I saw a documentary about a daughter who was inevitably given up for adoption in America during the Vietnam War, and later reunited with her biological mother in Vietnam.
At first, they were both overjoyed to reunite. But a few days later, gathered together with all the Vietnamese relatives, she was told, "We want you to support us in any way you can. Even just a small amount of money each month would help."
Blindsided by how blunt they were, the daughter, who had been raised in America, burst into tears in shock. After that, their relationship suddenly became strained. She started saying, "I wish I hadn't come. I just want to go back to America as soon as possible," while her mother cried in resignation, saying, "My daughter grew up without knowing Vietnamese culture, where helping one another as a family is taken for granted."
The scene cuts to two years later. The daughter is living in America with her husband and children. "We've barely spoken since then, though I've gotten a few letters. I've shut my door to them. But I haven't locked it," she remarks bitterly.
Is reality really like this? I remember a TV show where Kenji Haga reunited with the American father who had abandoned him and his mother, and there was a scene where Haga forgave his father while crying. It made me wonder if that, too, was just an act put on for the cameras.
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