Oral History

I interviewed my mother, Amy Ng; she is the mother of two, who emigrated from China to Chicago. Amy immigrated to America to find a better life and to start a new life with her husband who also immigrated to America in 1983. They immigrated to America because they wanted to have a better future for their child. The following is my interview with her:

How long have you been living in America?

I came to America in 1987, 23 years old. Years passed by and I have learned enough English to communicate with others. At first I had problems learning English but after four years I finally succeeded in learning the basics.

How was your life in China?

I lived with my mom, my dad and I have a younger brother. The highest education I had was elementary school and high school. I had no chance to go to college so I decided to get a job and provide income for my family. My father worked as a flour maker and my mother worked as a textile worker. Life was decent enough to find a job in textile work. I was paid $40 a month and the pay was affordable to buy our daily needs. I got married in 1986 to my lovely husband and then we decided to go to America to start a new life. We wanted to have a better education for our children because my husband and I didn’t have the chance to gain in our lifetime.

How was life in America for you once you immigrated to the US?

Once I immigrated to America I lived with my husband in an apartment. The rent is around $220 a month and I decided to help my husband provide income. I got a job in downtown working as a cashier in a fast food restaurant earning about $5.25 an hour. Been working there for three years part time job and life was pleasant. I take the train to work every other day and do grocery shopping on the weekend. The neighborhood where I lived was a mixed of white and Chinese. I remember clearly in the winter I was discriminated by white boys as I parked the car. I didn’t know why I was discriminated but I knew that there is racism. “Life was definitely greener on this side,” I heard this saying from other people who have also immigrated to America. Things have gotten better as years passed by. Later on I gave birth to two children; one boy and one girl. My husband decided to have my mother and father immigrate to America to help take care of our children while we go to work. It was a blessing to have my parents here to sure the moments and have my side of the family in America.