Li

=**Li Marcelo**=

=**Podcast with Li Marcelo**=
 * The Protests at Tiananmen Square**

media type="custom" key="8200006" =Biographical/Geographical Note= China has the largest population in the world with a population of over 1.3 million. It is the 4th largest country in terms of area. The capital is Bejing. Li immigrated from Beijing, China. China is situated in the eastern part of Asia. During this time, (1949-1976) China was controlled by the Communist Chairman: Mao Zedong. Mao threw any opposition in jail or even had them killed. This was a fearful time in China. Many feared for their lives, including her parents. They would often be out of the country to escape political prosecution. Growing up would’ve been hard because her parents were gone so often from political prosecution. Luckily, her neighbors would help out and help raise her. After Mao had died, she was able to leave China and explore the world as a young adult. She got her bachelor’s degree in China, a degree between bachelor’s and master’s in Germany, where she lived for three years. Finally she got her master’s degree in the U.S. where she still lives to this day with her husband and two kids.

=Creative Writing Piece=

//“The whole neighborhood becomes a big, happy family”//

Fruitful By: David Sills It’s early dawn as I slowly open my droopy eyes. Just as I stumble out of bed, Sister says, “Why are you awake?” “Why do you think I’m awake, it’s a school day,” I quietly reply. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. There’s no school today” “Oh! Right! Chairman Mao called it off again!” I dumbly exclaim. My younger Sister always remembers many things: all of our relatives’ birthdates, how many fields of rice there are in the countryside, and even how tall the buildings nearby were. But even //I// should’ve remembered school was off today and the whole week. Mao calls off school sometimes for us to praise and celebrate him and his achievements. Ma said when Mao was a toddler, a pear fell from a tree and struck him on the head. This was Ma’s explanation for him being so crazy. I think he was just born this way. Ma says his craziness causes him to throw people in jail. I know it’s because he’s power hungry. Any public opposition to him is met with a free pass to jail. Ma says many kids have to memorize the “Red Book” and nothing else. Luckily we don’t have to do much of this in my neighborhood. My neighborhood is a big, happy family. Since my parents are gone a lot for their job and political circumstances, the other families take care my two sisters and I. If you need some food, neighbors will lend it to you. If you lose something, they’ll help you find it. I really like it here. I don’t want Mao to destruct our neighborhood. “Li,” my sister exclaims. “You were daydreaming again.” “Was I?” “Yeah. That’s the third time this week” “Yeah, I know. But I can’t just stand Chairman Mao. I can’t believe anyone would believe the rubbish that exits his mouth. I wonder what life would be like without him. Would it be better or worse?” “Who knows,” Sister says blandly. “We can’t change the past. He was born and he rules us with an iron fist today.” After breakfast, Sister and I go to the market to get some produce for poor Mrs. Chang, the old widow who lives a couple doors down. As we walk down the crowded street, we notice a commotion a couple of blocks down. Like all of the bystanders, we cautiously stand near the commotion, trying to see what’s going on. It’s my classmate’s dad. I hear the police mumbling that he’s being arrested for treason and speaking out against the government. “This just shows how corrupt Mao is,” I say as we walk home from the market. If I said that near the policemen, I’d probably be arrested too. Anything negative said about the government, results in harsh action. Some innocent people are even put to death. We arrive at Ms. Chang’s house to deliver her oranges and apples. “Thank you children, and God bless you,” she says gratefully. This was breaking another rule. You see, Mrs. Chang was a devote Christian in secret. Christianity, religion, and even God in general were banned. It wasn’t a good thing to think about because you’re thinking something else is better and more powerful than Mao. According to Mao, he is the most powerful and nothing is better than him. So if Mrs. Chang said anything about God near anyone affiliated with Mao or the communists. She would’ve been arrested and maybe killed. “We can’t change the past.” I can still hear Sister’s words in my thoughts. Think if Ma’s story were true. Think if that pear would’ve never hit Mao on the head. Think, the world maybe, just maybe, would be a much better place.

= Transcription =

This is an interview with Li Marcelo. The interview was conducted on December 31, 2010. The interviewer is David Sills representing the Dayton Regional STEM School. David: Li, where did you immigrate from? Li: From China. David: What city? Li: Beijing, the capital city David: What was the reason to immigrate to the U.S.? Li: My major in china is computer science. And at that time I learned that the U.S. computer science is very advanced, on top of the world, so I would like to get an opportunity to learn more about computer science. David: What did you do here with computer science? Li: I went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I joined a department called system analysis and took the master’s degree there. David: Did you take any other degrees anywhere else? Li: Yeah, before I went to U.S. I went to Germany for three years and I have diploma of computer science as well. David: So you went from China to Germany to the U.S.? Li: Yeah. David: What was the experience like coming here and going to Germany ,too? Li: Germany is… the lifestyle is quite relaxing and the pay is quite similar in China. In states it’s fast food lane. Everything is usually (laugh) hush, hush, hush, and also work really hard. David: So basically, China and Germany are more relaxed and U.S. is really fast-paced. Li: Yeah. I had to work really hard earning a salary (laugh laugh). David: Was there any reason to leave China? Li: Yeah. One reason is I just tried to sharpen my computer knowledge and another reason is I liked the idea- freedom of speech, freedom of writing in states. And in China, the last year before I left there is Tiananmen Square. So you know how restrict for the Chinese Government is. They forbid student do anything you want. It was really very strict life there. I tried to experience freedom in the U.S. So there’s lot of motivation. David: Back in China when it was really strict, did you have any family there? Li: Yeah. I had a whole family there. Mom. Dad. I have two siblings there. David: Did any of them think about moving to the U.S. too? Li: Yeah. At that time because we’re all intelligent people and my mom was a professor at the school. My dad is chief editor. My sister was doctor in China. The other sister has a bachelor degree in China too. So with those backgrounds we don’t like how the government operates in China. So also we had the interest to explore other countries’ life and other countries’ freedom and other countries’ political environment. So my sister followed me here afterwards. They’re all in U.S. David: So your family saw how well you did here, and they decided to come here. Li: Yeah. When they came here they didn’t really wanted to stay, but after they degree, they also came here to get their master’s degree here and after they had those experiences they decide to stay. David: I know you said the political culture is different here. What are the other things that are different? Are people more friendly? Li: U.S. people definitely has variety of people. They come from all over the world. So they easy adapt people from different country and different race and you have different opinion cause all are welcomed. And in China we have the minorities. Majority is all Han race and minorities like a fifty different minority races. But where I lived, in capital city is more minorities. So I don’t have experience dealing with minorities. Even they are, I really couldn’t tell who is who. But in states you can see the skin color: white and black and yellow and some are red. You see the races and you dealing with people from different countries. David: So, the U.S. helped you deal with different minorities and helped you get better-rounded? Li: Yeah David: So basically the cultures are very different. Are there any similarities? Li: I think the culture is very different because in China under Chairman Mao leadership we’re not allowed to have religions and we have to worship communism. So country is number one thing, but really some people, inside people, sometimes were very empathy. But here most people are Christian and they worship God and they try to behave well and be nice, be forgiving. I don’t got a value in China, like for example forgiving. Be patient. This is really the Christian word: help people behave nicer to others. David: When you first came here, did you first come to Dayton? Li: I came to Miami University. David: So you came to the Dayton area? Li: Yeah. I left Miami University after I got married and work in Lexis-Nexis, so I move to Springboro, Dayton area. David: So did come here and first get married right away, or did you first meet people? Li: Yeah, I came to school first, then I met my husband in Miami University, then we decide to get married after we graduate. David: Do you guys have the same job too? Li: Yeah. We both had computer science degree and so we were both working at Lexis-Nexis. David: Let’s retrace your steps. You came here and went to Miami for your undergraduate? Li: That would be for master’s degree. David: Oh. So you got your undergraduate in Germany. Li: I got my undergraduate in China. Yeah, Germany has a degree between undergraduate and master’s. So that a little bit different. David: Okay, and then you came to get your master’s at Miami and you met your husband and you moved to Lexis-Nexis. So what happens after that? Li: Well I have been Lexis-Nexis employee for sixteen years already and I haven’t moved to other company yet (laugh laugh laugh). I still like the company. David: Go back to China. In China, did you have any job opportunities there? Li: Yeah. After I got my bachelor’s degree I got job in government and I work in the computer lab in that company and I haven’t worked there for many years. David: Did you like that job? Li: Well, the job itself is okay. It is very entry level and basic kind of set-up lab and programming something and teaching people how to use that stuff. So it’s very basic skill, not like here what I’m doing is really advanced. But it’s also restricted with Chinese policy, how much you can do there. David: so your family came here after you. Where do they live, and how do they feel about the U.S.? Li: My mom and dad still like China. Of course they don’t speak English and they like the company there and they have students around them. My dad passed away in year 2000 and so my mom traveled between U.S. and China. She had a root there. She is 75 years old. So she is enjoying life in China. David: Was learning English hard? Li: For me, at my high school in China, English is the first foreign language I had to learn. I was there, actually at my elementary school is located in the university, so I had opportunity to learn English earlier while in elementary school. Versus other people, most people started English in high school. So for me is have that background so easy to get me to English. David: I’m taking Chinese right now. I know they’re really different. Chinese has all those pitches and tones and stuff. So would say English is easier than Chinese or harder? Li: Well, Chinese is different really, Chinese character is hard to remember the strokes. English has alphabet, only 26. Easily to put together into one word. But Chinese, easy part they don’t have tense. They don’t have plural, singular. English you have to remember the tense. Past, future, present. You have to think more. To me, I think English is harder (laugh laugh laugh). You just need more process in your mind to think about. David: Your childhood in China, what was that like? Li: Well, I compare you guys, you have so many birthday parties and games. I don’t remember I ever celebrate my birthday, I don’t even think I have a party there. But the neighborhood we live around did very well. Treat each other very well. Becomes a big family there. So because my parents would constantly send out to different place, for their job and because of political reason. So we grew up pretty much by our self and so neighbored adults taking care of each other’s kids, other people’s kids, so the whole neighborhood becomes a big, happy family. We don’t have games. We play darts (laugh), we play marbles. David: That’s still awesome how the people there just come together in the neighborhood. Do you think that’s very contrastive to the U.S.? Li: Yeah. I like that very nice trust and relationship in China. And I notice in China we usually work hand in hand, shoulder by shoulder. We’re all together. Here you feel like you have to keep some distance with each other. If you get too close, people will feel your crazy, you stealing people. So the trust system in China is more reliable to people, versus in the U.S. David: Back to U.S. culture, what are your favorite things about the culture? Li: I think the culture give you the freedom explore what you want to do. Right now I have computer background, I’m able to either shop my knowledge to get better job, or I can change my career do something (else), and that is trick for me. The food, I think China has better food (Laugh laugh laugh laugh), better variety there and here the food is much cleaner. David: So, it’s kind of dirty in China? Li: Yeah, China they don’t care much about sanitizing things, because everything is cooked. Your water have to be cooked. So they think the cook can get rid of all the germs. But here, most of things are raw. Like salad and fast food, you have to use your hands. In China I really didn’t use my fingers eating food, I always have chopsticks. So in that sense I feel different. David: So they don’t really care for the public health there, sanitation wise. Li: when I was there that was really just minor thing. Government didn’t pay attention. I think now a days they really emphasize make the whole world clean. You know how bad the pollution is in China now because people never paid attention. They just more pay attention to people’s relationship versus the environment. People and the environment relationship. Now I think China under the pressure from the whole world, U.N., and other countries. You got to be clean, you have to work on that harder. I think they are improving. David: What kind of knowledge did you have of this culture when you came here? Li: I don’t really have much knowledge for this. I know there’s freedom in this country and I didn’t realize people worked so hard here. Only thing I know: I have English Language I had to just start from scratch. I didn’t really do much research about this country. (We took a break here for a couple minutes) David: Did you have a religion back in China? Li: I don’t. As I said Chairman Mao, Mao Zedong restrict the people to believe any God, and all the churches, temples (were) destructed by the government. So when I grew up, the only thing we allowed to think was Communism. Now the government started loosening up a lot of people to do that. My generation, when I grew up, we pretty much (had) no religions. The God was a really bad thing to think about. David: so you grew up under Chairman Mao? Li: Yeah. David: What was it like? Li: Well for me everybody still big happy family and fortunately my family didn’t get much destructed as other families. But I do know there was a fight between different parties. ( the next sentence is confusing so I put this instead). Chairman Mao theory said you had to go out to the farm to learn how the farm works, you can’t limit yourself in your textbook. You had to go out to factory to learn how the worker works. So you had to spend lot of time to be out of the hometown to stay with farms, to stay with workers. David: Do you think that had any effect on you? Li: Yeah, I think if my parents stayed with us more and I could get a better education with them because they are very intelligent people. But they spend more time with others and we pretty much grew up ourselves and relied on the school system we had. But unfortunately in Chairman Mao’s time we, for a period… the school also was abandoned, we don’t study anymore. So we just sing and danced for Chairman Mao’s victory and achievements. David: So, he was very controlling? Li: Yeah. David: You said other people’s house got destroyed. Do you remember anything about that? Li: I do not remember anything about that but…. Well I do remember little because my whole environment…. I grew up in the university. The environment is quite stable versus other places. But I do remember my classmates dad got threw to jail because of the political view to the government. My classmate is the same age as me. 7 years old. And the only thing she was allowed to do (was) how to memorize Chairman Mao’s book. Although she couldn’t read all the words, she had to memorize to certain degree to pass the system. David: Do you think Chairman Mao and all the fear of him make you want to partially leave there too? Li: At that time I didn’t really think about leaving. When I really think about leaving was when I graduated from college and start working and start thinking. Then we can listen to radio from western countries, for example U.S. So we learned the outside world is a little bit different than here. I should not (say) it’s a little bit different, it’s a lot different than here. (At) that time we also observed what happened at Tiananmen Square. What happened was the government did to the students, to the country. That time really triggered for me to try something different. David: What did they do? Li: Well, basically Tiananmen Square started with all the students they try to raise their different voices than the government. They strike on Tiananmen Square and they want government to accept certain requests (that) they want to make. For example, free speech, something like that. The government were thinking they were out of boundary and they shouldn’t do anything like that. They should just obey. So they sent out the military to try to control. But the students, they really want to pursue their willingness and this started a conflict and there was a fight between military the poor students without any weapons. Some get arrested, some died, some was bloody. David: Did you see that? Li: I saw some wounded student, but when the thing was really happening I was not there. David: But it wasn’t broadcasted on T.V. Li: It is broadcasted, but it was propaganda-ed as negative, versus neutral action. David: I know now the government sometimes blocks some of the internet and the communist party still controls. Was it like that back then? Li: Certainly, I remember I tried to learn CNN through the radio, and you can feel lots of interruption, you really couldn’t hear clearly. They definitely restrict those things. David: When you came here for your education, was there ever a plan to go back to China? Li: Yeah, I was thinking about (it) because my family was still there. But once I got married I decided to stay. David: Once you got here and stayed here, and your family saw how well you did. Is that basically what made them come here? Li: Yeah, but that means they didn’t want to stay here either, they just want to try something new, see something different. But once they got here (and) they got degree. They decided it’s good work to stay here. David: Do you think the U.S. is better than China or does China still have its good parts about it? Li: Well, I think they (on) the U.S. most of things is better than China, but I’m not sure. Different government goes different way. Like this government, thinking of goal of social interest. Basically, back in China (the) government controls stuff. I prefer the society system that people control versus government. David: Was there any negative parts about the U.S. when you came here? Li: Every society has their shortcoming. There are lots of things we can improve. For example: people’s relationships. People seems not trust each other easily in the states. David: Are you contrasting from there? (China) Do they trust a lot there? Li: Yeah. Here I feel people always have some sort of boundary between them. David: The trust factor. Do you think that caused any discrimination when you first came here? Li: Well I usually don’t think about any discrimination. If you think this way people constantly feel discriminated. (laugh laugh) People have a way of thinking differently. People thinking negatively. David: What customs have you adopted from the U.S.? Li: I think fast food I adopted easily. Cooking in China is a lot of labor work and here it’s very quick, easy. Like sandwich you put everything together in minute. In China there’s no way you cook something (that fast). David: Did you adopt a religion? Li: Yeah, my husband is Catholic, so I went to church with him. I think it’s a valuable experience for me. After I took a couple religious classes in church, I decided to become a Catholic. David: Did you come here thinking about religion? Li: I never thought about that. David: You just thought about education. Li: Yeah, only think about education. David: Did they value that a lot in China? Li: After Chairman Mao’s system, the education system fell back to original strength. I feel the Chinese school emphasizes academic achievement more. People study harder than here. The kid’s school bag is much heavier than here. Here they don’t have homework. To me that is unbelievable. In China you spend lots and lots of hours on homework even in elementary school. David: Yeah, I here kids hang them selves from all the stress. Li: Yeah it’s a Chinese old tradition, to get better life you have to have good degree. That’s the tradition: you have to get better education. David: Do you think that tradition is what caused you to come here? More advanced. Better education. Li: Definitely, I feel I get higher degree and better education. I think it’s in the blood of Chinese. They always want to get best education. David: Was it easy to adjust to life here? Li: Definitely, you have to drive everywhere you go. In china, when I was there, I always use bus system. Here you have to learn to drive and get to spot A and spot B. You have to use a faster system. You can’t be lazy. For the food, like cheese, in China I’ve never had cheese before. You just have milk. Here you have so many dairy products. Too much new stuff. But I enjoy most of them. David: What would be the toughest part of moving here? Li: I think it’s still language, although I have that in high school. But when I got here I got culture shocked. When I learned more English English more, than American English. Some I learned didn’t match what people use here. Also there’s slang, the culture’s different, I feel my English still has a gap. David: Do you still feel that way? Li: I do because is still don’t understand what people are saying and what people is laughing about. I feel like I still have lots to learn.

=Analysis=

I believe my interviewee had a very different experience than the ones we read about in class. She already learned English in high school and she already had two degrees before coming to the U.S. I feel she was very prepared when coming here. But one thing that is similar to the immigrants in class is that she planned to go back to her home country but ended up staying like most other immigrants. But she was most common to the immigrants we learned about in class because she was Chinese. In class we learned that the Chinese were discriminated for over 100 years (1820-1943). They were denied basic citizenship and rights in the U.S. because of the Chinese exclusion Act. When it was repealed this gave Chinese a chance at life. If it was still in law today, she wouldn’t of been able to explore the world as a young adult and come to America. I feel the interview went well and I learned a lot about a person I already knew because of the interview.