link - http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2006/...34694708358.txt


Eighteen-year-old Trac Nguyen will soon live out his dream of attending college in the United States.

Trac, who is from Vietnam, arrived in Mason City on Dec. 6 to attend school at North Iowa Community College and play soccer.

He is living with his uncle, Hiep Nguyen, former owner of Saigon Aquatics, and his aunt, Georgia.

“It’s much more than I expected,” Trac said, from the Nguyens’ modern home in Mason City. “It’s very comfortable. The people are very friendly.”

Trac said he has been planning his trip to the United States since he was 14.

“To be honest, I’m very lucky,” he said.

His mother, a seamstress, worked very hard to earn money for him to come to the United States, Georgia said.

Trac worked hard, too.

A top student, he was captain of his high school soccer team and member of a championship volleyball team.

“He has done a lot to get to this point,” his aunt said. “If he had not studied hard, if he had not worked so hard, he would not be here.”

Trac comes from Tay Ninh, a city of about 74,000 west of Saigon. The city is in a rural area where farmers raise fruits and vegetables, he said. The climate is tropical.

The son of Hiep’s sister, Bich Thuy, Trac is the first of Hiep’s relatives to come to the United States. It is the first time he and his Uncle Hiep have met.

Hiep Nguyen arrived in the United States nearly 20 years ago, before Trac’s mother was married. Her husband, Canh, is a barber. Trac also has a brother, Toan, who is 15.

When Trac left home, a group of 27 friends and family were at the Tan Son Nhat airport in Saigon to see him off. His aunt and uncle had warned him it would be cold here.

“So I wasn’t surprised,” he said, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans and balancing a black and white soccer ball between his legs.

Following a 23-hour flight that involved stops in Hong Kong and Chicago, he arrived in Des Moines at 4 p.m. Dec. 6, where he was greeted by his aunt and uncle.

Karen Pierson, NIACC vice president for student services, said Trac is only the fourth Vietnamese student at NIACC.

“It’s very unique and very wonderful,” she said. “We have been quite excited about his coming for quite some time. Having Trac here enriches everyone’s experience at NIACC.”

Obtaining a visa for him to come to the United States was quite a process, she said.

Pierson said her goal is to help Trac become acclimated to the NIACC environment as soon as possible, welcoming him and introducing him to others.

Within a few days of his arrival, Trac had met his dentist, pastor and some of the neighbors. A party is planned Dec. 22 for him to meet “all kinds of special people,” said Georgia.

He will also meet the members of the soccer team and his coach, Colin Murphy, a Mason City attorney.

“I look forward to meeting him and to having him join the team in the fall,” Murphy said.

The soccer team currently has three international students on the team, two from England and one from Brazil, Murphy said. Their play has been outstanding.

“We do recruit international players — we are allowed up to six on the team,” he said. “Those players have made us very competitive. It’s also good for NIACC to get more diversity on campus.”

In the meantime, Trac is looking forward to Christmas and has been told he can expect to receive some presents under the Nguyens’ large Christmas tree.

Georgia, who said she feels blessed to be a part of Trac’s young life, recalled his promise to her when he first arrived.

“He said, “ ‘Aunt, I will try my best.’ ”

What a great place to live your dream. IOWA!

That's cool. For some reason when I saw the topic I thought it was going to say "Vietnamese teen to begin life sentence" or something lol. Weird.

Can he speak English pretty well or is he learning?

lol what's to do in IOWA?? reaping corns and milk cows??? I used to have a few friend living in Des Moines and it would take us forever just to locate a bowling alley. lol

Out of all the States, he ended up in Iowa?
Maybe he likes to drive 10 minute to say Hi to his next door neighbor
LOL

lol it's like walking around with a Confederate flag.

Without too much imagination : Out of place in the 21 Century