Life Changed Me, by Louise Luo

This time is not good for me. I was born in Guangzhou, China in1967. My family was very poor. My father worked in the Shaouang Electricity factory that is far away from my home. My father came home one time just two or three months. My mother had been sick. My mother did not earn enough money for herself. I had only one sister. My sister and me are twins. We look like each other . Our teachers and our friends always made a mistake trying recognize me and my sister. My sister and I had to do almost all home work every day. When I went to middle school, I had to take one hour to walk to school until I graduated from high school. It was a very hard life for me when I was a child.

I was a lucky girl. After I graduated from GuangDong TELTCOM college, I got a job in CHINA TELECOM in 1987. At that time, I met my husband, and we got married in 1994. My daughter was born in 1997. I graduated from South China University of Technology in 1999. In 2002 I worked as an engineer at CHINA ELECOM . My salary was very good. So I earned a lot of money. There was a big change for me since that. I quit my job and immigrated to the U.S in 2008. I had worked at CHINA TELECOM for 21 years

I came to San Francisco in April 2009 by myself. Now I have been in San Francisco for 5 months. Here I have no family and friends. My husband did not like to move to U.S.A. My English is not good. It is very hard for me to look for a job. I study English in City College now right. I live in Chinatown. It is very convenient for me to walk to school almost every day. I like to do exercise. Every day, I take a walk for half an hour. I like to drink red wine and beer. I like music and traveling all over the world. I have been to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Myanmar and all over China. I don’t like to study and read some books.

Future maybe is not easy for me. I have no job and education in U.S.A. I have no good future in U.S.A. After I study English AT San Francisco City College for two years. So that if my English is good enough to move all over U.S.A. by myself. At that time, I hope to move Texas. I wish to have a big house in Texas in 5 years. I will do my business in 10 years. I will retire from my business and go back to China in 20 years. Because China will be stronger and stronger.

Two Kinds of Lives, by Rebecca Jian Xiao Xie

My life began in China and I moved many times. I was born in Bai Yun, Guang Zhou in the 1970s. In the mid 1970s, I went to my hometown with my grandparents, my older brother, and my older sister. In 1979 I came back to Bai Yun with my parents, and oldest brother, and started elementary school. When I tuned 18, I graduated from high school. After, I got my first job as a jewel maker. In 1993, I charged my job to real estate agent. In 1996, I went back to my hometown again, and ran my own business a clothing store for over eleven years. In 2008, I moved in San Francisco. I have been studying English at City College since 2008.

I had an interesting childhood. I lived with my grandparents, my older brother, and my sister, when I was three to six years old. Every evening, my brother, my sister, my friends and I played cards. Sometimes my grandmother and I went to say prayers. That was very boring. In my mid six years old, I went to live with my parents, and my oldest brother. I started elementary school. I met a lot of classmates and new friends. In my first grade, I learned how to play soccer. In my third grade, I changed my idea to play ping pong and badminton. After classes and on weekend I spent a lot of time to play.

Now, I have new life in San Francisco. I live in San Francisco now. I immigrated from China about two years ago. I live with my parents. I have been studying English at City College since 2008. I don’t have a job. I like sports. In my free time, I play badminton with my friends. Sometimes, I play ping pong with my nephews and niece. On weekends, my brother and I go to the beach and eat out. At night, I usually read the news on the computer or send E-mail to China. My daily routine is usually the same.

I have to plan my future in the U. S. First, I study at City College so I can improve my English.

Step by Step, I Will Succeed in My Life, by Sumei Wu

I was born in a village in China in 1970. It was small, but it was beautiful. There are mountains around it. When I was 18, I graduated from high school, and moved to Jiangmen city along. I got my first job as a waiter in 1989. I worked hard at my job. Step by step, I improved to be a manager in 1994. I stopped that job in December 2006. I immigrated to San Francisco with my husband and my daughter in July 2007. I got my first job here in January 2008.

I grew up in the village. There weren’t any parks. I sometimes played at the field, sometimes played at other classmate home with the same age children. I have two sisters and a brother. In my childhood, my family was poor, my parents didn’t have jobs, but my father knew how to make nets. He always used a net to catch fish at the river. Sometimes I liked to go with him. After I went to middle school, I was busy with my homework. I never went with him.

Now I live near Chinatown in San Francisco with my parents, my sisters and brother. We have a big family. Our family has four little kits and four teenagers. Sometimes they are very noisy, but there is a lot of laughter at our house. In my free time, I like to listen to music, and eat out. I’ve worked at The Palace Hotel since January 2008. I work hard at my job. I also study hard at English.

How about my future? I’ll travel some place I’ve never been. I’m going to learn more new things and study hard at English to help my dream become true. What’s my dream? I think I want to be a manager at a good restaurant. I know it is hard for me now, but this is my goal. I will never give up.

Do You Want To Know Me? by Mandy Wen

About 40 years ago, a girl came to this world, she is me. I was born in Guangzhou, China. When I was 7 years old, I began to go to school. I graduated from high school in July 1983.Then I stayed home for 3 months. In October 1983, I got my first job as a filing clerk at a company. I got married in 1988, after one year, my daughter was born. I had been living with my mother in law until my daughter was 2 years old. Then I bought a new house and moved there. In 2006, I immigrated to San Francisco, I have been living with my parents, and also I am learning English in City College now.

I had a happy childhood. My parents used to go to work everyday, I am an older sister, and I only have a younger brother, so I had been taking care of him and he always respected to me. We were really close. Every day I went to school with my brother, we knew each other’s classmates. We had the same friends, so most time we had been playing with them, such as watching movies, going swimming and sometimes we cooked something for party at home, then we asked them to come our house to eat and play. When my parents came back, they had to spend a lot of time to clean up the house, because we have made a lot of mess in the kitchen.

My life has been change when I immigrated America. I have been living San Francisco almost 4 years. I like this city because I can live with my parents, and I don’t miss them anymore. Now I have a job, I am working at a Chinese restaurant, I have to go to work 6 days a week, the work is hard, sometimes I feel so tire. Also I need to go to school to learn English. So I don’t have too much free time. When I have a day off, I like to go shopping with my friends and go outside with my family, in other ways, I want to keep in touch with my friends from China, We usually chat on the computer.

How about my future? I am going to go back to China once a year, because I want to visit my mother in law and my friends. Also I have a dream, I am going to travel around the world, and Actually, It is not easy to me, because I don’t have too much money and time. So I will give more time to my studies. I have to learn English well; I hope I will find a good job. I think I will have finished my dream in10 to 15 years.