A Fourth of July like no other for Michael Phy

July 4th will have a new meaning this year for Michael “Wa” Phy and his family. Phy, a native of Cambodia, become a naturalized American citizen during a ceremony in May. Phy and his wife, Michelle Douk, are the owners of the County Seat Coffeehouse in Mantorville.
The last year has been stressful for Phy. As an immigrant, he wondered if he would be deported. Michelle said the national climate made the family nervous, and Phy had tried twice already to become a naturalized citizen. He finally succeeded in May, and was honored last week with a gathering sponsored by the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce at the County Seat Coffeehouse. The event was organized by the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce.
In presenting Phy with a congratulatory certificate from the Mantorville Chamber, President Terry Eckstein admitted that  when he heard a Cambodian immigrant was buying the County Seat Coffeehouse, he wondered “How is that going to work?”
“It worked out well,” he said.
Immigration is a long and difficult process, said Mantorville Mayor Chuck Bradford. Phy, he said, is an example of how that process works. “Wa is living the American Dream. He is personifying what it means to become an American citizen.”
Phy is a man of few words, so Douk spoke to the media on his behalf, saying he moved to the United States many years ago for freedom and opportunities to live a better life.
The couple has three kids: Charls, 9, Chace, 11, and Chayanne, 13. They live in Rochester. Phy is head cook at the County Seat.
Phy and Douk met in 2006 through Phy’s relative who owned a restaurant. Douk was a student at Rochester Community & Technical College and would visit the restaurant and cross paths with Phy. One person joked “Is he good enough for you?” to Douk, which she thought nothing of at the time though it became pertinent later.
“At first I didn’t think I’d want to be with him because we are from different countries,” said Douk, who was born in Cambodia but came to the U.S. as a child. “I was raised in America and he was raised in Cambodia. I was worried we wouldn’t have the same values but after speaking to him, and he asked me to be his girlfriend, I changed my mind.”
Douk said she appreciated Phy for his honesty. He shared with her that he had nothing and was obligated to financially support his family still in Cambodia.
“I love his honesty,” Douk said. “He’s funny, he likes to joke around, he loves to have fun, have a good time. He’s living the American life, hunting, fishing. Even before he became a citizen, he always loved outdoors stuff.”
Douk said becoming a naturalized citizen, as Phy did, was a tough process. It was his third time trying, and finally, with the help of a lawyer, he passed.
“When he passed the test he didn’t say anything,” Douk said. “When he came out he didn’t say anything, had no expression at all, but then we saw the paper that they had approved his application and we were so excited about it.”
“It’s like God’s plan,” she said. “I had a week off from my job at Mayo Clinic, so the week after his ceremony we went to Florida for a whole week. We celebrated.”
“He did it for his kids and for us,” Douk said. “The first thing he said is ‘now I get to be with my kids.’ Because not having citizenship, you could get deported. The last year was so scary and we were really worried about him. But then with citizenship, you feel more secure. He also says he has the right to vote, and can’t wait to do that.”