Having known Linda for about a year, I could tell you she is the sweetest and cheeriest person that walks down the halls of Princeton Day. I had no clue that behind her contagious smile she hid such a powerful story. Linda moved to New Jersey at 10 years old from Shenzhen, China with no knowledge of the English language. A passionate writer, she felt the Chinese education system was hiding possible talents she may have. Her parents decided to move her in hopes that she wouldn’t deal with extreme levels of pressure and have to solely focus on her grades. Linda explains that she has a firm belief that everyone has a talent that they need to uncover and the Chinese system didn’t ensure that for everyone. She discusses the welcoming nature of the US and how she believes patience and sensitivity are two necessary traits for an improved immigration experience. When it came to politics, she uses her analogies to criticize the administration's recent actions and proposes her own way and opinions to our current debate.
There is a story behind every decision to migrate. What was yours (or your parents)? My parents told me a month before we were supposed to leave. It was mostly for my education because the system in China is pretty competitive and unhealthy. All you look at is grades and other activities don’t matter. I’ve never heard of volunteering hours and doing anything else. The political climate and the effect of that on business was another reason. Also, the air quality is also crappy. We used to live in Shin Jin and my brother had a hard time breathing because of the pollution. He would’ve struggled so much if we had stayed.
What were your (or your parents) hopes for your new life here? My parents want to liberate me from the vicious cycle of education in China. They just want me to be happier.
Why did you choose to come to this country instead of somewhere else? I think for my dad it’s mostly because there are more business opportunities in America. America has a blooming economy. For example in contrast in Europe it’s very sophisticated but lacks economic opportunities.
Were there other options for you? I don't know because it was kind of a blur when I came here. My parents didn't know any english when we came here. They left me and my brother for a month to go to the US. They just came here and looked at newspapers and found resources. I thought a bit about staying in China but I wanted to stay with them.
THE JOURNEY
Who did you come with and who did you leave behind? Did anyone come ahead of you? I left behind all my friends that I made in China. My parents have big families in China. I left behind aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma, my only grandma alive. It wasn’t too hard to let them go because we weren’t very close. I was pretty sad to leave behind my friends though.
What was the most difficult part about leaving? I think for me it’s probably leaving behind all the friends that I made. Now when I think about leaving I feel like it’s hard for me to think about because I had to start over with an entirely new language. We never did much English it was pretty basic. I had to start over with a new culture and new norms.
What was your journey to this new country like? 13 hours of plane rides.
What was the most difficult part of coming here? Once I came here! Oh my god! Cause I came right after Christmas my fifth grade year, I was new to everything. I still remember this. The fifth grade in public school we had to recite the pledge of allegiance every morning. So then I think it was one day when we were reciting it I think I was too loud. One kid who was sitting in front of me was calling me out and making faces. I remember it really upset me.
What was it like when you first arrived? I was actually really excited when I first got here because I had never seen snow before. I’ve never seen snow before! It was amazing to me because I think it was a few days after we got here. Me and my brother were so excited. At school it was interesting I don’t exactly remember how it was when I first got there.
What most surprised you? It’s so so different. In China we don’t see foreigners around. Also the culture here is so different. In china I only have to take care of my grades but here there’s so much more. Especially sports. I’m still not really big on sports. It surprised me that everybody was so active. It also surprised me that there were houses here because in China it was just apartments. The suburbs here are very sparse.
What did you miss most about the country you came from? That’s hard. Mostly friends. The food there is also so much better. I’m sorry but the food there is so much better! Also speaking Chinese in general. I love language and I miss the culture that comes with the language. I miss the lifestyle as well.
Who was most helpful with getting you settled? There were two girls in my fifth grade class, Grace and Cece. They were two Chinese girls that were trying there best to help me out. I’m not very close to Cece anymore but I’m still very thankful for them both. I still talk with Grace more or less on a regular basis. They helped me with word problems and tackling to me during lunch.
Migration can be hard. Where did you find strength in difficult times? My family. The thing is that with my mom she was very stressed when we came here because in China everybody lives a very cosy life with nannies and drivers. Labor in China is very cheap and it was impossible to recreate that lifestyle here. My mom was stressed with the house work she wasn’t used to and all the driving. She also had to learn and entirely new language. She had trouble with grocery store cashiers. I think she was really stressed and that converted to anger. I feel like very under appreciated because I don’t think I deserve that cause I’m also trying my best to assimilate to this new culture while holding onto mine. It’s just that I feel so bad for her and I still feel that it’s my fault. It was very hard for me to deal with family stuff. My mother helped my find strength. I have to stay strong for my family.
How do you think that migration has changed you? Oh a lot. I’ve always thought about the life I’d have if I had stayed in China. I think it’s better here even if I miss my friends. I was really into writing and I loved my writing teacher in China. I think if I had stayed there I would’ve been a great Chinese writer. I also don’t regret coming here because it really opened my eyes to a horizon of possibilities. Now I know there’s so much more to what they taught us in China.
HOPES & REALITIES
As time has passed, how does your experience compare to what you expected? I don’t think I got to this country with much expectation. I’m rather optimistic about this because I feel like it’s great. I didn’t what to expect the US to be like. So now I guess everything that happens around me is according to expectation and it’s great!
What have been your biggest challenges? I want to say learning a new language but that’s not really true because I don’t even remember having to struggle with language much.
Léa: you came when you were 10 and spoke no English?
Linda: yea!
Nash and Léa: Woah that’s impressive! And you’re 15 now?!
Cultural differences presented a challenge. In China, it’s so different the way we speak and the things we are interested in. you know like the pop culture in china is so different. I might speak the language really well but I can’t find myself being into the TV shows here. People are always like “Riverdale!” and I’m like “huh?” It’s just a lot of the things are very new to me. I think that’s the part of me that doesn’t want to let go of China.
What have been your greatest sources of joy? Books. I think for me it was funny that I read in two languages now. I want to hold on to my Chinese while needing to improve my English. Reading helps a lot because I’m a very introverted person. I like to be by myself and read and eat watermelon.
Overall, how do you think you family is doing after the migration? I think my mom is doing really well now because I think after she got over the hard bump it got better. She still complains about the hard stuff she has to go through sometimes. I think that she’ll stay. My dad is doing really well too. Although he’s starting all over he’s enjoying it.
Can you think of times when you have felt unwelcomed as an immigrant? What about when you have felt welcomed? I don’t think I have except for the fifth grade incident. I think my mom has. One day she came home to me and said that there was this white lady when she was shopping at Wegmans that shoved her over in line. It was back when we first came here and she didn’t know how to speak.
What do you think about the wall proposed by the Trump Administration? It’s kind of useless. You building a physical wall won’t really work because there’s still going to be people going through the wall. There are plenty of way to get through. I don’t think it’s worth all the resources or anything. I don’t see the point of a physical wall. You have to solve the problem of immigrants coming in. If you don’t want immigrants coming in you should find the root of the problem. I found a really good analogy. It’s kind of like a running faucet. You don’t just put buckets and buckets under the faucet to catch the water you turn off the faucet. Then you deal with the water in the buckets. Trump isn’t turning off the faucet he’s just building a bigger bucket. It’s very disheartening to me.
What do you think about the family separation policy enacted by the Trump Administration? I was listening to a video a while ago. I think it’s because smugglers are traveling across borders with kids because they know they’ll be released from custody if they have children. First of all, I don’t think children should be separated. That’s a very traumatic experience especially when you’re very young. Second of all you can’t just encourage people like this. You should just ban families from traveling all together. Like I understand they are kids. Like if they’re traveling by themselves fine. I can’t find a better way to solve the problem. But if they’re all together you should release them all together. If you keep making exceptions then people are going to take advantage. Families should be charged all together.
How would you feel about the US intervening in Latin American countries and offering foreign services in hopes of decreasing unauthorized immigration to the US? I know that I said you should tackle the root of the problem and turn off the faucet but how you turn off the faucet is very funny because there’s a lot of Chinese perspectives where the US is just doing whatever it wants for its own interest. We’re obligated to invest billions into Latin American countries. I find myself mean saying this but it’s not our responsibility. We should help the governments. Intervening is too much it’s their own governments. It’s very hard to tackle.
Do you have a story about someone you care about that was deported? Well I think… well it’s actually about you Nashleen. I think it’s a while ago this year during advisory. You were crying and really sad and I wondered if it had to do with you know.
What is the thing you are proudest of so far and why? I think it’s just the fact that if I put my mind to it I can achieve something I’ve set for myself. I’m really glad that everybody’s been so accepting and nice to me. I’m grateful for the people around me.
What are you hoping to accomplish in the future? That’s a lot. I want to pursue something creative or artistic. I have a lot of dreams man. I want to become an author. I want to work for National Geo or the UN.
What do you think may get in the way of those dreams? Well, maybe my parents. You know the Chinese mindset of pursuing something STEM or business related that way you have money. You won’t struggle with poverty. I know discrimination isn’t big anymore but maybe that as well. I guess you don’t really see many asians in the arts. Maybe I’ll be discouraged by the stereotypes that asians belong in STEM.
What do you think may help your dreams come true? I always gain strength from the stories of people around me. Stories of other asians who are successful in the pursuit of liberal arts. Also the support of my parents. If I find a mentor or teacher that encourages me. I really want somebody to help me with some type of expertise.
In what ways do you think migration has made you a stronger person? It forced me to start all over. In general, I’ve become stronger. If I didn’t leave I would’ve been hyper sensitive. Any obstacle would’ve stopped me. Now since I’m stronger I’m willing to fight for what I want more. I can deviate from my parents. I’ve always been a good kid that hasn’t argued. Now I’m willing to have a personality. I’m very grateful for immigration.
ADVICE
If someone you knew were planning on coming to this country, what would you tell them to expect? If they would come I would tell them to relax. I know this country is very inclusive although people still make fun of unnecessary things. Take your time. Enjoy the freedom this country gives you. Especially if you’re from China go explore. Explore outside of your academic interests. I know that education here is good and universities are top notch but your life shouldn’t be just school.
What advice would you give them about whether or not they should come? I think that would depend on the person. I think that’s not a very clear cut answer. For people that struggled with the academic system in China I would encourage them to come. I’m a big believer that everyone has a talent whether or not it’s academic. Maybe you struggle at math but you’re great at event planning. Sometimes talents are overlooked by the system in China. The value of people in China has to do with income. I’d really want the people in China to find those things about themselves. If they’re thriving in the system in China they should stay.
What do you wish more people knew about immigrants? I wish they knew that we’re not here to compete with you. We’re not here to steal your jobs. The fact that you’re unemployed is that you're incapable. You shouldn’t have to kick us out. You should work on bettering yourself so you can get the job. We’re here to look for opportunities and to create opportunities for others. It’s unfair to say we’re not welcome here. America is made up of immigrants. The only people that can say they belong here are Native Americans.
What are the 2 or 3 most important things that people could do to make the process of coming to a new country better? Be more inclusive. Be patient. I was impatient with my mom. Everyone who comes here has potential if you give them more time. They’ll grow. They’ll become amazing people. I don’t have enough patience too but I try to tell myself to have more. I also really want to tell people to not make jokes. For people like me, I tend to take a lot of things very seriously when I shouldn't. But I really want to tell them that they don’t know what it’s like and if you constrain them to certain stereotypes you limit people’s growth. I just want people to be more patient and sensitive.
Are you happy here? Yes definitely!
Would you go back? Yes to visit.
