Keo Sok, a native of Cambodia and a custodian at Union City Middle School, passed the test to become a U.S. citizen with the help of the school's students. "I missed one question ... but that's it," Sok said. (August photo by JOHN GRAP/Associated Press)September 7, 2008
BY RYAN HOLLAND
BATTLE CREEK ENQUIRER (Michigan, USA)
When Keo Sok, a custodian at Union City Middle School, traveled to Detroit to take his U.S. citizenship exam in July, it wasn't just the 100 history and government questions running through his head.
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He had hopes of this small town riding on him.
"Keo mentioned how much pressure he felt because the community was behind it," eighth-grade social studies teacher Larry Bruce said, "and how if he would have went there and things wouldn't have gone right ..."
Sok finished the sentence: "Then I fail the whole town."
Sok, now a resident alien, was born in Cambodia and has been living in Union City for almost 28 years.
When teachers and administrators at this roughly 1,100-student district decided to help the 48-year-old become a U.S. citizen last winter, Sok, having failed once about 20 years ago, accepted the challenge with a bit of apprehension.
Bruce and Klaudia Fisher, a fifth-grade teacher, led the charge -- getting students to take the daunting citizenship exam themselves and posting new sample questions on a cafeteria bulletin board every day.
"Sometimes at lunchtime, I sit down to eat, and" the students "ask and I have to answer it," Sok said. "That's the only way I learn. When you get old, you hardly remember things, and if you have a kid asking over and over and over, you will be remembering."
The learning process went both ways. Students also learned about Cambodia's people and past. Sok was on hand to provide a harrowing history lesson himself.
In 1975, Sok's parents and siblings were executed by the Khmer Rouge, the radical Marxist group that controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The Khmer Rouge is blamed for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, murder and overwork.
"They lined them up. Kill them," Sok said. "It took me twenty-some years to get over it."
Sok's father was a high-ranking Cambodian military official with the previous regime. As Sok put it, his family "they said was a root that they pull out so it don't grow back."
Sok, who was living with his aunt at the time, changed his last name to hide his identity and escape what would have been his own execution.
In 1979, at the age of 18, Sok and three others escaped and started the 150-mile trek from Phnom Penh to the Thai border. From a Thailand Red Cross station, Sok and his new wife, whom he married after he arrived in Thailand, went to the Philippines and made it to the United States through the sponsorship of three Union City area churches in 1980.
While Sok has since separated from his wife, he has had the steady support of Union City, a small, rural town of about 1,800 people.
On July 21, Sok went to Detroit and took the test -- a 100-question oral exam given by an immigration official. His $675 application fee was covered by donations from Union City residents.
"I missed one question ... but that's it," Sok said.
He still must take his oath of allegiance, but, he said, "I got the hard part done."
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He had hopes of this small town riding on him.
"Keo mentioned how much pressure he felt because the community was behind it," eighth-grade social studies teacher Larry Bruce said, "and how if he would have went there and things wouldn't have gone right ..."
Sok finished the sentence: "Then I fail the whole town."
Sok, now a resident alien, was born in Cambodia and has been living in Union City for almost 28 years.
When teachers and administrators at this roughly 1,100-student district decided to help the 48-year-old become a U.S. citizen last winter, Sok, having failed once about 20 years ago, accepted the challenge with a bit of apprehension.
Bruce and Klaudia Fisher, a fifth-grade teacher, led the charge -- getting students to take the daunting citizenship exam themselves and posting new sample questions on a cafeteria bulletin board every day.
"Sometimes at lunchtime, I sit down to eat, and" the students "ask and I have to answer it," Sok said. "That's the only way I learn. When you get old, you hardly remember things, and if you have a kid asking over and over and over, you will be remembering."
The learning process went both ways. Students also learned about Cambodia's people and past. Sok was on hand to provide a harrowing history lesson himself.
In 1975, Sok's parents and siblings were executed by the Khmer Rouge, the radical Marxist group that controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The Khmer Rouge is blamed for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, murder and overwork.
"They lined them up. Kill them," Sok said. "It took me twenty-some years to get over it."
Sok's father was a high-ranking Cambodian military official with the previous regime. As Sok put it, his family "they said was a root that they pull out so it don't grow back."
Sok, who was living with his aunt at the time, changed his last name to hide his identity and escape what would have been his own execution.
In 1979, at the age of 18, Sok and three others escaped and started the 150-mile trek from Phnom Penh to the Thai border. From a Thailand Red Cross station, Sok and his new wife, whom he married after he arrived in Thailand, went to the Philippines and made it to the United States through the sponsorship of three Union City area churches in 1980.
While Sok has since separated from his wife, he has had the steady support of Union City, a small, rural town of about 1,800 people.
On July 21, Sok went to Detroit and took the test -- a 100-question oral exam given by an immigration official. His $675 application fee was covered by donations from Union City residents.
"I missed one question ... but that's it," Sok said.
He still must take his oath of allegiance, but, he said, "I got the hard part done."
7 comments:
Congratulations, sir! You have earned it!
Your accomplishment serves as an example for all Khmer people overseas -- all those idiotic leaders in Cambodia.
Again, please accept our congratulations on your achievement.
Set example for us (Khmer)? You must be out of your mind, stupid. Even an old Zimbabwean fart can passed that stupid test.
thank you U.S. for giving us more citizenship after waiting for more than 20 years!
U.S. please continue your support to Cambodia and visit Cambodia, not only just Vietnam.
Do you want to use your face again like in 1975? Shameful!
Thailand must be careful not to cause trouble with Cambodia. Otherwise, Vietnam will rule the whole ASEAN because they have strong army and get support from U.S. and respect from many!
War must occur in order to topple the Hun Sen's regime; this is the only viable option.
If war breaks out with Thailand, the Hun's regime will fall. In fact, the PAD will the job for us.
No, war must occur in order to drive Ah Fake US Khmer out of our holy soil.
Look like the guy is just another Khmers who DOES NOT want to be Khmer anymore...
Look at his smiling face, it makes me yack!
Poor knowledge!
This is the result of Civil War!
The result of the breaking down like the story of " Things fall apart" about how U.K. started to colonize Africa.
After breaking down, Cambodia under U.S., then, China, then Vietnam,
now , under many different directions.
Look at Cambodian Law:
We use Japanese law (civil Law) for the fact we knew so little about the Japanese thinking.
We use French law for Criminal Law
Labor Law is so confusing with too many different experts
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