Introduction~Background Information~Current Chinese American~Conclusion~Bibliography


Interview In order to receive personal information about the process to move from China to America, I interviewed my mother, who went through the experience. My mother was born in Changchuen, China and was the youngest. She has two brothers and one sister. She is the only member of her family that had the chance to move to America.


Me: How old were you when you moved to America?
Lili (my mother): I was about 29 years old.
Me: What was the reason to move to America?
Lili: Jintian (my dad) was accepted into UCSD for double e (engineer and computer science) to become a post doctor.
Me: Was it a complicated journey?
Lili: Yes, it was. Jintian had to live in America a year before I had the chance to move to America with him. And then it took another year for you to arrive in America.
Me: Why was there a time difference for both of us to arrive in America?
Lili: Jintian was invited to America for education. It was not a family invitation. He had to settle in America and sign immigration forms.
Me: Did you want to move to America before Jintian was accepted into UCSD?
Lili: No, we did not want to move across the world. We did not plan to move to America. Jintian did not even want to go. However, since he thought that he would receive a better education in America, he made the decision to move.
Me: What's the difference between America and China?
Lili: Everything. Everything is totally different. It was hard to learn English at my age so it was hard to understand anything. When we first moved here before you came, we had roommates in USCD to save money. I had a morning job and then attended adult school in the evening. It was a hard transition, but it was worth it in the end.
Me: Did you think that taking the America citizenship test was hard?
Lili: It wasn't hard, just a lot of material to memorize.
Me: Interesting. Now after you've lived in America for 10 years, do you like America more or China?
Lili: That's a hard question to answer. America is less polluted and I think the government is more organized. People in America are more polite than people in China. However, China's still my homeland. I was born and raised there. And even after living here for 10 years, my English is still not very good. Also, all of my closest friends from college all live in China.
Me: That sounds difficult, to have close friends living in China. Last questions, for the past 10 years, what do you think changed the most?
Lili: Well, work's steadier than before. We had to move almost every year to find a stable job. But now, we don't have to worry about moving, or trying to find another house to buy. Everything grew better after a while.
Me: Thank you!