Letter to my younger self
I grew up in public housing three minutes away from my current workplace. I sometimes visit before or after work, retracing the paths I used to walk, looking for my younger self. That little girl, what would I say to her? Thus came this letter, originally published in the
Viet salon workers' income loss during COVID-19 pandemic
For those of us with family working in the nail and beauty industries, historical and economic inequities against Vietnamese salon workers are highlighted by the coronavirus. I wrote this article feeling frustrated while helping my brother apply for pandemic unemployment benefit. This piece was originally published as a part of...Read More »
When Your Parents’ Dream Isn’t Enough: the Refugee Generational Gap
The first generation’s pursuit of essentials
When you grow up poor, security becomes one of your top goals in life.
It is especially paramount if you’re a refugee or immigrant. After all, you left your homeland and took great risks in pursuit of security, both in the physical and financial sense.
A...Read More »
In America, A White Name Matters
“Hi! My name is Angelina,” I lie. Everyday. Because I live in America. This is a story about how I bend over backwards to accommodate white privilege. A name is just the tip of the iceberg, but let’s start there.
“What’s your name?”
My real name is Nguyễn Hùynh Thanh Trâm....Read More »
20 Struggles of Being FOB
FOB struggles are real. Which ones do you relate to?
1. Teachers and other adults thought you were mentally slow because you couldn’t speak English.
2. Someone called out a strange sound and you realized they were butchering your name.
3. You Anglicized your name to make it easier for people…and didn’t respond...Read More »
Welcome to the FOBLOG!
Update: As of April 2021, I rebranded my site to my name, Angelina Tram Nguyen. This was my very first blog post in 2017, when I named it the FOBLOG.
I came to the United States at eight years old not knowing a word of English. My father had no...Read More »