Inside Out & Back Again : Timeline

Introduction

The story, "Inside Out & Back Again", is about a girl named Kim Hà who has lived in Saigon, Vietnam all her life. However, as the Vietnam War gradually approaches her backyard, she has to leave everything she has ever know behind in order to not risk her well-being. Together, her and her family flee to America, in hopes of starting a safer life. Through a series of poems, Hà' reveals the story of her life; getting on a boat with thousands of people all sailing towards hope, and adjusting to her lifestyle in Alabama, her new home. Not to mention, this whole journey occurs over the course of just a little longer than a year, her first poem being written on February 11, 1975, and her last one on January 31, 1976.

February

Hà is celebrating Tết, or New Year's, on the first day of the lunar calendar. She follows and does all of her customs but gets upset when one of her brothers has to rise before the others and bless the house since it is believed that only the feet of a male can bring luck. However, while still irked, Hà makes the rash decision to wake before dawn and press her big toe to the tile floor without anyone knowing, and that's exactly what she does.

The next day, Hà's mother goes to the I Ching Teller of Fate, as she does every year. He predicts that their lives will completely turn inside out. Hà thinks this is a good thing, signaling that soldiers won't have to patrol the neighborhood and she can jump rope after dark. Yet, the exact opposite is happening. The war is approaching her home.

Impact

This event has impacted the character by hinting towards her that war is coming soon and her life will be affected. She slowly begins to understand that and knows that she will encounter that in the near future.

Change

The reader learns and gets an idea of what they will read next. They can infer that they will join Hà and her family on a journey involving her evacuating Saigon and leaving to start a new life someplace safe. This event can also lead the reader to wondering if Hà touching her foot to the floor was the reason for their bad luck.

April

Uncle Sơn, the best friend of Hà's father has come to Hà's house to tell her mother a navy ship is coming to help the Vietnamese flee from the danger that awaits them. They have a family meeting before deciding they should take the offer and run. Uncle Sơn tells her mother to keep quiet as this offer is only for navy families, and then leaves. Soon after that, they begin to pack.

They each brought a bag, one outfit, toothbrush and paste, soap, rice, and once choice of a belonging. After saying goodbye to her childhood and finishing the last of the preparations for the trip, they go to the port, ready to board.

Impact

This event has impacted the character deeply. She has had to part with the only things she's ever known and is heading to a foreign land, clueless of what the future holds.

Change

The reader learns that her family decided to leave. They get to see her as she parts with her childhood, packs, and then makes her way to the port, ready to sail away. From here, they can infer that the journey to Guam on a ship will be difficult, and certainly a challenge that Hà will need to overcome.

May

Once Hà gets to the port, she realizes that a secret like this can't be kept. In fact, thousands of people were lined up, all ready to flee the country. When ready to board, Hà and her family take up two mats and huddle together. Just like them, there are numerous other bodies underneath the deck, attempting to sail towards hope and a fresh start.

For days, her ship goes on, no electricity, cooking, or bathrooms. The people can only sip water when absolutely necessary and eat when they can no longer take the lack of food. Finally, it is safe to being to cook.

As cooking starts, different roles are given out to different people too, everyone is chipping in. One night, the ship stops moving. After a few hours, it resumes once more, with only one engine this time. They won't make it to Thailand with only that engine. Immediately, the food supply needs to be prolonged as long as possible. Their quantity of food goes down and now they can only have one cup of water a day. Finally, after a week, another ship approaches, marked with an American flag.

Hà and everyone else on her boat are told to pack before transferring ships. Soon after, they have reached Guam.

Impact

This event has taken a great toll on Hà. She has now overcome the hardest part of her journey and has experienced something like never before. After starving and sacrificing everything, she has finally made it to Guam.

Change

The reader has now learnt of all the hardships Hà has had to face. They have been able to read from Hà's point of view on what traveling under the deck of a ship is like for days to get to someplace safer. A reader can infer from here that her life will soon get better as her life in a new place will soon begin.

Summer

Once Hà has landed in Guam, she and her family settle in a tent and learn English in the mornings and afternoons. They have the evenings to do whatever they want sometimes, movies are even projected. After some time though, they must choose where they want to begin their new lives. After much deliberation as well as a second opinion, Hà and her family choose America.

After being flown to another tent in Florida, Hà and her family wait for a sponsor. Hà's mom figures out that people prefer a family whose application says "Christian", and before long, their whole family has a sponsor to Alabama.

They get off the plane and arrive at their sponsor's house, sleeping on the lowest level. Every day, the family works to learn English until they get moved to their permanent residence. Once they finally get there, they unpack, create a routine for themselves, and get adjusted to their new lifestyle.

Impact

The character has been impacted by this event because her entire life has changed. She is now a refugee living in a foreign country. She also has to adjust to her new house, and her new surroundings. At that moment, everything was new, unusual, and overwhelming for her.

Change

Hà's entire life has now changed, living on an entirely different continent. The reader has learnt a little more about where Hà has moved to and what her life is like after the major switch.

September

Hà begins school in America this month. She slowly gets used to how a school day functions and what all they have to do. However, adjusting to a new school and being the only Vietnamese in her class was very difficult. She was constantly being made fun of for how she looked or of her English. Altogether, she just didn't fit. Hà also felt very dumb and ignorant. She wasn't able to express any of her thoughts or ideas in class and couldn't even tell the teacher that she knew the material that was being taught. So, instead, the teacher was teaching Hà like she knew nothing, and Hà hated it.

Impact

The character has been impacted by being made fun of, being bullied, and feeling ignorant. She feels as if she doesn't fit in and is hurt by this. She also is learning things that a kindergartener learns because she can't express herself since she doesn't know English well enough.

Change

Hà now has to deal with things she's never had to deal with before. She has to handle the churlish behavior of her classmates towards her. The reader has now learnt all of this and is reading about her experiences with being the new kid in a new school.