Kimberly Hoy

OTA 110
18 May 2021

Interview with Hing S.

History
Hing (pronounced Heeng) was born and raised in the small town of Battambang,
Cambodia. As the oldest daughter of 6 siblings, Hing was the primary caretaker of her family.
Her childhood may not be typical for me, but is definitely common for Cambodians. As part of
the traditional Cambodian family, she was expected to cook, clean, farm, and provide care for
her family. At the time, education was not enforced nor was it necessary for girls. It was not
normal and was frowned upon for Cambodian families to break gender norms as they had to
maintain traditions. Once she turned 5, her parents taught her the skills needed to help her family.
She spent most of her days on her family’s property; maintaining crops, and feeding and raising
cattles and chickens. Through this she has many favorite memories. When she was about 8 years
old, she was chased down by her chickens because she was not feeding them fast enough. Hing
says there were many lessons to be learned from this moment, especially the fact that all living
creatures desire the need to be fed in a timely manner. A memory of hers that I found to be
interesting was when she told me she used to tie a strand of yarn onto beetles that she would
catch. Her and her siblings would follow them as they flew. I enjoy this memory of hers because
my mother actually did the same thing growing up.
Having 5 siblings was not easy for Hing. She often felt underappreciated by her parents,
as they had unrealistic expectations from her. Despite feeling this way, she was grateful to have
parents that only wanted the best for her; she never took them for granted. Her siblings
understood how much pressure she was facing, and would often help her when they could. They
each played a different role in their household. As the oldest, she had the most roles and was
expected to teach her siblings. It was important for her to teach them as many necessary skills as
she can, as her role would change as she reached her teenage years. Not only did she teach them
useful skills, but her two younger brothers taught her as well.
Cultural Background
Since her brothers were allowed to go to school, they taught her how to read and write in
Khmer, different chants, and the ways of Theravada Buddhism. Buddhism played a significant
role in Hing’s life. About 3 times a week, her and her family would walk to the nearest temple.
They would prepare dessert and food as offerings for the monks, and to pay respect to their
ancestors. Practicing Buddhism was very common for Cambodians. It was rare for them to not
believe in Buddhism and was often frowned upon if this was not their religion. She never felt the
need to stray away from her religion, as she felt it guided her to become more at peace and
grateful for her life. Although her childhood up to her adolescent years were stressful, going to
the temple helped relieve stress. She felt that it gave her meaning and purpose in life; it was often
reassuring. What she enjoyed most was bringing joy to the monks with her homemade desserts.
They often looked forward to attending the temple because of this. Through this, she learned that
making desserts was her speciality, and she used that to her advantage to help her family.
Early Career
Once Hing reached her teenage years, she began learning her mother’s way of making
desserts. After receiving high praise and compliments from others, she began perfecting this craft
in order to sell her sweets for profit. Her mother owned a food cart in the main hub of
Battambang; she sold well sought out street food such as beef kabobs and papaya salad. So
alongside her mother, Hing sold her desserts. She had to be selective as to which dessert to make
and sell, and ultimately narrowed down her choices to coconut-based desserts. She felt this was
the best choice as the flavor of coconut would be a great palate cleanser to her mother’s
appetizers.
Through her dessert cart, she met her husband Pich (pronounced Pik). Pich was a regular
that would often come by her cart to purchase her desserts. She was flattered by this gesture but
did not think any more of Pich. Hing’s mother later told her that Pich was chosen by her parents
for her to marry. Although the concept of an arranged marriage is unfamiliar and quite strange to
me, it was not strange for traditional Cambodians. Once it was known that Hing had a source of
income and the skills needed to raise a family, Pich had come by to familiarize himself with the
woman he was arranged to marry. She was 18 and Pich was 28 when they got married and had
their first child.
Early Life
By the time Hing was 30, she had 4 children; 3 girls and 1 boy. When her youngest child
turned 8 years old, the Khmer Rouge took over. This genocide significantly impacted Hing’s life,
and the lives of many Cambodians. Her and her family were forced to evacuate their home and
leave everything behind. They were promised safety and the protection of their homes- although
they later discovered this was a ploy to leave. They were forced to live in a controlled village
several miles away from home and to follow a strict routine. If they did not submit to the Khmer
Rouge soldiers, her family would be put in danger. She, along with many other women, were
forced to learn how to weave silk and mass produce clothes. Her husband was forced to maintain
crops, and her children were forced to pick fruits and vegetables. The poor living conditions in
the village caused her children to fall ill. Hing and her husband used this as an excuse and told
the Khmer Rouge soldiers they needed to travel to the neighboring Khmer Rouge village to seek
medical help. However, only her children were allowed to go. They used this as an opportunity
to escape. After sending their children first, her and Pich followed a couple of days after; they
had to leave in the middle of the night. Although they knew the risk, they had to try anyways.
After being reunited, they had to flee Cambodia via a boat that was traveling to the
Philippines. She spent most of her time in the Philippines looking for her siblings. It was
rumored that most Cambodians had fled there to hide from the Khmer Rouge. Unfortunately, she
was never reunited with her siblings nor her parents, and had to assume that they did not survive
the genocide. Her and her family lived there for 7 months, before coming to America to start a
new life. She was able to obtain a job as a production seamstress, which she maintained for 25
years. She enjoyed her job because she was able to work from home and she also enjoyed
producing clothes. She saw this as an opportunity to override her negative memories of when she
was forced to work in textile during the Khmer Rouge. Unfortunately she retired when she was
57 years old due to the physical strain her body was experiencing. This gave her more time to be
involved with her community. She was able to go to the temple more often and was part of their
committee. Being part of the committee allowed for her to help the temple plan their events and
be in charge of donations. The events were mostly for important holidays and Cambodian New
Years. Most of their donations were given to families in need living in Cambodia, and to help
rebuild and maintain many of their temples. Although she had to give up the job she loved, she
was able to make desserts for the monks again, and give back to the country she loves. Retiring
and giving back to her community made her feel like she had a greater purpose in her life, and
she had no problem seeking more opportunities to make use of the time she thought she would
lose due to her physical restrictions.
Education
Despite living in America and facing a significant language barrier, Hing did not learn
English. She attempted to attend adult school, but did not have the motivation to follow through
and finish. This caused Hing to never acquire the appropriate education throughout the entirety
of her life, aside from what her brothers had taught her. Her and her husband felt that they did
not need an education. She felt that if she made it this far without an education, then she would
not need to attend any sort of schooling. She was fortunate to be able to work in a job that did not
require her to understand and read in English, and to have coworkers who were primarily
Cambodian. She often relied on skills that she learned throughout her life, and perfected it to
help her get by. As part of Cambodian traditions and norms, parents are capable of relying on
their children for anything they desire. For example, her children were asked to translate for her
after they learned English, although they were struggling themselves. They were also asked to
learn how to drive and work part time jobs to help support Hing and her husband during their
retirement.
Present Life
Hing has been living in California for about 44 years and has been married to Pich for 58
years. Three generations of her family live in America. Two of her children live far from her; the
oldest daughter lives in France and the second oldest lives in Pennsylvania. Hing does not
understand why her daughters decided to move far away. She wants to believe that it was solely
due to them getting married and wanting to seek more opportunities away from California. But, a
part of her feels that her children resent her for their upbringing and how she raised them. She
often feels regret for how she raised them, but I reassured her that she may feel this way due to
her children being faced with different cultural norms.They may have compared their upbringing
and how they were raised to their peers. Her two youngest children live about 30 minutes away
from her, but do not talk to her as much as she would like them to. For most of her retired life,
she was very fortunate to be able to live independently with her husband.
 Just this past year, Hing was diagnosed with colon cancer. For a while, she became
depressed and felt that it was unnecessary to prevent it from progressing. Due to her children
being busy with work and distant with her, she also does not see her grandchildren as much as
she would like; nor do they visit her. Hing’s caretaker and caretaker’s daughter would often
provide assistance. Their company and desire to help allowed for Hing to feel a sense of hope
again, although her depression has yet to subside. Hing is not able to drive, and would have her
caretaker drive her to places whenever they can. They would take her to doctor appointments, the
temple, grocery markets, and the pharmacy. Her caretaker is only scheduled to provide assistance
for a few hours every weekday morning.
Overall, Hing is capable of independently performing her ADLs and IADLs. Her main
role in her household is providing care and assistance for her husband, who has been diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s Disease. It has been difficult for Hing to fully understand what her husband has
been going through. Since Hing has not been educated on what this disease is, she only
understands that her husband is not the person he used to be. It is common for many older
Cambodians to not understand diseases and illnesses. They mostly see it as a factor of aging and
as something that will eventually happen. She describes it as Pich becoming older and losing a
piece of himself as the time goes on.
Occupational Roles
In her daily life, she would partake in the main occupations of: providing care for her
husband, meal prepping, cleaning, dressing, feeding, and religious expression. Hing does not eat
much and does not have the physical energy to stay standing to cook, which results in her feeling
lethargic most of the days. She cooks about 1 meal a day, and would eat in small portions. She
would typically make meals that her husband would eat, because he has grown a disliking for
most foods she makes. This results in the same type of food being made every week, and she
feels this is the main reason for her not having an appetite. Hing also expressed having a difficult
time attending the temple and practicing her faith. Although she lives 5 minutes away from the
temple, she does not feel comfortable walking there.
Hing lives in a studio apartment with her husband. Living in a studio apartment has its
perks, as she used to live in a one bedroom apartment. Her studio has been equipped with daily
essentials and appliances needed for comfortable, independent living. Living in a studio
apartment allows for minimum effort for cleaning and maintenance. The complex she is living in
has a laundry room that has a washer and dryer installed at a comfortable height, so doing
laundry has not been difficult for her. She is also very thankful to have a large, shared yard with a
large orange tree. She often admires it from her studio window because she is fearful of leaving
her husband unattended for too long if she were to go outside.
My Thoughts
If I were working with Hing in OT, I would recommend a few ways to accommodate her
old lifestyle back into her life. From the information I gathered from her, I would focus on
religious expression, and meal prepping and cleanup.
 I would have her work on religious expression first because she has implied several times
the benefits of it and the positive impact it has on her mental health. Perhaps her religion can
provide her a sense of new found hope. For Hing to practice her faith in her religion, I would
recommend for her to meditate with her and her husband underneath the orange tree, while
sitting in a chair as opposed to the traditional way of sitting on the ground with their legs
crossed. She can attempt to meditate in shorter increments before choosing to meditate for the
usual 30 minutes. If she does not feel safe doing so, she can also try meditating while her
caretaker is present. The caretaker can watch over her husband. Another way for her to practice
her religion is by having a shrine inside her home. She does not have one and this is one of the
ways many Cambodian elders practice Buddhism without having to be physically present at the
temple.
Due to Hing having to accommodate her husband’s diet, I would recommend for her to
work on the IADL of meal prepping and cleanup. Perhaps I can introduce ways for her to prepare
meals adaptively; using measuring tools and equipment to plan the proper portions, and allowing
herself to sit down to prepare her meals. She can also implement the usage of containers with
labels, to help her identify kitchen materials. Then she can arrange for most used seasonings and
cooking utensils to be in containers and closer to her prepping area.
Since she would typically prepare meals for her husband, she can plan her meals using a meal
preparation checklist. Through this checklist she can identify what she wants to make for him,
how much of each ingredient she needs, and how much time is required. This checklist can also
be used to plan her own meals too, so she can make the foods she desires.
Conclusion
Hing is a very loving, caring, and admirable person. She had no problem sharing personal
feelings and details about her life, and I truly admire her for that. She expressed that there is a lot
to be learned through her experiences. I feel that her lifestyle now is restricted due to mostly fear,
regret, and limitations that she has set herself. She regrets how her relationship with her children
turned out, and is afraid of being a bother to her family. She fears that there will be consequences
if she steps outside to get a breath of fresh air, because her husband may need her help. For most
of her life, she has focused mostly on the wellness of others and would often neglect her own
health and desires. She is selfless and takes pride in her independence. I truly hope she finds
ways to accommodate a healthier way of living and thinking.