Ha has many traits in Vietnam, she is rebellious, she is hopeful, and she is sneaky. Ha is rebellious because when Her brother was told to tap is toe on the floor in the morning Ha rebelled and beat him to it. She taped her big toe on the tile floor first because she believed that women could bring the family luck too. “...tap my big toe to the tile floor…” (Lai, 2-3) When you are rebellious your …show more content…
She also comes back to getting used to new foods. When Ha is bullied at school she wants to hurt someone, then Ha used Pink Boys strategy and used her words to fight. When she calls Pink Boy names he is astonished. “Bully! Coward! Pink Snot Face!” (Lai, 219) When you see someone using their words to fight instead of their actions it changes the way you see them. If someone uses their actions to fight they could be then seen as a bad person, but if someone uses their words to fight they are most likely to be seen as a more self-controlled. When Ha starts to make friends at school she is saved a lunch seat every day. Ha normally sat in the classroom but now that she has friends she chooses to be out in the cafeteria with her friends. “...saving lunch seats...” (Lai,229) When you come to a new school and make new friends it is nice to know that you matter. When someone saves you a lunch seat it means a lot because you don’t have to be worried about where to sit. When Ha eats the new food in America she doesn't like how the food comes wrapped in plastic or in cans. One of her favorite food back in Saigon was papaya, when she came to America she got dried papaya and was unimpressed. When Ha adjusts to the dried papaya it shows strength because she is willing to get over it and make the best out of it. “Not bad but not the same at all” (Lai,223) When you adjust to something, it could be a food, the weather, the pace you are, you get used to it and you adapt. In the article “Children of War” Amela says “...better than being a refugee in Croatia. Here, people don't judge you by your religion...”
(Children of War) When you are judged by your religion you can feel self-conscious, you can also feel as if you don’t belong.
In conclusion, Ha’s experiences of being a universal refugee are similar to other refugees. Ha went through being herself and then she became inside out because of