Decision to Leave Cambodia

The sisters wound up at their town's city hall, which had been converted into a shelter. But Ly-Sieng Ngo could see that there was no future for her in this new Cambodia. "My neighbors, my friends, they keep walking to Thailand," she relates. Soon, she herself joined the tide of refugees. There were family members scattered throughout the world — Ly-Sieng Ngo had a brother in America, who had been on his way to study in Paris when the Khmer Rouge took over, stranding him in mid-journey. He wound up in Seattle, although he spoke no English, only French. Still, he was a connection, a lifeline to a fresh start, a hopeful future. He co-sponsored Ly-Sieng Neo together with a local church. Eventually, the rest of their family came over to join them.

When she arrived in Seattle, Ly-Sieng Ngo was sent to ESL (English as a Second Language) courses to improve her skills. But her English was already good enough for her to serve as a volunteer interpreter and educator for the Cambodian Association. Church volunteers had set up public assistance for her, but Ms. Ngo was uncomfortable having to account for every dollar she spent, and pleaded for help getting a paying job. Soon, she was earning her own keep as a bilingual family health worker for the Indochinese Language Bank (now called Community Health Interpretation Service) of Central Seattle Community Health Centers. It is a position she holds to this day.