DARLINGTON- Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Hanh Wick, the owner of Eternal Nails in Darlington. As she pampered me to a manicure and Vietnamese coffee, we embarked on her journey here to the United States. Wick, who was born and raised in South Vietnam, in MyTho; has lived in Darlington for the past 23 years. She considers herself a wild flower in the middle of a cornfield. She has a lighthearted kindness that shows how kind and caring she really is, especially through some adversities, as she made a big move coming to the U.S. Wick, who was self-taught English, says she left behind her traditions, her family & friends, and her employment; while making the move to the United States. Her English vocabulary expanded while attending Blackhawk Technical College, in Monroe; then she earned her education at Capri College to become a Nail Technician. Wick had her own shop in Vietnam, however a license wasn’t required there to earn a living. She says while growing up, she was taught by following in her family’s footsteps, where she learned early-on how to take care of nails, and care about people.
Wick’s journey to the U.S. started with a trip to Hawaii, where she met the love of her life, Alfons Wick, who grew up in the Fayette area, graduating from Darlington in 1980. Alfons was serving in the Navy at the time of their meeting. For the previous year and a half, the pair had written love letters to one another, sharing life, culture stories, and photographs. Once in Hawaii, the couple met for the first time, falling in love instantly. The Wicks married on September 22, 2000. Their wedding ceremonies took place in the United States, and in Vietnam. The white gown and tuxedo attire, as is the tradition in the U.S., was worn here, while the embellished native culture garments in Vietnam were worn in their wedding ceremony there. “In Vietnam we make our own clothes. We didn’t go to a store to buy them,” Wick shares of her traditional wedding attire. She was adorned in a hand stitched red gown with matching hat, all embellished by hand. The dragon, a good luck symbol in Asian cultures, was hand stitched, and delicately embellished onto her gown with the finest detail. To look at her wedding photos, I was honestly speechless, especially while thinking of all the hours the garment must have taken to complete. Her groom wore a traditional gentleman’s garment, hand stitched by her mother. “He selected his color of choice. My mother took great care in creating his clothes,” Wick explains. His color selection was blue, which looked lavish alongside her red gown. All traditions were followed, including the passing of the food platters from the groom’s family to the bride’s family. The round platters were covered with traditional red and gold embellished cloths, closely resembling the bride’s attire. The accepting of the food is a gift that seems to be handed down with the culture, as a way of the groom taking care of his bride. The bride’s family accepts the gifts as a way of accepting the marriage. This is a tradition that seems more ceremoniously done, as Wick already had her family’s blessing, both with her marriage and her move to the United States.
One of the biggest culture shocks for Wick, was seeing snow for the first time, at the age of 29 years old. Wick says without understanding what Winter was, she couldn’t grasp why her husband was so insistent of her having a winter coat, prior to the first snowfall. She soon learned what snow was, her first winter here. “It’s cold!” Wick says of the Winter season, which she says she isn’t a fan of. Growing up in a different climate, she says she still isn’t used to the Winter weather. Vietnam has two seasons, hot or raining. Years ago, while her parents visited the U.S., they found Wisconsin to be too cold for their comfort. They seemed happy to travel home to Vietnam where the weather there is traditionally warmer.
The Wick’s have two grown daughters, who were both born and raised in Darlington. Kelly Tuyet Wick graduated from DHS in 2021. She is in her third year at UW Washington-Seattle. Ashley Trang Wick graduated from DHS in 2023. She is in her first year at University of Chicago. Their middle names are traditional names from Vietnam, as one of their daughters is named after her mother, the other named after her sister. “This way, they both have a part of Vietnam with them. That was important to me,” Wick says of keeping with traditions. She and her husband have been supportive of their daughters as they allowed them the space to be whoever they want to be. As the girls strive for higher education, Wick says she is extremely proud of their girls. While raising their family, Wick says she was working part-time at Lands’ End, while opening her own small business in her home. She continues to welcome and enjoy each of her clients as though they are family.
In her spare time, Wick enjoys being a seamstress, as she repairs and resizes clothes for people. The tradition of learning to make clothes while growing up in Vietnam, works in her favor as it seems to be second nature to her. She gets joy out of helping others, as she says we all have our own gifts. Wick loves to travel, especially to the states within the United States. She and her husband have been to 40 of the 50 states, but the greatest joy comes with her travels home to Vietnam. Even with her parents both passed away, she still gets the greatest joy when the family makes their traditional trips there. In addition to visiting Vietnam, the Wick family has traveled to several places, including: Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Italy, London, and Europe. Wick says she loves Italy, but finds beauty in every place she has visited. She is extremely blessed by the love of friends, family, and especially her husband, Alfons; who she says has been extremely supportive of her. “He’s easy going, and allows me to do what I want,” Wick shares of their life together. “He’s so helpful, supportive, caring, and is one of her best friends in life. He allows me to grow. I enjoy being his wife, and the mother of our daughters.” When asked about Darlington, she says “I love our life in this small town. The people here are friendly.” Wick says as much as she misses Vietnam at times, she thinks of how much she has grown while living in Darlington for the past 23 years. She may not like the snow and cold, but says that the love in her heart for Darlington is warm. With her husband and clients by her side, she plans to plans to remain here, while looking forward to warmer weather. As we met on one of the coldest, but sunniest days in January, I agree about the warm weather. Leaving Eternal Nails with a beautiful manicure, and warmed with Vietnamese coffee, I have to say I was pampered by one of the most interesting and fun people I’ve had the pleasure of having conversation with. I’m glad Hanh Wick made the journey to Darlington, and I appreciate the suggestion by one of her clients.
