are here in America.

Teddy

Please email me at: teddy@ustrek.org