Davik Teng, 9, and her mother Sin Chhon enjoy their first hamburger at a Long Beach McDonalds. The Cambodian pair, visiting the U.S. for the first time, has been amused and bemused by supermarkets, freeways and the Goodyear blimp. (Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer)
Dr. Mark Sklansky examines Davik in preparation for surgery at Childrens Hospital L.A. (Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer)
Executive director of Hearts Without Boundaries Peter Chhun helps Davik and her mother, Sin Chhon, pick out fruit at a Ralphs Grocery Store in Long Beach on Friday, a far cry from markets in Cambodia. (Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer)03/01/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)
LONG BEACH - "Where are all the motorbikes and bicycles? And what is that?"
These were two of the first questions Davik Teng and her mother, Sin Chhon, had shortly after arriving in Los Angeles.
Freeway traffic in Southern California was something neither Davik nor Sin had ever seen and was vastly different from the pell-mell profusion of scooters and tuk-tuks that define much of the traffic in their homeland Cambodia.
Davik asked if there were any "ko youns," referring to an open-wheeled Cambodian tractor. Now she jokingly refers to cars as American "ko youns."
The odd object Davik spotted in the sky was the Goodyear blimp. That took some explaining.
Since then, the mother and daughter have been receiving a crash course in American culture 101 in their first trip out of their native country.
Davik is the 9-year-old girl from a remote village in Western Cambodia who was brought to the United States by a Long Beach nonprofit for open heart surgery.
Since arriving in Long Beach, the mother and daughter have been at the center of a whirlwind of activity. They have made several visits to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, which is donating facilities and cardiac and dental teams for several surgeries.
They have also had encounters with things iconically American such as supermarkets, McDonalds, Jay Leno and Los Angeles traffic. The pair has been paraded around town to meet members and groups from Long Beach's Cambodian community, seen hours of cartoons on television and become minor celebrities at Sophy's Restaurant, 3720 Anaheim St., which has become an unofficial Davik and Sin central.
And this is just the first week.
Beginning Tuesday, the serious work begins. Although Davik was initially scheduled for the heart surgery last Thursday, the procedure was postponed after doctors found significant dental decay and disease that could complicate surgery.
Instead Davik will have oral surgery to remove infected teeth and minimize the chances of bacteria from the mouth getting into the blood system and affecting the heart. Doctors expect she should be ready for surgery in two to four weeks.
Davik suffers from a heart defect known as a ventricular septal defect, or what is commonly called a hole in the heart.
The defect pushes blood through the hole, which stresses the lungs, causes fatigue and shortness of breath and leads eventually to irreparable lung disease.
Luckily for Davik, a battery of tests showed the child had surprisingly little lung disease, making her a good candidate for the surgery.
Supermarket surprises
So far, much of the week has been about discovering America, although doctors have cautioned Davik and her mom to slow down and limit their exposure to locals and the risk of contracting disease.
Still the two have had some eye-opening experiences. Their first trip to a supermarket was one. Davik and Sin had never seen so much food in a single place.
Davik would later say that her favorite thing in America thus far is milk, which is virtually unknown and unavailable to the poor in Cambodia.
On a second trip to the market, Davik and her mom limited themselves to produce, picking oranges, grapes and apples, which are rare in Cambodia.
Then Davik's eyes alit on something she recognized. She ran over and pointed at the familiar fruit - mangoes.
McDonalds was another cultural experience for Davik and Sin. After spending about 10 minutes pointing at pictures and menu items, Davik and Sin settled on an Angus burger with French fries and Hi-C orange drink.
As she split a hamburger with her daughter, Sin said, through a translator, that the amount of meat in American cuisine was particularly surprising to her.
While munching on her hamburger, Davik would often fall into fits of giggles.
When asked what they thought of the food, Sin said it was wonderful and tasted like nothing they had ever had in Cambodia.
While Davik was munching on her portion of the hamburger, two women who recognized her from the newspaper came over. They patted Davik on the head.
"We just want you to know we're praying for you," one said. "And welcome to our country."
Davik and Sin smiled broadly when the message was translated.
Vast differences
Earlier in the day, the two had been at NBC Studios, the workplace of Peter Chhun, the executive director of Hearts Without Boundaries, the local nonprofit that brought Davik to the U.S. It was there they spotted Leno.
To Sin, the differences between Cambodia and the U.S. seem endless.
"Just name it," she said through translation. "It's much more clean. There are no dirty bumpy roads and the roads are clean and wide. There's no stink. The buildings are bigger and the lights are brighter."
Sin and Davik live in a compound with no electricity, no running water and no sewage. They share a 6-by-9-foot hut with Davik's sister and great aunt.
Gradually, though, the two are settling in.
When asked if she thought much about her village, Davik said through translation, "When I first got here, I think about my village and family a lot. Now I think about them a little bit."
Then she laughed.
Davik and her mom have been staying with a Cambodian family in Central Long Beach. When not going to the hospital, Davik watches cartoons on television and draws, while her mom helps their hosts with cooking.
At nights, they often visit Sophy's where "Uncle Bobby" works. That's Chantha Bob, a waiter who first brought Davik to the attention of Chhun and Hearts Without Boundaries.
When introduced to new people, Davik and her mom invariably steeple their fingers and bow in the traditional Cambodian greeting.
Occasionally, the child will add "Hello, my name is Davik."
On a recent visit, Davik and a Cambodian-American girl she befriended showed how easy it is for the child to blend in.
Wearing a sweatshirt decorated with snowmen and teddy bears, Davik ran around with her new friend shooting pictures with a digital camera.
The children would then look at the photos and dissolve in laughter.
"I like it because I see people in the camera," Davik said.
Summing up the experiences, Chhun said, "They seem to be handling it quite well. At some places they've had a big culture shock, like the supermarket. But after the first time, it just becomes normal to them."
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
