" PRPC, located in the mountains of Bataan, was about a 3-hour bus ride from Manila. The PRPC opened in 1980 and closed around 1995. I worked there from 1984 to 1988. More than 400,000 Indochinese refugees (Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, ethnic Chinese, and some other minority groups) passed through its gates. Almost all of them had already been accepted for resettlement in the U.S., and almost all of them had already spent months and years in first asylum camps in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. During their stay in the PRPC, the refugees underwent final processing, health screenings, and studied English and U.S. culture. Most of the photos in this album were taken on one day...the day before I left. They're not the most beautiful, and they don't include ceremonies or friends' faces. I took the photos to remember the look of the camp. What the photos can't express is what the PRPC felt like...the amazing mix of languages, backgrounds, and cultures, the old hatreds and loyalties, the night sounds from the forest, the steam rising from the earth after a sudden downpour, the sound of students repeating an English phrase, the sound of prayers from a temple at sunset..."
~Gaylord Barr~
WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE ALL OF THE PHOTOS PRESENTED HERE. HOWEVER, IF YOU DO RE-POST ANY OF THEM, PLEASE GIVE US CREDIT.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Pictures of Bataan PRPC by Gaylord Barr (16)

76: An invitation to join the Overseas Boy Scouts at PRPC




77. Washing dishes behind a billet.
The oil drum was a necessity for most families. The refugees could buy a whole or half drum, and use it for water storage.
Rửa nồi phía sau nhà
Phía sau gian nhà là nơi nấu nướng giặt dũ, phơi đồ. Những thùng phuy chưa nước là vật dụng tối cần thiết cho gia đình tị nạn, đặc biệt gia đình có phụ nữ hay trẻ em.
Dân tị nạn mua thùng này nguyên thùng hay cắt đôi, rẻ hơn, nhưng chứa nước ít hơn



78.Selling food at the market
Bán thức ăn tại chợ



79. Sunday mass at the Catholic church
Dân tị nạn tham dự thánh lễ tại nhà thờ Công Giáo tại PRPC
Thánh lễ ngày Chủ Nhật rất đông tín hữu nên họ phải đứng ở phía ngoài vì bên trong không còn chổ



80. Inside one of the Vietnamese temples
Chụp bên trong một căn nhà công cộng của người tị nạn Việt Nam? (không rỏ là nhà nào)



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