Greenwood

=Yin-Fong Greenwood=

Podcast
media type="custom" key="8216214"

BIOGRAPHICAL/GEOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Ying-Fong Greenwood is from Malaysia. She came here to America 2 times before she stayed. She came the first time as a tourist. The second time was for her job as a journalist. The last time she was here she stayed because was getting married to her husband. She became a citizen last year and she could have applied 12 years ago. She has dual citizenship.

Malaysia is a country in Asia. It has a tropical climate and the average temperature is 75 degrees. It is north of Singapore and south of Thailand. Malaysia trades mainly with the United States and Australia. It’s main trading sources are oil, natural gases, iron, and wood.

=Creative Writing= //“If I perceive it right the American dream is that if you work hard then you will do well in life and be able to buy yourself a house and start a family. I think that is a very good dream to have because of the opportunities here and that people are free to pursue their// dream.”

By: Ramsey Angell
Dear Diary, Today I got my job as a reporter, traveling around Malaysia. I am really excited to start work. I get to travel, interviewing important people. It pays good money. I get an hour to eat lunch every day. I think it will help me get a career in writing, because everyone knows how much I love to write. I’m excited to be able to travel, seeing new places and people. I hope this makes my family very proud. It should because it’s what I love to do, and they support me in everything. I am so lucky to have an opportunity like this.

Dear Found Diary (20 or so years later), I feel like it’s been so long. I lost my diary, but I found it when I was packing. So I think it’s been about 20 years or so. I moved to America because I met my husband and we are getting married. My family stayed in Malaysia. I will miss them so much. I will miss the spicy food that much too. It won’t be as hard for me in America as others since I already know the

English language. I know it will be difficult living in a different country without my family. I can go visit my family.

Dear Diary (13 years later), Well I just got to Malaysia with my two beautiful daughters. We are staying with my parents. We are going to meet with my former schoolmates and co-workers. Malaysia’s weather is nice as always and absolutely beautiful and very different from weather in Ohio. It’s nice to finally taste the food and enjoy every bite of my former home. My daughters are not fans of the Malaysian food, oddly enough. They are happy there is a McDonalds in this country. I am so lucky for my family to be able to travel here and learn about the culture of my home country. I am so glad I chose dual citizenship so I can call both places home.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Ramsey: Can you introduce yourself?

Yin- Fong: My name is Yin-Fong Greenwood and I’m originally from Malaysia which is a country in south east Asia, north of Singapore and south of Thailand.

Ramsey: Ok did you did you have any uh jobs in Malaysia when you were younger?

Yin- Fong: Before I came to America I worked as I journalist for a English daily newspaper, and I worked there for a total of 17 years, a combination of 17 years with a couple of years where I quit the job and went to Europe.

Ramsey: What attracted you to America, what made you want to move here? Yin- Fong: I have visited America a few times before I eventually immigrated here. It is mainly because I met my husband. I came over here to get married to him.

Ramsey: Did you have any main reasons for traveling here? Yin- Fong: The first time I came over here I was as a tourist. I spent a month in California as a tourist. California, Nevada, and Arizona. And the second time I came here was as a part of a cultural group. Exchange group sponsored by the Rotary International. Oh I’m sorry the third time I came here was as a journalist sponsored by the state department.

Ramsey: How was your life back then like how was your education? What did you do for fun?

Yin- Fong: How was my education?

Ramsey: Like how was your schooling? How long did you go to school?

Yin-Fong: I finished high school then I went for a couple more years of what they call pre-university. Now Malaysia was once a British colony so their schooling system in Malaysia is uh is British style ok? And so I am the second of six children so things were tight so they couldn’t afford to send me on to university but I started work as a reporter for this newspaper company. I was trained for a job and I worked there. I enjoyed my work very much. I traveled a lot, sometimes around the world, all over Malaysia, but most of the time just around the city I worked in, which is the capitol city of Malaysia called Kuala Lumpur.

Ramsey: Was one of the reasons you loved your job so much is because you could travel?

Yin-Fong: That was one of the reasons but another reason is I could meet people, So that I could write because I love to write.

Ramsey: Oh I love to write too.

Yin- Fong: Oh that’s very good.

Ramsey: Do have any people or friends you still speak to?

Yin-Fong: Recently I was back in Malaysia with my two daughters, and we had a reunion with co-workers as well as former schoolmates, but yes I’m still in touch with friends I used to know.

Ramsey: Did you know anyone famous from your old country?

Yin- Fong: Yes as a journalist I meet a lot of the government officials and the who’s who in society, not just people in Malaysia, but well known people passing through as well as random people passing by that want to be interviewed by the press.

Ramsey: What were your favorite foods in Malaysia, and are the foods here different than in America or are they pretty much the same?

Yin-Fong: The food in Malaysia, there are three main races in Malaysia, therefore the food will be very different. The main group of people there the Malays. They eat very spicy curries and some sweet stuff like rice with curry chicken and all that, very rich food. Then you have the Chinese well you know Chinese food. And then you have Indian people who are from India and they have very spicy food. And of course they have Western food the food there is very cosmopolitan in the capital city, where I was born and raised. And I do miss the food there that’s why whenever I go to Malaysia I would bring back the curry pastes and stuff like that. So I can just put it in the freezer.

Ramsey: I love spicy food too.

Yin- Fong: That’s good.

Ramsey: In Malaysia did you have traditional clothes that other people wore like different groups of people? Or was it all like modern day?

Yin-Fong: Generally in Malaysia people wear clothes that all similar to what people in the western world wear. However they also have their traditional costumes or clothes that they wear on special occasions. Like the Malays have specific clothes with specific meanings like Baju Kurung, which is a tight fitting two piece, and for men they had a shirt and pants with a scarf wrapped around it, with a hat called a song gong. That’s just the Malays but then the Chinese would wear similar clothing. Some people would wear it to the office but others just wear it at home. But it just depends on whether they like wearing those clothes or not.

Ramsey: Did the different religions get along or were there disagreements between the different groups? Yin- Fong: The Malays are mostly Muslim. The Chinese, some of them are Buddhist or Taoist or Christians, so some of them really don’t get along. And then the Indians there are some who are Christians and some who are Hindu. And then of course there are some people who don’t believe in a God. And then some smaller races including the indigenous peoples, but mainly the national religion are Islam. But in the constitution in Malaysia, states that you are free to practice any religion you want. However if people are Christians, the others groups of religions cannot convert them to another religion.

Ramsey: Did you have any sports that you liked to play?

Yin-Fong: The most popular sport among men is probably soccer or badminton. I personally in high school, I played a lot of sports. I liked netball, which is like your basketball.

Ramsey: Was the climate very warm or comfortable?

Yin-Fong: It was well if you’re in an air conditioned room its nice and comfortable (laughing). It’s tropical its very near to the equator so it’s very hot. If it’s in the mountains it’s cool like in spring but that’s only in the mountains. Other than that it’s very hot and humid.

Ramsey: Do you have one language or is there more than one?

Yin-Fong: The main language in Malaysia is Malay, and since the Malays are the majority you speak the language of the majority. And then the Chinese speak different types of Chinese. Then the Indians would either speak Hindu or English.

Ramsey: Do you know any terms like hello or goodbye you could teach me?

Yin-Fong: Ya in Malay, hello would be Apa khabar. And that means what’s new or what’s up? Goodbye would be 'selamat tinggal'.

Ramsey: Did you listen to music in Malaysia?

Yin-Fong: I listened to variety of different types of music and I really like classical music. I listened to western classical music on the radio. I would say I listened to a lot of western music and some Christian music. I really listen to whatever is on the radio sometimes I listen to popular pop music but not hard rock music.

Ramsey: Did you have like McDonalds in Malaysia? Like fast food?

Yin-Fong: Ya they have McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Kenny Rogers Chicken. I don’t think they have them that much here though. KFC, but I would think that the prices would be more there than here. Like the locals would probably want a bowl of noodles so it would be cheaper to go and get noodles then it would to go get a cheeseburger from McDonalds.

Ramsey: When you took your daughters there did they like the traditional food or did they want like McDonalds?

Yin-Fong: Ya once in a while they would want to eat McDonalds. They do like uh uh certain types of local food but spicy food they aren’t used to because I normally don’t make them eat a lot of spicy foods. They are fine because at home they eat a variety of food.

Ramsey: Did you come on like a plane, a boat, or like a train?

Yin-Fong: Malaysia is about 12 hours ahead of Ohio time so like if it is noon here then it is going on like midnight Wednesday in Malaysia. So it takes about 24 hours of flying time on a plain from here to Malaysia excluding transit time in airports.

Ramsey: So um like did you want to live in Ohio or were there other places you wanted to live?

Yin-Fong: Well, I came to Ohio because my husband, at that time my future husband, stays, lives here and has a job here.

Ramsey: So that is why you decided to stay here is because he already had a job and he was already settled and everything?

Yin-Fong: Yes

Ramsey: So was it easier for you to transition to living here since you had been here before traveling?

Yin-Fong: Yes, it was probably easier for me than other people or somebody who may not know the language or who has not been exposed to American life before. And in my work as a journalist I met a lot of Americans and I also have American friends. Remember, I came here before.

Ramsey: So what it easy to become a citizen or did it take a long time?

Yin-Fong: I probably could have become a citizen, I’ve been here twelve years, ok, I could have applied for citizenship after three years but I did not until last year. That means that only in my 11th year here did I apply for citizenship and then became a citizen. It’s also because I had to feel comfortable with becoming a citizen here. I mean I had a good life in Malaysia. I had family and friends and of course I miss them and I miss the food uh and but because my children are American it makes it easier for me to become an American, makes it more practical for me to become an American instead of me having to keep on renewing my Malaysian passport and at the same time renewing my green card because I have to have a green card here.

Ramsey: So, it didn’t take a very long time for you to become a citizen?

Yin-Fong: Oh no, not very long. Not too long, just in a very short time.

Ramsey: Um if you could change the process of becoming a citizen, what would you change about that?

Yin-Fong: No, I wouldn’t change anything it, it was quiet easy. The process was I just needed to study different questions so when asked the questions about American life and American government so that I know about it. I think it is a good idea for people who are wanting to become citizens of this country that they know the background of this country. And I think it is ok to study it.

Ramsey: So, you think it is a good idea for someone who wants to become a citizen that they have to learn about the history and the government of this country?

Yin-Fong: Yeah, that’s right. And because I already speak English, the test was in English and was not a problem for me. But I can imagine for somebody who doesn’t know English, it could be a bit more of a problem.

Ramsey: Ok um to gain umm citizenship did you have to go and take the oath? Did you have prepare for the test but I guess it was rather easy since you had been here so long. Like since you knew all this stuff but did you have to take any oath to become a citizen?

Yin-Fong: Yes

Ramsey: How did it feel going in to that?

Yin-Fong: There were quite a number of people 30, 40 people and we went to downtown Dayton to attend the ceremony, the citizenship oath taking ceremony. It was fine we just went there and there were different people talking about their organizations. And then we all stood up and took the oath and became citizens.

Ramsey: so it was exciting?

Yin-Fong: I don’t know about the exciting part it just felt like more of a procedure. To. ..

Ramsey: To finalize it?

Yin-Fong: Ya to finalize it, its like I’m a Christian so it’s like I’m a citizen in heaven kind of thing. It doesn’t really matter to me whether I’m a citizen of this country or that country. The world is so small now u can be citizen in this country and that country and be traveling around the world. Sometimes it’s a matter of it’s practical for a person to be a citizen where they are going to be living for a long, long time. It’s just for practical reasons.

Ramsey: Ok do you like the same sports here that you liked in Malaysia or do you like different sports? Do like watching football?

Yin-Fong: First of all I don’t like watching sports on TV. It really doesn’t matter the only time I have ever seen a game live is when my husband took me to his old university and there was a game going on. I then I could see what people were actually doing, but still don’t understand American football (laughs). It’s not like I pay attention to any sports I mean I don’t even know that much about soccer.

Ramsey: I played soccer for a long time when I was younger and I grew up with football and I still don’t know that much about football.

Yin-Fong: Now remember in Malaysia as well as many parts of the world soccer is known as football so I have to keep reminding myself this is that the one and that is this one. Like I have to call it soccer and American football.

Ramsey: Do you listen to different music now than you did when you lived in Malaysia?

Yin-Fong: I still listen to a lot of classical music, ya.

Ramsey: You said you missed the people and the food but is there anything else you miss there?

Yin-Fong: It’s mainly the people and the food. Family, friends because my parents still live there and my 5 siblings still live there. Nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles and all my extended family still live there. Have a couple of cousins who live here and few but not very many. I miss going out with friends I have known for many, many years but here it’s harder to make friends.

Ramsey: Do you think that the rights like when you can drive and your legally an adult or when you can drink is fair?

Yin-Fong: Now in Malaysia you can only start driving when your 18 but I understand why people can drive when they are 16 here. Because it allows a kid to go to school and drive themselves to school. The country is much bigger than Malaysia so it makes sense. Drinking wasn’t ever really a problem in Malaysia. Mainly when people drink in Malaysia they are already adults. In the media there wasn’t ever really anything big about minors about alcohol. It’s just not a big problem.

Ramsey: Was there anything like boy scouts and girl scouts?

Yin-Fong: Yes there are boy scouts and girl scouts in Malaysia, in fact my two nephews they used to be boy scouts. One of them achieved the highest award which is the kings award which is probably, might be equivalent to Eagle Scout is here. He is going to get to receive his award in a ceremony from the king of Malaysia.

Ramsey: My friend Nathan is going to become an Eagle Scout next year and I am really proud of him because he is working really hard to do this.

Yin-Fong: That is really good. I remember as a kid I wanted to be some kind of Girl Guide, they don’t call it Girl Scouts in Malaysia, they call it Girl’s Guide. But I didn’t pursue that because I know my parents probably couldn’t afford to buy the uniforms and pay the dues so I didn’t bother asking them.

Ramsey: Is the transportation in Malaysia different than the transportation here?

Yin-Fong: No, they are similar, the British and then later on the Malaysian government developed a very good system of roads and trains and there is a lot of air travel. Its very similar but Malaysia is not a very big country compared to the United States.

Ramsey: Do you think the whole idea of the American dream is true?

Yin-Fong: If I perceive it right the American dream is that if you work hard then you will do well in life and be able to buy yourself a house and start a family. I think that is a very good dream to have because of the opportunities here and that people are free to pursue their dream. Now in the same way in Malaysia people are also free to do that if you are hard working and focus on what they want they can get out of poverty and do well for themselves. Now in countries where the government is very oppressive, then they cannot do that for themselves.

Ramsey: That is all I have to ask you but would you like to share anything else with me?

Yin-Fong: One thing that I like about America is the can do spirit, you know and people come here or are born here they are encouraged to do their best. Children from young are motivated and also encouraged to try their best and they are also told whatever you do go ahead and achieve it you can do it if the environment is right for you. So a lot is left to the individual to strive. And in many ways that is very good. The other thing is you don’t feel lesser because you are a minority group you don’t feel like your rights are not there. You have a say as well.

Ramsey: Thank you for letting me interview you.

Yin-Fong: Your welcome, I enjoyed it.

ANALYSIS
A person has to take a test to become a citizen. The test has American history and questions about the government. A person has to take an oath after taking the test to become a citizen. When immigration was at its high point, immigrants came through Ellis Island in New York and Angel Island is San Francisco to go through legal and physical tests. Immigrants experienced racism more during this time. Many people came to get a better education so they could get a better job. People wanted to experience the American dream. Yin-Fong did not take the test to become a citizen of the United States for twelve years. She thought the test was easier for her because she had been here for so long. She said that during the oath, people were trying to make her excited but she did not feel that way. She just felt like she was finalizing it. She came here to marry her husband. She said she thinks that the American dream means that you work hard enough then you will do well in life. She thinks this is a perceivable dream.