Going to America

Once Meng, his wife Eang and Loung were in Thailand, they went into hiding for a few weeks, since they were there illegally. Meng did some work to earn a little extra money for the trip, even though they were still cutting it pretty slim. They board the plane in Bangkok, Thailand for Vermont in America. After that she would not return to Cambodia for many years. While in America Meng and Eang worked long hours, to make ends meet and to send money to family in Cambodia. Loung went to school and learned English she tried as hard as she could to Americanize herself, she wore make-up and other things that girls in Cambodia should not wear. When Meng finally does get enough money saved up the United States had reduced the number of immigrants they let into the country so his immigration application was rejected. He worked harder though, and eventually was able to get Kim and his family into the U.S. after 17 years of being in America, rarely talking to family back home, and never going for one visit to Cambodia, Loung decides to return, occasionally she still has nightmares but her reunification with her family has helped her, she is doing great and i wish her well

Chance at a better life.

After 6 months of being at a work camp. The Vietnamese bomb Cambodia. Loung is able to escape. She goes to a Youn refugee camp and there she finds her sister Chou, and brother Kim, they do not bother trying to find Geek and their mother, they all know they are dead, even though they do not speak of it. After 3 days of being at the camp they find a family willing to take them in and foster them, but they were actually just free labor to the family that took them in, they could tell because they had to work harder then the families real kids and they were also fed less, though they couldn't complain because it was the most they had in a long time. After a while of being with the foster family their foster dad says that he can no longer afford to keep them and they are sent to a different foster family. Once again they were just free workers for the family. Eventually their older brothers Meng and Khouy find them, they go with them and they say that they are going to save money and go to Vietnam they said that there they would have a better life. Once they get to Vietnam Meng decides he wants to go to America and get a job to send money back to the family so they could also come to America. They decide that he should take Loung with him because she is still young enough she can go to school and learn english. To get to America they first have to go to Thailand, illegally. Will they get there?

Falling apart.

About 6 months after Loung's sister died, soldiers come to her families hut and say they need her fathers assistance in pulling a wagon out of a ditch. Her father knows that they are going to kill him, he says his goodbyes to his family. The soldiers still assure her family that he will be back in a few days, she doesn't know why the soldiers bother lying anymore, she knows what's going to happen, everyone knows. After her father leaves her and her whole family sit on the porch waiting, waiting for him to return, when it gets dark, only her mother is left on the porch and she sits there for a while until finally returning to sleep, the next day she works comes home and sits on the porch, this continues on for a few more days. When it is obvious that he is not returning, Her mother makes Chou, Kim and Loung leave. She tells them to walk. and walk separate directions until they get to a work camp, she says to tell them they are orphans and use fake names. that is the only way they will survive. While walking Kim does as his mother says and walks in a different direction. Chou and Loung did not want to leave each other so they went together. they came along a work camp They used fake names and said they were Orphans. Everyday they work, long hours and what not. When the camp leader sees that Loung is stronger then the rest of the girls, she says she will be transfering her to a soldier in training camp. there she is taught how to fight. What happens next? I don't know find out!

Goodbye. Forever.

Loungs sister Keav was sent to a work camp, about six months afterwards they receive news that she is ill and wishes to speak to them, her mother is the only one able to leave. When she gets there Keav is extremely ill and laying in her own species. The nurses in the enfermary are not taking very good care of her. Keav knows that she is going to die and all she wants is too see all of her family, for the last time. Her mother quickly goes back to her village and everyone proceeds to go to the enfermary but when they get there, it is too late, Keav is already dead. When people die in enfermeries their bodies just get dumped, so there is no way to get her and take her to the village and bury her. Her mother, father, brother, and sister are all crying histerically, while her and geak are too shocked to be able to do anything, she never thought that it would happen to her, but reality is finally setting in, she no longer smiles, no longer has the privlege of saying what she wants, can no longer where what she wants, it is all finally starting to sink in to her and she is understanding, they are all going to die, she is never going to be able to go home to Phnom Penh.

First they killed my father

The book is getting sadder everyday i read it. Loung's family is split a part, they forced Khouy to marry so he would not be sent into the war. Meng, Khouy and Khouy's wife were sent to a work camp. Meng and Khouy work almost 15 hours a day loading bags of rice in to trucks to be sent to China. Loung's sister Keav was sent a girls camp working in rice fields. At their hut in the village theres her mom, dad, her brother Kim, sister Chou, herself and her sister Geak. Everyones suffering from malnutrition from not having enough food supply, they are only able to survive because of the extra food Meng and Khouy bring to them when they visit. Everyday they see soldiers going into houses and taking women, while they say they only need to question them, everyone knows what they really do. Even though the cheif says everyone is equal, it is clear that they are not, Theres people like her family who are considered "corrupt" and the base people have lived in the country all their lives

First They Killed My Father pages 1 - 49

"First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung is about her experiences in Cambodia when the, Khmer Rouge lead by Pol Pot, took place in 1975.
In Loung's family there were nine people including her mother and father. Her father, Ung, Sem Im, her mother, Ung, Ay Choung, her oldest brother Meng, Khouy, Keav, Kim, Chou, her little sister Geak and herself. Before the end of the war when Pot Pot took over, she was happy, her family was fairly wealthy, her father worked as a police officer for the cambodian government, she used to look down on the poor people always trying to sell things to her and her mother when they go out. She often whines and complains to get her way. She was outside when soldiers returned home from the war, she didn't know why people were cheering, but she started cheering for the soldiers also,when she goes inside she finds her family frantically packing necessities she is told to get a change of clothes and head down to the truck. Under Angkar rule, city life was considered corrupt, education was corrupt, technology was corrupt, vehicles were corrupt, anything western-based was corrupt, they were forced to evacuate cities and go to the Khmer Rouge base about 15 miles out side of Phnom Penh, where they lived. When the truck runs out of gasoline they are forced to walk like a lot of other people, Loung complains of her feet hurting and not wanting to walk anymore. When they reached the base they were given a red checkered scarf a black shirt and black sweat pants. "Everyone is equal, we will all where the same clothes." said one of the soldiers. Her pa bribed one of the villages chief's with a piece of jewlery of her ma's so that they would immediately get into a village. Her pa is the only one with farming experiences. The men and older boys work in rice fields for 12-14 hours everyday, the women and children work in gardens harvesting vegetables. There food ration is very low, and people often die of starvation. Her brothers Meng and Khouy are sent to Labor camps. Her sister Keav is also sent to a girls labor camp. For awhile they survive because Kim, her brother, works for the chief, and because the chief likes him, he gets to take their left overs home with him every night. He goes through a great deal of pain, he gets abused by the chief's sons daily, but he does it for his family. No one can predict what will happen next, but i feel for Loung, shes only five and doesn't understand what is going on. She doesn't understand the Khmer soldiers are bad people. She wakes up every morning hoping that, that would be the day they got to go home, but they don't get to go home, ever, and she doesn't understand that yet. Meanwhile, the family doesn't talk to a lot of people because, since her father worked for the former government, he would be shot and killed and so would they. So they lied and said they were country folk. I wish I could say that they don't get caught... but judging by the title of the book, i think i have a pretty good idea.