When inconveniences such as the Wi-Fi being down or getting a coffee order mixed up can ruin our day — perhaps it's time to look beyond our first world problems and remind ourselves what true challenges look like.

 

Keen audiences at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Houston did just that as Former U.N. Ambassador Sichan Siv shared his life’s journey. 

 

In 1976, Siv fled Cambodia to escape the genocide carried out by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. He spent a year in a labor camp and was twice sentenced to death before escaping to Thailand and eventually the United States. 

 

“I came to US with only $2 in my pocket,” said Siv, as he spoke about finally finding safety in US when he first arrived as a refugee. He later learned that he was the only member of his immediate family to survive.

 

But challenges didn’t hold him down.

 

Ambassador Siv graduated from Columbia University with a Master's  in International Affairs, and served as an aide to President George H.W. Bush and in the State Department. In 2001, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate and appointed by President George W Bush as an Ambassador to the United Nations, serving until 2006. 

 

Siv is the author of two international bestsellers, Golden Bones and Golden State. He signed both of these books after the event for guests.

 

“An event such as this really hits home with how refugees have contributed to the US,” said an attendee during the question-and-answer session after Siv’s presentation. While there were a variety of questions, many focused on the current refugee crisis.    

 

From the killing fields to the White House — Siv’s journey exemplifies his resilience and makes a point that America is truly the land of opportunity.