Le+An+-+Introduction



I was born and raised in Vietnam, although my ancestor came from China around 1920s because of the war. Have been living in Saigon for almost 100 years, all children in my extended family always can speak Cantonese which is very common in Hong Kong. So that, my primary language is Cantonese while my official educational one in Vietnamese. As the combination of syllables between two languages, I have no difficulties in v, b, r, l, n sounds etc. that some people in these two countries often have problems in speaking English. However, since Vietnamese and Cantonese are monosyllable languages, pronounce of some ending sounds properly also is a challenge.

My mother named me with a very wonderful name – Le An, sounds like Lee+Ann. It means beautiful grace or favour. Le An is my given name and Lac is my family name. Because of different cultures, the sequence of name is reversed in English. I currently find my name very special because it has a nearly similar pronunciation in English, Mandarin and Vietnamese, so that I don’t have to pick an English nick name when I arrive in Canada.

Judy Wong, that name hase a really long story. Whenever students in Vietnam attend to an English class, teachers always ask us to choose an English name for easier communication. Since I chose Judy as my nick name, my personality was totally changed. I became funnier and more enthusiastic. In another hand, “Wong” is a Cantonese pronunciation for a popular Chinese surname. It helps us distinguish from people who are from China Mainland and Hong Kong. Having an identical surname, China Mainland people pronounce it as “Wang”, but “Wong”. However, why do I have “Wong” in my nickname? It’s just a memory. I had become funnier when I was in high school and I often told jokes in class. Whenever I told a joke, my friends would say “Judy Wang” = “Judy throwing a grenade” which means Judy is telling something stupid, just for fun; and the pronunciation of the word “throwing a grenade” is same as “Wang”. While I’m a Cantonese original, I changed it into “Wong”. That’s the story and I prefer to being called as Le An now.

Actually, Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City are the same place, but we love using the old name “Saigon” to call our place. It reminds us of a golden age and makes us a home feeling.

I think it’s acceptable to introduce age in my country while it’s a little bit different in Canada and U.S. I was born in 1989, so I’m about to be 24 because I was born in the winter. In my current country, I am being in a hurry for marriage because people think that 24 to 26 for a lady is the most appropriate age for building a new home.

I completed my Higher Diploma in Software Engineering last year. I also had a full time job while I was studying in college. Now, I’m working as an office assistant and pursuing a Degree in Business Administration in the evening. At my free time, I like reading some English materials which I can improve all my skills and doing some research on the internet, but I don’t like novels. I love travelling, especially to Europe. Canada is an ideal place for me to settle and build my future home, so it’s not my travelling points. Niagara Falls is the biggest waterfall global and that’s one of the points I really love to visit. I enjoy the feeling of sitting on the boat under this grandiose natural waterfall.

Immigrating to Canada is one of my dreams and goals now. As an immigrant, I assume that life is harder because of different cultures, weather and especially languages. Sometimes, we can be suspicious about our decision of moving when we are in some adverse circumstances. However, my faith, whenever, is shaking I always remember “When we want to give up, think of why we choose to start.” We live and try our best for a better live, that’s why we are here to improve our English and knowledge.