November 4, 2012, Sunday, 308

User:LingCCheung

From The Peopling of New York City

Contents

Ling Charissa Cheung

Charissa was born in Hong Kong in 1988. She came to New York in April, 2001. She is currently an second semester undergraduate at Brooklyn College.

Charissa's Profile
Ling Charissa Cheung
Birthdate October 5, 1988
Location Brooklyn, NY
Education
First-Year Undergraduate student at Brooklyn College
Origin and Emigration
Hong Kong, China: 1988-1998, 2000-2001
Munich, Germany: 1998-2000
New York, USA: 2001-present
Fields of Interest

Singing
Chinese Dancing
Chinese Poetry
Religion
Christianity: Evangelical Lutheran

How Did My Family Became New Yorkers


My family – my parents, my sister, and I – came to New York on April 25, 2001. My family would not like to consider ourselves New Yorkers; but after these years living in New York, theoretically, we can be New Yorkers.

My family came from Hong Kong. That was where my whole family was born. My grandparents escaped to Hong Kong when the communist took over China. Hong Kong is a very special place. It was a British colony until July 1, 1997, but most of its citizens are Chinese. We spoke Chinese and did everything else in Chinese. All kinds of food are available in Hong Kong: Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, American (fast food), French, etc, but they are mostly altered in some ways to fit the taste of the Hong Kong people. Clothing, food, and daily appliances are quite cheap. Since the city was rather crowded, we used public transit to travel around the city. There were traffic jams everywhere and the pollution level was high as well. My father was and still is a pastor in a church and my mother stayed and still stays home with us, who were only in school from about 7am to 1pm in Hong Kong. We learned English in school, but many Hong Kongese (I don’t know what to call people from Hong Kong) still cannot engage in an English conversation after High School. We would watch the local TVB channel episode and news when we eat dinner and afterwards. There were only four local channels, two in Chinese and two in English.

We enjoyed our lives in Hong Kong very much. Since we lived in the church, we were rather close to other members. We also had many other friends there. We had “a life” in Hong Kong. My mother joined a gospel music group and my father played in bridge competitions with his friends. They had lived there all their lives and were very used to the lifestyle there. But my father listened to God’s calling.

In February 1998, my family moved to Germany as a missionary family. We stayed there for two years. We thought we were going to move back to Hong Kong, so my mother brought us back first for schooling while my father stayed in Germany for another year. I liked Munich, Germany. It is a beautiful city surrounded by many beautiful cities. Our neighbors were very nice to us. The city gave me a feeling of peace and relaxation: a very punctual and lay-back place. Just before my father left Germany, a deacon from a Chinese church in New York went to Germany to talk to Dad and invited him to be their pastor. After consulting with my mother, my sister, and I, my father agreed. That was how my family became “New Yorkers”.

When we first arrived in New York, it did not feel that much different from Hong Kong: a big, crowded, sometimes dirty metropolitan area – just looks a little bit older. Fortunately for us, New York’s Chinese population is big. My mother buys fresh food from Chinese markets everyday and cooks them at home. So, we are still enjoying Chinese food. I still kept up with the Chinese episodes by renting video tapes. I still listen to Chinese music by downloading them. My parents still keep up with news in China by reading the Chinese newspapers. They speak Chinese in church since all of the members are Chinese. The problem is that it is hard for my parents to assimilate.

I think it is hard for people over 25 to assimilate into a new environment in general. It can be one of the reasons why they dislike New York. Even some of my newly arrived college friends had problems with the cultural gaps between them and their English speaking friends. Here, my parents had almost “no life”. They have no friends beside some people in church. They worked for church related things from Sunday to Saturday. They learned how to drive here because they needed to. When they are free, they go to the outlet and just walk around. My mother repeatedly complained about her inadequate English. Even though I tried to avoid assimilation the whole time I have been here, I still think that my sister and I are more assimilated than my parents are.

My sister and I got around a little easier. We made some friends, mostly from church, but also from school. Not surprisingly, most of my friends – people I will go out in leisure time with – are of Chinese heritage. We go out with our friends once in a long while. I don’t dislike New York, but both my sister and I want to go back to Hong Kong after graduation. We feel that New York is only our temporary home. Our hearts are still in Hong Kong. It is hard to balance between learning and getting use to new things and keeping our own culture, which we are very used to and proud of. For example, I need to be better in English to do better in school and make more new friends, but I feel that as my English is improving, I am loosing my Chinese at the same time.

Social science classes and CHC1 helped me a little. I realized from the class that although I do everything in Chinese, I can still be a New Yorker. I believe that diversity is what makes New York so special. Since New York is made up of all kinds of people and immigrants, I can be living a specific cultural life-style and still be a true New Yorker. Ever since the beginning of New York’s history, many people had lived in their cultural neighborhoods; now, many are still living their own lifestyles in their own neighborhoods. Therefore, my family had been New Yorkers for almost seven years and we will be New Yorkers until the day we leave. But in our minds, intentionally or not, we built a connection between New York and ourselves. Some people might not realize such things, but I know because I had the similar feelings about Germany now, a very warm connection.

Map of My House


Hong Kong – My Home Sweet Home


If you ask me what is Hong Kong like, I probably cannot give you a concrete answer. I only have vague memories of Hong Kong. I have not been to Hong Kong since the summer of 2002. Hong Kong probably changed a lot within these five to six years. Maybe I cannot even go around the city by myself anymore. But I only have one description for Hong Kong: it is my home, a very warm, sweet, beautiful home.


Hong Kong is a very crowded and humid city. It is very busy, just like Manhattan. Before I left Hong Kong for Germany, I lived in Shum Shui Po, Kowloon. I lived in a four-story building surrounded by very old seven-story buildings. My neighborhood is very old, thus it had fewer skyscraper than most neighborhoods in Hong Kong. My building does not have an elevator, so I have to walk four flights everyday up and down. Next to my apartment, there are a kindergarden, an elementary school, and a church. The church has a playground, which I always played in. I still remember playing with my father and sister there. Every Sunday after worship, some friends will come over to my home and play together. I had two dogs, Johnson and Johny. I love dogs and one day, I will get my own dog.


Besides church, school is the biggest part of my life. I went to kindergarten at three. Until I went to Germany at ten, I studied in four different schools. Although I was not the best student at school, I acquired a very decent grade there. The school system is more rigid than the American one. Since Hong Kong was a British colony, we followed their system. All students had to wear uniforms to school. Everyday when the teacher enters the room, the class representative calls "stand up," then the whole class stands up. Then, we all say "Good morning Mr./Ms./Mrs. so and so" and the teacher says "Good morning students." Then the class representative says "Sit down" and the whole class sits. When we go to assenblies or gym, the class lines up straight, two by two. If we don't line up straight enough, then the teacher yells at us and then bring us up and down the stairs to "practice" lining up. Although the system is more rigid, I think the class discipline is overall better than classrooms in America. We also learn to respect our teachers more. Over all, I like the discipline because it helps us concentrate on our studies more. Students rarely interrupt the class. However, I only studied until elementary school in Hong Kong, it may be different in high school.

Clothes in Hong Kong is rather cheap. Also, the food is cheap. We have a lot of good things to eat and we tend to go out for meals more. Here, even McDonald is more expensive, asides from the dollar menu. I love the food in Hong Kong because most food added hong Kongese favors to suit our taste buds. Nonetheless, food in America is not bad at all.

I actually don't have a lot of memory of Hong Kong. I remember the park, the church, a few friends and relatives, and nothing much. having been away for six years already, Hong Kong surely has changed a lot. Nonetheless, Hong Kong is my home: a very warm, sweet, beautiful home. I love it no matter how much it had changed. I love it no matter how long I have been away. One day, I will go back and embrace again, my home, sweet home.

Gallery of Photos