Controlling the $$$
Commentary, Susan Chen ,
Nov 02, 2009
Editor's Note: For many immigrant families coming to America in hopes of making a better life for themselves the value of a dollar becomes important in starting a new life, especially for the younger generation. Susan Chen, 18, is a participant in the 2009 Changing The Odds summer program.
Growing up as the children of immigrants from China, I would say money - and my family's relationship to it - has shaped who I am and my values. I don't think it is the most important thing in the world, but I do think that struggles with money can affect your life.
It has been about 20 years since my parents emigrated from China. Back in China, my parents grew up in a small village in Guangdong where nothing was simple or handed to them. At a very young age, all the children in the house had to go work in the fields and juggle between school and homework. There was no indoor plumbing. In order to have water in the house, one would have to walk to the village well and use a bucket and rope to bring water up. For drinking water, they had to boil the water to make sure it was free from bacteria. Having two sets of clothes was a luxury, so was having a toothbrush. My parents would wake up early to feed the animals and harvest the field, only then would they go to school. School would only last a couple hours on certain days, so after they were let out - it was back to the field working on crops. The crops were grown to eat and to earn money for the family. Both my parents' education only went up to middle school. After that, they began learning skills that would lead to employment. While my mom went off to learn to make and tailor clothes - my dad was off learning how to cook.
Back in China, my grandpa heard from his friends that immigrating to American guaranteed a simpler life. He decided to move. After my parents got married, they decided to come as well. My mother came first, along with her sister. My father came a year later.
Even though they came to America for a simpler life, it wasn't exactly the case. Sure, they didn't have to wake up every morning and harvest the field, but they had to work extra hard to buy the food that they would have just grown. Sure, there was more money in America, but also more bills. Back in the village, you didn't have to pay for electricity, water or garbage. In San Francisco, my parents also had to adapt to a new culture and deal with a language barrier. My brother and I were both born in the city and we lived in the Tenderloin.
In order to feed the family and keep a roof on our heads, my mom worked as a seamstress and my dad as a cook in Chinese restaurant. When I was little, I didn't really notice that money was an issue. When I would ask for something that I wanted to buy, they would somehow get it for me. Usually these were small things like Barbie dolls. It wasn't until I was 8 years old that it became clear to me that money was a problem.
We were living in a three-bedroom apartment with ten people - my parents, my brother, my grandparents, my aunt, uncle, two cousins and me. Since we were living in the Tenderloin, the children weren't allowed to go out much. I never really understood why until I got older and had to go to school. There were always people arguing out in the street, or aimlessly roaming around. I didn't understand that a lot of it had to do with drugs. When walking past arguments or drunk people, my mom would always say: "Don't look, don't pay any attention." All I remember then was being scared around these people and feeling like I would rather stay inside than ever leave the apartment.
Rent was always increasing, which created tension. My grandparents, parents and aunt and uncle would argue late at night about space and rent. I would be asleep in the room and, all of a sudden, I would wake up a lot of people yelling. Every time I heard someone yelling, I felt like crying and hoped they would stop. As the arguments got louder, my chest would hurt and I would cry harder. Sometime, if they saw me crying - the arguments stopped, but not always.
These arguments started having a real toll on my grandmother's health and she started ending up in the hospital. From all the pervious arguments, my grandmother's blood pressure was shaky. Then one random night the pressure was just too much, and she was gone. All I can remember was that I was in my room and someone in the living room was calling to get an ambulance. I didn't really understand, but it was scary. After my grandmother passed, there was a lot less arguing. That's when I started to be really quiet. I was always thinking in the back of my head that arguing will lead to the worst-case scenarios. Starting from a young age, my experience of arguments scared me and I started thinking that keeping quiet will prevent any negative results from happening. That bad night was embedded into my mind.
After living in the Tenderloin, my parents and aunt and uncle moved out to their own place. We moved up to live in Nob Hill. The neighborhood was a lot quieter. I could walk to my elementary school, just a couple of blocks away. There were more Asian students around, and more people speaking the same language. Homework wasn't always easy, but it was never extremely difficult. My parents weren't able to help me in English or other subjects that required the English language, but they helped me out in math. Luckily, my older cousin and brother were around to help me out. But money was still a struggle. My parents would come home late at night, exhausted from their jobs. And the money just didn't seem to last.
I think these experiences affected the way I think about money. I like to be in control of how this so-called "paper currency" can drive the whole world crazy. I was taught throughout my childhood that things should not be wasted. There is always a cheaper, alternative way of doing something. All you have to do is try and make the effort. Thus, I was never the type of person who would use money without a double take. I wasn't being stingy with money - it was more a way of using money wisely, rather than carelessly. I like to plan out what I would be able to do with the money I had, and make sure I would get use out of the things I buy. Though it is stereotyped that Chinese people are cheap and stingy, I think it comes from coming this struggle that most of went through.
The last year of high school I took Economics and that class stuck out more than other classes because it was something I learned that applied more to the real world. Since our life and world are so impacted with the idea of money - I want to be the one who controls it.
Even though the economy at this time is extremely shaky and unstable that doesn't change my interest in the field of business. In fact, I feel like right now might be the best time to learn about business. As the economy is slowly rebuilding it self, I can learn about the downfall and the build up of the new economy. And it would be the best time to analyze what is exactly happening at this moment and predict the outcome and actually try out the trial and error process.
I plan to pay back my parents for all the money they spent on me: all my allowance and tuition for school. Now, my parents are somewhat stable with their money. I have learned so much from them and when I make my money, I will be taking care of my parents so they don't have to worry about money anymore. They have worried too long and it my time to make their lives simpler.
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