December 2020 Student Spotlight: Hongji Chen
Hongji Chen was born and grew up in Fujian province, China. He moved to Rochester with his parents and little sister two years ago, and he plans to study Computer Science at MCC. In this essay, Hongji interviews his uncle, a hardworking, determined, Chinese man who came to the United States 25 years ago.
Have a Goal in Life
My Uncle Tom* is 49 years old, but he looks older. He was born in Fujian, China in a province near the ocean, but he moved into America in 1995. He didn't know much about America including its language, so it was difficult to live here for him when he first stepped onto the land of America. The situation continued for several years until he made a decision. I was so glad I could learn more details of his story when my Uncle Tom accepted my interview request.
It was a sunny Friday. I went to my uncle’s house which is an individual family residence. I rang the doorbell and my cousin Jenny opened the door for me. I went into the house. My Uncle Tom was already there. He guided me to his living room, and we sat down on the chairs and began the in-person interview.
I asked Tom about his basic identity questions and why he came to America.
“Um, that is a long story. I was 24 and it was 25 years ago,” Tom said and took out a cigarette and lit it. “I was supposed to be an architect because the infrastructure was growing in China. But something changed as you never want it to be.” He flicked a cigarette and continued, “My mom was diagnosed with a cancer in her throat and there were 3 more siblings still in junior middle school.” He paused for a moment before adding, “My living routine was disrupted by the chaos. I needed money; that was undeniable. I required a great deal of money to deal with the medical bills and keep my siblings learning. The children wouldn’t have a future without learning at the special period. And then, I needed to earn more money for the living expenses. So I went to America with those people who chased American Dream.”
I interrupted him, “The American Dream?”
Tom drummed his fingers and stubbed out the cigarette, “Don’t laugh at me! The legend is American floor was made up of gold, and there is a very famous song called California Hotel. Sounds ridiculous. But those skin-deep things were the only things we knew about America in my period.” He sighed, “America definitely had so much treasure at that time, but life in America was harder than I could imagine.”
I asked Tom what he did to earn a living when he arrived in America. He stroked his chin and without any hesitation answered. “It was so hard in the beginning. I was an average person. I didn’t know English. Of the total 26 letters of the alphabet, I just knew 24 of them.” Tom lit another cigarette and closed his eyes to say, “Our Asian people didn’t have many jobs to choose from. Finally, I decided to work as a chef in an Asian restaurant. I didn’t need too much English or have to interact with other people. But it really tested your physical endurance. You had to stand over 11-12 hours per day and fit in 8 hours of sleeping. It meant I couldn’t have fun times anymore.” He held out his hands and opened his palms, “Look at my palms. They were deformed.”
I asked Tom if he was satisfied with the situation of living in a small apartment and doing the dirtiest and most tiresome work. He muttered and shook his hands, “Most of the salaries are between $2400 to $2700 dollars per month after taxes. I didn’t worry about the rent and eating. The employer supported us. But so what? We weren’t robots. That suffering lifestyle stressed me and left me without any hope. Especially when I saw a waiter who served the customers, and how they could receive tips from customers, then I decided I had to learn English from zero.”
I asked Tom how he planned the learning schedule. Tom smiled and said, “I begged a friend to accompany me to enroll in ESL classes in a community school and some helping courses in the church. A kind teacher called Rebecca taught me everything from the alphabet to many names of animals.”
Tom worked every day at 10 AM, so he scheduled his classes to begin at 7:30 AM and end at 9:30 AM. He got out of bed at 5:30 AM without breakfast, and got everything done and prepared for the course before he had to go school. Tom took a deep breath and continued, “Time was like water in a sponge. There was always more as long as you squeezed. To be honest, my mind was enriched by my studying days, even though I felt more sleepy than usual.”
Tom owns a buffet restaurant in Rochester now. He can handle most things during daily life and is qualified for any position in his restaurant. He is satisfied with his living conditions now. He ended our interview with a personal comment, “I’m not a smart person all the time. I don’t have many interesting or useful stories to share with you. But I can teach you one thing which is to decide on your goal, and ignore how hard your life is until you achieve it.”
This could be heaven or this could be hell…. Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face... The music comes out from Tom’s phone. “America is a beautiful place. What view you will see depends on how you are doing now. So please work towards your own goal. It’s so helpful.”
“I will, Uncle Tom.”
*The interviewee’s name has been changed.
ESOL Voices is a collection of stories written by ESOL students at Monroe Community College. This publication highlights our MCC students who come from all over the world. Look for new stories in the Tribune. We hope you enjoy our students’ stories as much as we do.
— Katie Leite & Pamela Fornieri, ESOL Program, December 2020