This is a photo published by The New York Times of a Vietnamese garden in New Orleans. The man in the photo is a Vietnamese immigrant; he is a harvester at a farming cooperative in New Orleans (The New York Times).
This is a map of New Orleans and surrounding areas; the map includes data from the census which includes information as to how many Vietnamese immigrants live in certain cities in this area. This data was collected after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the number of immigrants in the Vietnamese community before and after Hurricane Katrina. The two orange placemarks on the map demonstrate the zone with the greatest amount of Vietnamese immigrants in this area. After reading the two articles from The New York Times, "Vietnamese Forged a Community in NEw Orleans. Now It May Be Fading" and "Post Katrina, Vietnamese Success," it can be concluded that the Vietnamese community in New Orleans faced both beneficial and harmful effects from Hurricane Katrina. Because of the tight-knit nature of the community, determination from hardworking Vietnamese immigrants, and the prideful attitude of the culture, the community was able to bounce back much faster. The Vietnamese recovered much quicker than surrounding cities and cultures. If we rewind before Hurricane Katrina, the Vietnamese community was extremely isolated from everywhere else including neighboring cities due to language and cultural barriers. Hurricane Katrina forced the community to become involved with surrounding areas and politics. This resulted in the community learning the language and customs of the surrounding areas. Children of Vietnamese immigrants could now receive normal American education. The older community members are not leaving the community, but the younger generations are going to college and starting careers outside of the community which in turn is showing the number to lessen. When looking into the theme of Nature/Society, a major concept that sticks out to me within this culture and community is Possibilism. Possibilism is extremely apparent before and after the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The Vietnamese immigrants created a successful community in a new place fleeing from religious persecution in order to provide themselves and their families with the best opportunities. The community started with nothing, it was a very low income area because that is all the refugees could afford. They built homes and beautiful gardens from this unwanted and undesirable location. When Hurricane Katrina hit, the community was able to use their determination and hardwork to build their community. They used this disaster as an opportunity, to rebuild and create relationships outside of the community. Currently, the younger generations are focusing their time getting and education and moving outside of the community in search of opportunities. One thing is certain within the Vietnamese New Orleans community, the theme of Possibilism has never skipped a beat. Even through devastation and changes, the community has always been searching for the best possibilities.
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