趙瑞婷, 婷婷, Zhao Rui Ting , and Tina Zhao are all different name variations for my mother. She was born Guangzhou, a city in China and immigrated to the United States after marriage. Unlike many other immigrants, 婷婷 was lucky enough to be a stay at home mother, yet because of this, she faced many problems that involved finance. Living in a foreign country without an income, 婷婷’s life represents those who are burdened by financial and language barriers.
Her birth name “趙瑞婷” is pronounced “ziu seoi ting” in Cantonese and “Zhao Rui Ting” in Mandarin. When she was filling out the petition to immigrate, the Chinese characters turned into “Rui Ting Zhao”, with “Rui Ting” being the first name, and “Zhao” being the last name. Though this was just a minor …show more content…
Yet, when she immigrated to America, 婷婷 couldn’t continue working in her own workforce because she was unable to speak English. So, like all other immigrants, she took up a job that had little requirements and low pay. She worked as a cashier at a busy restaurant at Chinatown, which required her to be on her feet for ten hours a day. “On the third day, the world began to spin. I became so dizzy, I couldn’t move.” She struggled to keep her vision and body still, and then fell to the floor. As the first week passed, she thought she was easing into the job, but her body disagreed and failed to support her. When I heard this during the interview, my mother saw the troubled face I had and attempted to lighten the mood by saying “It [the job] was just a little harder to handle than giving birth to you”, but it only made me feel more …show more content…
婷婷 explained how she loved to learn, but lacked the opportunity to do so. So, “有機會讀大學, don’t waste time”. She wanted her next generation to have an opportunity at attending college and choosing their own lifestyle. Yet, in the attempt of doing so, my mother lost her own freedom to be herself. With the accounting licenses she had, 婷婷 could have had a decently paying job, the ability to transport around the city without worrying, and taking as many courses she desired to have knowledge in if she resided in China. Now, her lifestyle is shaped around my sister and I in addition to the obligatory chores at
Her birth name “趙瑞婷” is pronounced “ziu seoi ting” in Cantonese and “Zhao Rui Ting” in Mandarin. When she was filling out the petition to immigrate, the Chinese characters turned into “Rui Ting Zhao”, with “Rui Ting” being the first name, and “Zhao” being the last name. Though this was just a minor …show more content…
Yet, when she immigrated to America, 婷婷 couldn’t continue working in her own workforce because she was unable to speak English. So, like all other immigrants, she took up a job that had little requirements and low pay. She worked as a cashier at a busy restaurant at Chinatown, which required her to be on her feet for ten hours a day. “On the third day, the world began to spin. I became so dizzy, I couldn’t move.” She struggled to keep her vision and body still, and then fell to the floor. As the first week passed, she thought she was easing into the job, but her body disagreed and failed to support her. When I heard this during the interview, my mother saw the troubled face I had and attempted to lighten the mood by saying “It [the job] was just a little harder to handle than giving birth to you”, but it only made me feel more …show more content…
婷婷 explained how she loved to learn, but lacked the opportunity to do so. So, “有機會讀大學, don’t waste time”. She wanted her next generation to have an opportunity at attending college and choosing their own lifestyle. Yet, in the attempt of doing so, my mother lost her own freedom to be herself. With the accounting licenses she had, 婷婷 could have had a decently paying job, the ability to transport around the city without worrying, and taking as many courses she desired to have knowledge in if she resided in China. Now, her lifestyle is shaped around my sister and I in addition to the obligatory chores at