今天，整理自己的挡案，看见了这个五年前，无忧在一次市机关，亚洲人月的讲话，希望朋友们欣赏。谢谢今天，整理自己的挡案，看见了这个五年前，无忧在一次市机关，亚洲人月的讲话，希望朋友们欣赏。
From China To NY BA
Hello, everyone,
Thanks for coming.
By the way, how many are from China in thisroom?
Well, over twenty years ago, like some of youhere in this room, I came to America from the mainland China as an exchangestudent. I am sure each one of you hasyour unique story of coming to this beautiful land. Today, I would like to share my story withyou.
I was born in a tiny mountain village at the foot of the Great Wall in northeast of
China. It was the time of ChineseCultural Revolution.
Many stores have been told about the Chineseculture revolution. China was very poorat the time. People had no freedom andno hope. If you were born a farmer, youwould likely die of a farmer. People hadno food. To live was to survive. The beautiful season like this right now wasthe toughest time for many Chinese, especially for those Chinese incountryside. People were starving todeath, they barely had nothing to eat, they ate grass, leaves or whatevereatable. Hundreds of people died offamine. Food was the number one thing inpeople’s mind. In the old days in China,
the first thing people saw each other was to ask: Have you eaten? I believe some folks in the country stillcarry this tradition. I think it has alot to do with what people experienced in the past. It was one of the darkest periods ofChinese history.
But I was born in a loving home. I had vague memories of my father playingflute and my mom played in local theater. My father was a county official at the time, like a countyexecutive. Our family was doing ok
relatively speaking. However, tragedy
stroke on our family. My father died of
cancer suddenly. I was eight years
old. Suffering for our family started
and continue until I came to America.
We were the poorest among the poor village.
We had onlyone blanket for a family of five and one small muddy room. The room was leaking when rains and icy
cold in winter. Whenever it was raining, water was accumulated inside the
room. In winter our eyebrows became icy
white after a night sleep. Very often we
barely had enough clothes and shoes to keep us warm in winter. Of course, we never had enough food. We had one meal a day for most time of the year.
The tough living conditions made a lot ofpeople gave up at that time without hope.
A lot of parents even gave up hope for their children. However, my mother never gave up her hope fora better life for her children. She wasa single mother with four little kids from eight months old to thirteen yearsold. Without enough food, clothes, shelter,my mother encouraged us to read and write. My mother always believed her sons would be somebody someday.
My mother could read, though she could notwrite. She knows many Chinese folkstories. She loved to sing, too. Welearned a lot by listening her telling stories and her songs. In order to get help from friends of my father,she asked us to write letters to them. Without money to buy paper, pens, wepractice our study on any kid of paper including newspapers, grocery papers to
practice writing. Sometimes, we had topractice homework such as writing, math in sand.
At the same time, she tried to improve ourChinese writing by writing these letters. She discouraged us to do farm work, so that we could be focus onreading. At that time, boys and girls
had to learn farm work because communist party called people to do so. My mother was brave and knew the only thingthat could lift us out of property was to get a good education. So whenever we were required to do farm work,my mother would persuade the teachers and local leaders to let our brotherswork on bulletin boards, flyers to strength our Chinese writing skills. Sometimes, we would join a team of so called“Chairman Mao Propaganda team”, rather
than working in the farm. We were verysuccessful in doing this, because we were always top students in our class withgreat handwriting and writing skill, and very good at talk and show.
It seems that my mother knew what would surelyhappen later on. So she tried to prepare
our brothers for the future. She simply believed that reading was veryimportant in our life. She just likedthe people who read a lot. My father had college education, which was very rarein China at the time.
When I was about 14, Chairman Mao passed awayand Deng Xiao Ping became Chinese senior leader. China startedreform. People had to pass the entrytest to go to college.
I want to mention one very interesting thingabout China during Mao’s time. Peoplewere admitted to college not because of their academic credentials, but becauseof their ties to the party officials.
With help from my father’s friends, I got ateaching job at a high school in my hometown after my graduation from my highschool. You might be wondering how comeI became a teacher at such young age. Well. At that time, not many people in MainlandChina even finished elementary school. Unlike here in the America, you did not need to have a certificate orpass certain test to qualify being a teacher. It was very normal that high school graduates taught high school
students and college graduates taught college students.
Right after Deng Xiao Ping’s reform started,my county leaders believed that English would be required in general testeventually. They decided to select someyoung teachers and gathered them together, and to teach them English. Then thetrained young teachers taught high school students English. I was selected.
The entire training was three months, whichwas a critical three months for me. Iimmediately realized that three months would be a great opportunity for me tolearn English. It might be very possibleto change my fate, because at that time very few young people ever learnedEnglish at all. It might be relativelyeasier for me to pass the entry test and get into college. And I was right.
I made a full use of these three months,working day and night to study English. After these three months intensiveEnglish training, I was back to the high school. Borrowing a radio box from a friend, I keptlearning myself by listening BeijingEnglish broadcasting for another year.
Then I took the English exam at annual entry test. I’ve got the best score in English in the
entire county. I was admitted to Zhengder College, which was a teachers collegefor those who will become a teacher. One main reason why Iselected that college was that the teacher’s college provided free food, andfree trip back and forth from home to school. For me, at that time, my first
goal was to go to college and get high education, so that I could have a promising
and bright future. It was also very practical and critical for me to change my
residency from countryside to city one by going to college. It was huge different between a countrysideresidency and a city in China at the time. Chinese in the countryside were in at the bottom of the society, even rightnow.
Getting into Zhengder College, I found outthat out of twenty classmates, I was theonly one from a tiny mountain village, others are from cities ortowns. It was not strange at all,because no one was taught English at high school. Most college students with English major atthat time came from well to do families or families with some specialbackground.
found myself being the poorest student inthe class. Zhengder is popular place for
summer resort. It was summer resort for royal family at Qing Dynasty. Our classmates often had fun over there, butI could not. I could not afford to buy a ticket. I even did not have a single
picture taken during my entire college time in Zhengder, because I couldnot afford it. Over two years in Zhengder,I only had one piece of clothes for winter, summer, fall and spring. Even now, my classmates back in China stillremember me as the one in black color cloth year around. Recently when our classmates were gatheredtogether in Beijing, one classmate mentioned that I could not afford to buy abelt, so I used a rope to tie my pans. I could only dreamed of other recreational activities, such as movies,picnics, outing and sighting as my classmates did. In a way, it helped me. I found myself spend most of my time eitherreading or doing some physical activities such as running around the city. I keep the hobby of running for over ten
years until I came to America.
After graduated from Zhengder, I was assigned to teach high school students English
in Qian Long County. I could not choosewhat I want to do. In China, they had asystem called allocation. People wereallocated or assigned a job. Thoughteaching was not my ideal job or my future goal, I worked very hard. I was very responsible for the kids, because
they were just like me from countryside.
I knew very well that these kids had no future in China if they couldnot go to college. Fortunately, mystudents knew it too. They studied veryhard. Without any English background,after two year of English studying, some of my students even got score of 99out 100. I suddenly became so opular inQian Long County and in Qian Long Dao city. The county and city communist government officials believed that I was agreat promising young man. They sent meto H. University to improve my English and finish my bachelor degree.
In the middle of 1980s, sending a young man toa college was a very unique situation in China. It lasted only two or threeyear in H. Province. I was lucky that I got that opportunity. At this time, the government decided not totrain me to be a future teacher, but a future leader in the city, at least in
education.
I enjoyed my time in H University and had myeye opening experience.
It was at H. University where I met my American teacher, my sponsoror my American mentor. Her name is D. C. D brought me to America and took care of melike her own son.
Before I talk about D.C, let me say a few words about my mother, who is my hero.
It was my mother who taught us never give up, and always beprepared for the future. My mothertaught me that if we work hard enough, we can always change our fate. It was my mother who taught me that tomorrowis always better.
Overcame many difficulties, and with thehelp from my father’ friends, my mother managed to send my elder brother atgage of 15 to Beijing Steel and Iron Company, and he got every benefits asBeijing citizen. With my mom’s help and support, myyounger brother passed the college
entrance exam with top score in H. Province (a state in the US) and gotadmitted in Beijing University (Harvard in the US). It was my mom who helped me to go to college
and encouraged me to go to America. It was her Chinese folk stories and her
songs that made us find pleasures in history and reading. My young brother got degree in Chinesehistory, a typical liberal art major.My mother lost her husband at a very young ageand never remarried. She suffered a lot, yet, she never gave up in looking fora better future for her children. Yearsago, her story was published in Mainland China. Yes, indeed, my mother is a great woman. She is over seventy years old now, veryindependent and very active. She has
become very devoted to Buddhism. She hastraveled the country to teach Buddhism, compassion and love for all humanbeings. She has hundreds ofstudents. She even converted our home to
temple for people to pray. She hasbecome one of leaders in Buddhism in China and received warm welcome by formerChinese President Jiang Ze Min. She is
very proud of herself. Yes, we are veryproud of her, too.
About my teacher, sponsor, or mentor, D. C. I really did not knowmuch about her at all while she was teaching us English in H. University. In fact, sheonly taught me maybe just two or three weeks all together. However, she found out that I was outstanding out of all the
students that she met in China. Sheespecially liked what I wrote as homework while she was teaching us. When she came back to America, she sharedwhat I wrote to her colleagues, including the President of University of C.I guess my writing touched people at University of C. At onegathering, then the President asked D.C,” What is the plan next for this young
man?” D said” I would love to have himcome over to America to further his study.” And the president agreed.
In January 10, 1987, I left Beijing toAmerica. Once I was in the University ofC. The administration staff called D.C. that I was here in the school. She was so surprised and was verydelighted. I did not tell D that I wascoming to America, because I wanted to give her a surprise. (Well, I know now it was very true. I should not do that.) She said that she was in a meeting; she wouldpick me up that afternoon.
She was so happy to see me and gave me a bighug. She promised me that she will take care of me like a mom. She really did later on. And gradually I understand who D was.
D.C. was a mother with two kids, who were twoor three years younger than I am, a PH.D in psychology, Miss State, Send placeof Miss American in 1963, and the then the state delegate and EducationCommittee Member. She was from a decent family. Her father was former state Chief Judge. Her husband was the owner of top five company in the country in college business. He was trustee for about twenty universitiesin the state. They are very kind, verygenerous and very popular in the state. Hewas running for governor at that time, and he won two terms.
I wassurprised to know her background and touched by what she had done for me.
D helped me with everything. She drove me around and showed me to herfriends. Like any other parent, she paideverything for my stay in University of C, like food, dormitory, books,
everything. She also opened account forme, and put some money for allowance.
When I transferred to M University, she droveme door to door looking for apartment for me.
She brought me to see the president of M University, the Dean ofPolitical Science Department and International Study Director to show herconcern about me to study in M University. The first year when I didn’t’ have scholarship, she paid everything forme tuition, food and room.
She drove more than seven hours to Mtown toshow me the campus, to see her friend and to get me into Mtown University.
She was not only financially support me. Shetaught me a lot. The first booksthat D gave me are Democracy in Americanby the French author Alexis de Tocqueville. Very often she brought me to StateCapital to listen to the political debate. D and her husband welcomed me to join their campaign for governor. D invited me to attend big even like dinnerwith Chinese Ambassador, Senator, and governor inauguration. D sat up a fund for me to travel the entire
America continent one summer to learn and observe America.
D and her husband are great people. They helped me understand a lotabout America and the people. Theyshowed me that everyone is equal in America. They taught me that America is full of opportunities. They encourage meto work hard. I am forever grateful to D and her husband.After I left Mtown University, it was not easy for me to find a job with
a political science and public administration degree. But I never gave up. I always tried very hard. I never forget how hard my single mom workedfor my brothers, and I never forget how much D and her husband had taught me.
I started as an administrative assistant in
furnished luxury apartment. With thatjob, I learned about bookkeeping. Oneyear later, I got a job as bookkeeper in Great New York City Mutual HousingAssociation. I was promoted as financial
officer six month later, due to my hard working, overseeing financialoperations and administration. At Mutual Housing Association, Istarted to update the association financial net working systems. The organization was small without much fundto hire outside consultant to do computer work. I took it over myself. Workingday and night for half a year, I established the new financial systemsincluding computer network and financial reporting. Then I realized that I would have no problemmaking a living with knowledge of combination of computer and finance.
While I was doing independent finical systemsconsulting, I took everythingopportunity to learn computer, finance, accounting, budget and payroll. Without any savings, I took many traininglike company training or conference training. Many times, I ate and slept in the workplace, library or book storeafter work to make sure my work well done and to update myself with new
knowledge. For many years, I mastered many financial systems and worked formany organizations very successfully.
In 1996, when the Government of the New York City was establishing an accounting
systems manager program , I was honoredand hired as one of 12 senior
professionals to address and improvement NY government financial operations
and systems. During my time at NYgovernment, together with other professionals, I was leading in fixed financialsystems implementation for the entire city, overseeing the budget and spending
of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and updating NY governmentbudget systems of budget formulation and execution.
Over years, I accumulated a rich experienceand unique combination knowledge and skills of management, budget, finance,accounting and payroll. That’s how Iseized this great opportunity of BFOfficer with this great organization NY BA.I really and truly thank Ms. L. B, mysupervisor, very much for offering me this great opportunity. I feel very lucky to work with you all, such
wonderful people.
My understanding is: youwill be just fine, if you never give up. No matter where you are from with what kind of back ground, you will bejust fine in America, if you keep working hard, working intelligently and beingalways ready. America is a great country and American is a great people.
Right now I am married a beautiful lady with two lovely
daughters. My wife whom I met at Mtown University was also an
exchange student from China like me
Thank you very much.
I would love to answer any question you may have
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