International Orphanage: a Multitude of Perspectives

Imagine being without a family, your future hazy and out of your hands. Imagine lying down to sleep each night with inescapable uncertainty gnawingat you. Being an orphan child is an incredibly trying process that leaves a lasting imprint on millions of children. Dealing with skewed prejudices and social injustices, the pathway through childhood is seldom an easy onefor orphans. Nonetheless, the children aren’t the only individuals affected by this difficult situation. Adults, be it genetic parents, foster parents, or onlookers of the adoption process, are shaped by the process of orphanage as well. I will be analyzing this molding process by looking into the country of Vietnam and the Vietnamese orphans who were affected by the war in the 1970s.
As citizens of a global superpower, many Americans are never exposed to the cruelty and suffering that occur everyday in Third World countries. According to the 2009 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations, Vietnam ranked 116 of 182, falling into the “moderate” human development category. As a result of difficult economic and social situations, many parents in Vietnam are forced to give their children to orphanages. Genetic parents may be torn with this decision. In many instances, however, the difficulty ofgiving a child up is compensated by the chance that the child may have a better life.
Consequently, a foster parent’s outlook would greatly differ. In that respectiveinstance, the adult would be hopeful of providing a child with a brighter future.
Furthermore, adults not directly involved in the orphanage process might possess skewed opinions. Admittedly or not, stereotypical views of orphans still run ramped through the narrow minds of millions of prejudiced individuals.
Several stories in Aimee Phan’s collection, We Should Never Meet, display the adult perspective of the process. A glistening example is found in “Gates of Saigon.” Hoa, the protagonist, is faced with the grueling decision of... [continues]

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